More of this Feature • Part 2: Casino Theme • Part 3: Entertainment

Related Resources • Mohegan Expansion • Hall of Lost Tribes • Mohegan Sun

From Other Guides • New England for Visitors

Elsewhere on the Web • National Indian Gaming

On Tuesday morning September 25th at 9:30 am the ribbon was cut for the Mohegan Sun Casino of the Sky unveiling phase one of the billion dollar expansion known as Project Sunburst. The addition of the Casino of the Sky and the retailed shops has tripled the size of the existing facility.

The opening ceremony took place in front of the main entrance to the Casino of the Sky and was also broadcast throughout the existing casino via closed circuit television. Thousands of people waited to make their way into the new casino. The opening ceremony featured a traditional tribal blessing followed by a short speech by Connecticut Governor John Rowland and Mohegan Tribal Chairman Mark Brown.

"The opening of Project Sunburst marks a new beginning in East Coast entertainment," said Mark Brown. "The addition of the Casino of the Sky, The Shops at Mohegan Sun, 10,000-seat arena and 300-seat Cabaret places Mohegan Sun on the map of the most magical entertainment destinations in the world. Visitors may be drawn to Mohegan Sun for the gaming, but they will want to stay to enjoy gourmet meals, big name concerts and upscale shopping, among other world-class amenities."

The ribbon was cut and the crowd made its way into the casino to get a first hand look at the new complex. Many of the comments I heard were exclamations of astonishment at the marvelous architecture and design of the Casino of the Sky and the shopping complex that connects it with the Casino of the Earth.

I had toured the Mohegan Sun earlier this year when the casino was under construction and took pictures of the work in progress, which I posted on this site in May. (See sidebar) After seeing the completed construction, I was truly amazed at the magnitude of this project.

The Casino of the Sky has 115,000 sq. ft of gaming space, which includes 2.550 new slot machine and 75 new table games. Add this to the existing 180,000 of the Casino of the Earth and you have a total of 315,000 sq. ft making it the second largest casino in the world.

Photograph by Mohegan Sun, copyright 2001,used with permission.

The centerpiece of the new casino is Wombi Rock; a three story crystal mountain crafted of 12,000 pieces of hand selected onyx from quarries around the world. High above Wombi Rock is the world's largest planetarium dome measuring 150 feet across that displays an ever changing view of the sky using cutting edge fiber optic technology.

Since opening on October 12th in 1996 the Mohegan Sun has been living in the shadow of neighboring Foxwoods taking on the status similar to that of a little sister. Well watch out now because this little sister has just become the Prom Queen of the East Coast. I have visited many casinos around the country and find that the new Mohegan Sun has one of the most spectacular designs of any of the casinos east of the Mississippi River.

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