Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun? Connecticut Casinos Offer More than Gaming
Can’t decide whether to go to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun?
Guest contributor *Nancy Monson offers the scoop on both to help you decide. (Warning: You may end up visiting the two—just as she did.)
I am not a gamer. I couldn’t care less about slots, blackjack tables, and craps, and I dislike the smoky environment that pervades many casinos.
And yet I recently visited Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, Connecticut’s two premier resort casinos near the Rhode Island border, lured by the expanding array of activities they boast for adults.
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Connecticut casinos: Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun
There are two casinos in Connecticut: Foxwoods in Ledyard (which was opened in 1986 by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, and Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, opened in 1996 by the Mohegan Tribe.
Both Connecticut casinos offer far more than gaming.
Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun?
Wondering whether your next visit should be to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun? Here’s what to expect:
What you’ll find at Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino has a fairytale quality reminiscent of Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.
As you drive toward it, two buildings—a grand hotel and an adjacent tower—suddenly appear in the distance, rising majestically from a lush, green valley.
The Foxwoods complex spans 9 million square feet—the place is huge!—with seven casinos and four hotels. (Apparently, people tend to stick to specific casinos and areas within the resort, making it less burdensome to get around. On the other hand, it’s a great place to get 10,000 steps, rain or shine.)
Wooing gamers for more than two decades
The largest resort casino in North America, Foxwoods has been in operation since 1992 and is open 24/7.
Older adults are their bread-and-butter-clients (I know several retired people who travel to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun weekly or even biweekly), and the resort makes it easy for these customers to get to the casinos with bus service and great deals that include bus fare and discounts on dining.
They have also pioneered smoke-free casino areas. (Smoking is allowed in Connecticut casinos because they are located on Native American reservations that are subject to tribal law rather than US federal law.)
One of my biggest hesitations about visiting the casinos previously had been the residual smoke smell that permeated the resorts, but over the past couple of years, they seem to have figured out how to manage the ventilation better, making it a more pleasant environment for nonsmokers.
More than gaming alone
Foxwoods offers more than gaming.
Bingo was the first game offered at Foxwoods and continues to be popular, offering hours of entertainment for a relatively small outlay of cash.
Slots (they have 4,100 machines) are also a big draw, along with tables for various styles of poker, blackjack, baccarat, and roulette.
An array of dining options
Dining, of course, is a common pastime and the Festival Buffet at Foxwoods serves up cuisine for every taste.
There are gourmet restaurants like Alta Strada, Cedars Steakhouse & Oyster Bar, David Burke Prime, VUE 24, and Red Lantern, as well as casual restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen, Guy Fieri’s Foxwoods Kitchen + Bar, Hardrock Café, and Juniors Deli.
For even quicker bites, you can get coffee and a donut at Dunkin’ Donuts, a bagel at Einstein Bros. Bagels, a burger at Fuddruckers, or a sandwich at Subway.
The newest eatery, opening in July 2023, is Michelin-starred Chef Gordon Ramsay’s HELL’s KITCHEN, a take-off of his hit TV series.
Top-notch entertainment
At night, six nightclubs entertain guests and major acts in the Grand Pequot Ballroom, Grand Theater and Fox Theater. (Steve Martin and Martin Short, Toni Braxton and Sarah Brightman have appeared here in the past.)
The casino/resort hosts a variety of entertainment and sports events, fan festivals, conferences and special millennial-oriented activities like Liquid Sundays, a Vegas-style pool party at the Fox Tower.
Discount shopping
In an attempt to draw bigger crowds and families, Foxwoods opened Tanger Outlet Shops a few years ago, featuring 80 or so retail stores (there are also a number of luxury boutiques sprinkled throughout the resort).
Golf
Golf is another draw, given that Foxwoods operates two top-notch golf courses.
Hiking, a bowling alley, and a museum
The property also offers hiking trails around the reservation, a bowling alley and a museum dedicated to the Mashantucket Pequot tribe that runs the resort.
Attractions for family fun and thrill-seekers
Foxwoods has also invested in thrilling experiences and rides, such as a zipline that starts at the top of the 33-story-high Foxwood Tower and slopes down to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum; while descending on the zipline, you can travel at up to 60 mph.
Also at the Fox Tower are two extreme thrill rides—a Sky Drop that hoists four riders up at a time before sending them freefalling 120 feet to the bottom of the ride and a Sky Launch that sends two riders 140 feet into the air. (No, thank you!)
If more excitement is needed, a world-class karting track and e-racing simulators give guests a taste of what it’s like to drive a race car around famous tracks and a virtual reality gaming area.
Unforgettable spas
Personally, I was most interested in the spas at Foxwoods: They have two that appeal to slightly different audiences. As a journalist, spas are part of my health beat. As a woman, I love being pampered!
G Spa is an adults-only, serene oasis in the Fox Tower, away from the gaming floor, that offers a variety of body and face treatments, including water-themed and Native American-inspired services.
It also has an indoor lap pool, outdoor sun patio, hot tub, quiet area, fitness center, manicure/pedicure stations—and many areas have views of the lusciously green Foxwoods property.
The Norwich Spa at Foxwoods, tucked onto the 9th floor of the Grand Pequot Tower, is affiliated with the Norwich Inn and Spa, located about 20 minutes away.
It offers similar services and amenities but has a brighter, perkier vibe with the same emphasis on luxury and relaxation.
G Spa director Charisse Duroure told me that her spa tends to appeal to an older, more corporate crowd than the Norwich Spa at Foxwoods; the latter attracts a younger, gaming crowd as well as families since it is open to clients ages 16 and up.
Like G Spa, the Norwich spa has a fitness center, indoor pool, whirlpool, and salon.
Both spas offer day passes so you can use the pools and facilities even if you’re not staying at the resort. And G Spa often offers a discounted rate if you book the first treatment of the day.
A new casino opening at Foxwoods
Foxwoods Resort Casino will be opening a new 50,000-square-foot Pequot Woodlands Casino at the Grand Pequot Concourse.
Expected to open on August 29, 2023, it will offer over 430 new slot machines, a 40-seat slot bar named Truth Searcher, 24 table games, a new High Limit Slot room with 130 state-of-the-art machines, a public bar, and a casino cage.
What You’ll Find at Mohegan Sun
The smaller resort of the two and within a 20-minute ride of Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun is stunning in a unique and glitzy way.
A little more hip and contemporary, it has a tribal-inspired design aesthetic that has been carried throughout the property.
Walking through the main corridor lined with shops, you feel like you are walking through a forest in autumn. A centerpiece of the property is a spectacular glass sculpture by renowned artist Dale Chihuly that changes color periodically throughout the day.
Two casinos, with one more to come
The resort is located on the banks of the Thames River and first opened in 1996. There are two main casinos—the Casino of the Sky and the Casino of the Earth—with a third coming soon, according to the PR manager.
Today, it offers slots, blackjack, roulette, craps and several other games. Like Foxwoods, there are no-smoking areas in the casinos and the ventilation system has been designed to prevent smoke drift.
Luxury accommodations and top-class entertainment
There are two guest room towers—the Sky Tower and the Earth Tower—and Mohegan Sun is upping its luxury quotient with accommodations on its “Aspire” floor and private gaming suites, while also expanding its mass-appeal activities, like bowling, outdoor festivals and entertainment venues.
Actually, that’s what brought me to Mohegan Sun in the first place: I came to see Kelly Clarkson, the first-ever winner of American Idol and current coach on The Voice, perform in the resort’s arena on a Thursday night in March.
But it’s not unusual to catch high-profile acts at Mohegan Sun.
I’ve seen everyone from Keith Urban to Aerosmith and dancers Derek and Julianne Hough. The arena is on the small side, and its location within the resort makes it easier to attend concerts there than at other venues.
While it has no hiking trails, Mohegan Sun does have a golf course and its own Native American museum called the Tantaquidgeon Museum.
My friend and I tried several of the numerous restaurants (Tuscany, Hash House A Go, SolToro) the resort had to offer, and they were all outstanding. For dessert, we stopped by Carlos’ Bakery, of Cake Boss fame, where I had a delicious carrot cake cupcake that was totally worth the caloric indulgence.
We also shopped a bit, stopping at Sephora and Lush, a natural skincare chain that has products that look and smell so good you want to eat them!
Of course, I also visited Mohegan Sun’s Mandara Spa, which was renovated in 2018 in a sleek, Scandinavian style. It felt completely decadent and relaxing to be in the spa environment. (The adjacent indoor atrium pool offered a little less serenity: It was noisy with kids, but it was enjoyable nonetheless to be in a sun-lit environment on a cold day).
And by the way, Mohegan Sun has a kid-friendly activity area called Kids Quest/Cyber Quest.)
There was also a fitness center and salon, just like the spas at Foxwoods.
My friend enjoyed playing roulette and poker while I spa-ed, and informed me that you can find cheaper slots and tables to play here than in Atlantic City. Plus, the dealers here were friendlier.
Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun? The bottom line
Despite not caring about slots and gaming, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed my visit to both properties.
I found Foxwoods a bit overwhelming in size, but I appreciated the opportunity to do some outlet shopping, visit the fabulous spas and dine from here to Sunday.
Although I’m not a fan of artificial environments, there was practically nothing about Mohegan Sun that I didn’t like either. It felt magical to be there, and I greatly enjoyed the Mandara Spa, the restaurants we visited, and the concert.
IF YOU GO
Getting to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun:
- Both resorts are easily accessible from all points in Connecticut; they’re a 2.5-hour trip from New York City and less than 2 hours from Boston by car. Public transportation is available from these cities and within Connecticut.
- Entry to the casinos and parking is free so it’s possible to visit both resorts and spend very little money. They also run specials regularly, and I’ve found Foxwoods’ hotel discounts on Groupon.
- You can take advantage of outdoor activities in the spring, summer and fall months, but the casinos, restaurants, outlets, etc., are open year-round, and weather permitting, both casino resorts are great places to while away a cold winter’s day.
OTHER HOTELS NEAR MOHEGAN SUN AND FOXWOODS
Disclosure: The author was a guest of Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun but any opinions expressed in this post are her own.
*Nancy Monson is a freelance writer, artist, and health coach. Her articles on travel, spas, lifestyle, health, nutrition, crafts, creativity, pets and entertainment have been published in numerous magazines, such as AARP The Magazine, Costco Connection, Family Circle, USA Today Go Escape, Woman’s Day and Women’s Health. She is also the author of three books.
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Well, this sure sounds like fun. I think I’ll have to take a drive and try my luck!
Thank you for this detailed and excellent review.
Thank you for saying “couldn’t care less” I have been trying to tell people that is the right way to say it for years. So many people say “I could care less”… Which makes zero sense. Okay… Time to read the article now. Thanks!