When Excalibur Hotel & Casino first rose at Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard in June 1990, its more than 4,000 guest rooms made it the largest Strip resort at the time. Like the fortified castles its façade was designed to resemble, Excalibur endured through decades of surrounding change since opening as a family-friendly destination. It is still friendly to families, with dining and entertainment options such as Dick’s Last Resort and Tournament of Kings accommodating visitors of all ages. It’s also carved a niche with options for mature audiences, with Thunder from Down Under, The Australian Bee Gees Show and an 18-and-up section at Drenched Pool catering to adult interests.
Extensive renovation in 2008 included the remodeling of half of the property’s accommodations, with 3,981 guest rooms in Excalibur’s four towers providing visitors modern homes-away-from-home. Excalibur is now a high-rated “green” sustainable hotel operation with 41 suites, and its tram connection to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay triples the amount of dining, entertainment and shopping options easily accessible to guests of all three properties. But with 100,000 square feet of gaming area including a race and sports book with dozens of big screens and craps tables with $5 minimums during most hours, there’s little reason to leave Excalibur for games of chance.
And there’s definitely nowhere else on the Strip to find entertainment options like Excalibur’s. The Thunder From Down Under Showroom offers both its namesake male review, which celebrates its 14th anniversary in July, and The Australian Bee Gees Show—A Tribute to the Bee Gees. The latter features Michael Clift (Barry), David Scott (Robin) and Wayne Hosking (Maurice), who are signed to cover the career-spectrum of the Brothers Gibb through 2018. The Thunder dancers have been with the Excalibur since the drawbridge first opened to visitors, and continues to offer a 90-minute fantasy “for women of all ages” that’s been updated with numbers celebrating the ’50s and ’70s.
Then there’s jousting. The story of King Arthur told through live-action chivalry, ceremony and combat has been part of Excalibur since day one as well, with Tournament of Kings combining horse-riding pageantry and a dining experience fit for a medieval court. Spectators sit in sections named for participating knights as opponents charge each other, and get treated to a dressage performance at one point by rider Iranda Dyer. It’s a can’t-miss experience for Excalibur guests.
The Buffet, the latest remodeling project at the Excalibur, is a can’t-miss dining experience as well. Its inviting, modernized layout is characterized by warm, light woods and fresh serving stations, with a pièce-de-résistance dessert island that features hand-rolled and dipped ice cream pops and a crêpe station creating the room’s focal point. Those people you see wearing marked-up tall paper hats likely came from Dick’s Last Resort, where comfort food is served in an atmosphere that sways from good-natured unruliness to casually riotous depending on the hour. If an all-day happy hour in more casual confines sounds more appealing, head upstairs to the bar at Buca di Beppo. The restaurant’s Italian food—like many experiences at Excalibur—is served family style.