Mirage and Hard Rock

The Mirage and the Hard Rock, in Las Vegas

The site of the former Mirage, hotel that revolutionised the Strip in 1989, transforms itself today into Hard Rock. The Las Vegas audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this place laden with history, cradle of the era of the spectacular resorts that made Las Vegas the world capital of entertainment.

The cradle of the spectacular resorts

On the other side of the road is the site of the former Mirage, one of the most emblematic hotels of the history of Las Vegas, inaugurated in 1989 by the developer Steve Wynn. At its opening, the Mirage profoundly transformed the Strip and marked a decisive turning point in the history of the town. Before it, Las Vegas was above all known for its casinos; with the Mirage and its luxuriant tropical universe, its erupting volcano that spat flames in front of the hotel, its giant aquarium and its show of white tigers, Steve Wynn invented the concept of the themed megaresort, a spectacular complex offering much more than gambling: entertainment, dream and wonder. This model set the example, and all the great hotels that followed, like the Bellagio or the Venetian, were inspired by it, making Las Vegas the world capital of entertainment. After decades of glory, the Mirage has closed its doors to make way for a new project, the Hard Rock, that is to reinvent the site on the theme of music. A witness of a revolution, this place tells an essential page of the history of the Strip. A historic site and a cradle of the megaresort, the Mirage and the Hard Rock are a fine stop of the discovery of Las Vegas.

What to see

Here you discover the site of the former Mirage, inaugurated in 1989 by Steve Wynn, that revolutionised the Strip by inventing the themed megaresort: with its tropical universe, its erupting volcano, its aquarium and its white tigers, it offered much more than gambling and made Las Vegas the capital of entertainment; the site transforms itself today into Hard Rock, on the theme of music. The Mirage and the Hard Rock are a cradle of the megaresort in Las Vegas. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The site of the former Mirage, in transformation towards the Hard Rock, lies on the Strip of Las Vegas, reachable on foot. The project evolves and its spaces follow their own hours and conditions, which vary. It is best to inquire about the progress and the opening before coming.

Why is the Mirage important in the history of Las Vegas?

Because inaugurated in 1989 by Steve Wynn, it revolutionised the Strip by inventing the themed megaresort: with its tropical universe, its erupting volcano, its giant aquarium and its white tigers, it offered much more than gambling and made Las Vegas the capital of entertainment, serving as a model for the great hotels that followed; the site transforms itself today into Hard Rock.

Where is the site of the Mirage and the Hard Rock in Las Vegas?

On the Strip of Las Vegas, in the United States.