Excalibur Hotel & Casino

From the top of this pedestrian bridge, the colorful rooftops of Excalibur pull you straight into a legendary medieval world. This enormous castle is inspired by the stories of King Arthur and the mythical sword Excalibur. Like any proper fortress, it even features moats, towers, and drawbridges. When it opened in 1990, Excalibur became the largest hotel in the world, with around 4,000 rooms. The design of the resort was partly inspired by the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, and the project’s creators even visited several castles across Europe to recreate a believable medieval atmosphere, while adapting it into something more romantic and theatrical for modern visitors. It was also here, in 2003, that a player won the largest Megabucks jackpot ever recorded, a staggering 39.7 million dollars. The Megabucks system connects thousands of slot machines across the state of Nevada. Every time someone plays, a small portion of the wager is added to a shared jackpot pool, which means the prize keeps growing, sometimes for months or even years, until someone finally hits the winning combination. Quite a dream, isn’t it? Excalibur is also home to one of the longest-running shows still performed on the Strip, Tournament of Kings, a dinner show inspired by Arthurian legends featuring sword fights, jousting, and acrobatics, all performed in a medieval arena where the meal is traditionally eaten without utensils. The resort is connected to Luxor and Mandalay Bay by a free tram, since all three properties belong to the same company, the group that had earlier created Circus Circus.