How empty was Las Vegas way back in 1994? You will be shocked! - Take a trip back in time... 

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The radio is great, too!

90s Vegas was absolutely the peak. Good mix of new and old, extremely clean, nice people, affordable, safe. Rebranding the city to a huge club in the 2000s brought too many sloppy trashy drunks and partiers.

It's bizarre seeing an open field where the Bellagio/Comopolitan are now. That section is one of the busiest areas now.

cool to see the old Vegas World casino, looks like stratosphere was being built

At 6:27 76 gas costed $1.29 for regular unleaded and $1.37 for premium unleaded, unbelievable!

I honestly can’t remember the first time I went to Vegas, as my parents would always take us for our yearly trip. But I still have some memories from 1990s Vegas. I remember when you were able to cross the strip without the use of bridges. And another one of my fondest memories was my dad taking my siblings and I to eat at the Arby’s that was located at the strip mall next to the Circus Circus.

Now that's the Las Vegas that we remember. Great job on the video. Thanks for sharing.

To see all the open areas on the strip just shows the amazing amount of construction that occurred from the mid 90's til the 2008 collapse. The same thing happened in Miami. If you were to have been there in 1994 and go there now its almost not recognizable how much bigger the downtown and Brickell area have gotten.

this was right about the time i made my first visit to vegas.... incredible transformation over the last 30years

I love LV. Seeing older footages of LV is a real treat.

I first went in the fall of 1995. I went to a conference last year at this time. Watching this takes me back. Only wish you could see the other side of the street. No bellagio, no city center, no Monte Carlo, no cosmopolitan, Aria. It’s so amazing the difference. Even caesars looks so much better. It is always cool and funny looking back.

Thank you for unlocking memories of my visit '96-'97. Didn't take many photos - film was expensive and had a cheap camera.

i never been to Las Vegas but this videos are awesome, great times , great years

I went there as a kid back in either late '94 or early '95. I do remember it being emptier then compared to now. I think because a lot of the Strip was going through a bit of a renaissance -- lots of construction, remodeling, and new mega hotels/casinos opening. MGM I think started this rebirth, but I remember NYNY was being built, and a lot of remodeling of the older casinos.

i can feel the heat radiating through the screen

In the past 25 years two things have changed: 1) the strip 2) those damn prices! $6 to $12 for a dinner buffet?!?!

Crazy how it has changed. The Stratosphere was not even open and the hotel was not built. Vegas is a huge theme park now and cost an arm and a leg to eat compared to back then.

Boggles the mind, this was 9,490 days ago. Try waiting out 1 day doing nothing, feels like forever. Now count to 9,490 see how long it takes

Nice memories--it was still easy to bump around Vegas then...

My first year in Vegas was 1993, back then, Vegas was a cheap vacation, cheap rooms, cheap food, drinks free or cheap, no resort fees, no parking fees, now today Vegas is a rip off, they start charging you for everythinng at high prices, before you even get into town, and have less money to gamble with. Now I stay in Vegas for 3 or more months a year, and Never do I go onto the strip, too expensive and too much traffic. Oh I forgot, way less crime back then and almost no homeless people laying around.

You didn’t show San Remo. The package deals were $149, for hotel & airfare from Houston. 🍀🎉. Sun through Thursday 😆🍀🍀

Went in ‘95. Buffets were cheap, rooms were reasonably priced. Things have changed!

A nice trip down memory lane, I wonder how many of the places back in 1994, are still standing, it*s so sad to see how many places that were there, are now gone or are converted into parking lots.

funny to to see 90’s video as retro. the strip looks a lot cleaner, no street performers or hustlers. people peddling strip clubs or tourist trap tours.

First time I went to Vegas. 1994.

Oh my, that Stardust! That Tres Lobos restaurant was fantastic. The sign alone was iconic. Vast areas of empty lots. This was the time I was in Vegas. Stratosphere had just opened. So much has changed! How can that Tropicana stay there? I guess we did lose the Sahara, the Dunes, Aladdin, the Sands, the Riviera. Ouch!

that was a nightmare back in 1994 new years day, car had a transmission problem

The only casino we stayed at was the Stardust it shouldn't have ever been torn down

It's hard to get my head around that every man, woman, and child in this video died of old age long ago. Who else is watching this video in 2107?

Awesome. Before Casinos in Vegas were a total ripoff. The radio station is perfect, it’s almost like you knew this would be posted on a non existent RU-vid someday.

17:04 Wish they didn’t tear this down that was awesome

Exit 1 mph? How many hours to get out the exit?

90s was a really good time tnere

I escaped Las Vegas in 1993.

circus circus still looks like that . crazy

11:15 Smoooooth

anybody remember the Getaway bar at Charleston and Decatur? man they had good chicken wings

Really long red lights even back then!!

lol I hop still in the same place.

1994. The year my dad took me to Vegas for my 21st birthday. I've been back over 50 times since. I remember back then getting treated like celebrities when gambling in the casinos. Today you feel just like another number. The attention to the customer has fallen to the toilet. But none the less, I'm never going to stop going. I've had some of the best times of my life in that city. This video brings me back to my first ride down the Las Vegas strip. I'll never forget it! Awesome video!

It was a crime to tear down the Stardust. LOL, the old-new MGM with the ugly lion head entrance.

I was 36 and driving taxi there, some good days.

Wow. Las Vegas in the '90s looks so retro, now. This was fun to watch and compare the syrup to what it is, today. I love this! ❤

Look at all the open land!!!

Thanks for sharing this. I lived in Southern Nevada as a kid and this brought back memories. It's a different world there now.

crazy..you forget how much things have changed ... thanks for the trip back in time

6 Bucks for an All-you-can-eat buffet.. those were the days...

i love the casino radio... i wish they still had that playing so i could listen to it on the internet

Incase anyone is curious, MAJOR changes in order of the video as they came 1. Fremont street closed to autos 2. Main street is now a one way street at Charleston 3. Stratosphere is finished 4. Casino Vegas World front/Behind the Stratosphere is torn down (still empty lot) 5. Corner of Sahara & Las Vegas Blv is now Rock of Rio arena 6. Westward is torn down 6. Stardust is gone for Resorts World (under construction at time of this comment) 7. Tunnel under Las Vegas BLV for Desert Inn Rd is finished 8. Frontier is Gone, Trump Tower sits on some of it's old land 9. Center Strip is now City Center 10. Giant Lion entrance to MGM is gone Thank you so much for this video

The 90s were the best. Thanks for sharing this video - I love looking back at Vegas from the past.

Omg casino radio!!! lol I used to listen to it wen I was very young

I was born 2 years later after this footage was originally created, and I never got to see what my hometown looked like when I was a baby in the 90's. Seeing this astonishes me, as it gives me a better perspective as to what my hometown used to look like. Comparing then to now sees a MASSIVE difference for this city!

I’d love to go back to this period for a week. Or much longer 😂

the old Treasure Island sign! love it!

Will never forget the excitement of all the themed hotels/casinos as they opened in the 90s. Was so awesome!!!!

This video is an absolute treasure 🎉 I love to see Vegas history like this… so awesome to listen to the old Vegas radio station… thanks for sharing video

pretty sweet, love the old Treasure Island sign and the Lion entrance for MGM brings back memories

The old Vegas had a more intimate feel. Now it's just too big for it's own good.

At 15:14 The Tahiti, that was a shitbag motel. When I was little, my parents came to Vegas one weekend and all the casino hotels were completely booked, and this was the only place with any available rooms. It was dirty and disgusting! And the front door to the room, must of had a 2 inch crack at the bottom of the door! It was scary!

FANTASTIC ! Wow didn't remember how much open space there was. Great job. And the audio really added to the time travel. Thanks, for the vacation.

Wow. Got married at the MGM September 17/1994. Jesus were vehicles that ugly back then? And yet it doesn't seem like that long ago....maybe because I'm old now.

And they way the Mirage looked when Steve Wynn owned it. Without that crumby banner they got covering the top windows like they got today. That Ruined the whole look of that nice casino.

It was about that time I was walking up the strip just north of the MGM on a windy evening. A man walking about 30 feet in front of me got knocked over by a tumbleweed! Somehow I doubt that would happen today...

Thats the way the Mirage was intended to look, with the suites at the top in gold glass. Not with that stupid banner they have up there today advertising the beetles. It takes away from the true look of the MIrage.

Fast forward 30 years later and Vegas is the complete 180° opposite of what it was.

Caesars, Mirage, MGM Grand and Luxor were the prime properties back in 94…it sorta, kinda looks just a little different n 2023, but that Vegas magic remains. Thanks for sharing this video!

15:14 James Taylor reminded us everything we dump into our drains goes into our oceans. Too bad no one listened...

Just got back from Vegas, took my Parents who hadn’t been to Vegas since 91’ and they couldn’t believe how much it has changed

Las Vegas of '94 reminds me of the trip Mom and I were planning to make in '94. She hadn't been to Vegas in years and was looking forward to it. But we never made it, she passed in August '94. Miss you Mom RIP

1994! This was olden times (I did not say “golden times”)

In 1994 I came to Vegas "for the summer." Almost 26 years later, I'm still here. This brings back memories!

The absolute best prime rib I’ve ever had was at the Sahara couple years before it was gone :(

I love the radio station in the background!! So cool to hear all the old Vegas acts playing back then.

In 1994 I was working at "Sunny 106.5". I was a 24-year-old kid. Good times and bad times. Smoke Ranch was as far as it went back then.

I lived in LV from the 70s - 2003.... it's always been the same .... tourist spots for tourists and local spots for locals ... locals have always been treated better than tourists... when they cater to the tourists , it's with the expectation of getting their money back and then some.... locals pay less than regular price for food in the casinos, no cover charges etc...

wow. it's a seeing Vegas 1994 I was born the year I was raised right behind the Hilton hotel and casino right next to wet -n-wild... i always wanted to know how Vegas was in those time..I rember the star dust like it was yesterday....good videos

We used to go every three months back in the 90s… Drove in from Orange County. Would walk that strip, crazy how far it was between casinos. Carrying our little bucket of quarters ha ha. It was a very affordable vacation. You could stay overnight for 25 bucks even in the nice hotels.

I remember being a young poor couple staying at one of the budget motels on the strip between the resorts.

1994 was my 2nd trip to Vegas, we stayed in the just-reopened MGM which at the time had a complete Wizard of Oz theme thruout the place...I went to the topless show at the Sands and thought about all the headliners that had stood on that stage...hit the Frontier and Stardust both... great memories. Thank you for posting.

This is interesting, I was in the military in 1994 and I flew into LAS for the bus ride to Ft. Irwin regularly. We saw the strip from a distance and I didn't make it to Vegas until much later. Thanks for the drive through what we were missing back then.

It was a fun time when you could just walk the strip and stop in here and there. Slots 'o Fun. Westward Ho. I remember playing $1 craps somewhere down by Tropicana. The moving sidewalk into (but definitely not OUT of) Caesar's; with it's holograms of ancient Rome! Oh, and of course the hookers that approached and folks handing out coupons.

Ahh, back when they had the motor lodges on the strip next to the mega resorts!:') Then the corporations came in and F#@KED everything up!:'((((((

The older casinos had a lot more class now days 3 billion dollar casinos just goes to show you you can't buy class the vibe in Vegas was so different back then in the 90s and late 80s Hard to explain if you were there you understand people were dressed up in the casinos not in shorts and flip flops hotels were smaller but big enough you were treated like a king play for a few hours comp room no problem you did not need a players card pit boss would ask would you like a room and dinner if You lost $200 or $300 I guess I'm just sad that Vegas gone It's there bigger and bolder in my books it's gone There was nothing like having a few drinks playing blackjack and going to a see Frank Sinatra the good old days

Back when you could stay at the Cedar Trip Budget Inn (site of City Center now) for only $19 a night. Now resort fees are minimum $40 extra.

Funny I left in 1994 after being stationed at Nellis AFB and have never gone back, so this is exactly how I still remember it in my mind. I imagine I would not even recognize it today.

The secret is opening up another page and playing 'A Very Good Year' by Frank Sinatra at half speed while this video plays. (yes, you mute this one, duh).

LOL. I used to drive a van like the one around 11:04.

This is about the time I visited for the first time with my now-ex-husband. I remember how excited I was to see the big casinos for the first time. Thanks for sparking a memory. ❤

I've only ever known the "full vegas" since moving there in '04. Earlier memories were always around Excalibur and Circus but those are foggy.

Casinos provide limo service for only 2 bucks or 4 bucks? Yeah flipping right.

OMG the Fashion Show mall looks NOTHING like that. The only thing I recognize is Neiman Marcus.

Moved to Vegas in 2015 looks completely different. I can tell no one wanted to live in a Vegas especially kids or religious people. Now everyone comes here

Funny how even in 1994, there seems to be more cars from California in Las Vegas than cars from Nevada.

“The town will never be the same. After the Tangiers, the big corporations took it all over. Today it looks like Disneyland. And while the kids play cardboard pirates, Mommy and Daddy drop the house payments and Junior's college money on the poker slots. In the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played. Today, it's like checking into an airport. And if you order room service, you're lucky if you get it by Thursday. Today, it's all gone. You get a whale show up with four million in a suitcase, and some 25 year old hotel school kid is gonna want his Social Security Number. After the Teamsters got knocked out of the box knocked out of the box, the corporations tore down practically every one of the old casinos. And where did the money come from... Junk Bonds”.

Interesting that theres an ad for Kidds Marshmallow company on the radio. I thought it closed in 88 after pepcon exploded

1994 I was 25 almost got a chauffeur limousine job in Las Vegas never happened too hot 🥵 so I became a chauffeur in Chicago if I would've stayed in Las Vegas I would've seen the changes. How it has grown.

Thanks for sharing... I had some good times living there from 1990 to 2000... now I'm freezing my a** off ten months a year in nowhere Michigan.

Have you thought about recording the same drive now to put up a side-by-side comparison?

Were you shooting with a shoulder-mounted Sony VHS camcorder? Those were the days...