While the Las Vegas Strip has largely become too expensive for the kitsch that was once a big part of its offering, off-Strip areas continue to offer old-school Vegas flare. The Fremont St. area downtown seamlessly meshes nostalgia with modernity.
That area offers a street party in a way you don't really find on the Las Vegas Strip itself. With the street closed to traffic, Fremont St. offers an endless nightly mix of DJs, live bands, street performers, and its famous "Fremont St. Experience" LED dome shows that cover a portion of the street.
Related: Iconic Las Vegas Strip attraction won't be closing (for now)
It's a street party flanked by the ultra-modern Circa on one end and older more classic casinos like Binion's and Four Queens that still deliver an old-school Las Vegas feel. Fremont St., however, isn't the only off-Strip area that's evocative of old Las Vegas. The areas surrounding the Strip both in and outside Las Vegas City limits offer casinos that serve locals which take you back in time.
One of the most unique casino properties, which closed its doors during the covid pandemic, won't be reopening. Instead, it's being knocked down and replaced with an industrial park.
Image source: Shutterstock
Terrible’s Hotel and Casino meets a sad end
Terrible's Hotel and Casino, took on that odd moniker in 2014 a few years after it was purchased by the Herbst family, which owns a gas station chain bearing that name. When it was first opened in 1987, the property, which sits about 25 miles away from the Las Vegas Strip, was known as the Gold Strike.
The property had a lot working against it besides its odd name.
"In its heyday, Gold Strike-slash-Terrible’s had more than 800 rooms, a number of restaurants and 40,000-square-feet of casino floor. Terrible’s was Jean’s last gasp. Nobody lives in Jean, as none of its land is zoned for residential use. It’s all about commercial and industrial use, sort of the opposite of casinos," Casino.org reported.
The property survived as a sort of pit stop for people driving from California to Las Vegas. It was also a spot for locals, although not many locals actually lived all that close to it.
Now, after being closed for more then two years, demolition has begun at the property.
What's next for Terrible’s Hotel and Casino
The major players including Caesars entertainment (CZR) -), MGM Resorts International, and Wynn Resorts generally avoid placing properties off the strip. There are, however, operators like Red Rock Resorts, which includes that Stations Casinos brand, which specialize in off-Strip locations.
Sadly, none of those operators have plans for the Terrible's site. Instead, the new owner, Tolles Development will be building an industrial park at the site.
Tolles partner Cory Hunt said that the company has received signficant interest in the pending industrial park.
"Construction on phase one, which will be two buildings, will start between March and May and be completed by the second quarter of 2025. The first building in phase one will be 455,000 square feet and the second about 1 million square feet, " he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The new owner has not committed to buidling anything other than the first building. Tolles believes the location will be popular because trucks can deliver to it making a round trip from California in a single day. That saves on hotel costs and means the trucks do not have to navigate the traffic of the Las Vegas Strip.
And, while the Terrible's name will no longer be on a resort casino, it's still found on 100 convenience stores across California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. The name also appears on five casinos that don't have an attached hotel across Nevada.
