City: Cincinnati, OH

Category: Parks & Recreation

Address: 600 Grand Victoria Drive, Rising Sun

Description: Rising Sun is about 45 minutes from downtown Cincinnati (just follow the above directions to Lawrenceburg, then drive west on U.S. Highway 50 for 8 miles, then jog onto Indiana Highway 56, which takes you into Rising Sun). The Grand Victoria II is a replica of a 19th-century Victorian stern-wheeler, with 1,900 gaming positions and 1,302 slot machines. Some 80 tables offer blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud, and Let It Ride. Passenger capacity is 2,700.Due to changes in Indiana law, the vessel is no longer required to leave its dock for gambling.There’s more here than just a casino, though. The Hyatt Corporation runs an 1890s Indiana theme resort centered around the casino. The 300-acre resort features a 200-room hotel, a health club, a Wellington’s steak house, gift shops, the Victoria pub, Picadilly’s delicatessen, and other amenities, all set in a Victorian motif on cobblestone, gaslit streets. A concert hall features the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck, Crystal Gale, Kansas, Wayne Newton, and Loretta Lynn. The Links at Grand Victoria is the 18-hole golf course. Rising Sun does have some small motels and a few bed-and-breakfasts, but you really shouldn’t miss the resort experience. See the Hotels and Motels chapter (West) for more information on the adjoining Hyatt casino resort hotel.