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LAS VEGAS Area Attractions
Las Vegas, Nevada
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(1/17/2025) Gordon Ramsay Opens 7th Eatery In Las Vegas
(12/31/2024) Excalibur/Luxor Change + John Wick Experience Opening Confirmed
(12/18/2024) Primm Valley Update, One Casino Is Said To Be Closing For Good
(12/7/2024) AREA 15 Breaks Ground on New Interstellar Arc Attraction Plus Updates for Universal Horror and John Wick Experience
(11/30/2024) Dopeameme Opens at Area 15
(11/19/2024) Buffalo Bills Status Update
(11/16/2024) New Casino with NBA-Ready Arena Proposed For North Las Vegas Strip
 Las Vegas News - (1/17/2025) Gordon Ramsay has opened his seventh eatery in Las Vegas this week, with the opening of a second Gordon Ramsay Burger location on the strip. The slightly confusing thing is that this new one is located inside the Flamingo casino, while the original is a Vegas block away to the south at the Planet Hollywood casino.
(12/31/2024) An interesting Vegas related update cross my feed this week, as a short video on Twitter / X shows that all the moving walkways that run the long hallway that connects the Luxor and Excalibur casinos have now been removed, leaving just a wide carpeted pathway. The interesting thing is that I walked this very pathway back in June and all the moving sidewalks were still there, but I did note at the time that a large number of them were broken and walled off behind barricades.
Of course, broken moving sidewalks and escalators are not that unusual in Las Vegas, especially when it comes to those outdoor escalators attached to the pedestrian bridges that cross over the various busy intersections on the Strip. In this case however, it looks like MGM Resorts simply just opted to “give up” on maintaining the walkways in this location. Hopefully this isn’t an early sign about the future longevity of either of these famous casino resorts.
(11/16/2024) Developers hoping to plan a new casino resort on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip that would feature an NBA-ready arena cleared the first step when the town advisory board gave the project a vote of unanimous approval if built on the site of the former Wet ‘n Wild waterpark that lies between the Fountainebleau and Saraha casinos.
Don’t start planning anything just yet though… just look at how long it took for Fountainebleau to get built, having been announced in 2005 and undoing several spats of financing, construction, sudden stops and then sales along the way betore it finally opened on Dec. 13, 2023. So unless you’ve got a big name casino-chain partner in your corner like Caesar’s or MGM, it can be a very long and windy road to get a new casino project off the ground in this era.
(10/30/2024) Caesars Entertainment hit the news headlines today with a couple of interesting developments. For starters the casino empire announced that they’ve come to an agreement to sell the LINQ Promenade in Las Vegas to a joint venture group formed between TPG Real Estate and the Investment Management Platform of Arcadia Realty Trust for $275 million. Again, I want to point out a key word here… they sold the LINQ Promenade… NOT the LINQ Casino. The LINQ Promenade is the pathway or restaurants and retail sites that sits between the LINQ Casino and the Flamingo that runs from the Strip all the way back to the massive High Roller observation wheel.
Caesars Entertainment says that this is a huge step in their plans to eliminate some non-core assets in favor of reducing their corporate debt load. The second announcement today also goes a long way towards that, as Caesars announced they sold their intellectual property rights for the “World Series of Poker” brand to NSUS Group for $250 million in cash and another $250 million promissory note due after the closing of the transaction. However, Caesars also built into the deal the rights to host the flagship World Series of Poker tournament series at their Las Vegas casinos over the next 20 years as well as being allowed to continue to run some WSOP branded online businesses.
So the final result is that Caesars Entertainment just made $750 million this week without losing any of their valuable casino properties. The company also released their Q3 2024 earnings results, which you can read through the numbers here for the companies last quarter.
(9/10/2024) Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood casino announced that they’ve signed The Black Eyed Peas to a concert residency deal on select dates in February, March and May 2025. The group is calling the new show, “Black Eyed Peas 3008 - The Las Vegas Residency” with advanced tickets to go on sale later this week. Visit the official website for all the details if you are interested.
(8/24/2024) Long time Las Vegas visitors will fondly remember the free Pirate battle show that used to take place outside the Treasure Island casino several times nightly. The audience looked in on a pirate friendly port, with a pirate ship docked. The fun would be interrupted when a British warship kept out of sight around the right-side of the casino would come to life and sail into the port to engage the pirate ship, demanding they lay down their weapons and accept a British boarding party to come aboard for a search. Of course, the Pirates weren’t going to have any of that, tensions escalate, and before you know it the cannons on both ships erupt, buildings are catching on fire. The pirates eventually score a lucky shot on the lower half of the British hull, lighting their black powder storage on fire. The warship begins taking on water below decks and lowering into the water, just as fire erupts across the top deck. The crew all leaps into the water to abandon the sinking ship, except the Captain who stands proudly on the deck as the ship sinks below the waves, ending the conflict. The battle won, the audience is welcomed to enter ‘Treasure Island’ to celebrate the victory. Stay around a little longer and you’ll see the British warship rise-up from the water once again, Captain still standing on the deck, for show reset sequence that moved the vessel back around to the side of the casino again to get ready for the next performance.
Once the Treasure Island became the “T.I.”, the pirate battle that raged since the 1993 came to an end. The former battle show was replaced by a new “Sirens” themed show in 2003, with a somewhat similar concept, but the roles reversed. The Sirens vessel was docked in the port, and have captured a pirate Captain. The pirate crew now sailed into port to rescue their captain from the Sirens who quickly sink the pirate ship forced the pirates to surrender. The Sirens show only lasted half as long as the Pirates of Buccaneer Bay show, coming to an end in 2013 when the casino decided to re-take come of the former cove space to expand their retail space. The ships are still out on the water, but no live show ever replaced the Sirens show, with the waters sitting mostly silent for the past 11 years, other than some lighting effects and water fountains put in place since then.
Why do I bring this up today? An interesting post on Facebook caught my eye, as the for the first time in 11 years when the Sirens went silent, there is strange new activity in the Treasure Island cove. How strange? Well, the water has now been completely drained, exposing the special effects hardware that has been sitting below the waves all this time, giving you a great look at the ships, including the hardware that allowed the one ship to sink and move on a hidden underwater track system. While this is an incredible throw-back look to the history of this once world-famous attraction, it also makes you wonder just what T.I. has in store for the future of this location going forward?
Early 2025 - John Wick Experience at Area 15 - (12/31/2024) Good news for John Wick fans, the official John Wick Experience attraction is now officially set to open at Area 15 in February 2025 where you can enter the Las Vegas Continental. “As the sanctuary of choice for assassins, crime bosses and members of the High Table, you can expect your time at the John Wick Las Vegas Continental to be memorable. Just be sure to abide by the rules. A single misstep might trigger a contract —and once your name is on the ledger, escape becomes a distant possibility.”
Currently, if you visit the official website, you can pre-purchase your tickets for dates starting on Feb. 14th. Please note that the attraction will be “dark” on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, at least during the current initial schedule, which allows for reservations through to the end of March 2025.
Tickets look like they start at $49.99 for basic admission, with VIP packages offered at $69.99 and $99.99, the later of which includes two specialty cocktails from the bar in the Continental, a collector’s cup and 20% off any other merchandise you want to buy.
(12/7/2024) Area15 also previously announced that they were bringing in a “John Wick Experience” attraction as well, though we haven’t heard any updates about that particular project since it was announced in early 2024, but Winston also mentions it in the interview as opening in early Q1 2025. They also describe the John Wick Experience as being an almost “escape room” style experiential concept, within the setting of “the Vegas Continental” hotel. There will be “escape room like qualities” mixed with “engagement and play” opportunities along the way.
(2/16/2024) While most have been focused on the construction of the new Universal Horror’s Unleashed attraction building that will serve as an expansion to Area 15 in Las Vegas, it seems the famous attraction has another innovative project that will open before the end of this year. In a deal between Area 15 and Lionsgate, the attrtaction will open the “John Wick Experience”, which will transport guests into the world of the John Wick action film series.
The John Wick Experience will be a unique 12,000 sqft extra-ticket attraction that will allow guests to enter the world of John Wick through the doors of the “Las Vegas Continental” where they will “participate in a high-stakes adventure”. There will also be a themed bar and retail store experience open to the general public.
The producers are working with Egan Productions to create the experience, which is a name that should be familiar to those familiar with themed attractions in Las Vegas, as they also created two other Lionsgate IP attractions: Escape Blair Witch and the Official SAW Escape attractions.
2025 - The FRIENDS Experience - (6/15/2024) While the MGM Grand in Las Vegas closed The Hunger Games” The Exhibition last year, it looks like they’re about to replace it with something new. Look for “The FRIENDS Experience” to open at the MGM Grand featuring life-sized reactions of the TV show’s famous sets, as well as costumes and props used throughout the series’ many seasons.
Prior to this there has been a traveling FRIENDS Experience (now in Boston through Jan. 2025), and the creation of a first “flagship” location in New York City and a first international flagship location coming to London later this Summer.
Late 2025 - Interstellar Arc at Area 15 - (12/7/2024) Area15 has broken ground on a new space-themed attraction experience that will also be anchored in the 20-acre expansion area near the Universal Horror Unleashed attraction, with both set to open in 2025. While we don’t have a date yet for Universal’s year-round Horror attraction, the new “Interstellar Arc” attraction is planned to open in Fall 2025, built inside a 20,000 sqft venue, that will send guests off on a 26th century deep-space mission “across the far reaches of the cosmos.” Elsewhere it was referred to as possibly a VR style experience which makes sense as the attraction is coming from Felix and Paul Studios, who are well versed as creators within the VR and AR technology realm.
Elsewhere, an interview with Area15’s CEO, Winston Fisher, talked with MPR’s Mike Prevatt this week to talk about the expansion of Area15, an area being referred to as the “District 2” Give the audio interview a listen and about half-way through (starting around the 8:30 mark) they talk about Universal Horror Unleashed and Winston mentions that a drop tower ride and “psychedelic carousel” along with some other experiences that will be built alongside the Universal Horror Unleashed attraction.
2025 - Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights Las Vegas / AREA 15 Expansion -
(11/3/2024) As expected, Universal announced all new details for their new year-round haunt experience coming to the Las Vegas Area 15 complex in 2025 called Universal Horror Unleashed. Within the experience will feature four different haunted house experiences, each with a unique theme: Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping and Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer. Surrounding each of the haunts will be four “sinisterly themed and immersive areas, featuring unique live entertainment experiences” as well as some eerie eating and themed bars that will feature “horror-centric food and drink offerings”.
Universal Horror Unleashed won’t be a set and forget experience either, as they promise that returning guests can expect to find a continuously updated experience, plussed with must-see seasonal events and the launch of one-of-a-kind merchandise. While much of the secrets behind the actual experience is being kept close to the chest for now, they did release an awesome teaser video to showcase the thrills and chills to come. Fans of Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights should watch to the end, as Florida’s favorite clown-icon Jack, does appear to be planning to make himself at home in Las Vegas as well. I can’t wait!
I did have a question myself that has not yet been answered, and I’ve reached out to Universal to see if they can answer it, but I was curious about any potential age restrictions for the attraction, or if this was planned to be a more ‘adult’ experience in terms of content. While much of Las Vegas is known for offering experiences for age 21+ only, the Area 15 complex does allow guests of all ages to visit during most daytime hours, with 21+ access only to select bars and areas within. However, after 8pm, Thursday - Saturday nights, Area 15 takes on an 18+ age restriction for all general access, so it would stand to reason that Universal Horror Unleashed, which is likely to have a more after-dark style operation schedule, may possibly also be an 18+ attraction experience much of the time. I hope to get a confirmation from Universal about this question in the near future.
(10/30/2024) Get ready, because Universal is going to make a big announcement on Halloween regarding their Universal Horror Unleashed attraction coming to Las Vegas. Stay tuned!
(4/4/2024) A reader stopped to take a few pictures of the AREA 15 expansion the other day, where we will see Universal’s year-round HHN attraction, “Universal Horror Unleashed” set up shop.
Unfortunately, while we are about to get something really grand as a new attraction at the Area 15 complex, sadly another popular attraction has just announced they are closing their doors forever. A post from the Lost Spirits Distillery has confirmed that after 14 years, the attraction will close its doors for good after the final performance on April 29, 2024.
According to the memo, the amount of debt the popular attraction has now on the books, caused by both the COVID pandemic days, as well as the slow return to reopening, has become an insurmountable obstacle. The show, described as an “immersive circus’ style show, is successful, but the debt load has just become too great. This is sad, as I really wanted to try and visit Lost Spirits Distillery on my next trip out to Vegas, but sadly that will never happen now. Perhaps the concept can be retooled and rebooted in a new location in the future for another run someday.
(3/23/2024) While we don’t have a timeline as to when the new Universal Horror Unleashed attraction under construction in Las Vegas is expected to open, it is worth mentioning that Universal is now taking job applications for those looking to work there! Follow this link.
While we’re talking about attractions at Area 15, Blooloop reports that Area 15 has brought back the popular Army of the Dead themed VR experience to the complex in a “refrehsed venue”.
(1/9/2024) Special thanks to one of our readers for going by Area 15 to take some new pictures of the building going up for the “Universal’s Horrors Unleashed” attraction and other Area 15 expansion projects.
(12/21/2023) Vertical construction is officially under-way for the expansion building at AREA 15 in Las Vegas that will contain the “Universal Horror Unleashed” attraction. The massive pre-made walls for the new structure are quickly rising into place. You can see official pictures from Area 15 as the first wall section goes up and scroll over to the next photo showing off several wall sections now in place, along with the large foundation already poured.
Meanwhile a local area reader went by this afternoon and sent back some new photos showing off just how fast this structure is coming together.
(10/18/2023) Universal has officially dropped the name and logo for their new year-round haunted attraction coming to Las Vegas. “Universal Horror Unleashed”
(7/23/2023) iFLY has announced that they will add a new indoor skydiving attraction to the Area 15 entertainment complex in Las Vegas. According to a statement from the CEO of iFLY, the design of the Las Vegas location will make it one of the company’s flagship locations. While the timeline to open the new iFLY was not mentioned, they did confirm that it will be part of the new 20-acre expansion to the Area 15 complex, which should also include Universal Studios year-round Halloween Horror Nights attraction.
(4/30/2023) Area 15 is wasting no time it seems, as demolition work to remove the industrial buildings located just north of Area 15 is now under way. For those wondering, this expansion is also supposed to be the home to the new year-round Halloween Horror Nights attraction from Universal Studios, so I’m happy to see that this project is moving full steam ahead without delays!
(1/12/2023) Halloween Horror Nights Las Vegas… where have you heard this before? Oh yeah… right here on Screamscape back in May 2022. Universal Studios famous Halloween haunted house loving seasonal event will soon have a year-round home in Las Vegas, built as part of an expansion of the Area 15 complex. According to various sources the plan is to create this 110,000 sqft year-round horror-plex as a way to bring many of Universal’s famous horror characters to life. Rumor has it that this won't just include film characters, but the Sin City site could become a year-round home to some very popular characters created for the Halloween Horror Nights events over the year. And yes… I’m talking about the HHN Icons… starting with Jack the clown, who can actually be seen standing in front of the creepy looking building in the new concept art released for the project. Behind Jack in the shadows, I see what looks like Chance standing next to another more hunched over looking silhouette.
What’s interesting about this project is that the location will feature a horror themed bar and restaurant location and apparently it will feature an experience that will be constantly evolving and beijing updated. One rumored concept so far is the idea that the most popular maze concepts and themed props used at the Orlando and Hollywood parks could be shipped to the Las Vegas site for further use.
Oh… and before I forget, Las Vegas may not be the only future site for one of these new year-round HHN attractions.
(5/17/22) I’ve no idea just how serious this is, but Screamscape is being told that Universal Studios may be in talks with a group in Las Vegas to create a Sin City version of Halloween Horror Nights. I don’t believe this is in connection with an existing attraction like the Circus Circus Adventuredome, but is expected to be more of a stand-alone Haunt experience the likes of which has never been seen before in Las Vegas. As the general demographic for visitors to the area skews to the 21+ range for most things, we could also be looking at an attempt to create a version of Halloween Horror Nights intended for an entirely mature audience.
Again… just talks and concept development so far, nothing concrete, but the mind does boggle at the possibilities.
2025/2026 - BLVD Las Vegas - (10/3/2024) According to the post below, the world’s largest In-N-Out Burger location is supposed to be coming to the BLVD Las Vegas retail development on the Strip. According to the video, the massive burger location is said to be 8,000 sqft and will be on the roof level, offering views of the strip while you eat. BLVD Las Vegas is being built across the strip from Park MGM, next to the retail area that is already home to Target, Ross and Walgreens and the FlyOver attraction and down to the empty plot in front of the Polo Towers.
Keep in mind that there already is a popular In-N-Out location on the strip a few blocks to the north, deep in the LINQ shopping strip. It’s a good walk from one to the other, so I wouldn’t expect to see the LINQ location close just because the new one opens, unless their lease is up. Oh, and for those a little to the south, keep in mind that there is a large stand-alone In-O-Out location just on the other side of the freeway from where Excalibur and New York-New York sit, so you’ve got options.
2027 - New NEON MUSEUM - (9/24/2024) The famous “Neon Museum” in Las Vegas will be preparing to move to a new location in “the Arts District” that will put it closer to the future site of the Las Vegas Museum of Art. If you haven’t heard of the Neon Museum, the eclectic attraction became famous for saving and salvaging the former famous neon signs from many former Las Vegas casinos and attractions starting in 1996 and opened to the public as an attraction in 2012.
According to this article, the Neon Museum is expected to have its new site ready to open sometime in 2027 and will feature two display areas. The rooftop of a parking garage and some nearby open space will house most of the Neon Museum’s typical outdoor display of salvaged display signs, while the ninth floor of the parking garage will be converted into an enclosed exhibit space.
The interesting thing is that currently the existing Neon Museum still only has room to display only 35% of the Neon signs they have in their collection.
2027 - HARD ROCK LAS VEGAS HOTEL & CASINO - (7/20/2024) In a rare early morning performance, the mighty Mirage volcano show erupted for one last time on July 17th. With the resort now closed, demolition is expected to begin at the volcano site soon to make way for the future Hard Rock resort’s new guitar shaped hotel tower that will sit right in front of the new casino resort site.
(5/25/2024) While previously the plans announced to transform The Mirage into a new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino did not seem to involving shutting down the iconic casino, those plans have now changed. According to management, The Mirage will now completely close down on July 17th, with the last night guests can say being July 14th, to kick off a three-year-long construction project that will see it reopen under the Hard Rock banner, complete with a new 700-foot tall guitar-shaped hotel tower out front where the Volcano is sometime in 2027. According to The Mirage, if you previously had reservations for dates beyond July 14th, those reservations have been canceled.
Unfortunately this also means that the entire staff of the Mirage just found out that they are being laid off within a very short period of time. For those wondering, the current Cirque du Soleil show, “The Beatles: Love” is also coming to an end on on July 7, 2024.
(2/15/2023) The dolphins at The Mirage now have a new home. According to the local news three dolphins who have made a home at the former Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat (Karli, Sofi and Osborne) have now been moved to SeaWorld San Diego. According to the article, the dolphins were originally actually from SeaWorld and have been at The Mirage under a long-term loan agreement, so now they are returning home again.
(12/10/2022) Hard Rock International shared their latest plans to renovate The Mirage casino during a presentation of the Nevada Gaming Control Board this past week. The updated plans to transform the Mirage into the new “Hard Rock Las Vegas” branded resort still include a massive guitar-shaped hotel tower.
The shape of the tower has changed slightly from the previous Gibson shape into one more balanced left to right. It has been described as more of a “Gretsch” shaped guitar and while it probably offers the ability to include a few more rooms, it will also make the Vegas location stand out as being visually different from Hard Rock’s first guitar shaped hotel tower (a Gibson) that has already opened in Florida. It was also noted that the new guitar tower will be used as part of an all new nighttime light show viewable from all along the strip as sort of a replacement for the Mirage’s old Volcano eruption show.
Hard Rock also proposed building another guitar shaped hotel tower resort in Japan back in 2019 as part of a bid to build an integrated casino resort. There has been a lot of change in the Japanese political landscape since then due to the rise of the pandemic, but last I heard Hard Rock was still keen to bring their vision to Japan when the time is right.
Hard Rock says that while internally things will begin to change later this month as they take over operations from MGM Resorts, the resort was planning on keeping the existing Mirage name in place until the renovations are complete in 2025. Meanwhile the plan is that anything you may remember from the old Mirage will be gutted and removed, and then completely rebuilt and renovated into something entirely new for the Hard Rock brand. This includes the entire casino space, all restaurants and every one of the existing guest rooms.
As previously announced the Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat area will also be closed for good and demolished to make way for a new massive resort pool area. New homes are being found for all of the existing dolphins, lions and tigers in the exhibit. The process of relocating all the animals is expected to take between 6 to 12 months and should be complete by this time next year.
The end result for the Hard Rock Las Vegas will be a nearly 600 room increase, more casino games, more restaurants, an expansion to the convention center space, and plans to build a new “Hard Rock Live” performance space. The contract for the existing Beatles themed Cirque du Soleil show “LOVE”, has been extended to run at least into 2024. If ticket sales remain solid, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hard Rock opted to keep this one leftover from the old Mirage days as it does fit well into their brand.
During a Q&A session at the Gaming Board meeting, they were asked about the possibility of closing the Mirage to complete these massive renovation plans. Nothing has been set yet and they say that if a closure is needed, it won't be for at least another 18 months (mid to late 2024?) if it is determined to be a necessity.
(11/25/22) The local news has confirmed that the Mirage’s “Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat” will be closing down for good. According to a statement issued by MGM Resorts, the new owners at Hard Rock have been considering their options and in open discussions with MGM about the future of the facility.
“As Hard Rock has thought about its vision for The Mirage post-close, the team has determined that the best course of action is to wind down and, eventually, permanently close the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat prior to the commencement of construction of the Guitar Hotel and other planned transformational redevelopments of The Mirage.”
“Given this decision, we’ve agreed to work proactively together in the months ahead to develop a plan to permanently relocate the animals to new homes where they will continue to be loved and cared for by welltrained, highly respected animal care professionals and veterinary experts. Rest assured that the health, safety, and well-being of the animals is our top priority. For three decades, nothing has been more important, and that will not change moving forward. Both MGM and Hard Rock are committed to finding new homes for the animals that meet our required high standards of care and give each animal an opportunity to thrive.”
They also noted that the Dolphin Habitat has been closed since September so that a team of outside experts and the animal care team could conduct a review of the animals and the facility itself. This was done following the death of three of the facilities dolphins that took place earlier this year, with the first in April and then two more suddenly passed in September. “We are nearing the completion of that review but have not yet determined when the facility will reopen or in what capacity.”
(7/23/22) We know The Mirage was sold to Hard Rock International to become the all new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The famous Mirage volcano in front of the casino is destinated to be demolished to way way for a new guitar-shaped hotel tower. While the deal has yet to be 100% finalized at this time, TheStreet is reporting that it is very likely that at some point between now and the planned 2025 launching of the new Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas that The Mirage may shut down completely rather than try to stay open during the renovations.
As part of the deal Hard Rock has the rights to keep using The Mirage name for up to three years royalty free if they wish, but anonymous sources from “one of the main theater productions” told the reporter than they were only offered one-year contract extensions at this time, which backs up the feeling that the Mirage will likely close for a time.
(1/23/22) Las Vegas has long been home to big cats, especially the tigers that were famously used in the days of the Siegfried and Roy magic show that performed from 1990 to 2003 at The Mirage. With the death of both Siegfried (Jan. 13, 2021) and Roy (May 8, 2020), the majority of the tigers and lions from the show have remained at The Mirage as part of the “Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat” attraction. But with the announced sale of The Mirage to Hard Rock and the intent to rebrand the casino resort as a new Hard Rock Casino, what will happen to the animals?
According to the local report the management of Hard Rock International has not yet made the call about what will happen to the Secret Garden attraction and the animals within. The terms of the sale of the resort from MGM to Hard Rock are unknown, and it is entirely possible that Hard Rock may require MGM to remove the animals before the sale is complete if Hard Rock is uncomfortable with taking ownership of them, or has other unannounced plans for the attractions space. Note that this isn’t an uncommon requirement when attractions change hands, especially if the new owner has no experience dealing with them, or in some cases, may have an existing corporate policy to not keep animals in captivity at their attractions.
On a related note about Tigers in Las Vegas, a proposal was made awhile back Jay Owenhouse to include tigers and other animals in a magic show held in a temporary structure along the Strip near the Mandalay Bay. In light of criticism from animal rights activists and safety concerns about keeping Tigers inside what would appear to be a modern-day circus tent style structure in such a public space the magician has now altered his proposal to exclude animals from the show.
The location of the show has also changed to a new location close to the Sahara on the northern end of the Strip after the land at the previous site (intended for 2020) fell into foreclosure. The new application for the animal-free show near the Sahara is expected to go before the Zoning Comission on Feb. 2, with plans to have it up and running sometime in Spring 2022.
(12/20/21) A piece of sad news from Las Vegas this week, as the CEO of Hard Rock International has confirmed that as part of the transformation of The Mirage into a new Hard Rock branded casino, the world famous ‘volcano’ structure outside the front of the Mirage that used to put on nightly shows will be torn down as part of the remodel of the casino.
Their plans for the Mirage property will involve building a massive new guitar-shaped hotel tower in front of the existing towers (why the volcano is leaving), adding a new live music venue and more. Currently however they have not announced if they plan to keep the Beatles themed show from Cirque du Soleil, though with a brand like Hard Rock, it would be hard to see them passing on opportunity to keep the show, unless it just was not selling out the venue on a regular basis prior to COVID.
A long-distance rendering of the property, as seen looking down the Strip, was also released by Hard Rock that shows off the new guitar-shaped hotel tower that will sit prominently in front of the entire resort.
(12/16/21) The Hard Rock brand is coming back to the Las Vegas Strip, but not where you would have expected. According to CNN Hard Rock International has signed a deal with MGM Resorts to hand the operations of The Mirage over to Hard Rock. The deal worth $1.075 billion will close sometime in the second half of 2022 and comes with the rights to continue to use The Mirage name and brand for three more years, allowing Hard Rock the time to determine just how they intend to re-brand The Mirage after that.
2028 - Brightline West / High Speed Rail - (1/24/2024) Good news for those who can’t wait for the Brightline West line to get built between California and Las Vegas, as the US Department of Transportation just approved $2.5 billion in bonds to be used for funding for the high speed rail line. The initial plan will seen service built mostly along the I-15 corridor between Las Vegas to the “Inland Empire” area just east of Los Angeles, featuring 218 miles of track with all electric trains able to achieve speeds of 186mph, covering the distance in in half the time it would take to drive it yourself by car.
Combined with a previous round of funding, Brightline West now has $3.5 billion in funding for the railway, which is expected to break ground sometime in early 2024, with the goal of being open by the Summer of 2028.
(8/5/2023) According to the local news the plans for the Brightline West high speed train just cleared another major hurdle, clearing the path to hopefully start breaking ground before the end of the year. In the latest development the Federal Railroad Administration rules that the 49-mile stretch of the proposed line between the southern end-station in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Victor Valley would have no significant impact on the environment and may proceed without a new environmental impact study. Previously a study for the Las Vegas to Apple Valley portion of the route was approved in 2011 and reviewed and reconfirmed in 2020. With the needed permits and right-of-way rights now secured, Brightline West should be able to proceed ahead and begin construction.
(4/23/2023) Brightline West shared some concept art of the stations planned for the planned high speed rail line from SoCal to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas station end station would be build on a large empty plot nestled between I-15 and the south end of Las Vegas Blvd (aka: The Strip) between Blue Diamond Rd and Warm Springs Rd. Only a small portion of this large empty site will be used by the rail line with other developments looking to take advantage of the rest of the space in the future for other uses like future resorts and possible new sports arenas.
Another piece of artwork sent out appears to show the California station, attached to a large multi-story parking structure, it would also serve as a link between Brightline West and the Metrolink Los Angeles area rail system.
If all moves forward as planned, work could start sometime over the next year with the system opening as early as 2027.
???? - North Strip Margaritaville & Other Developments - (9/5/2024) A new large development has been approved by the city planners for the Strip area just south of Fontainebleau where the Riviera was once located, across the street from Circus Circus.
The proposal is for a bit of a mixed use project that would include two 600-foot tall towers that would contain a 750-room non-casino hotel, 425 condos, a domed structure that would house a 3,310-seat performance venue, a proposed 439-foot tall “amusement ride” and an assortment of street-front retail / restaurant spaces.
They aren’t saying what the amusement ride will be yet, but based on the concept art released, the proposal looks to include a new strip-side Margaritaville location, and what appears to be a Margaritaville themed Star-Flyer style ride, complete with a large drink and straw poking out of the top at the very peak of the tower.
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???? - Neonopolis / Attraction Expansion - Proposal - (5/19/2024) You may come across reports this week claiming that a plan is being made to create a new “theme park” in downtown Las Vegas. Well… Yes and No… I wouldn’t call this a theme park, but instead this is a proposal by the creator of Neonopolis to lease-out space to groups willing to build new rides and attractions.
Neonopolis is the building complex located on Fremont Street, but just outside of the covered roof, but as the last block of the street where only foot traffic is allowed, where they built the launch tower for the giant Slotzilla attraction in the street between Neonopolis and a parking structure. Currently the block is made up on a number of small retail shops, bars and a few restaurants (Heart Attack Grill, Dick’s Last Resort, Dirt Dog, Denny’s, etc…).
In response to the growing trend that ordinary retail malls are dying unless they can add a significant entertainment presence to keep the relevant, the owner envisions adding a $300 million package of new attractions to the landscape including roller coasters, skydiving simulators, and a plan name the complex “Mini Disni” as a way to get attention while trying to attempting to skirt a potential lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company.
It is true that the Fremont Street area is perhaps more popular than ever these days, with a lot of new life breathed into the area, especially with the opening of the impressive Circa Resort at the opposite end. So with that in mind, the concept behind this expansion of Neonopolis to create Mini Disni might really actually happen. It is also worth noting that it has been a long time dream of Neonopolis to become home to a major amusement attraction. Long time readers may recall that for a period of time, the owner of Neonopolis attempted to negotiate a deal to move and rebuild the wildly popular Star Trek: The Experience attraction when it shut down, but was unfortunately unable to close that particular deal.
The interesting thing about this latest plan however is that Neonopolis won’t own these news attractions, instead they are looking to twist the idea of a retail mall concept of leasing out space to other companies who will themselves compete for the success of their ventures against each other. While this concept is mostly foreign to the American marketplace, I believe it is far more common in Europe where various “Showmen” will arrive with their various rides and attractions to set-up and compete for success at Europe’s biggest fun-fairs and Octoberfest events each year. Another fine example is the Prater in Vienna, Austria, where the entire amusement complex features attractions built in spaces leased out to different owners that are constantly in a state of being upgraded and improved. So this is a concept worth keeping an eye on…
???? - The Vegas Loop - (9/21/2024) Interesting news for Las Vegas for those looking for better transportation options. According to the latest news The Boring Company who has previously dug the underground tunnel system connecting the Las Vegas Convention Center complexes and was previously approved to design a huge expansion of this network, known as the “Vegas Loop”.
According to their website Clark Country and the City of Las Vegas have approved of the planned network and you can see the map posted on The Boring Company’s website showing a tunnel system that would stretch 68 miles long under the city, with anywhere from 69 up to 104 different stations being served. This includes easy access access to virtually every major resort and casino on the Strip, the Harry Reid International Airport, Allegiant Stadium, UNLV and the Thomas & Mack Center, up to the Downtown and Fremont Street areas, and even under the I-15 to service locations like the Palace Station and The Palms. From the looks of the map, there will even be a tunnel that will head to the far south end of the strip that would likely meet up with the Brightline West high-speed rail station when it is built.
No timeline has been posted of course, but currently the Convention Center run is complete and active and they’ve opened an expansion from there that connects to stations at the Riviera and Resorts World.
(8/8/2023) The Vegas Loop underground tunnel network, created by The Boring Company, has now been granted approval to expand to become a whopping 68 mile long tunnel network. The first proof of concept was the three-station loop at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This is now being expanded with a connector tunnel to the Resorts World casino/resort.
While the long distance plan for the “Vegas Loop” project is to build a network of tunnels below all of the main tourist corridor attractions. Heading both towards the main Vegas tourist corridor and now towards the Downtown region, the overall Vegas Loop is expected to eventually include around 69 different stations. The southern expansion stops will be more obviously but towards the north end they plan on stopping at locations like Main Street, the Fremont Street Experience, Area 15, UNLV Medical District, The Strat, Circa, City Hall and more.
Meanwhile The Boring Company’s expansion of the network has already begun with new tunnel entrances at the Westgate Resort and a connector to the Encore resort happening over the past few weeks.
Buffalo Bills / Desperado / Primm Resorts Updates - (12/18/2024) A quick update from the Stateline area Primm Valley casinos. According to a post on BlueSky, all three of the Primm casinos were actually open as of yesterday, though I believe the only one being used as a hotel is Buffalo Bills.
On a related note however, Casino.org has just reported that Whiskey Pete’s will close forever at the end of the year. The plan is apparently to keep Primm Valley and Buffalo Bills up and running, but I’m not sure what will become of Whiskey Pete’s. Since the later is located on the opposite side of the I-15 freeway from the rest of the resort, it does make it more likely that they may just try to sell off the property to another developer for some other kind of use.
Also, all the Stateline Casinos are open! Buffalo Bills is making a bit of a comeback, crowd-wise (though no operational rides). I saw people go in and out of Whiskey Pete’s.
The big shock: Primm Valley, despite looking abandoned, is actually open! If you can call it that. ??
[image or embed] — Rideguy70 (@rideguy70.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 8:15 PM
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(11/19/2024) For those wondering, we’ve been sent links to photos showing off a current visit to Buffalo Bill’s, outside of Las Vegas. While things all look well at the casino (which is now home to the Bonnie & Clyde Death Car that originally was set up at Whiskey Pete’s), it looks like the casino is done playing with the rides. The entrance to Desperado, which is said to only test once a month, is now blocked off by a row of vending machines, the few old signs once in place have been removed, and the log flume that was seen with running water on and off through the summer is now dry as a bone once again. The monorail that used to travel between the three casinos at Primm is now entirely closed off as well.
Meanwhile across the road, as reported over the summer, the last two stores in the Primm Mall have closed their doors, so I’m not sure if anyone ever even stays at the Primm Valley or Whiskey Pete’s casinos any longer. So for now Buffalo Bill’s stands alone as the most visited of the three resorts, aided by the fact that they do keep a fairly busy concert schedule at the Star of the Desert Arena venue.
(9/3/2024) Is something interesting going on at Buffalo Bills outside Las Vegas? No, sadly they are not running the Desperado roller coaster again yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep calling and asking them when they might reopen it.
Actually, strange things have been going on with the casino’s former Log Ride instead. A couple of weeks back, a reader sent in some pictures they took during a visit on August 5th, where they spotted water was actually running through the log ride course once again. There were even some logs now floating in the station, but based on the fact that there was some accumulated trash floating in the water along the backside of them, it did not appear that the logs had been run at all through the course. So just the water was flowing, but this itself is sort of a big deal, as I don’t believe anyone has seen water in the ride trough for years now. The bulk of those photos sent in show off the station area, but there is one showing off a thin sheet of water going over the outside drop as well.
My first reaction was thinking about what the casino has been telling everyone about Desperado anytime someone catching it making an empty test run. Buffalo Bills claims to test run Desperado once a month to keep it in working order just in case they ever decide to reopen it. The practice also proves that the casino is keeping a record of maintaining the ride in some form, and not just letting it sit idle and rust away from not being used. With that in mind, I was wondering if they were simply doing the same thing with the log ride… making sure the water pumps do seize up from non-use, and pumping water through the course once a month as well, and who knows… maybe let a log run the course at night when no one is looking.
That was all fine a good, but to be honest I didn’t give it much thought beyond that, until today when I reader came across a TikTok video that says it was posted on August 12th, and gives a great look at fast water flowing down the outside drop and splashdown pool, heading back towards the casino and indoor portion of the ride. Once again, no logs seen testing, but I am curious why they would be testing the water flow on the Log Ride two weeks in a row in August. Maybe, just maybe… there might be a little more to this than meets the eye. If anyone else stops by in the future and spots anything, please do let me know.
New 2024 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Atomic Golf at The Strat - Interactive Golf / Driving Range Attraction (similar to Top Golf)
Dopeameme Institute for Pleasure Research at Area 15 - D.I.P.R. for short. The new Dopeameme attrtaction is actually a new experiential project from Superplastic, a creator of unique vinyl art toys and digital experiences using an assortment of their original characters.
Dreambox360º @ The LINQ - Immersive 5D projection experience
Illuminarium: Lite-Bright - Family friendly 360 projection experience with interactive elements / great nostalgia
The Lab at Area 15 - Technology-driven games and interactive experience
Play Playground at Luxor - 14,000 sqft of “tactile games for everyone, physical, memory, puzzle and word games”.
PopStroke - Adult Mini Golf attraction but set outdoors.
Swingers at Mandalay Bay - 40,000 sqft Adults ONLY mini-golf attraction w/ 5 themed courses, food + DJs
New 2023 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
MGS Sphere - U2 Residency Concerts through Early 2024 w/ “Postcard From Earth” daytime attraction
PARADOX MUSEUM -
MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS -
New 2022 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
WYNN’S “Awakening” - New Show
ESCAPE IT - Themed Escape Room Experience
MAD APPLE - New from Cirque du Soleil at New York, New York Hotel & Casino
ARCADIA EARTH - Immersive Art Exhibit
FLYOVER LAS VEGAS: Legendary Iceland - New Flight Film Added
FLYOVER LAS VEGAS: Winborne: The Call of the Canadian Rockies - New Flight Film Added
LIFTOFF LOUNGE @ Area 15 - Part Ride, Part Bar, All Fun
New 2021 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
NEW COASTER TRAINS on Big Apple Coaster @ NYNY
FLYOVER LAS VEGAS - Flying Theater Attraction Open On Las Vegas Strip
MEOW WORLD: OMEGA MART - Unique Experiential Attraction Experience
ESCAPE BLAIR WITCH - Themed Escape Room Experience
NEW RESORTS - Resorts World Las Vegas and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (Opened 2021)
New 2020 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
AREA 15 - New attraction opened in late 2020
Circa Resort & Casino - New Fremont Street Casino Opened Late 2020
New 2019 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Eataly - at Park MGM, essentially a 40,000 square-foot “amusement park for foodies”.
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition - at MGM Grand, the exhibit will feature costumes, props and recreated scenes including President’s Snow’s Office, District 13, The Hall of Justice, an interactive archery training experience and more.
“R.U.N” at Luxor - (CLOSED A Few Months After Opening) “The First LIVE Action Thriller by Cirque Du Soleil” that starts in the desert at dawn… at a quiet chapel where a “gangland wedding” is interrupted and a guy begins running for his life. From there the action is said to be non-stop for the next 75 minutes as we learn just what he has done as the two gangs and a bride lead the chase through a fictional dark underground Las Vegas world.
New 2018 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Fly Linq - Ten side-by-side ziplines (so you can fly with your friends) starting 114 feet in the air that make the 1,121 foot run across the promenade to the landing tower located near the base of the High Roller observation wheel.
The Official SAW Escape - New escape room experience themed to the famous horror movie series.
Esports Arena Las Vegas - The first dedicated Esports Arena in Las Vegas opened at the Luxor. The space features a competition stage area, LED video wall, seating as well as daily gaming stations and production studios.
The Void (Closed In Mid 2020) - The VOID VR experience opened inside the Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian. Experiences offered the first year include Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire, Ghostbusters: Dimensions, Nicodemus: Demon of Envanishment and Ralph Breaks VR.
New 2017 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Fear The Walking Dead Survival – (CLOSED Mid-2019) A “dead”icated new and mostly walk-through adventure attraction themed around AMC’s popular Fear The Walking Dead show opened in the Fremont Street Experience over the Summer as part of a deal between AMC and TRIOTECH.
The Twilight Zone – Monster Mini Golf – A new themed indoor blacklight mini-golf attraction has opened inside the Bally’s casino themed around the famous Twilight Zone TV series. The site also features mini bowling, an arcade, gift shop and even a SciFi themed Wedding Chapel.
New 2016 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
Kiss – Monster Mini Golf – A new blacklight mini golf attraction themed around the famous rock band, KISS, is now open at The Rio casino. A previous version opened in a local mini-mall back in 2012, but they closed up shop and moved into The Rio instead as an all new attraction in 2016. The site also includes space for Birthday Parties as well as a Rock ‘n Roll wedding chapel.
New 2014/2013 Attractions Now Open in the Las Vegas Area -
High Roller Giant Wheel (2014)
Slotzilla Zip Lines (2014)
VooDoo Zip Ride (2014)
Cowabunga Bay (2014)
Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas (2013)
Are The Las Vegas Casino Resorts in Decline? -
Various other report over the last few years seem to think so, including my own rant from 2016.
(8/10/18) Much like I've been saying for some time now, I think the world is proving that they are sick of Las Vegas casino resorts “nickel and dimeing” their guests with excessive fees, and laughing with glee all the while. Daily resort fees, parking fees and now even some new fees being placed on already high Salon and Spa service fees by MGM Resorts. Yes, it has gotten to the point where you would almost think MGM stands for "Money Grabbing Management" these days.
The times are changing and guests are now finally voting with their wallets, opting to skip trips to Las Vegas for other options. One after the next, the big Vegas casino companies have been reporting declining numbers for their properties this year, including MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, where the RevPAR numbers (aka: Revenue Per Room) has already dropped by an average of 4% for the first half of the year, room occupancy rates are down 1% and Convention attendance is down 3%. The declining numbers, while not huge, have resulted in casino stock prices dropping double-digits as investors flee.
Oh... and gambling is also down, particularly because the payout rates for winning have been altered in many cases to now pay out less than they have traditionally paid for decades. It seems many of the big fish have opted to gamble closer to home, both domestic players as well as international, especially those prized Chinese gamblers who can now play Baccarat to their hearts content at the casinos in Macau. The news that the first casinos have finally been approved to come to Japan is certainly not good news for Las Vegas either.
I've said it here on Screamscape for a few years now... the perceived "value" of taking a vacation to Las Vegas has been lost due to corporate greed. We've already seen the Wynn resorts try to fight back against parking fees by offering to validate parking for guests who spend at least $50 on site. It also looks like Caesars and MGM may be ready to take a step in the right direction by lowering their room rates for the later half of the year. Most importantly, I think they need to take a long look at the parking fee issue as well, which was put into effect due to the opening of the T-Mobile arena.
(5/4/18) An interesting article was posted to the LA Times regarding the possible beginning of visitor decline to Las Vegas over the past 10 months, and goes into more detail with a local Vegas publication who claims guest irritation with outlandish daily “resort fees” combined now with the crazy parking fees that may be to blame.
Me? I have to agree… considering that resort fees alone, something that used to never exist, are now as high as $45 per night (with Venetian and Palazzo being the highest in the city right now, followed by $39 per night fees at the Caesars and Wynn properties). Add in daily parking fees and you are looking at a combined cost that is about even with what the average room rate alone used to be in Vegas… but then you get to add in the new higher room rates… and tax… don’t forget that… and it’s no wonder people are starting to realize Vegas isn’t the bargin vacation destination it used to be.
No wonder gambling profits to the casinos has also been reported to be in decline for years now… because they’ve been taking the money out of your pocket long before you even had a chance to get to the casino floor. Sometimes I think all it would take is one bright casino chain to see the light here, reverse the trends that have transformed the industry for the worse over the past 10-15 years, to see if a return to the old ways would brighten not only the guest experience, but also their own coffers as well. Win over your guest’s hearts and you’ll win their loyalty. Just a thought...
(2/22/18) Is the bottom getting ready to fall out in Las Vegas? Are tourism and convention business both ready to turn elsewhere due to rising costs and the overall impression that Vegas is no longer a value destination? A great bit of commentary was posted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week that nails the potential problem on the head with the first hard-data that could show that 2017 was the tipping point.
Screamscape Rants - The Recession Is Not Vegas’ Biggest Problem
(1/12/16) CNN wrote an interesting article about how the overall business at the Las Vegas casinos was down and has been down for the past six years. They report that Vegas casino lost $662 million in 2015 alone, and lost a dumbfounding $6.8 billion back in 2009 when the economy got really bad. They go on to point out that there are plenty of tourists in Las Vegas, and they are all spending lots of money on hotels, restaurants, merchandise and entertainment… it’s the gambling side of things that is way down by comparison and as they point out, “if people aren't gambling as much, that means they're not losing as much.”
CNN blames the recession on this, but this is where I have to disagree and point out what they are blind to as someone who used to visit Vegas on a regular basis in the 90’s when it was a growing boomtown of opportunity. The Vegas of today and the Vegas of the past are two entirely different animals, and it seems that today’s Vegas has forgotten the lessons of the past and how the business model worked.
Today’s Vegas has forgotten that the best lure to increase gambling revenue was to make everything else as cheap as possible. Frequent free drinks, insanely low cost food and buffets everywhere, and to give the hotel rooms away as cheap as possible. For a good period of time, back when Circus Circus has just opened the Luxor they would run ads in in the San Diego paper every week advertising rooms as cheap as $13 a night at Circus Circus, $23 a night at Excalibur and $33 a night at the Luxor. Want something better? You could get a suite at the Mirage for $50-60 a night on the right night. Mix that in with $2-5 buffet meals, drink specials and tons of free or low-cost entertainment and you could go on one hell of a fun vacation without breaking the bank… which still left over a good bit of income in your wallet to spend some time to gamble and try to make your dreams come true. At the very least you could gamble with a rewards program and maybe earn yourself a couple of tickets to one of the big shows for fifty bucks.
Compare this to the price of a Vegas vacation today and you’re dropping top dollar just for the room itself quite often, paying anywhere from $10 to $25 a person (sometimes more!) for a buffet meal, and not to mention paying $100 to $150 on average for a ticket to see one of the big shows in Vegas these days that has almost become a mandatory part of the Vegas experience. Now do you wonder why the good old gambling revenue numbers are down?
Of course they are down… because people are spending everything they have on the rest of the Vegas vacation, much like you would on regular vacation, and have less cash to spend than before on gambling. I could spend four nights in Vegas in the 90’s for what I’d spend for just one night at today’s prices. I know that after I’ve dropped about $250 for the wife and I to see the latest Cirque show, in addition to another $50 to $100 on a nice dinner out before the show, the last thing on my mind is putting another $100 at risk at the Blackjack table.
Somehow the Vegas of today has forgotten that tourists wowed by the spectacle of the casinos, stuffed by cheap food and drink prices, who find themselves walking through the casinos feeling good (and maybe a little buzzed) with a fat wallet in their pocket are the one who are most willing to try their luck at the gambling tables before heading home. And don’t get me started on how many machines no longer drop coins as your payout… the sound of coins endlessly dropping throughout the casinos of old was like siren’s song to many a potential gambler, luring them in to try their luck.
So is the recession really the problem? I like to think that the problem goes much deeper than that.
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