Excalibur Las Vegas
The Excalibur Hotel/Casino is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard South and Tropicana Blvd. It is one of the large casinos owned by the Mandalay Resort Group. In June 2004, the Mandalay Resort Group was purchased by MGM Mirage, adding this hotel to its vast array of properties on the Strip.
Excalibur, named for the mythical sword of King Arthur, uses the Arthurian theme for its decor. Its facade is a stylized image of a castle, with a wizardlike figure representing Merlin looking out from a high turret. Inside suits of armour, pictures illustrating the Arthurian legend and colorful jousting pennants continue the theme. There are dragons to slay and magicians.
The Tropicana - Las Vegas Boulevard intersection, where the property sits, is very busy, so pedestrians are not allowed to cross at street level. Instead, Excalibur is linked by overhead pedestrian bridges to its neighboring casinos to the north (the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, across Tropicana Avenue) and to the east (the Tropicana Resort & Casino, across the Strip).
There is also a free tram that connects Excalibur to its sister Mandalay Resort Group hotel-casinos to the south, the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
The Excalibur opened on June 19, 1990. It was one of many new, modern Las Vegas hotels that featured children's attractions, such as an game arcade and a large family swimming pool.
On March 21, 2003 the largest Megabucks Jackpot, as of that time, was hit at the Excalibur. The jackpot was for $39,713,982.25.
Restaurants and other areas have Arthurian names, such as the Roundtable Buffet, or reflect a broader "ancient Britain" theme, such as the Sherwood Forest Cafe. A long-running show, the "Tournament of Kings," features simulated medieval jousting.
There is a free evening outdoor production that can be viewed at the moat.
