Las Vegas "Failed" Most Immersive Attraction Ever - The Extinct History of Caesars Magical Empire

[Music] come with me and let me tell you a tale A Tale of wizards underground Caverns a magic a tale of one of the most ambitious or inspiring and unique attractions that ever exist one that lasted only a few years during the peak of family-friendly Las Vegas welcome to Caesar's magical Empire foreign [Music] Caesar's Palace opened in 1966 as the first themed Resort in the area said to be created to emulate life under the Roman Empire with a goal of making everyone who stayed at the hotel feel like Caesar themselves with a 10.6 million dollar loan on land lease from Kirk accordion jaisano wanted a design that would carry through to every aspect of the resort the heavily themed Roman resort was a hit right away and became the most elaborate and talked about place on strip more lavish and themed than anything that had been built before hosting world-class events entertainers and magicians it paved the way for other resorts to be dreamed up with different femen changing the Las Vegas Strip forever [Music] thank you it was the greatest Empire mankind has ever seen and it still is Susan's Palace we live the Legend by the end of the 1980s Vegas was changing once again and Resorts were starting to offer more with the opening of The Mirage in 1989 themed entertainment was once again at the Forefront of Resort developers Minds Las Vegas would go head first into its family-friendly era aiming to bring people in keep them there the idea was that by offering enough for the family vacation Market visitors would come to Las Vegas with the whole family stay longer than someone come in just a Gamble and most importantly spend more money look out for what fantasy becomes reality when the Mirage appears from a Las Vegas strip and have a towel stay The Mirage kicked off the mega all-entertaining Resort and others would join it shortly and construction began on the Luxor Treasure Island and its pirate battles and the MGM Grand billions of dollars were spent on the city's new target audience throughout the strip the original theme Resort Caesar's Palace had taken notice of the shift in Direction and already had the framework in place to compete the world famous Caesar's Palace at Las Vegas in the state of Nevada scene of the last and crucial Grand Prix of 1981. in the early 80s a large section of mostly parking lot at Caesars was used as a temporary race circuit firstly for Formula One only tiny crowds came and the heat for the races was unbearable the racetrack was removed in 1984. after two years of planning in April 1987. Caesar's Palace would announce that it had plans to add a shopping center on the location of the former racing track the addition was questioned by other Resorts thinking Vegas was about gambling not shopping it wouldn't take long until once again Caesars would introduce something that would change the strip forever this would be no normal shopping mall in 1992 The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace opened and within visitors would be captivated by incredible femen Cloud Sky roofs and talking statues The Forum costed an estimated 100 million dollars will be more than just a shopping mall it would be an experience the full Skies would evolve from sunrise to sunset every hour everything there was designed to entice customers into shop more and spend more with the easiest way out of the ball being through the hotel's Casino inside a four million dollar fountain featured animatronics that would offer a free hourly show a highlight for many the narrow move show featured lasers and statues depicting Apollo brackets plutus and Venus while the idea of the theme shopping mall was ridiculed when it was announced once again it had changed Las Vegas and set it on a path to become more of a shopping destination the Caesar's Palace got a taste of what a highly themed experience could bring and they wanted more family-friendly themed offerings to compete with the growing area and there was a nightlife type of show that was becoming more popular than ever today Las Vegas a magic go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly Marmite and toast a rabbit and a hat or Desperado and Lance Burton magicians in Vegas go back as far as the 1940s and performances only increased from there as musicians and Hollywood Stars began to call Vegas home so did magicians during the 1980s magic performances in Vegas really took off after seek Freedom Roy headlined their first Vegas show in 1981. this was quickly followed by Lance Burton and David coppenfeld signing contracts to perform in Vegas by the 1990s magicians were an integral part of Vegas life thank you that was stupid ah that was really stupid by 1993 Caesar's World Inc were responding to the new wave of Mega Resort family-friendly competition on the Strip by announcing plans for a dramatic change in its facade as part of a 250 million dollar expansion of Caesar's Palace included in this huge expansion would be the planned 25 million dollar Caesar's magical Empire where up to 3 000 people a day would be able to pay for an ambitious two-hour experience combined in themed entertainment dinner a magic ax plan to open in Spring 1995 the 66 000 square foot magical Empire was to be patterned after the Magic Castle in California the idea of a private club where members and their guests could dine watch remarkable shows and was full of surprises here though the experience would be much more of a tourist attraction that only required a ticket the idea from the project came from milk Lawson creator of the Magic Castle who had spent time with the CEO of Caesar's world at the time Henry Gluck and was an early consultant on this new ambitious idea Gluck who had already created The Forum stepped down a CEO of Caesars in 1994 before the project was complete but he was the driving force behind getting it started Landmark entertainment took over the creative process for the attraction you might think that some of the rooms are reminiscent of Poseidon's Fury at Islands of Adventure and that would be why Landmark would go on to create some of the most recognizable attractions in theme park history they hired Ray Pierce to be the magic director for the attraction who was also responsible for magic in shows at Disneyland the team behind the project will be top tier themed entertainment designers the facility itself was built by tishman construction while Landmark designed and constructed the interior the Magic Castle in California even shared their tips and tricks with the project and landmark began to visit to get ideas for the attraction one such attraction they would come to see was the Magic Castle Seance room lamat would build two in their brand new experience Neva was said to be as simple and impressive as the ones that inspired them at the Magic Castle publicity described the upcoming attraction as a dining experience where visitors will be guided through a catacomb Maze of corridors along an aqueduct of Cascadian Waters leading to a vast seven-story High magical Realm Construction and testing was underway the project which was now estimated to be costing coaster to 35 million dollars as some actually report it cost as much as 60 million while originally planned to open in 1995 was delayed to make sure everything was ready after technical glitches and as long as you're here show your wonderful magical world on June 18 1996 Caesar's Palace would open Caesar's magical Empire hoping for around 2 400 visitors a day the immersive experience was for the whole family as long as they were over 12 years old it would cost 50 for lunch and 75 dollars for dinner the magical Empire experience began adjacent to the hotel Sportsbook area in a Celestial core featuring a giant grand entrance with wing Griffins a Florin inspired by a pattern in Nero's Palace in Rome ceronimus Caesar's Chief busier welcomed visitors to the Chamber Of Destiny where an illusion lands them in Subterranean catacombs with a thumbs down from Caesar the floor of the chamber where you stood began to shake and lower as you sank into the catacombs of the attraction working somewhat similar to the stretching room at Disneyland you didn't actually descend hundreds of feet underground as you were led to believe but you sure felt like it the magic had started already the story was that during an excavation under Caesar's Palace it was discovered that Caesar himself had created a hidden world full of the best wizards and magicians that could be found it really did make you feel like you were going deep underground in a cave system Under Las Vegas as you arrived in the catacombs you were Guided by a centurion in your group to one of the 10 dining chambers of the Gods Each of which would accommodate 24 people during a three-course dinner served by Maximus and Minimus each guest would use a theme card in front of them to choose which entree they wanted once the cards were collected they were put into a box and burst into flames luckily you got the right meal always everyone raise your arms and your first magical gestures wizards of the empire there you go repeat after me oh yes Lord what you believe is real is real entertainment in the room while you dined included music Magic by Master sorceress Octavius and comedy with a final Grand act a disappearing trick before the rest of the experience was explained with so many guests visit him per day the dinner was the quickest section of the experience as it had to be reset every 40 minutes and all the while you're served your three cores gourmet meal oh it's quite nice oh and it comes with your choice of entrees chicken and veal salmon or a vegetarian dish oh and that comes an unlimited supply of wine as well that keeps me not so slim after you're fortified from your Feast then you're taken to the sanctum secorum the very center of the magical Empire there and nearly Anything could happen around every corner the magic and the mystery and the things that you'll see and do after finishing your meal guests will be guided to the sanctum secorium a seven-story chamber that was incredibly themed inside you could find a five minute show luminaria combining giant dancing fire smoke and light in effects that was definitely impressive could get your your cards ready [Music] it's veritable Carnival in the sanctum support really oh I go there for all my passes well it's quite fun after you could explore the underground Chambers where Broken Bridges that looked like you would fall into Bottomless Pits awaited head into the Forbidden Crypt of Ramesses with rotating walls along with other exciting Corners under underground to explore next to the main chamber will be two bars The Grotto bar was nestled in a dragon's mouth cave where an invisible pianist called Isabella played requests this was heavily inspired by the Magic Castle two skeletons hung on the wall and sang and cracked jokes the spirit bar used a pepper's ghost effect to have Maximus Maven interact with guests and perform tricks with the help of the bartenders two more theaters provided live entertainment the secret Pagoda a 75-seat theater had masters of close-up magic in 13-minute Long shows while the larger Sultan Palace Theater which sat 150 featured illusionists in 30-minute performances the performer you could see on your visit could be different each time but most of the shows follow the same format in the beautiful theaters and the magic on display would always be impressive sometimes popular magicians would draw people in just to see their show a lot of the tricks ax used in the show were developed in the few months leading up to the opening as magicians and actors were being trained plenty of planned Illusions had to be cut due to the practicality of the attraction but the experience wowed those who visited after finishing the dinner section guests were able to explore the attraction at their own pace and see the shows in the order of their choosing enjoy the bars or just relax exploring the different highly themed rooms so that's a bit what we have here at Caesar's magical Empire I hope you enjoyed your time that would be not windy yet oh Well I enjoyed having you if you'd like to join us here for dinner do talk to someone at the Caesars Palace box office is a very helpful and they'll let you know where we are so you can come and see us and join us for a wonderful evening of entertainment magic and merriment the Caesar's magical Empire experience was expected to last two and a half to three hours to see it all it was essentially an indoor highly themed interactive magic theme park filled with genuine Antiques and artifacts from Persia Afghanistan and Egypt and every war was decorated themed or adorned with murals that replicated ones found from around the world the Seance rooms became one of the hardest places to get a ticket for in Las Vegas with it mostly being used for high rollers at Caesars and their kids from the moment you entered you're immersed in the EXP variants in every direction and the reaction by those who visited was that it was astounding really believing you were underground until you ascended the short ramp back into the casino when you were done Caesar's magical Empire quickly became a must-do on a family visit to Las Vegas an elaborately themed multi-chamber dining a magic Wonderland the attraction tracks stayed mostly the same over the next few years with performers able to take and design their own spin-on Illusions inside as well as introducing their own eventually the over 12 age requirement for children was dropped and kids between 5 to 10 could get in half price The Experience remained popular and was making good money even hosting Halloween costume parties which were a cheaper way to get inside the experience without the dinner Caesars even used magical Empire as part of many tv specials and variety shows while the sets were incredible experiencing the exciting image a cool dinner was unique what really sets Caesar's magical Empire apart was that a huge incredible talented cast and crew that brought the attraction to life a fully immersive experience with character actors and magicians in every single room staying in character from the moment you entered until you left by 2000 Caesar's magical Empire was still ranking as one of the best Las Vegas entertainment and dining options the experiences core still remain the same as it had since opening day and those who visited still remain wowed by what the experience gave people reported that they could not believe the immersive Adventure back in time with dinner that could not be found anywhere else in the world if your hunger for excitement matches your hunger for Fine Food then Caesar's magical Empire has the recipe you're looking for a Sumptuous three-course Feast Grand scale Illusions and surrounding so authentic you'll swear you're in ancient Rome while the attraction hadn't changed once again it would be Las Vegas that would with the driving force creatives behind the attraction gone a marketing and Caesar's Resort not really sure what to do with and how to promote the attraction with Caesar's Palace Changing Hands multiple times rumors began that Caesar's magical Empire would close performers often ended the show encouraging the audience to write to Caesars and tell them not to close it but family-friendly Vegas was over space on the Strip meant money and while the attraction was making a good amount of money it was nothing compared to what the space could generate the unique attraction stays were numbered after multiple cuts by the then CEO of Caesars with entertainment halted and free tours being one of the only ways to get a glimpse inside on its final days it wasn't a secret that the Caesar attraction would not last much longer on December 1st 2002 without much fanfare it close quietly without barely anyone talking about it at all the majority of the attraction would be demolished and replaced with the pure nightclub as well as being used as space for Celine Dion's show in her new Coliseum much of what Caesar's added to compete with other growing Mega resorts in the city would be removed from the magical Empire to the first IMAX 3D simulator ride race to Atlantis in the Forum Caesar's Palace would again emphasize returning to making as much money as possible with gambling shopping and live music and they're ahead of its time attraction was no more today at Caesar's Palace only a few remnants remain of the Resort's attraction and entertainment from that time oh well well do come and see me I'll wear something low-cut and sexy for you good night often family-friendly Vegas is considered to be a failure but was it rarely were the attractions that were created for it bad rarely they were even for children most of the times they were top-tier from Star Trek the experience to Wet and Wild to the pirate ship battled on the Strip all of the attractions that we no longer have were not removed for being a failure they were removed for the promise of bigger profits each and every single story of an attraction had enduring Vegas's family-friendly era of the 90s were Innovative way ahead of their time and would still impress today sadly most of them did not make it past that era of change until the present Caesar's magical Empire included for those that still look a few remnants from the original 90s era attractions still remain today still as iconic as ever at least for now of the 90s themed attractions that didn't make it none were ever so ambitious unique and before its time as Caesar's magical Empire and it certainly cannot be called a failure in any way immersive and unique it was often regarded as one of the most incredible attractions in Las Vegas history leaving lasting memories on nearly everyone who embarked underground into its catacombs and the many many people who work there family-friendly Vegas changed the city forever and while many ambitious never seen again attractions have been lost to time and more often money its impact can still be foul not just the attractions were ahead of its time essentially the whole concept was Las Vegas is changing again nearly 30 years later Vegas is looking again for immersive themed attractions that bring you more than just gambling everything comes full circle as more and more themed entertainment offerings are added to the strip and surrounding areas the family-friendly era of Vegas never truly went away and it was never really for children at all while marketed as kid-friendly the attractions that came with it were really for everyone and many of them would still be a huge hit if they were added today immersion is back femin is back and it all started with volcanoes pirate ships and in the case of Caesars Majid foreign [Music] thank you so much for watching this episode of expedition extinct if you enjoyed it make sure you subscribe to join the Expedition follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates on upcoming episodes and a special thank you to our patrons for supporting the channel we will see you next time top I wish we had a ball indeed oh we've remodeled [Music]

Channel: Expedition Theme Park

Views: 234,002

Keywords: expedition theme park, expedition extinct, las vegas, vegas, history, theme park, failed, failure, closed, abandoned, extinct, expedition, ceasar's palace, ceasar's magical empire, las vegas rides, las vegas shows, magical empire, magic castle, desperado, ceasar palace, Caesars palace, Caesar’s magical empire

Id: 40B4guw26-Y

Length: 23min 36sec (1416 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 11 2023