As We See It

Wayne Newton’s Casa de Shenandoah: First impressions of Mr. Las Vegas’ digs

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The exterior of Wayne Newton’s former estate.
Photo: Mikayla Whitmore

Memphis has Graceland, and Las Vegas now has Casa de Shenandoah, after local legend Wayne Newton's former residence was opened to the public on September 18. Read on for our first impressions of Mr. Las Vegas’ digs:

I now know what 52 acres looks like, and it’s a massive amount of land. The sprawling estate is bigger than what you’d think from driving its perimeter. Taking a tour soon? A tip for the ladies: Leave those heels at home.

My top takeaway from the tour is how remarkably small the house is in comparison to the land surrounding it. While the estate is certainly palatial in its aesthetic, I’ve definitely seen and been in larger mansions—not owned by people with decades of fame and fortune behind them—in suburban Green Valley and Summerlin.

Wayne Newton at Casa de Shenandoah

I never saw the episode of MTV Cribs featuring Shenandoah, but as I step inside the front doors and into the living room I immediately have a Vegas Vacation flashback. It looks just as it did in the 1997 film, and all I want at this moment is a glass of red wine and a giant bowl of pasta. Wayne can keep his lock of hair ...

And about that living room: What’s up with the creepy mannequins wearing Wayne and Kathleen’s wedding attire? You know, a horror movie crossing 1987’s Mannequin and 1968’s Night of the Living Dead would be pretty sweet, right?

Dude has a bar in his airplane! Newton’s Fokker F28 private jet is also part of the tour, though you aren’t allowed access to the plane’s bedroom (who wants to see that, anyway?). Now, if only they opened the bar and staffed a mixologist ...

The property is home to Newton’s collection of animal friends, from his beautiful Arabian horses and peacocks to wallabies and even a penguin and an exotic bird that knows how to cat call. And I swear they’ve trained those horses to pose for photos, because they all were certainly ready for their close-ups when patrons took their camera-phones out to take a few snapshots. And don’t forget to say hello to Boo, Newton’s Capuchin monkey!

A “museum” (i.e. the corridor connecting the plane to the pathway leading to Newton’s home) housing memorabilia from Newton’s decades-long career (even a costume made by his mother when he was only 4 years old) and the entertainer’s collection of automobiles (including Rolls-Royces owned by Johnny Cash and Liberace) are also part of your ticket to Casa De Shenandoah. But let’s be real, you just want to take a selfie in the Wayner’s downstairs bathroom.

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