Arts District
Charleston and Commerce
About
In the late 1990s, artists started moving into a downtown area a few blocks south of Fremont Street, an industrial area once occupied solely by places like auto repair shops and second-hand stores. The artists kept coming, and slowly the area has established itself as the Arts District, pulling in galleries, restaurants, and shops. The art definitely shows its Las Vegas origins: expect to see a fair share of nudes and interesting takes on Southern Nevada. If you're looking for artwork completely authentic to Las Vegas, a stroll through the Arts District will show you a side of Las Vegas you won't see on the Strip. Once a month the area celebrates with a block party called First Friday. The streets are closed to traffic, food vendors and musicians set up for the evening, and the crowd wanders through galleries and shops.
