Minneapolis-St. Paul Area Attractions: Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel

Visitors to the Twin Cities with an itch to gamble might want to stop by Mystic Lake Casino & Hotel in Prior Lake, MN. Located just 25 minutes and 27 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, the casino features over 4000 slot machines, 100 blackjack tables, a bingo hall with some of the largest jackpots in Minnesota, 5 restaurants, a 600 room hotel, and an RV park and campground.

Gaming
Gambling at Mystic Lake is limited to blackjack, slots, video poker, and bingo. It's enough to calm the average gambler but, for those looking for a more varied assortment, head to the nearby Canterbury Downs where you'll find horse racing, a poker room, and a small selection of table games.

Restaurants
The five restaurants in the casino offer something for nearly every taste and budget. Entering the casino through the hotel entrance, you'll find The Coffee Bar near the fireside lounge. While a bit overpriced, the kiosk offers standard coffeeshop fare: coffees, pastries, juices, and other snacks. The Gambler's Grille offers various fast food items from sandwiches and hot dogs to ice cream and muffins.

Those looking for a more substantial meal will want to head to one of the three sit-down restaurants. The Buffet offers the typical setup most people associate with casinos -- an all-you-can-eat spread offering salads, soups, Asian, Italian, and traditional American cuisine. Although it's fully enclosed within the casino, Minnehaha Cafe attempts to convey an outdoor cafe feel and offers a variety of mid-range priced entrees. Finally, Ribbons is a steakhouse offering various seafood and steak dinners. Entree prices run from $13-26.

Lodging
If you're looking to make a weekend out of your casino stay, Mystic Lake has two on-site options. Room prices at the hotel are about average for the Twin Cities area at anywhere from $50-99 per night depending on the time of year. And, if you're feeling spendy, upgrades to special suites can be bought. The hotel has a pool, non-smoking rooms, and room service among other amenities.

For the snowbirds who travel year-round or just part of the year, the nearby RV park & campground offers a slightly cheaper option at $21-30 per night. From June to September, you can even stay in one of the campground's Native American-inspired tipis for $21 a night. Showers, a laundry room, a playground, and a small convenience store can be found onsite.

Transportation
Driving directions can be found at the website or the ever-popular Mapquest. Although this option is a bit expensive at $50-75, taxi service does run between the casino and the metro area. It's far cheaper to catch one of the free casino busses that stop at various points in the city, including downtown and Mall of America.

For up-to-date information, call Mystic Lake's customer service hotline at (952)445-9000 or 1(800)262-7799.