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Laughlin has it all
Laughlin is a desert oasis where big-time entertainment, low-stakes gambling and
first class accommodations are concentrated in luxury hotel-casinos fronting the
Nevada shoreline of the Colorado River where it defines the natural borders of
Nevada and Arizona.
The tourist destination attracts nearly 5 million visitors annually to resort
hotels-each with a distinctive style, decor and theme. One hotel-casino gives
the appearance of a giant paddle wheeler docked on the river's bank. A steam
engine winds through another resort property shuttling customers from parking
areas to the hotel-casino. Sun worshipers are attracted to an ocean-style sandy
beach on the river's edge of another high-rise hotel/casino.
Low-stakes gaming, affordable first class rooms, inexpensive dining and pioneer
developers have contributed to the explosive expansion of Laughlin.
Customers challenge Lady Luck on thousands of slot machines and hundreds of live
table games. Poker rooms, race and sports books and keno lounges line the
hundreds of thousands of square feet of casino space. Progressive slot machines
named Nevada Nickels, Quartermania and Megabucks are linked to International
Gaming Technology's (IGT) statewide network. Eight-figure jackpots have been
paid out to lucky gamblers.
Room rates routinely fluctuate from $25 to $75, depending on availability and
the day of the week. Although visitors passing through Laughlin may find
vacancies, it is wise to make advance room reservations.
Inexpensive dining is another facet of Laughlin that attracts economy-minded
vacationers. Following the lead of pioneer Las Vegas pros who initiated buffet
dining on a grand scale, nearly every Laughlin resort offers all-you-can-eat
buffets. Nearly all Laughlin resort buffets serve breakfast, lunch and dinner
and many serve champagne buffets. Specialty champagne buffets, a regular feature
at many hotels on certain days, may cost slightly more. Several hotel/casinos
also operate gourmet restaurants for the discriminating palate. Showrooms,
lounges and cabarets fill Laughlin resorts with music and song. Charlie Prose,
Roy Clark and Debbie Reynolds are regulars at the Riverside Resort. The Flamingo
Laughlin and Harrah's offer outdoor concerts featuring top name acts such as
Wynonna Judd, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Foxworthy and the Beach Boys.
For those who prefer outdoor activities, several golf courses are within a few
minutes by car and personal watercraft can be rented at most hotels. Lake Mohave
is an angler's delight. Trophy-size striped bass of 30, 40 or even 50 pounds are
known to lurk in the deep waters of Lake Mohave and the Colorado River which
provide unlimited boating and recreation potential.
Nearby Katherine Mine, Chloride, AZ, and Oatman, AZ, across the Colorado River
from Laughlin give inquisitive travelers a glimpse of the wild, wild west with
feral burros, staged shoot-outs and shows.
Laughlin is accessible by car, bus or plane. All Laughlin casinos are
concentrated within a two-mile corridor along the riverfront.
Some resorts provide special RV parking areas with shuttle service to the
casinos. Visitors move between casinos with little effort by boarding taxicabs,
public bus transportation, or riverboat shuttles.
The casino resorts in Laughlin include:
Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino
Owned by Don Laughlin, the Riverside has 1,440 rooms in two towers, five
restaurants and top name celebrities in the showroom. The resort has six
state-of-the-art movie theaters, a Classic Car Collection featuring more than 70
rare and historic automobiles, convention facilities and the only full hook-up
RV Park with 800 spaces. The Riverside operates the U.S.S. Riverside, a luxury
tour boat that sails under Laughlin Bridge to Davis Dam. It offers fully
narrated routes of the Colorado River daily. Private party and wedding packages
are available. Don Laughlin completed a $15 million state-of-the-art, 34-lane
bowling center and supervised children's day care center in January 1999. A
second 10,000 square foot casino called Casino West was built in 2003 adjacent
to the RV Park and new 560-space parking garage.
Golden Nugget Laughlin
Mirage Resorts (now MGM Mirage™) purchased the Nevada Club from the Del Webb
Corp. in 1988 and renamed it the Golden Nugget Laughlin. The property was
redesigned and expanded to 304 rooms at a cost of $50 million. Guests relax in a
tropical rain forest atmosphere under a 30-foot high, glass-enclosed atrium. The
hotel has five restaurants including Jane's Grill, the River Cafe, The Deli, The
Lobster Bar and Laughlin's only outdoor river's edge dining venue aptly named,
The Deck. An acoustic guitarist performs at The Deck in the evening on weekends.
Exotic libations are served at Tarzan's Lounge nestled in a man-made rain forest
surrounded by echoes of jungle sounds.
Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall
Originally called the Colorado Club, the resort was opened in 1979 by Tom Ward
and Ed Nigro Jr. Longtime Nevada gaming figure Margaret Elardi purchased and
remodeled the resort in 1981, renamed it the Pioneer and added 416 rooms,
including river view suites. The Santa Fe Corp. (originally known as Sahara
Corp.) acquired the Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall in December 1988.
In 1994, the hotel added a 250-seat banquet and meeting room. The full-service
hotel features the Boarding House, the Fast Draw Snack Bar and Granny's Gourmet
Room for fine dining. It has two bars and a swimming pool. The Sunday champagne
brunch served at Granny's has won gourmet accolades.
The Edgewater Hotel & Casino
Originally opened in 1981, The Edgewater Hotel & Casino is owned and
operated by the Mandalay Resort Group. The resort underwent a $17 million
renovation and added 450 new rooms. In February 1991, a new 26-floor tower
opened, boosting the room count to 1,421. The casino has more than 1,450 slot
machines, 26 blackjack tables, several crap tables and roulette wheels, a keno
lounge, a poker room and a race and sports book with individual television
monitors. The hotel features Laughlin's largest buffet, a steakhouse, 24-hour
coffee shop and a deli. The property added three specialty stores in 1997 for a
total of seven. The Rio Vista Room also opened in 1997 to handle meetings and
banquets of up to 180 people. In 2000, the property added another meeting
facility, the Taos Room, accommodating up to 80 people. In 2001, McDonald's and
Krispy Kreme Donuts opened plus a wedding chapel for up to 50 guests.
River Palms Resort - Hotel - Casino
The late multimillionaire businessman Allen Paulson acquired the Gold River
Hotel Casino, a 25-story, 1,003-room resort, in mid-1997 and immediately
launched into a multimillion-dollar reconstruction project to create a South
Atlantic/Bermuda tropical style resort. The hotel-casino, operated by Paulson's
estate since his death in July 2000, renamed River Palms Resort, unveiled its
new look in the fall of 1998. Its 65,000-square-foot casino, with more than
1,100 slot machines on three levels, offers live table games in the main casino
pit along with a keno lounge, poker room and bingo parlor. Guests also have
access to five restaurants including Madeleine's Lodge Gourmet Room, six bars
and lounges, an outdoor pool-spa area, and an indoor health and fitness club. In
2001, River Palms leased the vacant lot to the north, built a sandy beach along
the river, extended the river walk to the Golden Nugget, paved the lot and
erected a 13,000 square foot event center. Paulson acquired the resort from John
Midby and Associates and Midby's Gold River Partnership that opened the resort
in December 1984. The property, managed by the Boyd Group of Las Vegas for seven
years, initially was named Sam's Town. Later the name changed to Sam's Town Gold
River, then Gold River and now River Palms Resort Casino.
The Colorado Belle Hotel/Casino
Owned and operated by the Mandalay Resort Group, the 22-acre theme hotel opened
in July 1987. The hotel-casino is shaped like a paddle wheel vessel and
transports guests into the storied 19th century world of old New Orleans, Mark
Twain and Mississippi gamblers. It features 64,000 square feet of gaming; 1,201
rooms and suites; two heated pools; a spa; five dining areas; five gift shops; a
video arcade, and lounge entertainment. It is also home to Laughlin's only
microbrewery.
The Ramada Express
The Ramada Express, which opened in July 1988, has grown from 406 rooms to 1,501
rooms in the past decade. At the Aztar Corp.-owned resort, a steam locomotive
circles a vast parking area shuttling customers to the vast casino and guests
enjoy five restaurants, a locomotive-shaped swimming pool, and a video arcade.
The resort's Pavilion Theater is now the permanent home to "The American
Spirit multimedia show" and the American Heroes Museum. The hour-long show
was designed and produced by creators of Disney attractions. Victory Plaza
opened in 2001 as an outdoor meeting venue opening onto Casino Drive.
Harrah's Laughlin
Harrah's, which opened in September 1988, has 1,616 rooms in three towers, five
restaurants, four specialty bars, a lounge, two pools, gift shop, boutique, RV
parking and convenience store, arcade, and a health club. Sun worshipers flock
to the resort's sandy, ocean-style beach fronting the Colorado River. The
expansive casino houses more than 1,200 slot machines, 37 table games, a race
and sports book, KENO and a poker room. In addition, the resort offers players
high-end slots. The showroom books entertainment year-round, and the 3,000-seat
Rio Vista Amphitheater is the spring and fall stage for top name performers. In
2001, the hotel renovated the restaurants, Margaritaville Bar and added 10,000
square feet of meeting space. In 2003, Harrah's opened the Baja Blue restaurant
that features popular Mexican dishes and converts into "Baja Blue After
Dark" as a late night dance club.
Flamingo Laughlin
This Laughlin property, opened in August 1990, has 1,912 guest rooms including
60 junior suites, four restaurants, and a sprawling casino with 1,800 slot
machines, 80 table games, KENO, and a race and sports book. The 3,000-seat
Flamingo Outdoor Amphitheater books spring and fall outdoor concerts to augment
year-round entertainment in Club Flamingo, an intimate 300-seat showroom. The
resort currently has over 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The Ballroom is
the largest of the meeting rooms with a room capacity of 19,333 square feet of
actual meeting space. This room accommodates up to 1300 reception style and 2000
theater style.
Bay Shore Inn
The 100-room Bay Shore Inn was opened by Barbara Marks in 1992. At present,
there is no casino, but the lounge features video poker machines. They do accept
small pets and offer weekly rates. There is a grassy picnic area and personal
watercraft can be rented and launched from the property.
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