Harrah's Casino and Hotel

Harrah's at dusk

Dining at Todd English's Riche

Harrah's features ten types of table games at over 100 tables

The new 25-story Harrah's Hotel

James Beard Foundation winner John Besh invites you to the Besh Steakhouse

Unlike many other cities in the South, New Orleans isn’t uptight about letting adults seek out their favorite pleasures. If you enjoy the excitement of gambling, the real deal is at Harrah’s Casino at the foot of Canal St., just steps outside of the French Quarter. With a luxurious hotel, surprisingly hip entertainment options, several fabulous restaurants, and more all part of the casino’s premises, you may find it difficult to get away to visit your favorite Quarter gay bars.

The exterior of Harrah’s is as grand and flamboyant as you would expect a casino to be in a city that values both charming, old architecture and glittering Mardi Gras parades. Inside is a gargantuan, opulent space filled with slot machines, roulette wheels, and poker and blackjack tables. Overall, Harrah's features ten types of table games at over 100 tables and more than 2,000 slot machines with denominations ranging from a penny to $500. There’s something for all tastes.

If you want to keep as close as possible to the action, the 25-story hotel at Harrah’s is TAG-approved, meaning the hotel management has instituted gay-friendly policies in hiring, training, and community support practices. Beyond that, it’s simply a fantastic place to stay, with 450 generously-sized rooms and suites, a super fitness facility, and plenty of amenities.

For whenever you need to come down from the excitement of the slots and tables, Harrah’s shows off live entertainment at two very special venues. The new 528 music club aims for the atmosphere of a swanky, intimate lounge of velvet curtains and cool cocktails, and it perfectly hits the high notes. With talent drawn from New Orleans’ rich musical culture, sexy voiced divas and handsome crooners cause crowds to swoon nightly.

The Ice Bar at Masquerade also showcases the talent pool of New Orleans musicians, but the music’s goal is to get bodies moving, with rhythms hitting on Latin salsa or funky R&B. In addition, the Harrah’s complex also hosts its own theater where Broadway-style musicals and grand spectacles are frequently staged.

Dining at the casino is also something to write home about. Two high-profile restaurants are directed by celebrity chefs and receive frequent mentions in fine dining publications. Public accolades aside, their food is simply first-rate. John Besh, the James Beard Foundation winner for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2006, runs the contemporary and artsy dining experience called The Besh Steakhouse. Todd English, a Bon Appetit “Restaurateur of the Year” who has also received honors from the James Beard Foundation, operates a stylish, nouveau French brasserie called Riche. In addition, Harrah’s encompasses Asian cuisine at Bambu Asian Grille and Sushi Bar as well as the excellent brewery restaurant Gordon Biersch, featuring many varieties of beer made fresh on the premises.

For more information about Harrah’s, up-to-date entertainment listings, and hotel room specials, visit www.harrahs.com.