The Place: Cal-Neva Resort, Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada
The Story: Cal-Neva at Crystal Bay, a Lake Tahoe North Shore landmark once owed by Frank Sinatra, offers great historic tour -- an amnity few casino-hotels have the history to provide. By Nevada casino standards, it low-key and restrained in appearance, but its history is as wild as anyplace in Las Vegas. The Washoe Indians once had a summer camp on the site, and the first resort, a large log lodge built in 1917 to promote real estate sales, burned to the ground 10 years later and was quickly rebuilt as a self-contained resort west of Reno. The building supplies were already at nearby Tahoe City, and reconstruction took 100 men just 40 days to complete. I'm just sayin'.
Glamour, celebrities, mob ties, suicidal owners, a little jewel of a showroom and an underground tunnel linking the main lodge with cabins on the property are part of the lore that Cynthia Langhof talked about on a historic tour given weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her mother dove to Tahoe from Idaho n a Model T Ford in 1931. She tells tales of mob connections, intrigue and mysteries. Marilyn Monroe ODed at Cal-Neva less that a week before her final, fatal overdose in Los Angeles. With a string of liaisons, some believe that she knew too much for mob comfort.
The Cal-Neva lies directly on the California-Nevada border. It was Nevada's first licensed casino and remains the oldest continuously operating casino in the US. The Indian Room just off the lobby is wood-paneled, decorated with hides and heads. It straddles the state line, and when federal agents came to inspect it, all the gaming tables were rolled to the Nevada side of the room. It was the resort's show room in the 1930s and '40s, hosted banquets and special events, and has a great dance floor. The huge stone fireplace shows the state line, but it is actually off by a bit.
Frank Sinatra bought the Cal-Neva in 1960, fronting for his Mafioso pal and partner Sam Giancana. The Rat Pack and assorted other celebs performed or visited there in those days. Those who didn't want to be seen could land at the rooftop helipad and sneak into the resort. When Sinatra owned the Cal-Neva, he had a wonderful small showroom built, because he didn't like the way his voice sounded in the Indian Room. When he was watching a show rather than performing, he either sat at a large table against the back wall or a private room one level up. The Nevada Gaming Control Board pulled Sinatra's gaming license after Sam Giancana visited the resort after he had been banned from the casino, and he sold it in 1963. Photographs of headliners of those heady days line the corridor from the casino to the showroom, and wonderful original artwork of world entertainment adorns the side walls of the showroom, used today for concerts, plays and special events.
An underground tunnel connects the main lodge with some of the 56 cabins, some of which are still rented out in the summer. Number 5 was Sinatra's. Marilyn Monroe stayed in number 3. The unadorned tunnel has two curiosities, one a faux grave for mob-connected union boss Jimmy Hoffa and the initials of Ava Gardener, reputedly the great love of Sinatra's life, on a retaining wall. Cynthia tells the backstory during the tour. There are, of course, ghost stories, and travelers who seek paranormal experiences visit as well.
Cost: The Tunnel Tour costs $8 per person; reserve by calling 775-298-3160. You can take a look for free on your own, have a drink at the Round Bar under a leaded glass ceiling made with more than 7,000 pieces of German glass, poke your head into the Indian Room or look at the artifacts and memorabilia. Of course, you can play the slots or park at the tables if that's your desire. You can stay there at astonishingly inexpensive winter packages.
Information: Cal Neva Resort, 2 Stateline Road, Crystal Bay, NV 89402; 800-CAL-NEVA.
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