Velveteen Rabbit

What is it?

A funky little bar with a nice long list of speciality beers and cocktails.

Where is it?

On Main Street in the 18b Arts District, just south of Charleston Ave.

What kind of crowd does it draw?

Mainly locals and mainly people who look like they read.

What are the prices like?

Very inexpensive when compared to most bars in Vegas.

When is the best time to go?

It’s a pretty casual scene so anytime is cool.

Why should I go here?

Because you were shopping at Retro Vegas across the street and need a drink afterward.

What else do I need to know?

Check out the cool hand-shaped beer taps.

What’s the bottom line?

Maybe not worth a special trip for but worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.

The Fremont East Entertainment District has been growing at an incredible pace, driven mostly by the introduction of several taverns and bars aimed at a hip crowd of locals and discriminating tourists. The Arts District, on the other hand, has mostly been focusing its redevelopment efforts on things like boutiques, galleries, and art installations to varying degrees of success.

But things may be heading in the same direction as FEED if bars like Artifice  and this new as of 2013 establishment are any indication.

Located on Main Street just across the street from the fab Retro Vegas antique store, the Velveteen Rabbit has a noticeable hipster vibe to it. The crowd is almost exclusively local, younger, and seeming to be the type that would be more inclined to have a craft cocktail or mircobrew while discussing politics and art than to have jagerbombs while screaming “Wooooo!”

The space is small, with a bar and some stools, a couple of places to sit, and some standing and chatting open floor areas. I’m going to call the decor smart industrial chic but only because there isn’t a simple classification to put it in. Exposed timbers in the ceiling and roughhewn walls give it the factory feel while interesting touches like beer taps shaped like hands and a curio cabinet holding the liquor give it that air of intelligence.

They have a long list of specialty cocktails and beers, all at prices that are almost shockingly cheap when compared to those on The Strip.

I don’t know that I would necessarily call this a destination bar for Vegas visitors, especially since there is nothing else of note within walking distance (at least not at night). But who knows… in a few years there may be a lot more bars like this in the Arts District and it could become as much of a nightlife destination as the Fremont East Entertainment District has become.