Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sam's Town

Sam's Town sign in 2008
Location	Sunrise Manor, Nevada, U.S.
Address	5111 Boulder Highway
Opening date	March 1979
Theme	Old West
No. of rooms	646
Total gaming space	120,681 sq ft (11,211.6 m²)
Permanent shows	Laser and water show
Signature attractions	Mystic Falls Century Theatres Sam's Town Bowling Center
Notable restaurants	Angry Butcher Steakhouse
Casino type	Land-based
Owner	Boyd Gaming
Renovated in	1994, 2000, 2008

Sam's Town Hotel, Las Vegas is a fun hotel and entertainment center in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, close to Las Vegas. It's named after Sam Boyd, who started it, and his company, Boyd Gaming, still runs it today.

This big place has a huge area for games (about 120,681 square feet!), a tall hotel with 646 rooms, and even a special park for RVs (recreational vehicles). Sam's Town first opened its doors in March 1979. It started with 204 rooms and grew a lot over the years.

In 1981, a 56-lane bowling alley was added. Later, the first hotel rooms were replaced by a new nine-story tower in 1994. This tower has a special indoor park called Mystic Falls, where you can watch a cool laser and water show every night. In 2000, a movie theater was also added, making Sam's Town an even bigger place for entertainment.

From 1998 to 2014, Sam's Town even sponsored a NASCAR car race called the Sam's Town 300. This race happened every year at the nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Story of Sam's Town
Mystic Falls Atrium and Show
See also

The Story of Sam's Town

How Sam's Town Began

Sam's Town was first announced in April 1978. It was named after a local businessman, Sam Boyd. He and his son, Bill, already owned other popular places like the California in downtown Las Vegas.

Bill Boyd often drove along Boulder Highway between his businesses. He owned a small piece of land there. Eventually, he and his partners bought more land to build Sam's Town. Some people thought building a big place so far out in the desert was a crazy idea. But Bill Boyd believed in it! Sam's Town was built in an area that later became known as the Boulder Strip, where other big entertainment centers would also open.

Building and Opening Day

Construction for Sam's Town started on September 6, 1978. The hotel part opened in early March 1979, and the main entertainment area opened on March 22. Sam's Town had an exciting Old West theme, decorated in Sam Boyd's favorite colors: red, black, and gold.

When it first opened, it had 204 rooms in a three-story hotel around a swimming pool. The game area had 400 slot machines and 21 table games. There was also a large room for events that could hold 400 people. The whole project cost $12 million.

Growing Over the Years

Sam's Town was built to be a favorite spot for people living nearby. By 1999, about 85% of its visitors were local residents. The Sam's Town name also became famous in other places, with new locations opening in different states.

The original Sam's Town in Las Vegas grew a lot over time. Just six months after opening, plans for an RV park were approved. In 1981, a large Western Emporium shopping area and a 56-lane bowling center were added. This bowling center became very popular for tournaments.

In 1983, the game area got even bigger with a $3.5 million project. This added a 600-seat bingo room and a larger poker room. In 1985, a special drive-through service was added for the sports betting area, making it easier for people to place bets quickly. A big $25 million expansion happened in 1987. This made the game floor larger, added new restaurants, and built a parking garage. The RV park also grew to 500 spaces.

Sam Boyd, the founder, passed away in 1993. Later that year, construction began on a new nine-story hotel tower. This tower, with 646 rooms, opened in 1994. The older hotel rooms were removed to make space for this new tower. The 1994 expansion also brought two new restaurants, a food court, a sports bar, and another parking garage.

From 1980 to 1998, the radio studios for Nevada Public Radio were located in a separate building on the Sam's Town property.

New Look and More Fun

By 1998, Sam's Town wanted to attract more visitors, not just older adults. They wanted to welcome younger and older guests too. The place also needed to be bigger to handle all the people who wanted to visit.

From 1999 to 2000, Sam's Town had a huge $86 million renovation and expansion. This project made the "Old West" theme a bit less strong. The Western Emporium was changed into more game space. New features included an updated buffet, a swimming pool, a child-care center, and a third parking garage. Sam's Town also added an 18-screen Century Theatres movie theater. This helped it compete with newer places nearby. A new 1,050-seat showroom called Sam's Town Live was also added, bringing in more types of entertainment.

The famous band The Killers, who are from Las Vegas, even named their 2006 album Sam's Town to honor this special place!

From 2007 to 2008, Sam's Town spent $20 million on more upgrades to stay modern and exciting. These changes included better sports betting areas and updated restaurants. In 2014, the RV park became part of the Kampgrounds of America (KOA) family. A new restaurant, Angry Butcher Steakhouse, opened in 2016.

Today, the game area at Sam's Town is still about 120,681 square feet.

Mystic Falls Atrium and Show

The hotel tower at Sam's Town has a beautiful indoor park called Mystic Falls. This park is on the ground floor of the atrium and covers about 25,000 square feet. It has trees, walking paths, streams, a pretend mountain with a waterfall, and decorative building fronts.

During the day, sunlight shines through the atrium's glass ceiling, lighting up all these features. The walls of the atrium have hotel room windows that look down onto Mystic Falls.

Since it opened in 1994, Mystic Falls has offered a free laser and water show every night. This show is a big hit! At the end of each year, Mystic Falls and its show get a special Christmas theme. This makes it a very popular holiday attraction for local families. The Christmas show even has fake snow and moving animal figures that dance to music. The show was updated in 2011 with brighter lasers, making it even more amazing to watch.