Westward Ho

Westward Ho opened in 1963 and closed in 2005, after 42 years, on the Las Vegas Strip, with up to 777 rooms. On the site today: Mostly empty land and a McDonald's, between Resorts World and Circus Circus.

The story

The Westward Ho opened on the Strip in 1963, run by Dean Petersen and his siblings. Its rooms sat in low motel buildings around several pools, it called itself the world's largest motel, and a casino was added in 1971. It was known for tables with minimums as low as $1, Mega Dog hot dogs and tall golden umbrella lights out front that other casinos later copied, and its casino appears in the 1996 film Leaving Las Vegas. The family sold it in 1998. It closed on 17 November 2005 and was demolished in 2006. Plans for the land fell through, and a McDonald's opened on part of it in December 2008.

See where it stood on the live map

Opened1963
Closed2005
RoomsUp to 777
There nowMostly empty land and a McDonald's, between Resorts World and Circus Circus

Nearby, also gone

Riviera 1955–2015 · up to 2,075 roomsNow: Convention center space on the eastern part; the Strip frontage is for sale
Stardust 1958–2006 · up to 1,552 roomsNow: Resorts World Las Vegas
El Rancho 1948–1992 · up to 1,007 roomsNow: Fontainebleau Las Vegas (site of the Thunderbird, later the El Rancho)

Old Vegas: where to still see it

Facts from Westward Ho on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).