Nevada’s Cool New Venues and Shows

Whether they pertain to spectacular shopping arcades, resort “beaches,” dazzling theatrics, or ultra-cool nightspots, there is almost no limit to the types of experiences awaiting groups in Nevada gaming destinations. Here’s a look at some intriguing new and upcoming attractions in the Silver State.


Attention, Shoppers

• Long in the shadow of neighboring Reno, the small enclave of Sparks is about to live up to its name with a $400 million retail, dining and entertainment complex named Legends at Sparks Marina. Expected to be fully completed next spring, one of the major anchors, Scheels, a 250,000-square-foot “experiential” sports store, is opening this month. Scheels encompasses 89 specialty sports shops, two massive aquariums, a 35-foot tall artificial mountain, an indoor Ferris wheel, and simulators for hockey, golf and shooting.
  
  Also slated to be part of Legends is T-Rex: A Prehistoric Adventure, a theme restaurant with animatronic dinosaurs, a tank with live sharks, and exhibits pertaining to dinosaurs and meteorites. Other tenants will include Dave & Busters, which will offer interactive games and dining facilities, and Saddle Ranch Chop House, a restaurant with outdoor fire pits and a mechanical bull ring.
  
  The Miracle Mile Shops at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino is the site of several new venues and attractions, including the Steve Wyrick Theater, a showcase for Wyrick’s magic and illusionist shows. Also part of the theater is TRIQ Ultra Lounge which offers two bars, bottle service and luxury seating options. Set to open in November at Miracle Mile, Hawaiian Tropic Zone will feature a three-tiered dining room and a catwalk stage for nightly entertainment.

• Nevada’s lack of a seacoast isn’t stopping its resort hotels from creating glamorous beach resort venues of their own.
  
  In Las Vegas, the latest in the trend is TAO Beach, located on top of the TAO Asian Bistro and Nightclub at the Venetian. By day, TAO Beach is a palatial pool deck where lavish cabanas are appointed with plasma-screen TVs, DVD players and custom-stocked mini refrigerators. At night, TAO Beach is transformed into a special events venue with a pool light show, floating Chinese lanterns and 14-foot-tall fire columns casting a glow over the night sky.
  
  Mandalay Bay recently unveiled a $30 million expansion of its Mandalay Bay Beach complex that includes a three-story, glass-fronted poolside casino where guests can gamble in their bathing suits. On the top of the casino, an area called Villas Soleil provides a private pool and five cabanas, each large enough to accommodate a group of 16 people, outfitted with modular seating, day beds, changing areas, wet bars, MP3 players, 50-inch flat-screen TVs, and private decks overlooking the Beach.
  
  In Reno, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino has opened Nikki Beach, a poolside venue with sand volleyball, swim-up bars, cabanas, lounge beds, and live entertainment.

• The next Cirque du Soleil production to grace the Las Vegas Strip will feature illusionist Criss Angel and is set to open next summer at the Luxor Resort and Casino. Cirque du Soleil is promising a new take on traditional magic shows, with a dazzling mix of puppetry, acrobatics, dance, music, and poetry.
  
  Second City Las Vegas has opened a new comedy revue in Bugsy’s Celebrity Theater at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel featuring a variety of skits, songs and improvisation. Tuesday night performances are called Second City Scriptless and are performed by a separate cast of five improv comics.
  
  ICE: Direct from Russia is now on the bill at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Created by the founder of the Moscow Ice Circus, the show incorporates ice-skating and aerial acrobatics and is performed by 42 of Russia’s most disciplined and athletic ice performers.

• The newest nightspot and party venue along the Las Vegas Strip, Diablo’s Cantina, opened last month at Monte Carlo Resort & Casino. With two levels, an open-air design, a stage for live music, and a variety of dining options, the 10,000-square-foot entertainment complex can accommodate seated groups of 20 to 160 people or flow groups of 500 to 700. Mexican- and Southwest-inspired dishes and over 75 types of specialty tequilas are served in a setting of vibrant colors, rustic tiles and hand-painted murals.