Five Reasons the Golden Nugget Pool is Awesome Even During the Winter

The pool season has come and gone in Las Vegas, but even during the winter, the pool complex at Golden Nugget remains a draw. Here are five reasons we love the Golden Nugget’s pool, no matter the time of year.

1. The Shark Tank

The Golden Nugget, in downtown Las Vegas, has one of the most remarkable pools you’ll ever see. Within the pool is a massive aquarium featuring hundreds of fish and six species of sharks.

Golden Nugget shark tank
Everybody’s somebody else’s dinner in the shark tank.

During the summer months, guests can ride a three-story water slide through the shark tank, but even during winter, the aquarium is impressive and worth a look. Bonus: It’s a free thing to do in Las Vegas, and in the winter, there are no crowds as there are in the summer months.

Here’s a look at the Golden Nugget’s shark tank when things warm up, in case you won’t be around until summer.




Learn more about The Tank at Golden Nugget, including tours.

2. Jacuzzi Time

On chilly winter nights, the Jacuzzi at Golden Nugget really becomes a draw. It’s a great place to hang out, enjoy some relaxing bubbles and meet new people. And by “meet new people,” of course, we mean, “see if anyone’s open to an anonymous Sin City encounter with no strings attached.”

Golden Nugget Jacuzzi
Random hook-ups not guaranteed, but they’re also not NOT guaranteed.

3. Outdoor Table Games

We love playing our favorite casino games outdoors, and Golden Nugget’s pool area has several to choose from. The low table limits are an additional perk.

Golden Nugget casino
Fresh air and casinos don’t always go together, but they do here.

The tables are mostly blackjack, but there’s a sit-down craps table, too. It’s a half-sized craps table, which means you’ll end up best friends with everybody playing.

If you’re the shooter, it helps to have T-Rex arms, as you can’t extend your hand past the middle of the table during your throw.

Golden Nugget
Dude, whatever you said, take it back. We’re all supposed to be friends!

The hours of the outdoor tables vary, but we suspect there are more tables in the Golden Nugget’s main casino, indoors, too. Just a hunch.

4. H20 Bar

Golden Nugget, very thoughtfully, keeps its outdoor H2O Bar open even during the winter. That means you can zip from the Jacuzzi and outdoor seating area to the hooch in a few quick steps. Our only gripe would be H2O doesn’t serve any hot drinks, like hot chocolate or tea, but we’re not the boss of everything.

H2O Bar
When it gets cold out, H2O Bar does brisk business. See what we did there?

5. The Lights

The Golden Nugget’s pool area is very inviting, both because of the calming effects of the pool’s waterfall feature, but also because of the lights in the trees all around the pool complex. The lights lend a certain whimsy that makes the pool even more colorful and inviting.

Golden Nugget lights
Sparkly.

There’s ample seating throughout the pool area. Just make sure to plant yourself near one of the strategically-placed space heaters.

Space heater
Sorry, not suitable for s’mores. You’ll survive.

We’ve always had a soft spot for the Golden Nugget, as one of Sin City’s most storied casino-hotels, and it makes us happy we get to enjoy the pool complex all year round.