I'm looking to take my 83 year old mother on a gambling trip. She has some problems getting around so I'm hoping to find someplace thats a little quieter than Vegas. Also, need someplace thats a direct flight or easy access from Chicago or Milwaukee. Again the mobility issue.
I personally hate to gamble but I've promised her a special trip so good dining and maybe even some scenery would be great.
Any suggestions????

Lake Tahoe is a small town and the scenery is beautiful. The only problem is you land in Reno and drive about 45 minutes to Tahoe.

Biloxi, Mississippi is another very nice, small gambling town right on the ocean. It is one of the nicest ocean towns I have seen--you know, not seedy. I'm not sure where you fly into.

Shreveport, La would have flights but isn't that great a town. They do have horse racing parts of the year.

Vicksburg, Miss is also another nice, small town. Once again I don't know where you fly into. Vicksburg and Natchez, not far down the road, have fabulous antibellum homes, many of which are B&B's. There are certain times of the year they have a tour of homes in Natchez. I think it may be going on now. I would highly recommend it for a "girl trip".

Connie knows her gamblin' stuff! I ditto all her recommendations.

Lake Tahoe is a lake of which a portion lies in Nevada. Since Nevada allows gambling the east side of the lake has casinos. On the north shore you will find casinos like CalNeva and the Biltmore in Crystal Bay. While CalNeva has had some work done on it I wouldn't recommend the Biltmore. The Hyatt has a casino in Incline Village. The remodel is lovely. Smallish Casino.
South Lake Tahoe has a number of casinos clustered at the stateline. Choices are Harvey, Harrahs, Caesars, Horizon and Lakeside. South Lake Tahoe has an airport as does Reno which as previously stated is about 45 minutes away. Reno has many casinos, check out http://www.casinocity.com/us/nv/reno/casinos.html for more info on them.

If you mom doesn't mind only one casino, Niagara Falls (Ontario) might be a good choice. You can fly directly to Buffalo from Chicago, and it's a 20 minute drive. Stay in a hotel with a view of the falls. Then drive into Niagara on the Lake for dinner at one of many historical inns. Also, your money will go a lot further in Canada. Good luck.

My husband and I go to Biloxi Miss. several times a year. The pace is much slower than Las Vegas, of course. There are quite a few nice hotels there. There is a shuttle bus that will take you from casino to casino. We usually stay at The Beau Rivage Hotel or The Grand. The Beau Rivage is beautiful. The food in the area is delicious. They always have several good shows at the hotel casinos. There is a web site for the Grand Hotel and also for the Beau Rivage. There is a special at The Beau Rivage at this time. There are connecting flights into Biloxi from Atlanta each. I think you would really enjoy the pace of Biloxi. Please let me know if I can help with more information.

If you do go to the casino at Niagara Falls, be sure to convert your US $$ to Canadian at a bank or bank operated $$ exchange. This way you'll be sure to get the real exchange rate. The casino and most merchants will do $$ exchange but will charge a few percent or more for doing it. There's an official bank $$ exchange attched to the customs station on the US side of the bridge - you can pull in and park from wither direction, change your $$ and get right back on the road.

Biloxi.....Niagara Falls!!! Who Knew!! Intriguing suggestions. Thanks for the great ideas. Any more??

stopped in biloxi once and fell in love with the place. can't wait to go back.
my other vote is for south lake taho. your mother can gamble and you can enjoy the outdoors - great hikes, emberald bay, take a boat tour of the lake (assuming you are going in summer). there is a shuttle bus from the reno airport that stops at all the major hotels in tahoe so you can avoid the drive. beautiful area

bj, lake Tahoe is a beautiful area, and you don't have to hike to see it. South Tahoe is a small place. If you fly into Reno airport there are shuttles from it to South Tahoe with several stops, you can check the Internet, I don't remember now which hotels/casinos are on the route. It's not as hot as Vegas. Gambling is the same.

St. Louis. You can get a direct flight from Chicago to St. Louis. There are 4 Casinos in the Metropolitan area. One is across the Mississipi in East St. Louis Illinois. Another is on the Missouri side of the River. These 2 are about a 20 minute drive from the Airport. There is an Ameristar Casino in St. Charles County. That is also about 20 minutes west of the Airport. And then there is a Harrahs Casino about 15 minutes from the Airport. Harrahs also has a hotel.

I would recommend Harrahs.It has the hotel,a couple of nice restaurants, a Buffet and a couple of delis.

If you are looking for a scenic drive, you could drive to Alton Illinois and drive the Great River Road. There also is a Casino in Alton Illinois . It is a 45 minute drive from the Airport.

Hope this helps,
Sheila

Might as well throw this into the mix: Tunica, MS is about 20-30 minutes south of Memphis. It is in the middle of nowhere (or a cotton field, take your pick), but has a bunch of well-known casinos such as Bally's, Harrah's, Horse Shoe, Sam's Town, Isle of Capri and several others. You would have to have a car. I know at least one of them has a golf course, if you are into that. All have restaurants and most have hotels. And if you get bored (or broke) you can always go back up to Memphis. There are direct flights from Chicago to Memphis. More info at www.tunicamiss.org or www.tunica.com. My great aunt (also in her 80s) goes there all the time and loves it.

Just outside of Kansas City, Missouri --the Station casino/hotel.

Hey, I go by 'BJ' too!
Lake Tahoe has been suggested by several people because you did ask for nice scenery.
Because of that, I will tell you NOT to stay at Caesar's Hotel/Casino. I also have a mobility problem and will tell you that:
1. It's a very long walk from the lobby to the elevators for the tower hotel rooms and from the elevators to the casino area itself.
2. The casino area is multi-level so as you walk round you are faced with '3 steps up and down.' People without mobility problems likely wouldn't even remember it but as someone who uses forearm crutches I was exhausted by our stay there.
Yes, there are ramps but they involve walking even more distance.
So, BJ, keep that in mind where ever you decide on. Be sure to ask the reservation clerk to give you specifics on the walking distance from lobby to hotel room elevators and from the elevators to the actual casino area. Specify that you are traveling with someone in their 80's with mobility problems. If you get a 'hem and haw' ask to speak to the Reservations Manager on duty or the Concierge.
Actually, my favorite place for gambling and mobility issues (we live about 2-1/2 hours from Reno or Tahoe) is John Asguaga's Nugget in Sparks - a suburb of Reno. Its 'East Tower' [West Tower is newer with nicer rooms] is just to the right of the lobby and is immediately adjacent to the casino area; there are no steps anywhere in the gambling area; there's a very good deli downstairs (7 other restaurants) but elevators and escalators are nearby. Certainly not as pretty as Lake Tahoe -- you are in the high desert. Downside to the Nugget [it has its own website as does just about any hotel casino anywhere in the US] is its location right next to railroad tracks.
And, as you know, time your visit, if possible, to midweek; Sunday through Thursday rates will be significantly cheaper than weekends.
Good luck where ever you decide on.

Since I assume you live in the midwest, why not try Windsor, Ontario? The casino there is beautiful, and Canada has always been wonderful when I was there. There are hotels near the casino and a free shuttle will take you to the casino. Sorry to say that I have never flown there, but it still isn't much of a stretch from Chicago.

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!! BJ, I appreciate your understanding of the issues involved and you are so right in pointing out that those fortunate enough to be healthy and active take it for granted.
Tahoe certainly wins by votes but I'll check several of the options and give her the choice.
My mom deserves the best!!