By By Adam Prestridge
The long-awaited grand opening of the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel is merely hours away, and officials with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians are busy today adding the final touches to the facility’s 50,000-square-foot gaming floor.
Tuesday, the bells and lights on the 1,600 electronic bingo games housed on the ground floor of the 17-story resort will begin ringing and flashing, and some of the Vegas-type luxuries will be available for customers.
The gaming floor at Wind Creek features 500 more bingo machines than the Creek Entertainment Center, which is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. on Monday in preparation for the opening of Wind Creek at 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to PCI Gaming Director of Advertising and Public Relations Lori Sawyer. In addition to high-tech gaming, the first floor also features numerous food and beverage amenities.
A bar area called The Drink will act as a centerpiece of the main floor with two sides for bartenders to serve customers. It will include a water feature that trickles down glass into a pond with an infinity edge. A huge rock wall divides each side of the bar area and serves as a backdrop for the water feature, which will also serve as The Drink’s signage with water cascading behind it. The bar will also feature tabletop games and two 60-inch plasma screen televisions mounted to the rock wall.
There will also be several additional bar areas and lounges located throughout the facility including a VIP lounge and a circular bar at The Sound, the casino’s entertainment venue. The Sound will feature a full stage, greenroom, hardwood dance floor and banquette seating. According to Creek Indian Enterprises Construction Project Controls Manager James R. Angus, P.E., The Sound will seat between 85-to-90 people.
The Fire, a high-end steakhouse, will be the casino’s premier restaurant offering premium steaks carved by the facilities onsite butcher. A 24-hour caf/ called The Grill will offer visitors made-to-order hot meals or they can choose from five different cuisines offered at The Taste, Wind Creek’s buffet. The Taste offers American, Italian, Mexican, Asian and food as well as a wide selection of sweets on the dessert bar. A coffee shop called The Brew will help perk visitors up by offering a variety of coffees and sandwiches.
Once the first floor is opened Tuesday morning, the clock will begin ticking on the second deadline for construction crews and PCI officials. The facility’s additional 16 floors featuring 236 state-of-the-art hotel rooms varying in size are scheduled to open on Jan. 26.
In addition to indoor entertainment, Wind Creek will also offer an outdoor amphitheater with a 2,000 person seating capacity at the edge of a huge pond, which will be located where the current gaming facility now operates. A culinary school and spa will be located on an island in the middle the pond, surrounded by sidewalks and patio areas. A large infinity pool will also be located outside the casino for guests to enjoy. Martin said these amenities are scheduled to open in June.