We checked out the new casino that’s 90 minutes from the Triangle. Here’s your guide
The Caesars casino that opened in Danville, Va., this week may not have a hotel yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend the night there.
We did.
Well, not the whole night; the three hours from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. were enough to catch the vibe of the place and lose all the money we had set aside for gambling ($12). After that, we took a headlight tour of this riverfront town to see what else is open 24/7 and what might be worth a return trip during regular business hours.
Until now, the quickest trip from Eastern North Carolina for slot machines and live table games was to Kings Mountain, west of Charlotte, or Cherokee, in the mountains. Harrah’s Cherokee still is the closest fully developed casino resort with a hotel and other amenities; like the Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, Caesars Virginia will operate out of a temporary facility while its permanent resort is under construction.
You can watch progress of Caesars construction on this live cam.
Here’s what to expect if you venture out.
Danville’s casino is temporary, for now
While a permanent facility is under construction, a temporary casino is open for business in what looks like the world’s largest wedding reception tent — a 40,000-square-foot, climate-controlled rectangle about the length of a football field.
The tent is on the site of the future resort, where once stood the Schoolfield campus of Dan River Mills textiles. The finishing plant building and other structures had sat empty since 2007 and have been demolished, but Caesers kept the plant’s three smokestacks and will incorporate those into the resort’s design, a tribute to Danville’s textile history.
How far is the Virginia casino from the Triangle?
Caesar’s Virginia, a partnership between Caesar’s, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee and the City of Danville, is 90 minutes away or less from the Triangle. Some Durham residents can get there in under an hour, making it an easy weekend outing or even a midweek after-work excursion.
Another option: incorporate a few hours at the casino into a day trip that includes a visit to one of the city’s museums, a stroll or bike ride along Danville’s Riverwalk and a meal or a local micro-brewed beer.
Getting to Caesar’s Virginia
The casino itself is easy to find at 1100 W. Main Street in Danville, about three miles across the North Carolina-Virginia border, just off U.S. 29 Business.
It has ample free parking in lots adjacent to the tent, across Main Street and across Bishop Road.
During our visit, parking areas were lit up like a football stadium on a Friday night, making it easy to see a mix of license plates from Virginia and North Carolina. The lots were regularly patrolled by private security.
Security also is posted at the entrance to the tent, and officers may ask for identification. No one under 19 is allowed in the casino, and anyone showing signs of intoxication can be turned away.
Inside the casino
▪ Light up. The casino is basically one large open space with a few partitions to section off some groups of games. Smoking is allowed – you left North Carolina three miles back – and ashtrays are posited next to clusters of machines and at live gaming tables. A vaulted ceiling helps dissipate the smoke and vape fumes, but at 2 a.m. Wednesday, less than 48 hours after it opened to the public, the space smelled faintly of cigarettes.
▪ The temporary casino offers 740 of “the newest and most popular slot machine titles,” according to the company, along with 25 live table games, including Blackjack, Roulette and Baccarat. There are another 28 electronic table games for Blackjack, Roulette and Craps.
▪ The permanent casino, under construction, is expected to open in late 2024 and will have: a 500-room hotel and a gaming floor with more than 1,300 slots, 85 live table games, 24 electronic table games, a poker room and a Caesars Sportsbook, along with a full-service spa, pool, bars, restaurants, a 2,500-seat theater for live entertainment and 40,000 square feet of convention space.)
▪ Food. There is a snack bar called “Three Stacks” with some tables inside the casino. In addition to prepackaged sandwiches, salads, baked goods and bottled drinks, it offered $6 hot dogs, nachos with cheese, and a $7 bowl of chili. Another window sells a small selection of beer and several wines by the glass.
▪ What’s the vibe? The casino is bright and colorful and loud, like the old Pavillion at Myrtle Beach, but less sticky. There are no windows but tons of light from the flashing, beckoning machines. It can be overstimulating, which is what many visitors like about it.
What else to do while in Danville?
In the middle of the night, not much else is open in Danville besides the casino, though that might change when the permanent resort is complete.
For now, there’s a 24-hour Sheetz, which actually has a better food and drink selection than the casino, a couple of miles away across the Dan River. Danville’s Cook Out, across from Sheetz, is open until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and until 3 a.m. other nights.
Make it a daytrip: Danville has enough to offer that gambling can be just a part of the adventure. Consider arriving early in the day to wander along the scenic Danville Riverwalk Trail that meanders 9 miles through parks and residential and business districts. Trailheads and parking are found at Dan Daniel Memorial Park, Anglers Park, Main Street Plaza and Crossing at the Dan.
Crossing at the Dan also features the Carrington Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater that hosts the annual River City Music Festival and other live performances.
This weekend is the Festival in the Park at Ballou Park in Danville, with arts, crafts, entertainment and children’s activities.
Other Danville, Va. attractions:
The Danville Science Center, open Wednesday through Sunday, is not just for children (who can’t go into the casino, even if accompanied by adults). There’s also the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, open Tuesday through Sunday,
Danville has a farmer’s market at 629 Craghead Street with fresh local produce, meats, honey, eggs, baked goods, jams, salsa, pickles, soaps and crafts that runs every Saturday from May through October. It adds a Wednesday market in July and August.
On the second Thursday from May through September, there are free concerts at the Farmer’s Market site beginning at 7 p.m. Bring a lawn chair.
There’s a tank museum in Danville, with armored vehicles from World War I and World War II. It’s open Fridays and Saturdays from April through December, Saturdays only the rest of the year.
Best restaurants in Danville, Va.
The city has a range of fast food and chain restaurants, but also several local eateries that get good reviews.
▪ Cotton at Riverside Mill is housed in another former textile manufacturing building.
▪ Locals recommend San Marcos for Mexican fare, Frank’s or Joe & Mimma’s for Italian and Ciro’s for pizza.
▪ The Danview offers home cooking.
▪ To celebrate a big casino win, or drown the sorrow of a big loss, Danville has its own 2 Witches Winery and Brewing plus several chain breweries.
Hotels in Danville, Va.
Danville is happy to host overnight guests.
One intriguing option is The Bee Hotel, a 47-room boutique hotel in the adjacent former homes of the Danville Register and the Danville Bee newspapers.
Courtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn & Suites, Best Western, Red Carpet Inn, Budget Inn, Economy Inn and Super 8 also have hotels in town.