Laughlin, Nevada: A Vegas Alternative Tourists Notice Quickly That This Small Gambling Town Isn’t Las Vegas, But That’s Precisely Why They Keep Coming Back

The gambling town of Laughlin, at the very bottom tip of Nevada, is not some dreary desert outpost - but neither is it Las Vegas.

And many of the people who paid $518 per couple for an Air Laughlin weekend package from Chicago were there precisely because it isn’t Las Vegas.

“I like Laughlin,” said a woman in line. “You’ve got the river there. It’s nice. Vegas - now it’s bogus. Sleazy.”

“It’s less congested,” said a man behind her. “That’s the main thing.”

For $259 per person, double-occupancy ($50 more for singles), these people had chosen Laughlin over Las Vegas, 90 miles north. The Air Laughlin package included air, three nights in their choice of three hotels (the Edgewater, the Colorado Belle - both managed by Las Vegas’ Circus-Circus people - or the Flamingo Hilton), plus transfers to and from Laughlin-Bullhead City International Airport five minutes away.

Even for Laughlin, which is cheap anyway, this was a good deal. Weekend rooms (Friday and Saturday) at the hotels retail for about $45 a night; a call to several hotels found weekday and Sunday rates quoted at $17, which sounded impossibly low - but it was actually high: Signs on Sunday morning were flashing that rooms could be had for $14 or $15 a night (“five to a room!”), and one place was throwing in free continental breakfasts.

So for less than the price of airfare to Las Vegas alone ($264-$275 most of the summer, with restrictions), Air Laughlin was offering a flight, rooms and extras. Pretty good rooms.

So what is Laughlin?

Mainly it’s 10 casinos in nine hotels (the little Regency Casino is lodgingless) along a 1.5-mile stretch, with the Colorado River on one side and an underdeveloped desert on the other. Some of the hotels, particularly the Flamingo Hilton, would fit comfortably on the Las Vegas Strip. The especially kid-friendly Ramada Express, with a railroad theme down to its locomotive-shaped pool, would fit comfortably in Orlando.

Most have the “glittery but T-shirts-are-acceptable” feel of downtown Vegas, with matching clientele: a mix of retirees, hardcore gamblers, oil-rig cowboys, bused-in day-trippers from California and Arizona, young couples enjoying a weekend away and very fat men with ponytails and tattoos and stomachs cascading over well-worn jeans.

The hotels are the town. The local McDonald’s and Burger King are in the hotels. There’s no real shopping (an outlet mall is a year or two away). The permanent population is about 6,300, many of whom live in newish condos “from the ‘60s.”

“As far as culture,” said Chuck, originally from La Grange, who works in Bullhead City for Hertz, “you give up a lot. There ain’t no culture here.”

But there’s the river. Laughlin’s Colorado is the same one that, upstream, gave us the Grand Canyon. Here it’s a virtual snake-shaped lake, its natural grandeur tamed by the dams that make sure the water level is sufficient to float the various watercraft that play and ply its surface.

Even domesticated, the river is a blessing. Unlike the windowless casinos of Las Vegas, Laughlin’s casinos - all but the Ramada, which is on the other side of Casino Drive - let the outside in. Gamblers play video blackjack while watching jetboats (for rent) and water taxis (cheap) slide along the bright blue waterway. A riverwalk connects many of the hotels, providing a pleasant evening stroll or a soothing way to shake off a losing streak. Its benches are perfect for watching desert sunrises or toasting glorious sunsets.

Away from the casinos, sportsmen fish the Colorado and its Lake Mohave - north of the Davis Dam - for trout, and for catfish and striped bass that locals swear top 50 pounds.

The volcanoes and pirate wars that are today’s Las Vegas don’t exist in Laughlin. The shows are neither spectacular nor topless. The Riverside has name acts (George Carlin, Eddy Arnold, Debbie Reynolds) from time to time - but more typical were the lounge acts at the Gold River during a recent visit: a Wynonna Judd impersonator rotating with a Garth Brooks impersonator (George Mick, who was absolutely wonderful), for the cost of a drink (vodka and tonic, $2.25).

So Laughlin, compared to Las Vegas, is almost normal. Almost.

Bill is one of two captains of the USS Riverside. The other is Michael. They perform weddings on the riverboat, on the Colorado.

“We’re both ordained ministers, so it’s legal,” said Bill. (Ordainers are the Universal Life Church. “You send in your name, we send back credentials,” said the woman on the phone at ULC. “There’s no charge, but a donation is appreciated.”)

Any of the weddings unique?

There was a little smile.

“We had one three months ago that was a bikini wedding,” said Bill, eyes a-twinkle. “Most of the guests wore swimsuits or some kind of swimming attire. The bride wore one of those thong bathing suits.”

A pause. Another smile. “She was cute. It was quite a wedding …”

Emerald River is quite a golf course, cut into the hills that border the Colorado. Well-kept. A challenge. Never more than $45, including cart. It does get a little toasty in July and August - Laughlin can make Vegas feel like Wisconsin - but it’s a dry heat. You hear that a lot in Laughlin.

“I went out there one day,” said a guy at the course, “it was 127 and I didn’t know it.”

Paul is the executive chef at the Pioneer Hotel’s gourmet room. Just about every hotel in Laughlin has a gourmet room and a buffet room. Buffets are big in Laughlin. Most are cheap. Most, particularly breakfasts, are alike.

But here’s what’s on the table at the Pioneer’s Sunday brunch: escargots, oysters, frog legs, crab legs, caviar, large boiled shrimp, tenderloin of pork Wellington, fresh salmon in caper sauce, prime rib, beef tournedos, eggs Benedict, crepes, lox, made-to-order omelets (among the fillings: lobster), made-to-order desserts (crepes Suzette, bananas Foster), and I’m sure I’m forgetting something - plus champagne, of course - all for $15.95.

Laughlin, despite its casinos winning $534.9 million in 1994, is not a Cadillac-limo place. Primetime $5 blackjack tables can be hard to find on the Las Vegas Strip, but there are plenty of them here - and lots of $2 and $3 tables as well.

A 15-minute drive from Casino Drive is Grapevine Canyon, where an easy hike on a flat desert trail leads to a cliffside filled with Native American petroglyphs. Less than an hour away is Oatman, a restored mining town on historic U.S. 66 (itself an attraction) famed for burros on its one street, its artsy gift shops and the creaky 1902 hotel.

And for those who tire quickly of Laughlin, there’s this: Las Vegas is just 90 minutes away.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Dining: Every hotel-casino in town has cheap - and therefore popular - breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. In addition, there are special deals (all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinners for $2.99, prime rib dinners for $2.99). Getting around: The hotel-casinos are spread over 1-1/2 miles of Casino Drive. If you choose to focus on the casino action, a car is unnecessary. From end to end is a $5 cab ride; water taxis, which are frequent and kind of fun, work the Colorado and make the same trip, with stops, for $3. Entertainment. No Vegas extravaganzas or sleaze. The Riverside’s showroom has weekend star shows usually in the $20-$25 range, and the Flamingo Hilton features oldies shows ($12.95 for adults, $5.95 for kids under 12). Fun on the water: Boat tours of the Colorado River, with commentary on the region’s history, run $10 (sometimes discounted) for about 1-1/2 hours. Waverunners and Jet Skis (two and three-passenger crafts) can be rented along shore for $40 per hour and up. All the hotels have pools, but most are kid-size. For adults, the best are at the Flamingo Hilton and Harrah’s. Golf: Emerald River is the only course in town, and it’s nice. Greens fees, September through June: $35 weekdays, $45 weekends including half-cart; lower rates, hotter sun in July and August. Shopping: Not much, aside from mugs and T-shirts. Locals go to Bullhead City for basics and make the 90-minute drive to Las Vegas for serious shopping. For more information: Call or write the Laughlin Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 502, Laughlin, NV 89029; (800) 452-8445.