June 22: What's open and closed this week in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is pushing to reopen more hotels, restaurants, shops and activities as the long Fourth of July weekend approaches. The Strip as well as downtown continued to spring back to life after Fremont Street Experience and the Bellagio's famed fountains returned.
By the Fourth of July, 21 of the roughly 35 resorts along the Strip will be open and joining in the celebrations.
Bear in mind, stay-at-home orders issued by Los Angeles County and California remain in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Right now residents are asked to delay vacation travel that takes them far from home. However, Southern Californians may plan a future getaway in Vegas and elsewhere.
Before you hit the gaming tables or anywhere else in the city, know this: Starting Friday, face masks will be required in indoor public places, such as casinos and restaurants, throughout the state of Nevada. Many casinos have put up Plexiglas panels at the tables because of the coronavirus outbreak.
These places are set to reopen in time for this weekend:
Aria, Delano, Four Seasons, Mandalay Bay and Waldorf Astoria will again welcome guests beginning Wednesday, July 1. This brings to 23 the number of reopened resorts on Las Vegas Blvd., out of a total of about 35.
At Aria, the limited number of reopening restaurants includes Catch, Jean Georges Steakhouse and Salt & Ivy.
At Mandalay Bay, Shark Reef Aquarium and several bars and restaurants have reopened.
At Waldorf Astoria, guests can dine at Zen Kitchen and enjoy drinks, small bites and amazing views of the Strip from SkyBar on the 23rd floor.
The Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas and the
Fly Linq at Linq Promenade will both send visitors soaring starting Thursday, July 2.
Fireworks for the Fourth haven’t been forgotten. There won’t be any displays along the Strip this year, but visitors can head downtown, to the start of the Fremont Street Experience, where the Plaza Hotel-Casino will light up the night sky starting at 10 p.m. To provide space for social distancing, a two-block-long stretch of Main St. in front of the hotel will be closed to vehicles from 9:45-10:45 p.m.
Other fireworks displays will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday at the M Resort, on Las Vegas Blvd. about 11 miles south of Mandalay Bay; Red Rock Resort in the northwest part of Las Vegas and Green Valley Ranch in suburban Henderson.
Luxor and the adjoining Shoppes at Mandalay Place reopens 10 a.m. Thursday.
At Luxor, the HyperX Esports Arena for high-tech gamers is open, along with a handful of bars and restaurants, including Diablo’s Cantina and Pyramid Café.
At the Shoppes, the popular Minus5 Ice Experience will definitely provide the chill as Vegas temperatures push toward 110 degrees this weekend. It's located on a skywalk linking Luxor and Mandalay Bay. Several other bars and restaurants have also reopened.
Here are places coming up:
Aria, Delano, Mandalay Bay and its hotel-within-a-hotel, Four Seasons Las Vegas, will reopen July 1.
Two popular day clubs — Liquid Pool Lounge at Aria and Wet Republic Ultra Pool at MGM Grand — will reopen July 2. They will open Thursdays to Sundays, and reservations are required.
Here's what's already open:
Paris and Westgate hotel-casinos reopened as the city regains its big resorts. Paris opened its hotel, casino and pool as well as dining options such as Gordon Ramsay Steak and the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, with stunning views of the Fountains of Bellagio across the street.
The Buffet at Wynn returned, but can you still call it a buffet? Diners are still be seated in the same pre-pandemic elegant dining area, but the long steam tables full of food have disappeared. Instead of standing in line, plate in hand, diners never have to leave their tables to savor dozens of different dishes. They simply order from a menu featuring photos and descriptions of roughly 90 offerings, including double-cut lamb chops with truffle spinach and crispy onions, Old Bay braised shrimp and scallops with a spicy tomato compote, and steak and lobster in a Béarnaise sauce. Buffet guests tell their server what they’d like, and food is delivered direct from the kitchen to the table. It’s still "all you can eat," but there’s a two-hour time limit. The Buffet, the first to open on the Strip, is open daily. Prices range from $36.99 for a weekday brunch to $65.99 for weekend dinner. Reservations are required.
The new restaurant Elio at Wynn opened for a summer preview. Guests can choose contemporary Mexican dishes from executive chef Sarah Thompson. The restaurant is open starting 5:30 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays.
Wolfgang Puck’s Spago located lakeside at Bellagio will reopened, serving dinner from 5 to10 p.m. The restaurant will be open Friday to Tuesday.
The Sahara introduced reservations for its baccarat, blackjack and roulette games. With space at gaming tables limited because of social distancing, guests can book a seat up to 72 hours in advance. Otherwise, they may wind up standing around waiting for a seat to open up.
Oscar's Steakhouse, named for Vegas' former mayor, will reopened for dinner from Thursday to Sunday. The restaurant, under a glass dome at downtown's Plaza Hotel & Casino, provides great views of the Fremont Street Experience. In April, Goodman lost his job as Vegas' official ambassador when his contract was canceled by the visitors authority due to the sagging local economy.
The Cosmopolitan's adults-only Marquee pool is open 11 a.m. until sunset Fridays to Sundays, with resident DJs and plenty of food and drink. Reservations are required.
Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood: About half of the mile-long mall’s 200 shops, restaurants and attractions have partly reopened with limited hours (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.). The adjoining Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino remains closed.
Excalibur: It reopened, the fifth of the MGM Resorts properties to open their doors to guests. Inside the castle walls, guests can enjoy gaming, a limited number of bars and restaurants, the pool complex, fitness center and Fun Dungeon Arcade.
Caesars Palace: The hotel-casino reopened. Now the sprawling Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis, complete with a swim-up gaming area, has reopened too. So, too, has the resort's race and sports book. The resort's Restaurant Guy Savoy will return June 24.
The Linq: The hotel remains closed but the casino will be up and running, as will several bars and restaurants. For dining options, Hash House A Go Go is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, and celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. Influence, the resort’s pool, will start welcoming guests 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The High Roller Ferris wheel at the Linq Promenade is open with a limit of 10 passengers per cabin to allow for social distancing. (Before the mid-March shutdown, it was 40.)
Big Elvis, a.k.a. Pete Vallee, is the first performer to return to Harrah’s. The act that has been a Vegas stalwart for years returns at 2, 3:30 and 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at Harrah’s Piano Bar — and it's free. Major headlining shows, for the most part, have been canceled for the near future.
Kenny Davidsen’s Celebrity Piano Bar: The bar a few blocks east of the Strip along Flamingo Road has relaunched at the Tuscany hotel-casino. In this pandemic era, the lounge has a wall of plexiglass that separates audience members from the stage. Shows start at 8:45 p.m. on Fridays.
Caesars Palace, the Flamingo and Harrah’s Las Vegas have opened as well as (from north to south on the Strip): the Strat, Sahara, Circus Circus, Wynn-Encore, Treasure Island, the Venetian, Harrah’s, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, the Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, the Signature at MGM Grand and New York-New York.
The Neon Museum reopened in late May. Even though much of the site is outdoors, the number of visitors is limited at any one time. Visitors are encourage to book timed tickets in advance.
The Mob Museum in downtown has also reopened, with temperature checks for visitors at the entrance. The museum encourages people to buy timed tickets in advance.
For the record:
2:08 PM, Jun. 22, 2020: A prior version of this story incorrectly said the Tropicana Las Vegas had reopened. It remains closed.
