One of the most iconic facades of Downtown, the white and gold sparkling face of the Golden Nugget may seem like it’s a throwback, but the interior is light years ahead. In the last decade, the Golden Nugget has spent $300 million on upgrades to keep the hotel in step with Las Vegas’ ever-changing zeitgeist. The Gold Tower boasts lots of gold and black mod decor, thanks to a recent $15 million redo, plus the spa and salon just saw $800,000 worth of upgrades. The Rush Tower rooms are just as comfortable and plush, but bigger, and with a more sedate color palette. Both offer cloud-like pillow top mattresses, 42-inch plasma TVs and excellent views. Hopefully the Carson, the last of the towers, will get a redo in the near future.

But why are we talking rooms? It’s the pool area that’s made this place justly famous. At The Tank, you can swim (kind of literally) with sharks, or at the very least, go screaming down a tube that cuts through the live shark aquarium. The three-story pool complex also features waterfalls and a bar that stays open year-round, even when the pool isn’t.

If you’ve come to see the Hand of Faith, the world’s largest gold nugget, unfortunately you’ll have to travel to the Laughlin, Nevada Golden Nugget, where it is currently on display.