Gold Spike Happy Hour. Downtown

Gold Spike is built for groups, especially a crew that wants something to do besides stand around with drinks. It is a bar and gaming lounge on the edge of Fremont East, with a big backyard full of life-sized Jenga, beer pong, cornhole, and ping pong, all free to play.

Happy hour runs daily, 3 to 6pm. The deals are simple and cheap: $5 draft beer, $5 well drinks, and $7 select cocktails, plus happy hour food specials. The draft and well selection is basic but does the job, and at these prices nobody is here for a craft cocktail program anyway.

The backyard is the real reason to come. String lights, astroturf, plenty of room, plus misters and shade that keep it bearable through Vegas summers. The crowd skews late-20s to 40, social, and ready to jump into whatever game is happening. Nobody is dressing to impress, so show up however you are.

Get there between 3 and 4 if you want first crack at the games and a less packed yard. By 5 the space fills and the cornhole gets competitive. Food trucks rotate through if hunger hits, though most people eat before or after. It is walkable from the Fremont Street Experience, which makes it an easy stop on a downtown crawl where you want to keep a group entertained.