5. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Cherokee, North Carolina
This was our 4th place pick for 2014. We still love the magnificent complex with
its beautiful architecture and campus-like grounds. It’s a great atmosphere.
Plus, the facility is imbued with the rich Cherokee history throughout their
amenities on site and in the Cherokee area. The hotel and meeting room areas
provide Cherokee art work paintings and sculptures throughout. The hotel has 1,108 rooms and a top-rated
spa. The gaming area houses over 3,300 slots, 100+ table games including an
Asian gaming area, and a 20-table poker room. The 10 restaurant and food and
bar areas include Ruth Chris Steak House, Brie Restaurant and a Noodle Bar
restaurant along with bar and lounge areas adjacent to the gaming floor. The
complex includes a retail store area and 3,000 seat event area hosting top-name
entertainment. This magnificent complex is all seated on a beautiful
campus-style land with a river flowing through. The Cherokee area provides
numerous activities including brook trout fishing and white water rafting and offers
fun for all ages.
4. Island View Casino Resort, Gulfport, Mississippi
Island View has jumped up to number 4 this year from 8th
place in 2014. The privately owned complex opened their beautiful 18-story
beachfront tower hotel with an additional 405 rooms in April 2015. The new structure includes a new Gulf-front
pool area, restaurant and bar. This brings the number of Island View rooms to
976, and 10 food service areas including their award winning Carter Green
Steakhouse featuring steaks and Gulf Coast Seafood, Island View Buffet (one of
the best of the 74 casinos and racinos we visited), and the new Beach Grill.
The casino area has 2,000 slots and 45 table games with extensive choices of
games. They provide top area entertainment at their 550 seat “View” showroom
and at their “Sunset Bar and Deck.”
3. TIE - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino,
Hollywood, Florida/Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa, Florida
Hard Rock, Hollywood – up from number 5 in 2014. This
impressive casino and hotel complex includes a 4.5 acre water park, 400-room
AAA 4-diamond hotel and spa, 130,000 square feet of gaming area. The gaming space housed 2,200 slots, 135
tables and a 40+ table poker room. The
hotel and casino area is just the beginning. There are numerous restaurants and
lounges within the complex. Their entertainment district includes additional
food and entertainment areas plus a Hard Rock Live arena which provides top
entertainment. The complex is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and
operated by Hard Rock International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Seminole
Tribe of Florida.
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa, Florida – Came in
3rd on our Top Ten list last year. This complex has the largest
gaming area in the southeast with 4,500 slots, over 200 table games and a world-class
poker room. Their 214 room hotel and spa has achieved a AAA Four Diamond rating
each year for the past 9 years. Eight restaurants include the Seminoles’
signature Council Oaks Restaurant, Hard Rock Café, their award-winning buffet
and a large sushi area. This is topped off with five lounges located throughout
the gaming areas. Other amenities include live entertainment at the Hard Rock
Café, Council Oaks Bar and in the lounge areas. This too is owned by the
Seminole Tribe of Florida and operated by Hard Rock, International.
2. The Golden Nugget, Lake Charles, Louisiana
When an entity is established that positively and
significantly affects markets in the local area, the state and even the region,
it has to be considered for one of the top spots. This grand complex features a
740-room hotel including luxury suites with private balconies, coupled with a
world-class spa and fitness center, an upper-end retail shopping area, and a
large outdoor pool area with a lazy-river. It also includes a 30,000 square
foot meeting space and event center entertainment. The grounds surrounding the
hotel and casino complex have a 7,000 yard championship golf course, tennis
courts and marina. The Landry
restaurants areas include their Saltgrass Steak House, Vic & Anthony’s
Steakhouse, Landry’s Seafood, the Grotto Restaurant, Lillie’s Asian Cuisine,
Cadillac Bar, the Claim Jumper, the Buffet and the Blur Martini. The gaming area houses 1,600 slots, 72 table
games, a 6-table poker room plus a high-limit area with 13 blackjack tables
plus roulette and slots. We featured the Golden Nugget, Lake Charles prior to
its opening on our blog in December 2014.
The 2015 numbers are impressive with $240 + million in gaming revenues, a 139%
jump from 2014 to 2015. What a great 2015 and what a fantastic facility!
1. The MGM Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi
Our #1 pick the second year in a row is an amazing facility
with gorgeous rooms, excellent restaurants, a large casino area with a 16-table
poker room hosting significant tournaments, and entertainment facilities and
calendar of events among the best in the southeast. Their pool area overlooking
the Gulf of Mexico is our favorite in the Southeast. To top it off, they added
the new MGM park in mid-2015 – a 5,000 seat facility located directly across
the street that hosts the Biloxi Shuckers AA baseball team plus a number of
school and university baseball tournaments each year. A great addition for MGM
and Biloxi.
