Foxwoods ⋅ Your Travel Guide for North America’s Largest Resort & Casino
One’s destination is never a place, but always a new way of seeing things. -Henry Miller
As my husband who was born there would tell you, Connecticut isn’t exactly known as the most exciting place in the world, even if it is one of the most beautiful destinations. One place that defies that stereotype might not be where you’d expect. While it is known mostly for its casinos, Foxwoods is an enchanting resort that combines the beauty of Connecticut, with the excitement of world-class entertainment and activities.
On our way to a friend’s wedding in northern Massachusetts, we decided to spend a few days at Foxwoods Resort Casino to unwind. Working through weekends and deep into the nights consistently can become overwhelming if not for self-care. Foxwoods has so many amazing things to offer. From zip lines to hot tubs, to tons of food options, and more. Honestly, the place is so big, that on the final day I realized that I hadn’t even explored the entire Bingo wing of the building. I guess I’ll just have to go back again.
If you’re taking a long road trip to Mass, Maine, or Newport, definitely consider staying a night here. When we got up to Shirley, MA. we were fresh and ready to celebrate! It was a beautiful ceremony on an old wooden bridge. Congrats to the lucky couple!
WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL:
It’s huge. The largest resort casino in North America. Foxwoods Resort Casino is in eastern Connecticut, nestled in the wilderness surrounded by fresh air and endless evergreen forests. It’s truly a beautiful experience with Mother Nature. There’s something to do for everyone and every age group, literally. From the obvious, gambling to roller coasters, zip lining, shopping, golfing, live shows and more. They have seven distinctive casinos and four hotels with over two thousand guest rooms. Foxwoods Resort Casino is this giant 9+ million square foot property. I was constantly in awe of how big the whole place was and while I would get turned around at first, I started to get the hang of it quickly.
STAY:
We stayed in the Grand Pequot Tower and spent most our time between here and Foxwoods Tower. Each hotel and casino connects and the pathways are packed with shops and beautiful scenery along the way. While going through levels, I loved looking out the window at endless evergreens instead of the usual city crowd I’m used to. As for their rooms — they’re spacious, comfortable beds, great room service, and the tower makes it really accessible to pools, spas, and fun activities. The elevators are sooo fast and smooth, you won’t have to wait long to get down to the casino.
DO:
There are a ton of activities to choose from and some of the ones I enjoyed the most were the spa features, shopping, ziplining, pool lounging, and of course a bit of gambling.
One of the big memories from the trip was that we ziplined HighFlyer Zipline style. Sometimes I’m just excited about being excited. It was Jeff’s first time and it was awesome. There was so much anticipation and excitement in me for this, I was nervous and minutes before kept thinking 🤔 am I sure I want to do this? The answer is definitely YES. The nerves were just my excitement. We zipped over fields of nature and as we dropped down into the clearing at the bottom, the smell of the pine trees explodes into your nose and it smells so delicious 🌲 I was taking in deep breaths all the way down as the air is so fresh!
There were a ton of pools on different levels — between Pequot and Foxwood Towers I visited and fully enjoyed 3 different pools, 2 jacuzzis, and 1 waterfall whirlpool at G Spa. Never had I imagined I could sit in a hot tub and be surrounded by evergreen pine trees at the same time. I guess I’m just a city girl, but I can get used to this country life one day.
There’s something about a relaxing atmosphere and self-care that rejuvenates me. I think their G Spa and Salon was made for me. When I planned my day earlier, I had expected to spend just a couple hours at G Spa — counting my wonderful massage. This place is magical and surrounded by 3 different temperature pools. There are saunas and steam rooms — and naturally, I stayed in there for 5 hours like it was nothing. If you’re looking for the ultimate spa experience available in Connecticut, you have to spend a day here.
I was pleasantly surprised by the vast variety of shops I found at Tanger Outlets. The shops are laid out between 2 of the main areas of the complex and there are many great deals to be found with your winnings. There are over 300,000 square feet of shopping and I have to say we made out best at Brooks Brothers. Jeff picked up a few nice polos and scored a nice sweater for 80% off. We even added onto the savings by using a savings coupon book called the Little Red Book — which you can get for just 5 bucks. We found everything we needed for all our upcoming weddings and travels and didn’t have to pay Manhattan prices. Win!
EAT:
🦂 Scorpion Bar was the perfect place to end up after a long road trip. A place where the decor vibes with your tequila and the food takes you to chalupa heaven! This place is the original Scorpion Bar and they take great pride in it (as they should). I’m such a big nacho lover, and I swear these were one of my top 3 nachos of all time. The steak on the nachos was super delicious and tender and the cheeses were on point. The manager was kind and helpful and the service was very friendly and helpful!
One thing that locals kept telling me to experience was Pastry Chef Franck Iglesias dessert aka his labor of love at CAKE by Franck; Recently named 2016 Top Pastry Chef by Dessert Professional magazine. I have to agree that their plain croissant was the best I’ve ever had (I’m coming to test what you have soon, Paris!) and their cookies and other sweets were so yummy.
If you’re looking for more of a Surf and Turf kind of experience after a big day winning at the tables, you should check out Cedars restaurant. Right now is lobster season, so they have a ton of delicious steak and lobster combos. We went for a surf and turf ‘Oscar’ style which was so rich and delicious. The sides are generously portioned like their creamed spinach which was to die for.
Catch the sunset over the sounds of the beautiful piano with handcrafted cocktails atop the 24th floor of the Grand Pequot Tower, Vue 24. Where they offer a lavish charm with a familiar and relaxing ambiance. Jason joined us for a drink at sunset before we hit the tables and he used Foxwoods as a launchpad to go to Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday to see one of his old students win the ATP doubles title there. Congrats Artem Sitak!
Also, I found it super convenient that we could order breakfast like the way we set an alarm clock. The night before, we filled out our order with a requested time for delivery in the morning. Then we left it outside our door. Tip: You must have the menu filled out before 4 am. It’s like magically setting a breakfast in bed alarm! How do I get this at home?!
GETTING THERE:
While the standard advice is to take Amtrak from Manhattan to New London and then an Uber from there, I recommend renting a car and extending your road trip. Jeff and I started using an app called Turo, kinda like Airbnb for cars, and the process was surprisingly simple. Major car rental companies can be a headache to deal with😱. With Turo, it’s regular people looking for some extra cash by renting their cars out daily. You have a daily rate with insurance and the breakdown laid out simply. Kudos. We took a train out of the city and grabbed a car at the old Greenwich train station which was convenient. The app doesn’t work in Manhattan, so you can go to New Jersey or CT to pick up a car.
