Your Last Resort: Foxwoods Puts Fun Front and Center

Written by | Travel

Foxwoods is a resort, casino and concert venue where you can party hard and kick back in one of the ultimate entertainment destinations in the Northeast.

Foxwoods Resort

I abandoned all assumptions or generalizations I made about casinos the first time I ventured to Las Vegas a few years back. Between entertainment, first-rate dining, shopping, and exponential opportunities for R&R I started wondering more about the great East Coast casino resorts taking off with their catchy commercials and advertisements up and down the Atlantic coast and inland. Not long ago, my partner and I took a drive up to Connecticut’s Foxwoods Resort Casino, touted as the largest in North America. The property is, of course, centered around the mindblowing 340,000 square-feet of gaming space and six distinctive casinos.

Foxwoods Resort

We checked into a suite in the swank Grand Pequot Tower Hotel: the rooms were gorgeous and the sweeping views of the Connecticut forest remarkable. The AAA 4-Diamond Award-winning Grand Pequot Tower Hotel, with 808 rooms is just one of four hotels including the Grand Cedars Hotel, Fox Tower, and Trees in. In total there are 2230 different rooms at Foxwoods. Once we unpacked and hung up our resort wear we set out to explore the city that is Foxwoods. Norwich Spa at Foxwoods, located on the 9th Floor of the Grand Pequot Tower, was the first stop. We booked Swedish massages for the next day and took a few moments to explore the facility a bit. Guests mingled and relaxed before their treatments in the whirlpool, steam room, sauna, and lounge.

Foxwoods Resort
We didn’t have any set plans for our first night at Foxwoods so we wandered around a bit and explored the variety of casinos, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, and scoped out the 300,000-square-foot Tanger Outlet shops where we got a few deals at J. Crew, H&M, Banana Republic and some new kicks at Steve Madden & Sketchers. We had reservations at some of the best property restaurants but decided to get into the fun at the Hard Rock Cafe and ordered a round of fruity cocktails with the sassy waitress who initially waved us in.

The next morning we awoke early and hit the elliptical machines, stair-masters, and rowing machines at the gym. I was relieved the facilities had free weights as I’ve been on a bit of a healthy kick and didn’t want to lose steam over a weekend getaway. Our massage appointments were as phenomenal as anticipated, and we’ll have to come back for Native Hot Stone Treatments on our next visit. I inquired about the possibility of adding on but the spa was definitely busy that day and all treatment rooms fully scheduled for the day. After our treatments we enjoyed the whirlpool for a bit and spent the afternoon shopping, playing slots, and a nature-filled visit to the Lake of Isles Golf destination, a 90-acre lake in the middle of the property.

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Foxwoods Resort

The sun was setting by the time we made it back to the Grand Pequot Tower. We had reservations at Red Lantern followed by a concert in the Fox Theatre so we freshened up quickly and made our way through the line of people waiting for a table at the restaurant and took our seats in the middle of the hip crowd in the ultimate feast for the senses. Red Lantern is truly an unparalleled sensory experience. Big Night Entertainment Group partners Ed Kane, Joe Kane, Randy Greenstein and Executive Chef Kevin Long is known for shaking up the restaurant scene Boston. Their relatively new restaurant at Foxwoods is dark and sexy. The dimly lit open kitchen, sushi counter, lounge and dining area is illuminated with 66 lanterns. The elegance, care and attention to detail this restaurant extends to its guests certainly left us feeling pampered.

After dinner we snuck into a show in the Grand Theater. Foxwoods draws an unbelievable lineup of A-list entertainers, comedians in their Fox and Grand Theaters. The lineup this fall includes Mary J. Blige, Brian Setzer Orchestra, the Goo Goo Dolls, Jerry Seinfeld and Marc Anthony.

The next morning we hit the extraordinary VUE 24 for brunch. The restaurant, named for its views from the 24th Floor of the Grand Pequot Tower, is so much more than just a series of floor-to-ceiling windows. Chef Michael Yaffe, who recently led the well-known Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas, came out led us through a brunch masterclass with his scrumptious VUE 24 Omelette with Butter Basted Stonington Lobster, Hackleback Caviar, Creme Fraiche and Skillet Potatoes and flirtatious Pain Perdu with House-Cured Bacon, Pecans, Berries and Maple Bourbon Sauce. Pimm’s Cups were naturally in order, as was a finishing Kir Royale to enjoy with dessert Miel Granolas and coconut and a variety of gourmet breakfast breads that only an ex (or Yaffe himself) could orchestrate and mastermind.

I hit the slots one more time before checking out of our room, and came out a bit ahead ($87 to be precise), and on the way home we chatted about our Foxwoods adventure. We had every intention of checking out Shrine Nightclub the night before, and we didn’t make it to bowling, bingo or try our luck at a game of Keno. With Foxwoods just a short drive away the opportunities to see and explore the variety of entertainment, gaming, and recreational options is completely feasible … and might warrant a seasonal trip to this adult wonderland.

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Last modified: August 16, 2019