Casinos offer the fast-paced action of the roulette wheel and the blackjack table; off-track betting; and spinning, ringing, blinging slot machines. But these Native American-owned casinos are more than their gaming floors. Guests can shop at a wide variety of stores or dine at any number of restaurants, catch big-name concerts and big-ticket games, relax on the golf course or on the spa table.
Many of these casinos also incorporate tribal heritage through artwork and decor, tours that showcase their communities and experiences that educate visitors about their culture.
Mohegan Sun
Uncasville, Connecticut
Mohegan Sun covers 240 acres along the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Mohegan Tribe-owned resort boasts more than 360,000 square feet of gaming space in three casinos — the Casinos of the Earth, Sky and Wind — as well as 1,600 guest rooms in two hotel towers.
The casino resort is like its own city where guests can do whatever they like: golf, concerts, sports and more.
“Between dining and shopping and spas, your hotel stay, your food, your entertainment, you can get it all in one stop,” said Mohegan Sun general manager Ray Pineault.
The resort opened the 400-room Earth Tower in October 2016, adding to the 1,200 guest rooms in the Sky Tower.
In early June, Mohegan Sun will complete an expansion that will add about 240,000 square feet of meeting, convention and event space, more than 125,000 of which will be in the new Expo Hall. The hall’s first event will be the Barrett-Jackson auto auction in late June.
The hall will further expand the resort’s already extensive entertainment options. The 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun arena welcomes big-name, big-ticket events, including U2 in July, “one of the biggest shows we’ll ever have,” Pineault said. The arena is also home to the Connecticut Sun WNBA team and the New England Black Wolves professional lacrosse team.
The centerpiece of the Earth casino floor is Wolf Den, a concert venue where guests will find free live music nearly every day of the week, and Comix comedy club has nightly shows Wednesday through Sunday.
The resort is also wrapping up a full renovation of the Mandara Spa in the Sky Tower, and a second Mandara Spa location opened with the new Earth Tower.
Mohegan Sun has 35 restaurants and dining options on property. Ballo Italian Restaurant, Michael Jordan’s Steak House and Todd English’s Tuscany all have private dining venues.
