Turning Stone Resort Casino
That Turning Stone Resort Casino is a special destination is evident even before one arrives at the casino-hotel complex located in the tiny hamlet of Verona about 35 miles east of Syracuse, N.Y. Guests approach the sprawling facility situated off Exit 33 of the New York State Thruway (I-90) via a lushly landscaped boulevard that sits beneath The pyramid-topped Tower, the dramatic glass-faced hotel that is the tallest structure between Albany and Syracuse.
Stepping inside from valet parking, one finds a bustling lobby under a soaring atrium dominated by a Caesars-branded sports book (self-parkers enter the property via a circular atrium that houses a huge Dale Chihuly glass art installation). The Tower, which opened in 2004 and was remodeled in 2017, provides top-shelf accommodations that include a 410-square-foot standard room and a selection of junior and full-sized suites. All boast floor-to-ceiling windows that offer sweeping views of the surrounding landscape.
The Tower is one of three on-property lodgings. On the lower end, there’s the three-floor, 268-room Hotel at Turning Stone, the casino’s original bivouac. On the ultra-high end is The Lodge at Turning Stone, a three-story, all-suite complex that sits apart from the hustle-bustle of the main building. It blends a relaxing, woodsy vibe with a plush, pampering environment.
I recently stayed at The Tower and was impressed not only with the room itself, but also with the hotel’s array of amenities and attention to detail. These include dual-head showers; individual night tables each with two electrical outlets and two USB ports (this may not sound like much, but you’d be surprised how many casino-hotels come up short on this score); room safes placed about three feet off the ground (in most casino hotels, they’re positioned just off the floor, making it tough on backs and other body parts); ice buckets with the plastic liner already in place and hand sanitizer dispensers in elevators.
Turning Stone, which is just under a five-hour ride from Cherry Hill, also operates the more moderately priced Inn at Turning Stone, which is located two miles away and is serviced by a free shuttle, and The Village at Turning Stone, a 175-capacity RV park located a mile off campus.
As befits a first-class gaming hall, gambling options are varied and plentiful: The 125,000-square-foot casino boasts 2,000 slot and video units and 66 table games including numerous poker variations. There are also a 32-table poker room and a 1,200-seat bingo parlor (one of the largest in the world). And Turning Stone is, to our knowledge, the only casino in the U.S. whose minimum-age requirement for table games is 18.
But gambling is only one activity offered there. There are also five golf courses (three 18-hole and two nine-hole) and the Golf Dome, a 17,000-square-foot, indoor facility containing 40 hitting stations, two simulators and a short-game practice area. And if golf isn’t your cup of “tee,” right next door is the Sportsplex, which has eight tennis courts (four indoors, four outside) and two indoor racquetball courts. And The Tower houses an indoor pool and the Tower Fitness Club, which boasts a variety of workout equipment.
All that physical activity certainly creates hearty appetites; not surprisingly, Turning Stone has that covered with numerous dining options covering all budgets and palates. The superb, Asian-focused Peach Blossom is notable for, among other things, its large (borderline-overwhelming) selection of traditional American-style Chinese dishes and more exotic offerings like duck tongue and jellyfish salad. And its unique, circular layout provides guests with an uncommonly private dining experience.
For those looking to splurge, there’s the ultra-high-end TS Steakhouse. Perched on the top (21st) floor of The Tower, TS is a richly appointed, but comfortably club room with dramatic views of the surrounding Irish Mountains. The menu is traditional in its emphasis on beef and seafood, but TS does it as well as, if not better than, any casino steakhouse I’ve sampled.
After-dinner activities abound at Turning Stone. In addition to several bars and lounges, there are two headliner venues, the 5,000-seat Event Center and The Showroom, an intimate 600-seater. But the real nightlife gem is the section dubbed Exit 33.
The physical focal point of Exit 33 is the Tin Rooster, whose exterior replicates a large barn. Inside is a cavernous room that houses a BBQ restaurant-cum-country-oriented-live-music-and-dance club.
Exit 33 also claims two other notable spaces: Turquoise Tiger recreates the elegant, art deco nightclubs of the 1930s and ‘40s (complete with a few gaming tables). On the lower level is The Gig, a narrow, low-ceilinged rock room inspired by Liverpool’s legendary Beatles-spawning Cavern Club.
And when all the gambling, eating, recreating and dancing finally catches up to you, a treatment at Skana Spa provides the perfect place for rejuvenation and just plain chilling with its menu of treatments and massages and peaceful, soothing lounges.
Another standout feature is the pleasant and helpful staff, epitomized by a security officer named Raphael.
When I asked him directions to Peach Blossom, he insisted on escorting me on a not-insignificant cross-casino jaunt to the eatery, rather than just giving me verbal directions. It was yet another reason why Turning Stone ranks as a top-shelf destination.
