Wasgamuwa National Park.....Sri Lanka

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Wasgamuwa National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Wasgamuwa National Park
Wasgamuwa National Park
Location	Central and North Central provinces, Sri Lanka
Nearest city	Matale
Coordinates	7°43′N 80°56′ECoordinates: 7°43′N 80°56′E
Area	39322 ha
Established	August 07, 1984
Governing body	Department of Wildlife Conservation

Wasgamuwa National Park is a natural park in Sri Lanka situated in the Matale and Polonnaruwa Districts . It was declared to protect and to make a refuge for the displaced wild animals during the Mahaweli Development Project in 1984 and is one of the four National Parks designated under the Project.^[1] Originally it was designated as a nature reserve in 1938, and then in the early 1970s the area was regraded as a strict nature reserve.^[2] Wasgamuwa is one of protected areas where Sri Lankan Elephants can be seen in large herds. It is also one of the Important Bird Areas in Sri Lanka. The name of the Wasgamuwa has derived through the words "Walas Gamuwa".^[3] "Walasa" is Sinhala for sloth bear and "Gamuwa" means a wood. The park is situated 225 km away from Colombo.^[4]

Contents

• 1Physical features
• 2History and historic irrigation
• 3Flora
• 4Fauna
• 5Threats and conservation
• 6See also
• 7References

Physical features[edit]

The National Park's annual daily temperature is 28 °C (82 °F) and has a dry zone climate.^[1] Annual rainfall ranges between 1650–2100 mm. Rain is received during the north-eastern monsoon, from October to January.^[4] July–September is the dry season. Highest elevation of the National Park is Sudu Kanda (White mountain), which is 470 metres (1,540 ft) of height. The soil of the national park contains quartz and marble. The forests of Wasgamuwa represent Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests.^[5] The park consists of primary, secondary, riverine forests and grasslands.

History and historic irrigation[edit]

Ruins of Malagamuwa, Wilmitiya, Dasthota irrigation tanks and Kalinga Yoda Ela canal which are built by Parākramabāhu I remain in the national park.^[1] In the past water was irrigated from the Minipe anicut's left bank canal to Parakrama Samudra by Amban ganga which had run through Wasgamuwa.^[4]

Yudangana Pitiya has identified as the battleground of the battle between King Ellalan and King Dutthagamani taken place.^[4] A grassland that the Dutthagamani's army supposed to have camped before the battle is known as Kandauru Pitiya. The ruins of Chulangani chaitya which is built by King Mahanaga can be seen in the national park. Its circumference, 966 feet (294 m) is greater than the Ruwanwelisaya's.^[1] The artifacts that have been recovered from the bricks of the chaitya include a bowl used by King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and several bronze statues are now kept in the Yudangana vihara.

Flora[edit]

Safari trail at Wasgamuwa.

Wasgamuwa National Park exhibits one of the highest biodiversity among the protected areas in Sri Lanka.^[1] More than 150 floral species have recorded from the park. Cryptocoryne walkeri and Munronia pumila are two plants with economic value. Reservoirs and riverine forests support large number of fauna species. The forest consists of several layers. Chloroxylon swietenia, Manilkara hexandra, Elaeodendron glaucum, Pterospermum canescens, Diospyros ebenum, Holoptelea intergrifolia, Pleurostylia opposita, Vitex altissima, Drypetes sepiaria, and Berrya cordifolia are dominant trees in the emergent layer. Polyalthia korinti, Diplodiscus verrucosus, Limonia acidissima, Cassia roxburghii and Strobilanthes stenoden are common in other strata. Some 1,700 years old tamarind tree, "Oru Bendi Siyambalawa" (Sinhala for Canoes-Moored-Tamarind) was situated in the park.^[6]

Fauna[edit]

A peafowl enjoying the morning sun

Wasgamuwa National Park is home to 23 species of mammals.^[1] The park is inhabited by a herd of 150 Sri Lankan elephants. Marsh elephant (Elephas maximus vil-aliya) roams in the Mahaweli river area. Both monkeys found in the park, purple-faced langur and toque macaque, are endemic to Sri Lanka. While water buffalo and Sri Lankan axis deer are common to observe, Sri Lanka leopard and sloth bear are rare. Small golden palm civet is another rare endemic mammal.^[4]

The number of bird species recorded from the park is 143.^[1] This includes 8 endemic species. Endemic red-faced malkoha is a resident bird in this national park.^[7] Sri Lanka junglefowl is another endemic bird inhabits the park. Lesser adjutant, yellow-fronted barbet, and Sri Lanka spurfowl are the species that visit the reservoirs and streams of the national park. Peafowl, painted stork, black-headed ibis and Eurasian spoonbill are the park's other aquatic birds.^[4] Rare Sri Lanka frogmouth can be found here. Another rare species, chestnut-winged cuckoo, is seen near the Mahaweli river.

Endemic and endangered Fejervarya pulla is one of the eight species of amphibians of the park.^[1] Of 17 reptile species recorded in the park, five species are endemic. Water monitor and mugger crocodile are common in the waterbodies of the park. Skinks Lankascincus spp., lizards Calotes ceylonensis and Otocryptis wiegmanni, and serpent Chrysopelea taprobanica are the endangered reptile species. Endemic Garra ceylonensis and combtail are among the 17 fish species reside in the aquatic habitats of the park. Of the park's 50 butterflies, eight species are endemic.

Threats and conservation[edit]

There is a possibility that wild animals might catch diseases by coming into contact with domestic cattle, which are released to park's grasslands by the villagers.^[4] Wild animals have to compete with these cattle as they have occupied the grazing lands and water pools. These cattle also damage the park's electric fence. Illegal logging is a major threat and preventing it has been a difficult issue. Elephants damage the properties of the villagers and fatal attacks on them have reported from the park. An elephant transit home is being proposed in the Wasgamuwa National Park.^[8] Environmentalists raised concern over proposed resettlement of displaced people from the construction of Moragahakanda reservoir.^[9] It is suggested that this resulted in escalating the elephant-human clash.^[10]

Hints & tips

• Make sure you go in the early morning or late evening to see more animals
• Pick the right season and book early otherwise you will not be able to book accommodation inside the park
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Disclaimer

The above comments are based on my personal travel experiences to this particular location in summer months. Your experience may vary due to weather and traffic.

My trips were not sponsored by any of the authorities and my comments are not biased or representing any views of governing bodies.

History and information extracted from Wikipedia and photos were selected from Google images and all rights reserved with original owners.

This is only for an informational purpose. Not for commercial use.

Note.

Hope you will enjoy your visit. Please make your comments, suggestions & travel questions. I am happy to provide information on my earliest convenience & update the post accordingly.

Las Vegas Strip.....Nevada.....USA

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"Vegas Strip" and "The Strip" redirect here. For the TV series, see Vegas Strip (TV series). For other uses, see The Strip (disambiguation).

Las Vegas Strip

The Strip South Las Vegas Boulevard
Clockwise from top: Las Vegas Boulevard, MGM Grand Las Vegas, New York-New York, The Venetian Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Bally's Las Vegas & Paris Las Vegas, Bellagio
Length	4.2 mi (6.8 km)
Coordinates	36.119684°N 115.172599°W
South end	Russell Road
North end	Sahara Avenue

The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of South Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, about 4.2 miles (6.8 km) long,^[1] sits immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated towns of Paradise and Winchester but is often referred to as being in Las Vegas.

Many of the largest hotel, casino, and resort properties in the world are located on the Strip, known for its contemporary architecture, lights, and wide variety of attractions. Its hotels, casinos, restaurants, residential high-rises, entertainment offerings, and skyline have established the Strip as one of the most popular and iconic tourist destinations in the world and is one of the driving forces for Las Vegas' economy.^[2] Most of the Strip has been designated as an All-American Road^[3][4] and is considered a scenic route at night.^[5]

Contents

• 1Boundaries
• 2History
  • 2.1Early years (1930s–1990s)
  • 2.22000–present
  • 2.3Future developments
• 3Transportation
  • 3.1Pedestrian traffic
• 4Attractions on the Strip
  • 4.1Golf
  • 4.2Amusement parks and rides
  • 4.3Shopping
  • 4.4Entertainment
  • 4.5Venues
• 5Locations of major landmarks
  • 5.1Current landmarks
  • 5.2Former hotel/casino locations
• 6Demolished or closed Strip casinos and hotels
• 7Gallery
• 8See also
• 9References
• 10Further reading
• 11External links

Boundaries[edit]

Looking north, 2013

Looking south

Historically, area casinos that were not in Downtown Las Vegas along Fremont Street sat outside the city limits on Las Vegas Boulevard. In 1959, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was built exactly 4.5 miles (7.2 km) outside the city limits. The sign is currently located in the median just south of Russell Road, across from the location of the now-demolished Klondike Hotel and Casino and about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) south of the southernmost entrance to Mandalay Bay, which is the Strip's southernmost casino.

In the strictest sense, "the Strip" refers only to the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that is roughly between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, a distance of 4.2 miles (6.8 km).^[6][7] However, the term is often used to refer not only to the road but also to the various casinos and resorts that line the road, and even to properties that are near but not on the road. Phrases such as Strip Area, Resort Corridor or Resort District are sometimes used to indicate a larger geographical area, including properties 1 mile (1.6 km) or more away from Las Vegas Boulevard, such as the Westgate Las Vegas, Hard Rock, Rio, Palms, and Oyo resorts.

The Sahara is widely considered the Strip's northern terminus, though travel guides typically extend it to the Stratosphere 0.4 miles (0.64 km) to the north. Mandalay Bay, just north of Russell Road, is the southernmost resort considered to be on the Strip (the Klondike was the southernmost until 2006, when it was closed, although it was not included in the Strip on some definitions and travel guides). The "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign is often considered part of the Strip, although it sits 0.4 miles south of the Mandalay Bay and Russell Road.

Because of the number and size of the resorts, the resort corridor can be quite wide. Interstate 15 runs roughly parallel and 0.5 to 0.8 miles (0.80 to 1.29 km) to the west of Las Vegas Boulevard for the entire length of the Strip. Paradise Road runs to the east in a similar fashion, and ends at St. Louis Avenue. The eastern side of the Strip is bounded by McCarran International Airport south of Tropicana Avenue.

North of this point, the resort corridor can be considered to extend as far east as Paradise Road, although some consider Koval Lane as a less inclusive boundary. Interstate 15 is sometimes considered the western edge of the resort corridor from Interstate 215 to Spring Mountain Road. North of this point, Industrial Road serves as the western edge.

Newer hotels and resorts such as South Point, Grandview Resort, and M Resort are on Las Vegas Boulevard South as distant as 8 miles south of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. Marketing for these casinos and hotels usually states that they are on southern Las Vegas Boulevard and not "Strip" properties.

Las Vegas Strip ~ Day and Night

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• 

History[edit]

Early years (1930s–1990s)[edit]

The first casino to be built on Highway 91 was the Pair-o-Dice Club in 1931, but the first casino-resort on what is currently the Strip was the El Rancho Vegas, which opened with 63 rooms on April 3, 1941 (and was destroyed by a fire in 1960). Its success spawned a second hotel on what would become the Strip, the Hotel Last Frontier in 1942. Organized crime figures such as New York's Bugsy Siegel took interest in the growing gaming center, and funded other resorts such as the Flamingo, which opened in 1946, and the Desert Inn, which opened in 1950. The funding for many projects was provided through the American National Insurance Company, which was based in the then notorious gambling empire of Galveston, Texas.^[8][9]

The Strip in the 1940s. Pictured is the gas station of the Hotel Last Frontier, the second hotel on the Strip.

Las Vegas Boulevard South was previously called Arrowhead Highway, or Los Angeles Highway. The Strip was named by Los Angeles police officer and businessman Guy McAfee, after his hometown's Sunset Strip.^[10]

In 1950, mayor Ernie Cragin of the City of Las Vegas sought to annex the Strip, which was unincorporated territory, in order to expand the city's tax base to fund his ambitious building agenda and pay down the city's rising debt.^[11] Instead, Gus Greenbaum of the Flamingo led a group of casino executives to lobby the Clark County commissioners for town status.^[11] Two unincorporated towns were eventually created, Paradise and Winchester.^[12][13] More than two decades later, the Supreme Court of Nevada struck down a 1975 Nevada state law that would have folded the Strip and the rest of the urban areas of Clark County into the City of Las Vegas.^[14]

Caesars Palace was established in 1966. In 1968, Kirk Kerkorian purchased the Flamingo and hired Sahara Hotels Vice President Alex Shoofey as President. Alex Shoofey brought along 33 of Sahara's top executives. The Flamingo was used to train future employees of the International Hotel, which was under construction. Opening in 1969, the International Hotel, with 1,512 rooms, began the era of mega-resorts. The International is known as Westgate Las Vegas today. The first MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, also a Kerkorian property, opened in 1973 with 2,084 rooms. At the time, this was one of the largest hotels in the world by number of rooms. The Rossiya Hotel built in 1967 in Moscow, for instance, had 3,200 rooms; however, most of the rooms in the Rossiya Hotel were single rooms of 118 sq. ft (roughly 1/4 size of a standard room at the MGM Grand Resort). On November 21, 1980, the MGM Grand suffered the worst resort fire in the history of Las Vegas as a result of electrical problems, killing 87 people. It reopened eight months later. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand to Bally Manufacturing, and it was renamed Bally's.

The Wet 'n Wild water park opened in 1985 and was located on the south side of the Sahara hotel. It closed at the end of the 2004 season and was later demolished. The opening of The Mirage in 1989 set a new level to the Las Vegas experience, as smaller hotels and casinos made way for the larger mega-resorts. The Rio and the Excalibur opened in 1990. These huge facilities offer entertainment and dining options, as well as gambling and lodging. This change affected the smaller, well-known and now historic hotels and casinos, like the Dunes, the Sands, and the Stardust.

The lights along the Strip have been dimmed in a sign of respect to six performers and one other major Las Vegas figure upon their deaths. They are Elvis Presley (1977), Sammy Davis Jr. (1990),^[15] Dean Martin (1995), George Burns (1996), Frank Sinatra (1998), former UNLV basketball head coach Jerry Tarkanian (2015),^[16] and Don Rickles (2017).^[17] The Strip lights were dimmed later in 2017 as a memorial to victims of a mass shooting at a concert held adjacent to the Strip.^[18] In 2005, Clark County renamed a section of Industrial Road (south of Twain Avenue) as Dean Martin Drive, also as a tribute to the famous Rat Pack singer, actor, and frequent Las Vegas entertainer.

In an effort to attract families, resorts offered more attractions geared toward youth, but had limited success. The current MGM Grand opened in 1993 with MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park, but the park closed in 2000 due to lack of interest. Similarly, in 2003 Treasure Island closed its own video arcade and abandoned the previous pirate theme, adopting the new ti name.^[19]

In addition to the large hotels, casinos and resorts, the Strip is home to many attractions, such as M&M's World, Adventuredome and the Fashion Show Mall. Starting in the mid-1990s, the Strip became a popular New Year's Eve celebration destination.

2000–present[edit]

Four-segment panorama of The Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, and Caesars Palace (left to right) from the Las Vegas Strip, across from the Bellagio fountains.

Gondolas outside of The Venetian.

With the opening of Bellagio, Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn and Encore resorts, the strip trended towards the luxurious high end segment through most of the 2000s, while some older resorts added major expansions and renovations, including some de-theming of the earlier themed hotels. High end dining, specialty retail, spas and nightclubs increasingly became options for visitors in addition to gambling at most Strip resorts. There was also a trend towards expensive residential condo units on the strip.

In 2004, MGM Mirage announced plans for CityCenter, a 66-acre (27 ha), $7 billion multi-use project on the site of the Boardwalk hotel and adjoining land. It consists of hotel, casino, condo, retail, art, business and other uses on the site. City Center is currently the largest such complex in the world. Construction began in April 2006, with most elements of the project opened in late 2009. Also in 2006, the Las Vegas Strip lost its longtime status as the world's highest-grossing gambling center, falling to second place behind Macau.^[20]

In 2012, the High Roller Ferris wheel and a retail district called The LINQ Promenade broke ground in an attempt to diversify attractions beyond that of casino resorts. Renovations and rebrandings such as The Cromwell Las Vegas and the SLS Las Vegas continued to transform the Strip in 2014. The Las Vegas Festival Grounds opened in 2015. In 2016, the T-Mobile Arena, The Park, and the Park Theater opened.

On October 1, 2017, a mass shooting occurred on the Strip at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, adjacent to the Mandalay Bay hotel. 58 people were killed and 851 were injured. This incident became the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.^[21]

In 2019, the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino was renamed the Park MGM and the SLS retook its Sahara name.

Future developments[edit]

CityCenter Las Vegas

• Genting Group bought the site of the Stardust/Echelon Place with plans to build and open Resorts World Las Vegas in summer 2021.^[22]
• The MSG Sphere Las Vegas, including a monorail stop, is being built behind The Palazzo and The Venetian and is to be completed in 2021.^[23]
• Astral Hotels plans to build Astral, a 34-story, 620-room hotel and casino on the southern Las Vegas Strip. Construction is expected to begin in 2020 for a 2022 opening.^[24]
• Dream Las Vegas, a casino and boutique hotel, is planned to break ground on the southern Las Vegas Strip by early 2021, with completion by early 2023.^[25][26]
• The opening of 4,000 room The Drew Las Vegas (formerly planned as the Fontainebleau) has been pushed back to the second quarter of 2022.^[27]
• As of June 2019, construction of the All Net Resort and Arena is expected to start "as soon as possible" and will take about 3 years.^[28]

Transportation[edit]

RTC Transit (previously Citizens Area Transit, or CAT) provides bus service on the Strip with double decker buses known as The Deuce. The Deuce runs between Mandalay Bay at the southern end of the Strip (and to the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and South Strip Transfer Terminal after midnight) to the Bonneville Transit Center (BTC) and the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas, with stops near every casino. RTC also operates an express bus called the Strip and Downtown Express (SDX). This route connects the Strip to the Las Vegas Convention Center and Downtown Las Vegas to the north, with stops at selected hotels and shopping attractions (Las Vegas Premium Outlets North & South).

Several free trams operate between properties on the west side of the Strip:^[29]

• Mandalay Bay Tram connecting the Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur
• Aria Express connecting Park MGM, Crystals (also stop for Aria), and Bellagio)
• Mirage-Treasure Island Tram runs between Treasure Island and The Mirage

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• 

While not on the Strip itself, the Las Vegas Monorail runs on the east side of the Strip corridor from Tropicana Avenue to Sahara Avenue, with stops at several on-Strip properties including the MGM Grand and the Sahara at each end of the route.^[30]

The Strip traffic during the day, looking north from the MGM Grand. The strip has a number of pedestrian footbridges.

Pedestrian traffic[edit]

Concerning pedestrian safety and to help alleviate traffic congestion at popular intersections, several pedestrian footbridges were erected in 1990s. Some feature designs that match the theme of the nearby resorts. The Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard footbridges were the first to be installed, and based on the success of this project additional footbridges have been built on Las Vegas Boulevard at the Flamingo Road intersection connecting Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Bally's, and The Cromwell; between The Mirage/Treasure Island and The Venetian, and at the Las Vegas Boulevard-Spring Mountain and Sands Avenue intersection connecting the Wynn with the Fashion Show Mall, The Palazzo and Treasure Island. The latest to be completed connects Planet Hollywood, CityCenter and The Cosmopolitan at the Harmon Avenue intersection.^[31]

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study, only 36% of people said they walked around the Strip, a figure that is a drop from 2013 (52%).^{[citation needed]}

Attractions on the Strip[edit]

Golf[edit]

Wynn Golf and Country Club

In 2000, Bali Hai Golf Club opened just south of Mandalay Bay and the Strip.^[32]

As land values on the Strip have increased over the years, the resort-affiliated golf courses been removed to make way for building projects. The Tropicana Country Club closed in 1990^[33] and the Dunes golf course in the mid-90s. Steve Wynn, founder of previously owned Mirage Resorts, purchased the Desert Inn and golf course for his new company Wynn Resorts and redeveloped the course as the Wynn Golf Club. This course closed in 2017, but the development planned for the course was cancelled and the course will be renovated and re-opened in late 2019.^[34] The Aladdin also had a nine-hole golf course in the 1960s.^[35]

In 2016, a TopGolf opened near the Strip.^[36]

Amusement parks and rides[edit]

The Strip is home to the Adventuredome indoor amusement park, and the Stratosphere tower has several rides:

• Big Shot
• X-Scream
• SkyJump Las Vegas

Other rides on the Strip include:

• The Roller Coaster (also known as Big Apple Coaster)
• High Roller
• Fly Linq

Shopping[edit]

The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace

• Bonanza Gift Shop is billed as the "World's Largest Gift Shop", with over 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) of shopping space.
• The Shoppes at the Palazzo featuring luxury stores.
• Fashion Show Mall is adjacent to Treasure Island and opposite Wynn Las Vegas.
• Grand Canal Shoppes is a luxury mall connected to The Venetian with canals, gondolas and singing gondoliers.
• The LINQ Promenade is an open-air retail, dining, and entertainment district located between The Linq and Flamingo resorts that began a soft open in January 2014. It leads from a Strip-side entrance to the High Roller.
• Miracle Mile Shops is part of the Planet Hollywood hotel.
• The Forum Shops at Caesars is a luxury mall connected to Caesars Palace, with more than 160 shops and 11 restaurants.
• Crystals at CityCenter is a luxury high-fashion mall at CityCenter.
• Harmon Corner is a three-story retail center located next to Planet Hollywood with shops and restaurants.
• Showcase Mall is next to MGM Grand, and displays a 100-foot Coca-Cola bottle.^[37]
• The Park, a short east-west street between the Park MGM and New York-New York resorts is a park-like boulevard lined with retail shops and restaurants, leading to T-Mobile Arena.^[38]

Entertainment[edit]

Nevada National Guard assist with New Year's Eve security

The Las Vegas Strip is well known for its lounges, showrooms, theaters and nightclubs;^[39] most of the attractions and shows on the Strip are located on the hotel casino properties. Some of the more popular free attractions visible from the Strip include the water fountains at Bellagio, the volcano at The Mirage, and the Fall of Atlantis and Festival Fountain at Caesars Palace. There are several Cirque du Soleil shows, such as Kà at the MGM Grand, O at Bellagio, Mystère at Treasure Island, Zumanity for adults at New York-New York, and Michael Jackson: One at Mandalay Bay.^[40]

Many notable artists have performed in Las Vegas, including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Wayne Newton, Liza Minnelli, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Liberace,^[41] and in more recent years Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Barry Manilow, Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Donny and Marie Osmond, Garth Brooks, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Criss Angel, Olivia Newton-John, Queen + Adam Lambert, and Lady Gaga have had residencies in the various resorts on the Strip. The only movie theatre directly on the Strip was the 10-screen Regal Showcase Theatre in the Showcase Mall. The theater opened in 1997 and was operated by Regal Entertainment Group,^[42] until its closure in 2018.^[43]

Venues[edit]

The Strip is home to many entertainment venues. Most of the resorts have a showroom, nightclub and/or live music venue on the property and a few have large multipurpose arenas. Major venues include:

• All Net Resort and Arena (planned)
• The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
• Las Vegas Festival Grounds
• Mandalay Bay Events Center
• MGM Grand Garden Arena
• MSG Sphere Las Vegas (under construction)
• T-Mobile Arena
• Zappos Theater

Locations of major landmarks[edit]

Current landmarks[edit]

For a full list of hotels on the Strip, see List of Las Vegas Strip hotels.

North towards Fremont Street ↑
The Strat	Las Vegas Boulevard
Aztec Inn
Ahern, Allure, Bonanza Gift Shop
Sahara Avenue		Sahara Avenue
Festival Grounds		Sahara
Hilton Grand Vacations		All Net (planned)
Sky
Circus Circus		Drew (construction), Turnberry
Slots-A-Fun		Convention Center (construction)
Resorts World (construction)		Guardian Angel Cathedral
Desert Inn Road		Desert Inn Road
Trump, Wynn West (planned)		Encore
Fashion Show Mall		Wynn
Spring Mountain Road		Sands Avenue
Treasure Island		Palazzo, Sands Expo
		Venetian, MSG Sphere (construction)
Mirage		Casino Royale
		Harrah's
		Linq, High Roller
		Flamingo
Caesars Palace		Cromwell, Westin
Flamingo Road		Flamingo Road
Bellagio		Bally's
		Paris
		Planet Hollywood
Cosmopolitan		Harmon Corner, Elara
Harmon Avenue		Harmon Avenue
CityCenter		Grand Chateau, Signature, Topgolf
Park MGM		Showcase Mall
T-Mobile Arena, New York-New York		MGM Grand
Tropicana Avenue		Tropicana Avenue
Excalibur		Tropicana, Oyo
Luxor		Las Vegas Village
Delano, Mandalay Bay		Skyvue (abandoned)
Russell Road		Astral (planned)
		Little Church of the West
		Dream (planned)
↓ Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign South towards Interstate 215

Former hotel/casino locations[edit]

North towards Fremont Street ↑
Vegas World/Million Dollar Casino	Las Vegas Boulevard
Jackpot Casino/Money Tree Casino		Holy Cow/Foxy's Firehouse
Sahara Avenue		Sahara Avenue
El Rancho Vegas		Club Bingo/SLS
		Wet 'n Wild
		Thunderbird/Silverbird/El Rancho, Algiers Hotel
		Riviera
Westward Ho		La Concha Motel
		Silver City/Riata
Stardust/Royal Nevada
Desert Inn Road		Desert Inn Road
Silver Slipper/Golden Slipper
New Frontier/Last Frontier/Frontier		Desert Inn
Spring Mountain Road		Sands Avenue
		Sands
Castaways		Nob Hill Casino
		Holiday Casino, Holiday Inn
		Flamingo Capri/Imperial Palace/Quad
		O'Sheas Casino
		Barbary Coast/Bill's
Flamingo Road		Flamingo Road
Dunes		MGM Grand
		Aladdin/Tallyho/King's Crown
Boardwalk/Mandarin Oriental
Monte Carlo		Harmon Avenue
		Marina
Tropicana Avenue		Tropicana Avenue
Hacienda
Russell Road		Glass Pool Inn
		Klondike/Kona Kai
↓ South towards Interstate 215

Demolished or closed Strip casinos and hotels[edit]

• Aladdin: Opened in 1962 as the Tallyho, became the King's Crown Tallyho in 1963, the Aladdin in 1966, and was demolished in 1998. A new Aladdin resort opened on the property in 2000, and was renamed Planet Hollywood in 2007.
• Big Red's Casino: Opened in 1981 and closed in 1982. Property developed for CBS Sports World Casino in 1997. Changed name to Sports World Casino after CBS threatened to sue.^[44] Closed in 2001, now a shopping center.
• Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino: Closed in 2007, now The Cromwell.
• Boardwalk Hotel and Casino: Closed on January 6, 2006, demolished May 9, 2006 to make way for CityCenter.
• Castaways Hotel and Casino: Opened in 1957 as the San Souci Hotel and became the Castaways in 1963 and was demolished in 1987. Now The Mirage.
• Desert Inn: Closed on August 28, 2000, demolished in 2004, now Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas; Desert Inn golf course was retained and improved.
• Dunes Hotel and Casino: Closed on January 26, 1993, demolished in 1993, now Bellagio. The Dunes golf course is now occupied by parts of Park MGM, New York-New York, CityCenter, Cosmopolitan, and T-Mobile Arena.
• El Rancho (formerly Thunderbird/Silverbird): Closed in 1992 and demolished in 2000. Now the unfinished The Drew Las Vegas.
• El Rancho Vegas: Burned down in 1960. The Hilton Grand Vacations Club timeshare now exists on the south edge of the site where the resort once stood; the remainder is now the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.
• Hacienda: Closed and demolished in 1996, now Mandalay Bay. Until 2015, a separate Hacienda operated outside Boulder City, formerly the Gold Strike Inn.
• Holy Cow Casino and Brewery: First micro brewery in Las Vegas. Closed in 2002, now a Walgreens store.
• Jackpot Casino: Closed in 1977, now part of Bonanza Gift Shop
• Klondike Hotel and Casino: Closed in 2006, demolished in 2008.
• Little Caesars Casino: Opened in 1970 and closed in 1994. Paris Las Vegas now occupies the area.^[45]
• Money Tree Casino: Closed in 1979, now Bonanza Gift Shop.
• Marina Hotel and Casino: Closed, adapted into MGM Grand, now the West Wing of the MGM Grand.
• New Frontier: Closed July 16, 2007, demolished November 13, 2007. Currently being redeveloped as Wynn West.
• Nob Hill Casino: Opened in 1979 and closed in 1990. Now Casino Royale
• Riviera Hotel and Casino: Opened in 1955; Closed in May 2015 to make way for the Las Vegas Global Business District.
• Sands Hotel and Casino: Closed on June 30, 1996, demolished in 1996, now The Venetian.
• Silver City Casino: Closed in 1999, now the Silver City Plaza Shopping Center.
• Silver Slipper Casino: Opened in 1950 and closed and demolished in 1988. It became the parking lot for the New Frontier until its closure and demolition in 2007.
• Stardust Resort and Casino: Closed on November 1, 2006, demolished on March 13, 2007. Currently being redeveloped as Resorts World Las Vegas.
• Vegas World: Opened in 1979 and closed in 1995. Now The Strat
• Westward Ho Hotel and Casino: Closed in 2005, demolished in 2006.

Gallery[edit]

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Hints & tips

• Take Monorail and go roundtrip in the evening
• Then walk in the strip at night
• Make sure to watch Belaggio water fountain show

Disclaimer

The above comments are based on my personal travel experiences to this particular location in the summer months. Your experience may vary due to weather and traffic.

My trips were not sponsored by any of the authorities and my comments are not biased or representing any views of governing bodies.

History and information extracted from Wikipedia and photos were selected from Google images and all rights reserved with original owners.

This is only for an informational purpose. Not for commercial use.

Note.

Hope you will enjoy your visit. Please make your comments, suggestions & travel questions. I am happy to provide information on my earliest convenience & update the post accordingly.