In
1979, Vegas developers tried to entice a new crowd –
a working class crowd, long forgotten by the glamour and
flash of the casinos on the strip. Thinking it would
be better to distance themselves from the glitzy strip
establishments, one of the most unique Vegas
hotels off the strip was thus created: Sam’s
Town Casino.
The cowboy décor and palpable frontier spirit attracts all kinds of people – though not too many high rollers. This has resulted in Sam’s Town Las Vegas becoming the least pretentious casino in the entire city, hands down. Everything here is utilitarian – the gaudiness you expect from Vegas is certainly toned down, preferring to stress practicality and down-home flavor. This is one of the many reasons that Sam’s Town Casino is a local favorite as far as Vegas hotels off the strip go. A parking lot full of RVs and Nevada plates speak to this fact, as do the tables full of older locals – they’ve lived here a while and seen it all. Sam’s Town Las Vegas is mostly designed for those who have seen it all. That’s why the casino sells itself as simple, no-nonsense and ready for action.
Of course, it’s still the most colorful city in
the US, so even the Vegas hotels off the strip have to
have some kind of over-arcing selling point. While
the Vegas casinos that dot the strip have all kinds of
wild approaches to garner customers, Sam’s Town
shuns artificial gimmicks like the Luxor’s
Egyptian theme or the pirates of Barbary
Coast, at Sam’s Town Casino the theme revolves
around the wild west and nature – the centerpiece
here is the gigantic indoor atrium, nine stories tall
and capped with a glinting glass dome. Inside, there
are almost 25,000 square feet of cascading waterfalls,
babbling brooks, hundreds of perfectly cultivated trees
and a collection of winding paths, giving Sam’s
Town Las Vegas the distinction of being the sole casino
that seems to bring in nature lovers. Or, at least,
gamblers who don’t mind the presence of nature while
they are trying to leave Vegas with their vast riches.
Even though it doesn’t have the lions
of the MGM Grand or the tigers and
dolphins like The Mirage’s Secret Garden, there’s
still a nice little A little bit of the forest enveloped
by the brown of the desert outside, it’s a nice
break from the festivities of Vegas, as long as you can
tolerate the animatronic beavers and coyotes that populate
the atrium of Sam’s Town Las Vegas.
The no-nonsense atmosphere applies to the entertainment and restaurant choices in Sam’s Town. The acts here are nothing special – low-grade country and easy listening stars that cater to an older, more relaxed crowd. There’s an 18 lane bowling alley, and the atrium puts its animatronics to the test, utilizing a handful of wolves and bears and cowboys to show how the wild west was won. The restaurants are equally predictable, though they are more than sufficient for most of the guests here. There’s the prerequisite steakhouse – named, predictably, Billy Bob’s - well-known for having some of the largest portions in town (and that’s saying something in Vegas), along with a standard Italian restaurant that tries to pass for fancy and a Mexican place that is definitely a step up from Taco Bell.
All in all, Sam’s Town Casino is a real find for those who wish to avoid the crazy crowds, saccharine decoration and ill-conceived theme hotels. As unassuming as Sin City can get, get ready to gamble with the locals if you come to this, one of the most popular Vegas hotels off the strip.
