Spotlight - Downtown Container Park

Last week was my birthday so I’d booked the week off to do stuff like gardening, painting the garden fencing and going to London so apologies for there being no blog. I was pretty exhausted after my week off so I’ve returned to work for a break.

As you are all aware, the recent blogs have been about the various casinos we have stayed at. We’ve not stayed at too many – mainly because we haven’t been to Vegas anywhere near as many times as I wish we had but that’s my own fault as you all know I was initially not that bothered by the prospect of going to Vegas. Vegas proved me wrong and now I don’t shut up about it.

Continuing with the theme of Spotlight and me not shutting up I was wondering what other places I could blog about. I didn’t see the point in places where we’ve eaten. There are so many different places, everyone has their own preferences and there are so many YouTubers out there who eat and review their way around Vegas restaurants and buffets that it’s best left to the experts - not that it stops me blogging or vlogging about anything else.

Whilst in London we went to Camden Town. A place I really like because the buildings around there are very unique and the art on the buildings reminds me of Downtown and the Arts District. On this visit we noticed another similarity with Downtown Vegas that I’d not noticed before. They kind of have their own container park. It’s not really a park and it’s tiny compared to the one in Vegas but there is an area that I have since found out is called Buck Street Market and the container market was opened in July 2020. There’s a garden rooftop bar and places to eat and drink. With hindsight we should have looked around and done a bit of filming, in typical style – I missed out on this opportunity and now look a bit stupid.

One thing that doesn’t look stupid (see what I did there?) is the Downtown Container Park and that is the subject of today’s Spotlight that you knew already because that’s the title of the blog.

Located at 707 East Fremont St, you walk down East Fremont Street past El Cortez and keep walking down until you’re met with a giant 55ft Preying Mantis. It also says Downtown Container Park clearly at the entrance but you’ve got to take time to sit outside, chill and wait for the Mantis to do his thing. You can also shove a padlock with your initials or names on onto a large metal heart-shaped structure to demonstrate your unbreakable love for each other.

In the daytime the Container Park is open to all but after 9pm it’s over 21s only and they do check ID. The retail shops, restaurants and bars are all repurposed shipping containers and this idea was conceived by Tony Hsieh as part of the Downtown revitalisation project. It opened in December 2013 and there was 43 shipping containers and 34 tenants – major chains were avoided as they wanted more unique start-up businesses as tenants and I think this is one of the big draws of this place. There are so many places to sit, eat, drink and shop around Vegas that we are all familiar with so to go to a place that has unique, local businesses is far more preferential especially for people like myself who like trying out new things. As well as the ‘containers’ there is a play area that is suitable for kids and adults including a treehouse, a 3-storey high slide and a light out tapping game (Neos Playworld)– you can see in the video below of me trying to play it…badly.

There is also a large white dome which was initially used for private events but which is now operating as a 360 degree theatre showing short movies and videos of rock concerts and educational stuff such as dinosaurs. It’s all totally immersive in super-mega-HD (4k) and allows you to travel through time (I made that last bit up).

At the rear of the park is an outdoor stage and there is plenty of room for you to sit and chill there. They host live free music most nights and if you’re really ‘lucky’ they have karaoke…… Numerous events are held here too and are advertised on their website.

Over time I think some of the vendors here have changed which is a pretty natural progression and when we went there the first time there was a really impressive toy/collectors shop but that's now gone and replaced with a $5 shop. However, here is what's present now ;

Food and Drink

BIN 702 - We've eaten here and like many places in the Container Park it has outdoor seating and it's just great to sit out, have a drink, something to eat, chat and people watch. Good food, service and atmosphere makes this a place you definitely want to visit. Serving up craft beers, wine, sandwiches, meats and cheeses we really like to come here for a light snack.

Downtown Terrace - Don't think this place was here when we visited but it looks very nice. The menu appears to specialise in fresh, seasonal food with the added bonuses of unlimited Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Like BIN 702, the menu isn't massive but what is there looks good. Seems avocado toast is still a thing too.

Guud Kava - They sell Kava drinks. I know nothing about Kava so here is a paragraph from their website "Kava (awa) is a drink made from the kava root that has been used for years mainly with the Polynesian culture for relaxation, anxiety, and stress relief. Guud kava has taken this amazing supplement and introduced it to popular mock-tales in the place of alcohol for a very euphoric, calm alternative to alcohol."

Las Vegas Kettle Corn - Lots of different flavours of popcorn. Not much else to say. Gourmet popcorn is a thing now so if you like to try different flavours then give it a go.

No.1 Boba - There's milk tea, flavoured tea, fruit slushes and Dragon fruit teas all with the Boba tapioca bubbles in them. It's a popular place with good reviews but I'm not a fan of Boba Tea, for someone who will try anything once I had my first and last Boba tea in China Town New York. It tasted fine but those tapioca bubbles were not my cup of tea.......

Oak and Ivy - Oak & Ivy is an American craft whiskey cocktail bar that also seeks craft beer, ciders and wine. The fact it does whiskey cocktails means I'm going to break government rules, jump on a boat and row myself to Vegas just to try here.

Pinches Tacos - Jane will also be on the boat because whilst I'm trying Oak and Ivy she'll be here at Pinches Tacos. It's a family owned chain of restaurants and pride themselves of fresh natural ingredients and home made tortillas. Another place with positive reviews and another place that wasn't there when we were.

Pizza Zazza - It's another new place, it sells pizza but is it as good as Pizza Rock? If we ever get back to Vegas I think we should do another Pizza comparison and I'll let you know

Sugar Snap Candy and Gifts - Full of vintage candy from when you were a kid - well, an American kid to be exact but there's probably stuff there people from outside the US may recognise and the best thing about buying candy/sweets in the US is that it doesn't cost nearly 10 times as much back home.

Waffelato - We walk past this place every time with eyes wide open. They look very nice but very messy so we never try one. You can have the ice-cream or gelato in pot/cup but the whole unique selling point is the waffle cones. A great range of flavours that even the fussiest of people will find at least one flavour they'll want.

No longer there but we ate there:

Cheffini's Hot Dogs - Really nice, good value for money gourmet hot dogs.

Big Ern's BBQ - Food here to please all carnivores- BBQ, brisket, ribs and pulled pork with outdoor seating and some decent beers.

No longer there and we didn't eat there:

Simply Pure - Vegan Restaurant - Shame to see this place go, was always telling my brother about this place but sadly it's closed down.

As you can see there's a nice selection of places to eat and drink . It's a very relaxed setting away from the hustle and bustle of Fremont and the Strip. Personally I'd say it's more of a lunch time place for eats and drinks but the evening is definite for the entertainment and drinks (it was also good at night for a cheeky hotdog but Cheffini's has gone).

There's not just places to eat and drink, there's also a few interesting shops. Sadly Kappa Toy's which had such an eclectic range of toys is now closed but has relocated to Fashion Show Mall. I recommend giving it a visit if you like a combination of retro, nostalgic games along with new and often imported games and toys.

I won't go into every shop here as most are self explanatory but the Art Box is good for unique handcrafted jewellery, clothes and home decor that you won't find anywhere else. For stuff you will find everwhere else but at a decent price there's the $5 dollar store. I think this is where Kappa Toys was based. Full of of gifts and souvenirs it's good to pop in and have a browse. Lie a lot of discount shops there is quite a bit if substandard stuff to go through but there is usually some gems in there.

If you like collecting pins there is a shop conveniently called House of 1000 pins, I won't be allowed in there because I have a habit of buying souvenir pins everywhere we go so I should rename my home to House of 1001 pins. Another shop of interest is the Magic Shop, it's fun to go in and browse, you probably won't buy much in there but I like it.

I was all ready to tell you about the amazing shop called The Gaming Goat. For any table top gamer or anyone who likes board and card games this place as so many different games I was spoilt for choice. Guess what? It's also closed and relocated but it's actually now at Town Square. The Gaming Goat was located on the 3rd floor of the Container Park and in the past vendors based there have complained they get overlooked and if the lift isn't working then no-one bothers to go up the stairs and so they lose business. There was also complaints that the businesses' weren't promoted enough (I'll be honest, on our first two visits we didn't even know there was a 3rd floor).

You want cigars? There's a shop for that. You want different types of Jerky? There's a shop for that. You want a tattoo? There's a shop for that (tat)too. You want to go to a Fitness Studio? Of course you don't but there's one there too.

We really like the Container Park and will find time to go there every time for either something to eat and drink or a quick browse around the shops. We've never been here during an event so it's always been relatively quiet and chilled - we also go during the quieter times of the year so that could be why too. The whole area is very spacious and located away from the Fremont Street Experience on the way to Atomic Liquors so we like in the evening to go from Container Park to Atomic Liquors. You'd be crazy not to at least pop in and have a look around.

Come for the Preying Mantis, stay for the food, drink and ambience.