Hoosier State: Vegas of the Midwest

The Hoosier State has become the Vegas of the Midwest with many gambling road trips.

By Shawn Buckenmeyer
CasinoLonging to get out of town for a mini vacation? Belterra Casino Resort & Spa is definitely a destination to consider.

It features a riverboat casino, Beleza Spa and Salon, 18-hole golf course, plenty of shopping and a hotel with 600 guestrooms.

The resort received many first-place awards in the Readers’ Choice Awards from Southern Gaming and Destinations Magazine for Best Entertainment Venue, Best Rooms, Best Suites, and Best Amenities in 2010.

The casino offers a wide array of options when it comes to gaming, such as 1,600 slot machines and 46 table games that include blackjack, craps, roulette and three card poker. Looking for a bigger challenge? The casino also offers action in its poker room with daily tournaments.

MIX IT UP

There are plenty of alternatives to gambling during your stay at Belterra. You can treat yourself to a trip to the spa and salon. Services include Swedish massage, hot stone therapy, body wraps, facials, hydrotherapy and hair care services.

The golf course was designed by world-renowned designer Tom Fazio and offers a championship par 71 on 18 holes. Lessons are available for beginners.

For those who like to shop, Belterra has an array of specialty shops. Fan Sports, a store that specializes in sports apparel, offers sweatshirts, jerseys, hats, mugs and other items. Bling carries high-end jewelry from designers including Gucci, Movado, Gabriel and Siera. Studs of Belterra specializes in clothing for men with designs from Tommy Bahama, Cole Haan and others.

There are a number of dining options “” from pub food to fine dining to ice cream. Restaurants include the casual Out of Bounds Bar and Grill, the upscale Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, the endless selections at the huge Ultimate Buffet, and Ben and Jerry’s Scoop Shop.

“Belterra offers … everything you need for your next vacation, in one convenient location,” says Blair Bendel, Belterra’s advertising manager.

There are several packages to consider, such as the spa package with one-night hotel stay, which include two buffets at the Ultimate Buffet and one service at the spa.

Belterra Casino Resort & Spa
777 Belterra Drive
Florence, Ind. 47020
(812) 427-7777
belterracasino.com

SO MANY PLACES

Indiana offers a number of casino destinations. They include:

Grand Victoria Casino & Resort
600 Grand Victoria Drive
Rising Sun, Ind. 47040
(800) GRAND-11 or (800) 472-6311
grandvictoria.com

With more than 1,300 different slots and many gaming tables available, Grand Victoria Casino & Resort offers a variety of gaming possibilities. Voted Best in Market by Southern Gaming and Destinations Magazine in the Readers’ Choice Awards in 2010 in several categories, including: Casino Employees, Casino’s Player’s Club, Casino Buffet and Casino Restaurants.

Hollywood Casino
777 Hollywood Casino
Lawrenceburg, Ind.
(888) 274-6797
hollywoodindiana.com

Hollywood Casino offers gamers many options in its 150,000-square-foot gaming space, such as 3,200 slot machines and electronic gaming tables, 88 table games and a World Poker Tour room. If you’re in the mood for something other than gaming, check out Boogie Nights, a club where visitors can dance the night away to 1970’s and 80’s music on a 500-square-foot lighted dance floor.

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino
4500 Dan Patch Circle
Anderson, Ind. 46013
(800) 526-7223
hoosierpark.com

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, about two hours and 15 minutes from Cincinnati and just north of Indianapolis, offers 2,000 of the newest slot machines, a high-limit gaming area, video poker and new multi-player electronic blackjack, three-card poker and roulette. Unlike the more traditional casinos, Hoosier Park features horse racing on its seven-eighths-mile oval run. Wager on standardbred, thoroughbred and quarter horse racing.

Dining options include: The Homestretch Steakhouse, featuring hand-trimmed steaks that are aged for 21 days and charbroiled, Johnny Rockets, the ever popular Prime Harvest Buffet, the New-York style Big Deli, and the eclectic and flavorful pan-asian cuisine of Naked Tchopstix.

Horseshoe Southern Indiana
11999 Casino Center Drive SE
Elizabeth, Ind. 47117
(888) 676-7463
horseshoe-indiana.com

Horseshoe Southern Indiana, two hours from Cincinnati just west of Louisville, offers more than 2,000 slots and features the Paula Deen Buffet, where visitors can indulge in the celebrity chef’s famous southern gourmet food.

Indiana Live! Casino
4300 N. Michigan Road
Shelbyville, Ind. 46176
(877) 386-4463 or (317) 392-7777
indianalivecasino.com

Indiana Live! Casino, just east of Indianapolis, is the winner of seven first-place prizes in Southern Gaming and Destinations Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards in 2010. The 233,000-square-foot facility offers 2,000 games, horse racing, and a 24/7 food court. At presstime, owners said they plan to continue normal operations while reorganizing under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.