That soreness in your shoulder from pulling the slot machine arm over and over last night might be very well treated with a gentle massage today.
If a day or two of neon lights and smoky air at the blackjack table has left you a bit dizzy, consider taking an afternoon to enjoy some fresh air and physical activity on the golf course.
At today’s resort-style casinos, you won’t even have to leave the property.
Although yesterday’s conventional wisdom held that casinos would do anything to keep patrons on the gaming floor, the modern reality is quite different. As casinos open in more parts of the country, their owners are taking advantage of natural surroundings and wide-open spaces to offer guests an array of resort-style amenities.
As casino gaming is often only one part of a vacation, travelers can now find other enjoyable activities at the casino properties they visit. Well-known golf courses and spas are part of the offerings at many properties, as are lavish swimming pools and extensive shopping areas.
Some casino resorts even offer packages to help groups go off property to enjoy the beauty and culture of surrounding areas.
Belterra Casino Resort and Spa
Florence, Ind.
Set among the rolling hills of southern Indiana on the Ohio River, Belterra Casino Resort and Spa attracts many visitors from Cincinnati; Louisville, Ky.; Indianapolis; and other cities in the area. When visitors arrive, they find that the boat is only one aspect of this large property.
“The casino is a riverboat,” said director of sales Andrew Fersch. “Everything else is land based. To get to it, you just take a seamless walk. You can’t really even tell that the casino is on a boat.”
Just off the boat is an 18-hole golf course designed by renowned architect Tom Fazio. A shopping area on the property has men’s and women’s clothing boutiques, a jewelry shop, a lingerie shop and a $10 store.
For a more relaxing time, guests can lounge in private cabanas around the outdoor swimming pool or visit the spa, where therapists specialize in hot stone massage and hydrotherapy, among other treatments.
For groups, the Belterra sales staff can set up a number of special programs.
“We could do a makeup class for a group or do cooking with our chef,” Fersch said. “We can do wine tasting or other packages as well.”
The staff can also help groups arrange outings to the nearby small town of Vevay, where guests can visit a local winery and browse the shops in a historic downtown area.
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Ledyard, Conn.
What began as a high-stakes bingo hall run by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in 1986 has become Foxwoods Resort Casino, which bills itself as the largest casino resort in North America. Today, the complex includes three hotels, more than 30 restaurants, 24 retail shops and an impressive 340,000 square feet of gaming space.
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| The large Foxwoods Resort Casino Courtesy Foxwoods Resort Casino |
Dining is one of the main attractions for guests at Foxwoods. The signature restaurant Paragon serves French and Asian cuisine, and is one of the few restaurants in Connecticut to receive AAA’s Four Diamond rating. The complex also features a number of restaurants created by celebrity chefs: high-end steakhouses, traditional Italian eateries and more.
Visitors who enjoy shopping will find plenty of stores to browse at Foxwoods. The Indian Nations store sells crafts created by Native American artisans in the surrounding areas. The shopping complex also features a number of proprietary clothing, furniture and jewelry stores, as well as popular brand stores such as Dooney and Bourke, Yankee Candle and Godiva.
Traditional and contemporary treatments are available at the Grand Salon and Spa. The resort helps visitors arrange tee times at nearby Lake of Isles, a 36-hole public golf course. Also nearby are Mystic — a colonial seaport town — and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.
L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort
Lake Charles, La.
Families, couples, leisure tours and corporate groups make their way to Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana to take advantage of the many activities at L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort.
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| Poolside cabanas at L’Auberge du Lac Courtesy L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort |
“We’re a $500 million resort,” said Kerry Anderson, the resort’s director of community and public relations. “We have a spa, a golf course, a shopping mall and a pool with a lazy river and a swim-up bar. The majority of our group travel business comes as a result of the fact that we have something for everybody.”
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| Many casinos offer amenities beyond gambling, such as spa treatments and boutique shopping available at L’Auberge du Lac.
Courtesy L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort |
The resort staff takes advantage of the lakeside location to offer some innovative options for groups. The on-site marina offers boat charters for visitors, and the crew at the property’s beach club can arrange outdoor receptions, crawfish boils and even whole-roasted-pig dinners on the sand.
Groups can also work in time to get out and enjoy the natural environment around the resort.
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| Courtesy L’Auberge du Lac Casino Resort |
“We coordinate regional trips for people, like fishing and hunting,” Anderson said. “This part of the country is known as a sportsman’s paradise, and hunting and fishing are really big here. So we have partnerships with local charters who can take our guests out to do that.”
The pool, bar and other venues at the casino often have live music and entertainment, and guests are likely to catch headline acts in the on-site events center.
Soaring Eagle Casino
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan operates Soaring Eagle Casino in the central part of the state. Guests will find aspects of the tribe’s art and history in various places throughout the resort, such as the woodland decor in the 514 hotel rooms.
Groups can learn more about the art and history of the tribe at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways Museum. This on-site museum has artifacts and displays related to the languages, histories and cultures of the native peoples of the Great Lakes region, as well as information about the seven prophecies on which their culture is built.
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| Courtesy Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort |
The Soaring Eagle Spa at the property offers a number of different massage and aromatherapy treatments. Special packages with names such as “The Long Journey” and “The Road With Many Forks” include multiple treatments that last anywhere from 90 minutes to five hours.
Restaurants at the Soaring Eagle cater to a variety of tastes. In addition to the traditional buffet, sandwich shop and cafe, guests can sample prime beef dishes at Siniikaunk Steak and Chop House, or try dishes from the seasonal menu at the Water Lily fine-dining restaurant.
www.soaringeaglecasino.com
MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa
Stateline, Nev.
Indoor entertainment and outdoor adventure come together at MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa, which sits on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.
Guests at the resort can enjoy a variety of shops and restaurants on the property, including the AAA Four Diamond-rated Sierra. After hours, there are two nightclubs, including an “ultra-lounge” where visitors can sample the smoke from Arabian hookahs.
Many people come to the resort, however, for the beautiful scenery that surrounds it. And though Lake Tahoe is often considered a winter ski destination, outdoor activities prove popular in the summer as well.
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| Guests at MontBleu Resort and Casino can take advantage of the many activities available on beautiful Lake Tahoe. Courtesy MontBleu Resort Casino |
“Within walking distance of the hotel is the Gondola at Heavenly [Resort],” said Carol McClintock, sales manager at MontBleu. “It goes all the way up to 10,000 feet. It operated daily during the summer, and you can see some of the most beautiful scenery on earth.”
At the top end of the ride, passengers can explore Heavenly Village, an area of shops and restaurants with an ice skating rink in winter and a miniature golf course in summer.
Also near the casino on the south shore of the resort are a pair of paddle-wheel boats that take groups on scenic cruises. The resort staff can help visitors set up biking, hiking, parasailing, snowshoeing and a number of other expeditions in the surrounding area.
