The Mirage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Mirage Resort and Casino |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 3400 South Las Vegas Boulevard |
| Opening date | November 22, 1989 |
| Theme | Polynesia |
| No. of rooms | 3,044 |
| Total gaming space | 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) |
| Permanent shows | Terry Fator The Beatles: LOVE |
| Signature attractions | The Volcano Dolphin Habitat The Secret Garden |
| Notable restaurants | Otoro Sushi and Robata STACK Fin Tom Coliccio’s Heritage Steak Pantry Costa Italian |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | MGM Resorts International |
| Architect | Joel Bergman |
| Coordinates | 36°07′16″N 115°10′31″W / 36.12111°N 115.17528°W |
The Mirage is a large hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has 3,044 rooms and is designed with a fun Polynesian theme. This famous resort was built by a developer named Steve Wynn. Today, it is owned and run by MGM Resorts International.
The Mirage is connected to the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino by a free tram. This makes it easy for guests to visit both places.
Contents
History of The Mirage
Building a Dream Resort
The Mirage was built on land where another casino, the Castaways, used to be. That old casino closed in 1987 to make way for this new, exciting resort. Steve Wynn led the building project. Joel Bergman was the architect, and Roger Thomas designed the inside. A landscape architect named Don Brinkerhoff created the amazing artificial volcano outside.
The Mirage was first planned to cost about $565 million. It ended up costing $630 million, making it the most expensive hotel-casino ever built at the time. The hotel's special gold windows get their color from real gold dust mixed into the glass.
Building The Mirage was a big deal for Las Vegas. Steve Wynn set a new standard for resorts. Before The Mirage opened, fewer tourists were visiting Las Vegas. This was partly because other places, like Atlantic City, started having casinos. Wynn wanted to bring excitement back to Las Vegas. He even planned to host boxing matches at the resort.
Choosing the Name
The project was first called the "Bombay Club." Steve Wynn thought about naming it the Golden Nugget, like his other hotel in downtown Las Vegas. But he decided against it. He didn't want people to get the two hotels confused.
Wynn chose "The Mirage" because it fit the resort's South Pacific theme. In 1988, he bought the rights to the name from two other businesses. These businesses, the La Mirage Casino and the Mirage Motel, each got $250,000 to change their names. This made sure there was only one "Mirage" in town.
The Early Years of Fun
The Mirage opened its doors early, on November 22, 1989. It was originally planned for early December. When it opened, The Mirage was the largest hotel in the world. It had 3,044 rooms! The hotel tower was built in a Y-shape. This design was later copied by other famous Las Vegas resorts.
The Mirage was the first new resort built on the Las Vegas Strip in 16 years. It was also the first casino to use security cameras all the time on every table game.
In February 1990, the famous Siegfried & Roy show started at The Mirage. They combined magic with amazing wild animals. The show was very popular. Sadly, it closed in 2003 after Roy Horn was hurt by one of the white tigers.
In 1993, Cirque du Soleil performed Nouvelle Expérience in a tent in The Mirage's parking lot. Steve Wynn liked it so much that he asked Cirque du Soleil to create Mystère for his next resort, Treasure Island. Today, Cirque du Soleil has a permanent show at The Mirage called Love. This show features the music of The Beatles.
By 1999, The Mirage had 6,000 employees. Steve Wynn invested $100 million to add new theaters and more space for conventions. In March 2000, MGM Grand Inc. bought Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts.
In March 2000, entertainer Danny Gans started performing at The Mirage. He became the resort's main entertainment act in 2004. In December 2006, a Beatles-themed nightclub called Revolution opened.
Recent Excitement
Danny Gans left The Mirage in February 2009. Later that year, Terry Fator, a ventriloquist who won America's Got Talent, began a five-year show at the hotel.
The Mirage has also been featured on the TV show The Amazing Race 15. One team member had to bungee jump to grab flowers in the Love theater. In 2014, The Mirage was on The Amazing Race 24. Teams had to replace lightbulbs in the "I" of the "Mirage" sign.
In 2015, MGM Resorts International announced plans to change how The Mirage is owned. MGM still operates the hotel.
Fun Attractions at The Mirage
The Mirage has many cool things to see and do:
- Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat: This is a special place where you can see amazing animals. It includes a habitat for dolphins. In July 2017, a new dolphin calf was born here!
- The Volcano: An artificial volcano erupts nightly outside the hotel. It puts on a spectacular show with fire and water. You can see it at 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and 10:00 pm. The volcano even smells like pina colada! It has a new soundtrack with sounds of real volcanoes.
- Rainforest Atrium: When you enter the hotel, you'll see a beautiful atrium. It's filled with palm trees, waterfalls, and other plants that make it feel like a rainforest.
- Giant Aquarium: Behind the front desk, there's a huge aquarium. It's 53-foot-long (16 m) and 8-foot-tall (2.4 m). It's home to almost 1,000 different fish!
- Cirque du Soleil's Love: This is a fantastic Cirque du Soleil show. It uses remixes of songs by The Beatles.
- Terry Fator Show: Terry Fator, the winner of America's Got Talent, performs his amazing ventriloquist show here.
- 1OAK Nightclub: This is a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) nightclub with a New York theme. It has two separate areas and hosts many events.
-
The Mirage's front attraction, the Volcano, erupts regularly at night
-
Aquarium behind the registration desk
-
The Dolphin Habitat at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden
-
The dome over the Mirage atrium
.jpg)
The Mirage in Movies and TV
The Mirage has been featured in many movies and TV shows:
- The poker room was a dream place for a character in the movie Rounders.
- It makes a short appearance in Mars Attacks!.
- The movie Vegas Vacation was filmed mostly at The Mirage.
- The Mirage is made fun of in video games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (as 'The Visage') and Need For Speed: Carbon (as 'The Mirror').
- It was one of the three casinos robbed in the 2001 movie Ocean's Eleven.
- A scene from Steve Martin's Sgt. Bilko was filmed here.
- The movie Pure Country with George Strait has scenes from The Mirage.
- The show Criss Angel: Mindfreak sometimes takes place at the hotel.
- Cher's 1991 TV special, Cher Extravaganza: Live at the Mirage, was taped here.
- The volcano attraction was briefly used in the 1997 film Volcano.
- The 2009 movie 2012 showed The Mirage several times, including in a destroyed Las Vegas.
- A scene from the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street shows The Mirage during a bachelor party.
- The Mirage was featured in The Amazing Race 15 and The Amazing Race 24.
See also
In Spanish: The Mirage (hotel y casino) para niños
