Getting To NFL Draft In Las Vegas: RTC Express Bus, Monorail, Ride Share; Make Sure You Plan Ahead To Reach Center Of Strip
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Get ready. In a little more than two weeks, 300,000-600,000 NFL fans are expected to descend on the heart of the Las Vegas Strip at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road for the NFL Draft in Las Vegas April 28-30.
The National Football League once stayed away from Las Vegas because of gambling. No more. The NFL has embraced gambling, has one of its most popular teams in the Las Vegas market and staged the Pro Bowl all-star game at Allegiant Stadium two months ago.
And now the NFL Draft is coming to Las Vegas, and it’s going to be a tourism bonanza because fans of the other teams like to attend the event where college football players are picked by the NFL’s 32 teams and introduced on a big stage.
But if you’re a Las Vegas local, how will you get to the heart of the Strip where that busy Las Vegas Blvd-Flamingo Road intersection will be locked down and off-limits to cars during the Draft?
LVSportsBiz.com suggests taking an RTC bus from one of five satellite locations around the Las Vegas valley where you can park your car for free, pay $4 for a roundtrip to the NFL Draft and be left off by the “Game Day Express” bus about a half-mile away from the fan experience entrance. The NFL Draft is free, but you do have to get the event app and download a free ticket.
The five satellite bus spots are: Red Rock Casino Resort in Summerlin, Green Valley Ranch Resort in Henderson, Santa Fe Station Casino in Centennial Hills, Boulder Station Hotel & Casino off Boulder Highway for east side riders and M Resort Spa Casino for west Henderson fans.
“I’m a big fan of the Game Day Express,” Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft told LVSportsBiz.com after an LVCVA board meeting Tuesday morning.
All five routes will drop off/pick up off of West Flamingo Road, just west of Paradise (in front of Starbucks in the Hughes Center). RTC says it’s a half-mile walk to the entrance of the NFL Draft Experience.
Naft also recommends another RTC bus called the Deuce which runs from downtown Las Vegas to the NFL Draft. The Deuce Loop Detour picks up attendees at Cashman Field, the Mob Museum, and the Bonneville Transit Center in downtown and drops off fans at the NFL Draft Experience.
Getting to the NFL Draft is like getting to Allegiant Stadium for Raiders games for the first time — look at the options and plan ahead. Keep in mind Las Vegas Boulevard will be closed from Flamingo Road to the Cosmopolitan because the Bellagio Fountains will be used as a staging area for a red carpet stroll on a platform. The actual stage and player announcements will be done at the “Draft Theater” behind the High Roller observation wheel.
Here’s a map of the road closures:
“This is one of the most significant boulevard closures that the county has ever approved,” Naft said.
To get around, the Las Vegas Monorail will also be in play. Discounted tickets are available for fans and they can be downloaded to a mobile wallet. Nevada residents can also get discounted round-trip tickets by presenting a state license at a customer service ticketing office. You have free parking at Silver Lots 1 and 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Bally’s/Paris and Harrah’s/The LINQ monorail stops will be the closest to the NFL Draft Experience. The experience is an area next to the Caesars Forum.
Ride shares are also available and the drop off is also about a half-mile from the Draft event entrance.
“Plan ahead, look at all the options and figure out what’s best for you,” Naft said. “Make a plan ahead of time. You just can’t drive down (to the NFL Draft) and pop out.”
PSA
