CONSIDER A CASINO-PURE PLEASURE FOR PENNIES A DAY (WELL, MAYBE NICKELS, DIMES OR TOKENS)

ALL PICTURES AND TEXT ARE COPYRIGHTED BY DON AND SARA SCHULTZ

(DISCLAIMER: MOST GAMBLING CASINOS HAVE EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS OF SECURITY. MYSTIC LAKE CASINO HAS PROBABLY THE MOST RESTRICTIVE POLICIES OF ANY CASINO IN THE COUNTRY. NO PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED IN THE CASINO AND MANY OF THE ASSOCIATED FACILITIES. THE MANAGEMENT DOES HAVE AN EXTENSIVE PHOTO GALLERY ON ITS WEBSITE AND ALLOWS THE PHOTOS TO BE DOWNLOADED WITH COPYRIGHT WAIVED. THEREFORE, MANY PICTURES IN THIS GALLERY ARE FROM THAT WEBSITE TO ALLOW FOR CONTINUITY AND ARE SO DESIGNATED BY THE LETTERS SMSC SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY )

With the financial situation facing many families these days, vacations may well be out of the question. Who can afford one? Yet the value of a holiday or break from our daily routines, regardless of how brief, has been long recognized. Even the Bible, Mark 6:31 reminds us that we should occasionally, “Come ye yourselves apart and rest a while.”

Many may think Sara and I have been on what one friend described as "a perpetual vacation" as we have traveled over 100,000 miles around the country in our 37 ft RV these past 6 years. There are actually some days full of work and responsibilities, particularly when we are preparing to move. We will admit, however, that giving up a 2,800 square foot house, a 135 tree orchard and 3 acres in the country for a 400 square foot RV and a rather limited collection of personal possession has created for us, what many would consider, a life of few responsibilities and almost unlimited freedom of movement.

We live quite frugally on the road. Every purchase must be measured not only by price, but also size and weight. We have little "extra" storage space and have to be very careful that our "Gross RV Weight" (GVW) doesn't become too gross. 17,000 pounds at 60 mph can be tough to stop in an emergency.

During our travels we try to economize on lodging more than any other item in our budget. The most we have ever paid for a spot was at Sugarloaf KOA in Key West, Florida at a whopping $100 a night (that is over $3004.48 a month, taxes and discounts included) to the lowest, at the local Wal-Mart parking lot ($0.00 per night, no taxes, no discounts, no water, no sewer, no electricity, not much of a view). RVer's call a no cost night "boondocking". The term comes from a Philippine Tagalog word bundog which means rural, remote, bushy, thus the slang term "the boonies."

What does all this have to do with casinos and vacations? Well, surprisingly gambling casinos, we have found, are a great place to stay or play for a vacation getaway. As the sign on the back wall of our RV declares, "All of the amenities, none of the investment." And most casinos have incredible amenities. Why? Because (A) casinos are only successful if they can attract a lot of "customers" and (B) the more "customers" they attract the more amenities they can afford to have. Avoid small casinos. Bigger is better. Sara and I have made a science out of using gambling casinos as one of our favorite vacation spots and you can too. There is, however, one basic canon you MUST adhere to at all costs in order to make your dream vacation a success: You must never, never, ever be tempted by what we refer to as THE URGE........(can you guess what it is?)

A prime example of a great vacation casino is Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, MN on the southwest corner of the Minneapolis Saint Paul area where we spent this August. We have been at Dakotah Meadows RV Park adjacent to the main casino complex before and we love it. In fact we have extended our stay to a full month and have reservations for the next four years through 2015. How is that for planning ahead? And not once have we yielded to THE URGE........

Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel is on the Mdewakantonwan (pronounced mid day wak en taw) Dakotah Sioux Indian reservation and is run by the tribal government. The 250+ acre site is small by reservation standards but is jam packed with attractions to lure in almost anyone. These attractions can be divided into several main interests areas:

ENTERTAINMENT http://www.mysticlake.com/entertainment

The Mystic Lake Showroom is a 2,100 seat state of the art performance center located in the main casino complex. Such stars as Jay Leo, Tony Bennett, Carrie Underwood, Willy Nelson, Bill Maher, Diamond Rio and Aretha Franklin perform on a regular basis. The newest entertainment venue at Mystic Lake is the outdoor amphitheater that has over 8,000 tiered seats, offering fans live outdoor performances during the summer months. Stevie Nicks was billed during our stay. Who the hell is Stevie Nicks?

Finally, every Saturday night the Promenade Stage features some of the best free music in the Twin Cities. The promenade stage is close to the gaming rooms at Mystic Lake Casino so be careful, the URGE............can be strong to say the least.

DINING http://www.mysticlake.com/restaurants

Mystic Lake Casino is a cornucopia of dining that can delight anybody's palate. Can you spell BUFFET? There is the regular buffet dinner everyday of the week along with a special lunch buffet from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM which costs less and still has more food than anyone should eat. The seafood buffet is on Wednesday nights for $22.95 and is the most expensive, but if you stick to the lunches they are under $10, expect for the weekends when they are $13.95. Besides the buffets at Mystic Lake there is the IL Premio, an Italian steakhouse, the Minnehaha Café, the Meadows Grill, the Mystic Deli, the Gambler's Grill, the Fusion Noodle Bar (our personal favorite) the Coffee Bar and Sweet Temptations dessert ice cream shop. Calories galore so be careful. We limit our buffet visits to once a week no matter what!!!

RECREATION http://www.mysticlake.com/recreation

There are few locations we have visited that include such a wide variety of recreational opportunities all within walking distance of each other. In fact just walking to each one each day would burn off a lot of those buffet calories. You can start with an 18 hole award winning golf course with pro shop, lessons and very reasonable green fees, particularly if you are willing to golf in the late afternoon or early evening. Then you can wander over to the Dakotah Sport and Fitness Center which features an aquatics area with a huge pool, a water slide, a gymnasium and cardio, circuit, strength and group fitness rooms. There is a run/walk track indoors, rock wall climbing, tanning room, whirlpools, steam and sauna rooms, pro shop, scuba lessons and personal trainers available. You can also schedule a massage. And to top it off, how about an ice center with year round skating and skate rental. Before you leave the Sports and Fitness Center, you have to check out the bowling center where $15 buys you 2 hours of 10 pin action. The cost for a day at the Dakota Sports and Fitness Center is $5 and about $100 for a month long membership depending on current promotions. There are extra charges for the use of some facilities such as the rock wall, ice center and personal trainers or lessons.

ACCOMMODATIONS http://www.mysticlake.com/hotel
http://www.dakotahmeadows.com/

There are several places to stay while at the Mystic Lake Casino. The most convenient is the 586 guest rooms and suites at the hotel which feature flat screen TVs and free WI FI, plus free valet parking, a pass to the fitness and health center and free local phone calls. Rooms start at about $100 a night depending on how fancy you want to go. The hotel has its own pool and spa facilities with all the extras including massage offerings. Be sure to make reservations as some weekends are booked solid.

We, of course, stay in the Dakotah Meadows RV Resort with in walking distance of the casino and all the other facilities. Voted the best gaming RV park in Minnesota for several years in a row, Dakotah Meadows is one of our favorites. And it is not cheap. At an average of about $30 a day, we will spend almost $900 for our month stay and that is at the top of our budget. The accommodations are, however, top notch. They include concrete pads, great water pressure, 50 AMP electrical service, green grass all around, clean laundry facilities, a free shuttle to all the facilities at Mystic Lake, daily trash pickup, and a beautiful pond with cascading fountain. And there is a storm shelter for those sudden Midwest storms. Top that off with a car and RV wash and gas pumps, with both diesel and regular at reservation prices, and we think Dakotah Meadow RV is the place to stay. Be warned, reservations on the weekends or during an event like the annual pow wow are a must.

SHOPPING ( http://www.mallofamerica.com/home/)

The crown jewel of any shopping experience in the Twin Cites area is of course the Mall of America. Located just 20 miles east of Mystic Lake Casino in Bloomington, the Mall of America or MOA as it is referred to by the locals (some prefer SOA or "Sprawl of America) has a gross area of over 4,200,000 sq ft or 94.6 acres. You can fit 7 Yankee stadiums inside the Mall, but instead there are over 520 retail stores on three levels, 12,287 parking spaces, not counting the overflow lot of 1,500 more. The MOA boasts over 40 million visitors each year (they claim the most of any mall in the world). A visitor most likely will wantto stroll the stores but can also enjoy over 50 restaurants, stay at the hotel, enjoy the golf course, amusement park, Sea Life aquarium, movie complex and a comedy club all within one climate controlled facility. Mall of America is a must see even if you hate to shop. And talk about security. During our visit was a lockdown and Sara was trapped for an hour in the J Jill's clothes store. It was more dangerous for her to be locked inside than outside with the cost of the clothes.

Other shopping opportunities on a less grand scale include Cappuccino Corner and Linden Hills in the downtown Minneapolis area, upscale 5th and France in Edina, the hip Grand Avenue in St Paul and the Stillwater area 20 miles east of St. Paul. Stillwater is the oldest town in Minnesota and located on the beautiful St Croix River. It boasts an historic lift bridge, vintage main street and is heavy with antiques and book stores. Go in autumn and the fall colors will dazzle you.

ADDED ATTRACTIONS

The attractions in the Twin Cities are many and numbered. The Walker Art Center and Sculptural Gardens are a must see, and if you like zoos, the Minneapolis Zoo is a must see. We visited both.

The Mystic Lake Casino area has one of the most active and varied activity calendars of any spot in the Midwest. Check out the City Pages at ( http://www.citypages.com/calendar/) or the Minneapolis Visitor and Convention Center ( http://www.minneapolis.org/) for a full listing of month by month attractions.

Just during the month of August alone, we have the Minneapolis Renaissance Festival, the King Tut exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota and the famous Minnesota State Fair. The list of events seems endless. Without even getting in your car, you can take a free shuttle from the Mystic Lake Casino area to the annual Wacipi or Pow Wow sponsored by Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community or SMSC. ( http://www.shakopeedakota.org/faq/wacipi.html) in August. This three day pow wow attracts dancers, singers and visitors from across the country and for a mere $5 admission (free if you are over 60 or under 10), you will be treated so some of the most colorful Native American traditions anywhere in North America. It is a photographic paradise (see pictures), a kaleidoscope of swirling color, sound, art and dance. Included in your $5 admission fee are two free meals served on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday featured buffalo burgers with all the trimmings and Sunday a feast of native fry bread, corn on the cob, wild rice, chicken, dessert and beverage. What a deal! And as the website says, " Don't be surprised to hear lots of laughter, joking, and gentle teasing. Humor is important to Native peoples because laughter is a gift from the Creator. All of life is a gift from the Creator. The Wacipi, the Pow Wow, is a celebration of that life, of that gift." You will leave the Pow Wow with a real insight into the culture and traditions of Native American people and cannot help but have your spirits lifted.

The Pow Wow is just one of the many events scheduled at Mystic Lake Casino. Most casinos have a rich schedule of attractions all year long. They make a great place to vacation. The value of vacations will not change regardless of the financial situation that a lot of Americans face during these difficult times. As Al Gini mused in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING LAZY

" Vacations are seen as an antidote to work. They are medicine, a remedy for counteracting the effects of labor.... Vacations allow us to be away from the job, to change the patterns of our day, to alter our routine, to reconfigure our actions and habits, to rediscover ourselves."

When is your next vacation and where are you going? If you're one of the millions of Americans who think they can't afford to take a time out, think again - you may not be able to afford not to. Vacations are good for us and make a world of difference at home and work. We recommend, even if for only a weekend, consider a casino-pure pleasure for pennies a day (well, maye nickels, dimes or tokens.

But beware of the URGE.................remember the buffets are fine, but stay away from the blackjack tables. And if you can afford to gamble, why not? Most visitorS to a casino do and love it. Maybe you will even win the jackpot or a new Mustang convertible.