Some view the Mirage Volcano as a Las Vegas icon. But the city has had many icons over the years. From Sinatra and the Rat Pack to Siegfried & Roy, and even the more recent tenures of Celine and Elton. But Vegas has also lost many of their more iconic casinos as well. Gone are The Stardust, Aladdin, Riviera, and New Frontier. It seems the only thing that’s a certainty in Sin City is change.
Now, the old Hard Rock Casino was rebranded as Virgin in 2021. But that doesn’t mean that the Hard Rock has left Vegas forever. Quite the contrary, in fact. MGM recently sold the Mirage to Hard Rock International for over $1 billion, and if that deal closes it will bring the Hard Rock name back to The Strip.
One problem, however, is that Hard Rock plans to build a huge Guitar shaped hotel on the site, similar to the one at its Florida property. And to do that, they famous Mirage volcano must go. But that’s something that tourists and residents alike don’t want to see happen. And now, they are taking steps to stop it.
A petition to save the volcano at Change.org has nearly 6,500 signatures as we publish this. All in an effort have the site designated a historical landmark. Even though Las Vegas doesn’t exactly have a history of nostalgia when it comes to these sorts of things.
Alan Feldman of the UNLV’s International Gaming Institute told a local newspaper that the Mirage Volcano is an icon for a generation. Adding it’s important to remember that Las Vegas is a city built on change and reinventing itself.
“The Mirage was the first “mega-resort” ever to appear in Las Vegas…” he said. “From day one the The Volcano has been delighting The Mirage’s visitors to what is an increasingly rare and totally awesome free Vegas attraction and highly emotional experience. Moreover, it’s located on the most visible piece of land on the Las Vegas Strip! Frankly, it should be a historical landmark.”
So what are your thoughts?
