Las Vegas has the Eiffel Tower, the canals of Venice, the Statue of Liberty and the pyramids of Egypt. And now, Sin City is about to get the Moon!
Casino developers Moon World Resorts are planning to build an “authentic” lunar surface right in the heart of Vegas, to go alongside the city’s other weird and wonderful attractions.
According to the New York Post, the Moon will land in Vegas by 2027 and feature a huge casino floor and hotel complex to rival those already built along the Strip. Visitors will then be able to take a ‘shuttle’ elevator to the lunar surface, where they can ride moon buggies and jump over craters.
Canadian entrepreneur Michael Henderson is fronting the $5bn project and recently said: “Without question, when guests venture onto the lunar surface, for the first time in their lives, they will believe they are on the Moon.”
The planned development is part of a wider strategy to plant moon-like hotels and casinos in China, Spain and the Middle East too. Visitors will be able to walk on the ‘lunar’ surface for 90 minutes if they buy a $500 ticket, and can also stay at the 4,000-bedroom resort.
Las Vegas Moon
- Cost: $5bn
- Location: Las Vegas Strip
- Height: 735ft
- Hotel rooms: 4,000
- Arena size: 10,000
- Parking spaces: 6,000
- Fully functioning casino
- Spa
- Planetarium
- Nightclub
The resort will also feature a nightclub, theatre, bars, restaurants and other events space. Of course, a casino is also part of the plans!
Moon haven’t got the full funding in place yet but there is optimism that this project will get off the ground. And it’s sure to become one of the weirdest and most wonderful places in Vegas, should the construction get the green light.
Weirdest Vegas Casinos
While the Moon Las Vegas will certainly be on this list in the future, here are the weirdest casinos in Vegas that you can currently visit…
Venetian Resort
The Venetian Las Vegas complex is a small slice of classical Italy dug into the Nevadan desert. With gondolas, canals and Renaissance-inspired buildings, this is actually classic weird Vegas and is one of the best casino designs in the world. Tourists come more to take pictures than to sail along the water – but the casino is well worth a visit!
Luxor Hotel and Casino
Ten minutes south of Venice is… Egypt! The Luxor Hotel and Casino features the jaw-dropping pyramid, with palm trees and Egyptian-style buildings scattered around the entrance. The Luxor opened in 1993 and features over 4,400 hotel rooms. MGMs run the casino, which is situated in the pyramid behind the sphinx. Reports in 2020 that developers were going to tear down the Luxor have not come to fruition.
Paris Las Vegas
On the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard and casting an almighty shadow on passersby below is the Eiffel Tower, which stands beside the Paris Las Vegas hotel and casino. This enormous construction was built in 1999 and is about half the size of the real Eiffel Tower. It was weird building such as this that helped rejuvenate Vegas at the start of the millennium. Owned by Caesars, you can get tickets to the Vegas Eiffel Tower viewing deck for just $25.
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Ever wanted to go to Disney Land but without the kids? Then the weird and enchanting Excalibur Hotel & Casino is the place to visit. This medieval-themed casino has more than 100,000 sq ft of gaming space and is well known for its high-quality casino hall. Yes it’s very gimmicky but it was last renovated in 2015 and houses some elite-level gaming within its turrets.
New York-New York Hotel and Casino
Like the Paris Las Vegas, the New York-New York is one of the famous attractions in Sin City. Where else but Nevada would you find a replica of the Big Apple’s skyline? The Statue of Liberty welcomes you into this utterly strange casino and hotel, which also includes the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. And guess what? MGM, which owns one of the most profitable casinos in the world, owns this one too!
