LAS VEGAS’ FIRST THEMED RESORT

Before Caesars Palace opened its doors, Las Vegas theming was largely vibes: You could get “western gambling hall” or “western gambling hall with a little Monte Carlo in it.” Jay Sarno, a Missouri-born property developer who came to Vegas with the instincts of a theatrical impresario, changed all that on August 5, 1966, AD. Prior to Caesars Palace, Sarno and his business partner Stanley Mallin opened stylish properties in Atlanta, Dallas and Palo Alto they called “cabana motels.” But Sarno called his Vegas hotel a “palace,” and he fully committed to the name.

Built at a cost of nearly $25 million—the most spent on a Strip property up to that point—Sarno aimed not only to resurrect the opulence of ancient Rome not just for high rollers, but for all. (There’s no apostrophe in “Caesars” because you’re one of them: In da clerb, we all Caesar.) Opening day guests entered an immersive, escapist wonderland like they’d only seen in movies, walking beneath giant Roman statuary, ornate marble columns and towering fountains to be greeted by a fanfare of trumpets, actors dressed as centurions and Cleopatra, and employees in proper togas.

Sarno spent $1 million on the opening party, which manifested as 50,000 pours of Champagne, literal gallons of caviar, two tons of filet mignon and the first headliner to play the Circus Maximus showroom, singer Andy Williams. But Sarno’s greatest achievement in opening Caesars Palace, aside from making elegance accessible, was resetting Vegas’ dreams of what it could be, a process he’d continue a few years later when he opened Circus Circus. In Caesars Palace, Sarno imagined a Las Vegas where hospitality, entertainment and escapist theming were all part and parcel of the same thing. And he did it so well that it’s outlasted even some of its imitators. –Geoff Carter

FEASTS FIT FOR AN EMPEROR

Dining has always been an important part of the experience at Caesars Palace, starting with the original Bacchanal Room, an hours-long feast served by waitresses wearing togas. In the modern era, the center Strip resort has emerged as a leader in Vegas restaurant evolution, importing celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa and Giada De Laurentiis, as well as acclaimed and famous restaurants from across the country such as Peter Luger Steak House, Rao’s and Mr. Chow. In 2006, Caesars opened the second location of Restaurant Guy Savoy, the first and only U.S. restaurant from the decorated and influential French chef, and the Vegas version earned two Michelin Stars. It’s still going strong as one of the city’s shining stars of fine dining, reopening after its annual summer break on July 28. –Brock Radke

EMPIRE OF ILLUSION

In 1996, Caesars attempted to beat Hollywood’s storied Magic Castle at its own game. Working in collaboration with Caesars and Landmark Entertainment Group—the company that created the Forum Shops and Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton—Magic Castle creator Milt Larsen conjured up Caesars Magical Empire, a 66,000-square-foot, seven-story venue that combined a three-course dinner, closeup magic, large-scale illusions and a variety of state-of-the-art visual and mechanical effects into an experience so indescribably maximalist that it’s hard to believe it actually existed. (It did. This writer went there. I think.) Sadly, Magical Empire vanished from our dimension in 2002. –GC

CENTERPIECE AT CENTER STRIP

We were there at the Colosseum on June 8, 2019, for the final performance by Celine Dion, sitting between superstar DJ Tiësto and Raiders owner Mark Davis, taking in every powerful note with the surreal understanding that this, the most iconic Strip concert, would likely never happen again.

No one knew that Dion would battle a rare neurological disorder that would take her offstage for years, including the cancellation of her new residency at Resorts World. And if you’re not up to speed, the singer has made a remarkable comeback: Performing during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics two years ago; releasing new music this year; and scheduling a series of performances at Paris’ Plenitude Arena starting in September. The dream to hear and see Dion sing on the Strip again is still alive.

But when it comes to witnessing the definitive headlining artist in the venue created for her, it simply cannot be duplicated. Celine Dion at the Colosseum, debuting in 2003, is the mother of all Vegas shows. It redefined music and concerts and production on the Strip, and paved the way for every other star that followed, from Elton John or Garth Brooks or Adele at the same venue, to Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood, to U2 or Eagles at Sphere, to Bruno Mars or Lady Gaga at Park MGM. Dion’s two runs at the 4,300-seat mega-theater are the highest grossing residencies of all time per Billboard, 1,141 performances generating more than $681 million.

Currently occupied by a fascinating array of residents including Kelly Clarkson, Rod Stewart, Josh Groban, Tim McGraw, and Lisa from Blackpink, the Colosseum still sparkles, thanks to strategic updates and refreshing renovations. This singular venue made Caesars Palace the center of live entertainment in Vegas for decades, and after you witness your favorite artist there, you’ll understand why. –BR

LEGENDARY SPORTING SPECTACLE

Despite the fact that it has never housed a permanent venue for sports, Caesars Palace was instrumental in hosting many of the earliest sports events that built a foundation for what we see on the Strip today. The city’s first Formula 1 races took place at the resort’s parking lots in the early 1980s, and WrestleMania IX landed at Caesars in 1993. But its former makeshift outdoor arena is best known for its many legendary boxing bouts featuring the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson. In a fight known as “The Last Hurrah” on October 2, 1980, Muhammad Ali made his final attempt to capture a championship and was dominated by Larry Holmes. –BR

DAREDEVIL IN THE SPOTLIGHT

On December 31, 1967, legendary stuntman Evel Knievel attempted a 141-foot ramp jump over the fountains in front of Caesars on a stripped-down Bonneville T120-TT motorcycle. He cleared the fountains but hit the landing ramp at a poor angle, flipping over the handlebars and bouncing on the pavement looking like the rubber-legged action figure he would eventually become. He crushed his pelvis and femur, fractured his hip, wrist and ankles, and suffered a concussion. Rumors swirled that he was comatose for nearly two months, but he might have fed those rumors himself with the help of casino owner Jay Sarno.

In a way of speaking, Sarno was one Knievel’s first and most important co-pilots. He initially turned down Knievel’s request to jump the fountains, relenting only after Knievel and his friends repeatedly called Sarno pretending to be curious journalists. That jump—and that crash—cemented Knievel’s reputation as an indestructible daredevil, and Caesars’ reputation as a backdrop for the truly spectacular. Three motorcyclists repeated Knievel’s jump over the years: Knievel’s son Robbie on December 31, 1989, Travis Pastrana on July 8, 2018, and Colby Raha on May 17 of this year.

By the way, the Evel Knievel Experience, now open in Downtown Las Vegas, proudly displays the helmet Knievel wore for that ill-fated jump. Unsurprisingly, it’s not in great shape. –GC

EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITIONISTS

Unbelievably naughty, utterly hilarious and astonishingly beautiful, Absinthe opened in 2011 in a big, crazy tent in front of Caesars Palace. It was something new for Las Vegas, even though it skillfully combined elements like comedy and acrobatics that we’d seen before in other production and variety shows on the Strip. It quickly became a rarity—a favorite of both locals and tourists who returned to see it again and again, since the acts are constantly changing. Absinthe brought—is still bringing—a special kind of edge to Caesars, something you’d never expect at Las Vegas’ original themed casino. –BR

EARLY IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT

The first time anyone in Las Vegas saw a movie shot on large-format IMAX-style film—indeed, the first time many people in America saw one—was at Caesars’ Omnimax Theater, a striking, geodesic-dome shaped auditorium that sat at the front of the property from December 1979 to May 2000. It was one of the few theaters of its kind outside of science museums, and the films it screened were largely Disneylike documentaries with the occasional crazy, “Whoa, you’re on a rollercoaster!” goof thrown in. Part of the land it occupied now belongs to the Colosseum performance hall, but Omnimax’s legacy lives on in two significant ways—at Sphere, which resembles Omnimax both physically and spiritually, and in the name of Caesars’ high-tech nightclub, Omnia. –GC

THREE BEST FRIENDS THAT CAESARS COULD HAVE

Several films have heavily influenced the perception of Las Vegas through the years, but few have had the cultural impact of 2009 comedy caper The Hangover—and we’re not just referring to goofy guests continuing to ask hotel staff, “Did Caesar live here?” Its cliché portrayal of Las Vegas, and Caesars Palace specifically, as headquarters for bachelor party shenanigans and other risqué behavior was nothing new, but the off-the-wall fun of the movie reminded plenty of visitors why they love to visit. You don’t need to wake up with a tiger in the bathroom to go home with a great story. –BR

LUXURIOUS INNOVATION

When the Forum Shops arrived in 1992, rising from the pavement of the Caesars Palace parking lot where Formula 1 once raced, it was unlike anything we’d seen before.

Its visually striking re-creation of Roman streetscapes and ancient architecture sold the scene of a palatial playground. A themed luxury mall of this scale—240,000 square feet at the time and connected to the casino—simply didn’t exist anywhere else on the Strip. You could get swept away for hours under the faux skies, admiring the marble statues and lavish boutiques. It became a destination in and of itself, boasting retailers like Versace and Gucci alongside upscale restaurants like Spago and Italian eatery Lombardi’s.

And were we not entertained? The Forum Shops’ animatronic shows set it further apart. Its Festival Fountain show resurrected wine-sipping Roman deities for an hourly spectacle of lasers and loose-lipped drama.

Meanwhile, the Fall of Atlantis—a show that arrived with the mall’s expansion in 1997—unleashed a fire-spewing, 20-foot winged dragon that rewired my brain chemistry. We made it a family tradition: birthday dinners at the Cheesecake Factory, stroll past the aquarium’s brightly colored fish, then a face-blast from the dragon’s heat. And the three-story FAO Schwarz toy store blew my childhood mind just as thoroughly. Its 40-foot Trojan horse, gigantic nutcrackers and oversized pianos made me feel like I’d wandered onto the set of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. And I adored every moment of it. 

After all these years, the Forum Shops still retains its luxurious reputation. FAO Schwarz might be gone, and the Fall of Atlantis might be the last animatronic show standing, but when it comes to shopping, there’s no place like Rome. –Amber Sampson

LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT

Pure Nightclub, the original venue in the space now known as Omnia from 2004 until 2014, wasn’t the first Las Vegas Strip megaclub, but it raised the stakes and set new trends with its all-white motif and over-the-top bottle service, open-format resident DJs, multiple rooms of music and ability to draw celebrities. You can still see Pure’s influence at the biggest nightlife spots in Vegas, and certainly feel its legacy at Tao Group Hospitality’s Omnia Nightclub and new Omnia Dayclub. –BR

FIRST IN VEGAS, ONLY IN VEGAS

I’ve written about the Las Vegas Strip for decades and attended every type of event imaginable here, but that’s the thing about Vegas; you can’t imagine what might happen until it does. There have been dozens of times I’ve asked myself, “How is this happening, and how did I get here?” and I have to believe most repeat visitors have had a similar experience. But there were no tourists at the rooftop villa of the Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2018 with me and Robert De Niro and the governor of Nevada and a few other folks. The world’s first Nobu Hotel was a significant innovation at Caesars, but a better example of something that can happen first in Las Vegas, or only in Las Vegas. There are no limits here in hospitality and entertainment, and Caesars Palace was one of the successful projects that set that ambitious standard. –BR

Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!