There’s more to Chinatown than outstanding restaurants, Asian groceries and spas. The neighborhood boasts a variety of unique businesses, attractions and places to hang out.

Las Vegas Little Theatre (3920 Schiff Drive, 702-362-7996), the city’s oldest community theater company, predates Chinatown itself; it’s now entering its 41st year. Nearby is Olympic Table Tennis club (4063 Renate Drive, 702-876-9717), where you can hone your ping-pong game with the help of some legitimate masters of the craft. Wreck Room (4090 Schiff Drive, 702-405-6407) is as good as its name: you can pay money to put on protective gear and break things in a rage. On the opposite emotional spectrum is World of Feng Shui (4011 Spring Mountain Road, 702-386-1888), a shop bursting with incense, books, statues and more items relating to the harmonious Chinese art. And the Golden Tiki (3939 Spring Mountain Road, 702-222-3196) is another thing entirely: a raucous tropical refuge that’s equal parts garage rock and coconut bras.

Wandering west from there, you’ll encounter the Chinatown Plaza location of Paris Baguette (4115 Spring Mountain Road, 702-820-0909), the chain bakery-café whose sweet and savory goods are worth the stop. They have wifi, too, but we recommend that you power down your devices in favor of writing in a bound journal, which you can acquire at neighboring Great Wall Bookstore (4255 Spring Mountain Road #C105-6, 702-876-8875). Browsing through those journals is a treat in itself; they have dozens of fun designs. (Mine says “This Machine Kills Fascists.”) And though it’s almost a mile-and-a-half away, now seems a fitting time to mention the Gäbi Coffee & Bakery (5808 Spring Mountain Road #104, 702-331-1144), the sublime Korean café whose indoor park-like vibe approximates arcane magic.

Speaking of cafés and magic: Visit the coffee/tea house LaPostté (5410 Spring Mountain Road #102, 702-710-7374). Here you can enjoy high tea (or milk tea with boba) while writing postcards (they have lots for sale) to friends, or even to your future self. Further your ascent into wonder and whimsy with a visit to Lucky Tropical Fish (4730 Spring Mountain Road, 702-791-0888), a shop that’s more interesting than most of this town’s aquariums, or to K-POP USA (5755 Spring Mountain Road #2, 702-476-1990), the Korean pop music boutique whose denizens are no less colorful and vibrant. And finally, with a heart full of K-pop (or other) song, take yourself to one of Chinatown’s karaoke bars—there are too many to mention here, all of them wildly popular—and let the day’s adventures pour out.

Basket of fun

The Asian markets of Chinatown are amazing spots for locating otherwise hard-to-find items and experimenting with new ones. Some of our favorites include Greenland Supermarket (6850 W. Spring Mountain Road, 702-459-7878), 99 Ranch Market (4155 Spring Mountain Road, 702-364-8899) and 168 Market (3459 S. Jones Blvd., 702-363-5168). Happy hunting!