There’s a whole world to discover west of the Las Vegas Strip: culturally rich, abundant in natural beauty, with a culinary scene to die for.
It would be easy to come to Las Vegas and stay only on the Strip—or even never leave your hotel room. After all, that’s how the resorts were designed—as self-contained cities. But there’s an entire swathe of land west of the Strip to explore containing the city’s booming Chinatown, and further west, the toney mixed-use Tivoli Village, Summerlin and its Downtown Summerlin district, all the way west to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Of the millions of people that visit Las Vegas every year, more and more are venturing west for at least part of their trip. In fact, the west side of Las Vegas has been expanding since the city was incorporated in 1911, but it wasn’t until decades later that residential neighborhoods, golf courses, restaurants, and a few resorts spread all the way west toward Red Rock. Case in point: the film producer and billionaire mogul Howard Hughes bought 22,500 acres along the western rim of the valley in 1952 and became the valley’s largest landowner. The land wouldn’t be developed until the late 1980s and early 90s when it became Summerlin, which at that time was the largest master-planned community in the US. The area just west of the Las Vegas Strip on Spring Mountain Road, known as Las Vegas’ Chinatown, is a relative newcomer, too, opening its first pagoda-style dining and retail district in the early 1990s. Today, you can drive due west of the Strip through Chinatown, up into the European-style mixed-use Tivoli Village and the restaurants of the neighboring Boca Park, farther west into Summerlin and its booming Downtown district, all the way to the prime hiking and mountain biking of Red Rock. Much of the west side is devoted to Summerlin, which comprises 20 villages, 310 parks, and a series of hiking and biking trails.
While it’s referred to as Chinatown, it’s a mix of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese businesses. More than 150 restaurants line this stretch, and to understand the vibe, just know that this is where chefs from the Strip come after their shifts to dine late at night.
This cluster of shopping villages sits right around the PGA Tour public golf course of TPC, near Suncoast Hotel & Casino, JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and the guard-gated Mediterranean-inflected Queensridge residential community. Plenty of Vegas visitors choose to stay up here for the golf and the village-y feel of Tivoli and Boca Park and travel down to the Strip when they want their fill of Vegas action.
Getting to Las Vegas’ Chinatown couldn’t be easier. Drive due west from the Strip on Spring Mountain (just on the south side of Wynn Las Vegas and Fashion Show Mall) and you’ll hit the three miles dedicated to the city’s vibrant Asian community.
Most of the businesses are parts of large plazas, like Chinatown Plaza with its traditional Chinese arch, gift shops and restaurants, and Shanghai Plaza, which houses restaurants and bakeries, bubble tea places, conveyor belt sushi, a Japanese skincare spa, and more. Some of the most famous restaurants in Las Vegas can be found along this road, from the tiny Japanese jewel box robata restaurant Raku to Kabuto-Edomae Sushi, which ships fish in from Tokyo Bay, to the late, late-night Izakaya-style restaurant, Ichiza, where you’ll find chefs and party people dining until 2 am. The area has become a draw for other businesses, too, and you’ll find tiki bars, jewelry stores, coffee bars, and more.
Tivoli, which is loosely based on old European villages, is a walkable mini-neighborhood with everything from an elevated red sauce joint, Al Solito Posto, to El Dorado Cantina, which serves organic and non-GMO dishes. If you want to know where Las Vegas’ philanthropists and society mavens go to be styled, it’s at Vasari whose owner brings back less mainstream labels from his visits to Europe and builds entire wardrobes for them. Nearby upscale shopping center Boca Park holds neighborhood favorite restaurant Honey Salt, where you’ll find the area power brokers and ladies who lunch dining on upscale farm-to-table dishes.
A thriving mixed-use downtown anchors Summerlin and continues to develop beyond its original restaurants and retail focus. You’ll find everything from upscale chains like Shake Shack and True Food Kitchen to restaurants that even top the Strip for pricing, like Harlo Steakhouse & Bar, which draws the area’s elite local residents for wood-fired steaks. The area has acres of retail devoted to department stores and sportswear boutiques and holds lots of local events, including a Saturday farmers market. But to more and more people, Downtown Summerlin is the place to park and dine before heading to the new Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Las Vegas Aviators baseball team, and City National Arena, the practice rink for the NHL Vegas Golden Knights.
Red Rock Spa by Well & Being is one of the best places to rehab your aching body after a day of hiking or climbing at Red Rock Canyon.
Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa isn’t just the favorite locals’ casino and sportsbook west of the Las Vegas Strip, it’s the heart of the area’s entertainment, with 72 lanes of bowling and VIP private bowling suites, a high-end poker room, and movie theaters. It is a major dining draw, with restaurants like Blue Ribbon Sushi, the newest outpost of legendary Vegas-born Thai restaurant Lotus of Siam, the Greek specialties of Naxos Taverna and Kallisto Oyster Bar, and Osteria Fiorella, by Philadelphia star chef Marc Vetri. Many visitors, especially those who want to spend multiple days exploring Red Rock National Conservation Park, bypass the Strip for this resort.
It used to be that you could just wander into the conservation area, buy a day pass, and explore at will. Now entrances are timed, so to guarantee you’ll gain entrance to the park, reserve a spot on the Conservation Area’s website.
The deep red color of this 200,000-acre conservation area is astounding (hence the name). It’s the state’s first National Conservation Area and has 30 miles of hiking trails, mountain biking, and if you’re less gung-ho about the physical activity but still excited about the scenery, you can drive the 12-mile loop that circles it. If you’re using the Strip as your base, you can reach Red Rock in about 20 minutes, or stay at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa (ask for a Red Rock view). There’s a hike for nearly everyone among the 26 hikes in Red Rock, some with pictographs and petroglyphs from the ancient civilizations who called this home over a thousand years ago. Horseback riding is another great way to see the Conservation Area, and you can book rides with Cowboy Trail Rides near the Red Rock entrance. They’ve been here forever and know all the hidden gems, from ancient caves to geological formations.
If you’re only going as far west as Chinatown, staying on the Strip or in Downtown Las Vegas is your best bet. You can reach this portion of Spring Mountain in only minutes. If you’re planning on devoting your trip to the natural wonders of Red Rock and/or taking in a golf game at one of the area courses, Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa or the JW Marriott are both great options.
One-quarter of Vegas visitors are here for the first time, and most first-timers want to stay on the Strip. That means that 75% of visitors are repeats, and more and more of them are venturing off the Strip to discover other points around the valley. If you don’t need the thumping nightlife of the Strip, you’re here for the hiking, or you’re visiting friends or family on the west side, this is the place for you.
