Wayne Newton's Casa de Shenandoah Estate

I'm Gwen (YourStarla) and It’s an honor for me to guest write for Las Vegas Daze! Diana asked if I would step in to write this one, and I readily agreed. You’ve probably seen pictures of me on this blog, but for those of you who don’t know me, I am one of those psychotic people who goes to Vegas too often. Diana and I met years ago through Tripadvisor and over the years we’ve gotten pretty close and regularly plan trips together.

When I heard they were opening Wayne Newton’s house for tours I was on the website buying tickets within milliseconds. It’s not that I’m an insane Wayniac, but I have a rabid fascination with all things Vegas. At home I’m a boring slob in her sweat pants who forgets to brush her hair before she goes to the grocery store. But in Vegas I’m always seeking adventure, and the more Vegasy the better. There’s nothing more Vegasy than Wayne Newton. He is Mr. Las Vegas. Of course he is also in major debt, and desperate times call for desperate measures. And his desperate measures allowed me and Diana to finally get past the golden gates of Casa de Shenandoah.

We opted for the Diamond Tour, which was $95 per person. I know that may seem like a hefty price tag, but the tour was about four hours long and gave us a lot of access, so I personally think – and this is a big statement for me to make – it was the best money I’ve ever spent in Vegas.

Drop the mic.

Do you know how much money I’ve spent in Vegas over the years?

Our adventure started in a cab from Caesars Palace, where Diana was staying. We got one of those chatty cab drivers, except he was chatty in the way that makes you want to duct tape his mouth. He lost total credibility when he turned around at a light, took a look at Diana and said, “Are you Roseanne?”

Let me give you a few guidelines to life. One, if you drive a cab, just drive. Two, if you ask a woman if she’s Roseanne you are guaranteed to either get slapped or have your tip reduced. Diana was classy enough to choose the latter as his punishment and only gave him 18 percent. Note by Diana: I recommend taking Uber and not a taxi to Casa de Shenandoah, LOL!

Diana and I arrived at the visitor center across from the estate in about twenty minutes and the cab ride was around thirty bucks. The visitor center is brand spanking new, complete with a gift shop, restroom facilities and a very nice movie theater. We checked in for our tour and were soon led into the theater to watch a twenty minute movie about Wayne Newton’s life and a little introduction to his home.

We had a great tour guide, Steve. He was very laid back and full of fun tales. He led us out onto shuttle buses that took us across the street to the estate. I was so excited to finally get to go through those ornate gates. Every time I fly into McCarran I see his house down there, taunting me. Being able to finally enter was a Vegas dream come true.

Our first stop was the guest house on the property, which was the original house. It is where Wayne’s parents lived, and it’s full of untouched amazing retro-fabulous furniture reminiscent of your grandma’s house.

From there we moseyed over to the outside stables to chat with the beautiful Arabian horses. (We would go in the full stable later.) Those animals were just so gorgeous, and desperately enjoyed the attention of the guests. We weren’t allowed to touch them, much to my chagrin, but they poked their noses out the doors, obviously hoping we’d break the rules. Sorry horsies, but if I’m going to break a rule at Wayne’s pad, I am going to save it for something bigger. (I won’t disappoint you in that regard.)

It was about this point that I started to realize how many peacocks were roaming freely on the grounds. Full-plumed peacocks were enjoying the sunshine, strolling down the sidewalks and perching on fence posts. Typically I’m terrified of birds, but there’s something majestic about peacocks. Well, until they get too close. Then I take about 48 big steps back. But as long as they were several giant yards away I was happy to share my space with them. Or hide behind Diana as necessary.

But back to the horses! We were escorted out to some metal stadium stands and got to sit and watch several of them train. It was so nice to sit outside in the brisk December sunshine and watch the elegant animals gallop and enjoy the day’s exercise. We got to watch three horses take their turn in the ring, and after several days cooped up at the mercy of casino ventilation systems it was nice to just sit outside and breathe fresh air. Everyone kept saying it was cold, but I took my sweater off. The crisp air was refreshing and invigorating.

Wayne’s estate is home to many animals actually. Our next stop was his exotic animal area, where we saw a cage full of scary birds, as well as his monkey Boo, the wallabies, the penguins, the swans and, of course, more peacocks. Steve told us they are trying to get some sea otters soon. I love sea otters. That’s reason enough to go back!

I should mention that the estate is huge and Steve drove us in the shuttle bus to each stop along the way. It was great because if we didn’t want to lug all of our stuff with us we could just leave it in our dedicated bus.

Our next stop was the museum, which included a tour of Wayne’s plane. The plane sat abandoned for quite some time in a hangar, with Newton neglecting to pay the bill, and eventually he was forced to tow the plane to his property, where it sat for quite a long time. Now restored, it is the perfect addition to the tour. We were able to sit in the cockpit and take pictures – actually we were able to take pictures of everything along the way. It really was full access from A to Z.

Our guide Steve telling us a story about Wayne sitting here trying to get his band to play games with him.

In addition to the plane, the museum housed a lot of his USO memorabilia – Newton has worked with the USO for a really long time entertaining the troops. The museum was also where we got to see items that he held onto in conjunction with his American Indian heritage, important letters written to him from public figures, souvenirs from shows and events, costumes, and his epic garage full of cars.

Before we went to the house we made one last stop and went into the stables. Each horse was unique and beautiful and obviously very well cared for. They all seemed so sweet but, again, I had to behave. No touching the horses, Gwen. Keep your hands to yourself. Save your rule breaking for the good stuff.

The huge fan in the stables fondly called Wayne's biggest fan. :)

Aramus

There are 61 Arabian horses on property. The farm known for breeding World Class Arabian horses is named Aramus Arabians after the award winning Arabian horse of the same name and pictured above. 

So off to the house we went. Outside we were greeted by dancing water fountains – a mini-Bellagio if you will. We walked through the columns and past the doors and there it was – the living room where Wayne Newton tried to seduce Mrs. Griswold. I had reached mecca.

We had full access to the home, including the Red Room, the wine cellar, his secret panic room, closets, the kitchen, and the master bathroom. 

Wayne's study at home.

Pool table with crystal legs.

Office area and model of the house.

Entering the secret room off the Billiards room.

Downstairs in the wine cellar where celebrities like Lucille Ball would sneak off to during a party.

There's a heart shaped pool back there.

Master bedroom and bath.

And there, in the master bathroom, is where I decided it was time to finally the break out of the mold and make my Wayniac mark on the house. Tour guide Steve was very cool, and I did ask permission, but come hell or high water I was going to get a picture of myself either in Wayne’s bed or his tub. I chose the tub.

Poor Diana. She can’t take me anywhere. But, yes, you better believe that I hopped into Wayne Newton’s tub and had my picture taken. And for the rock bottom price of $95 you can too.

The room that the daughter's nanny used.

Daughter's Bedroom.

We shuttled back over to the visitor’s center well after dark, and we were going to call uber to pick us up, but Steve had one last surprise for us. He disappeared for a second and when he returned he told us that one of the shuttle bus drivers was heading toward the Strip and would be happy to take us back. My goodness. That was the last thing we expected. Obviously we tipped Steve, and the shuttle driver as well, but from the moment we got there until the moment we got back to Caesars, we were given such a great experience. So great that I’ve already bought a ticket to go again and take my family.

Thanks to Diana for letting me write about our experience, and for being such a great friend! Thanks for reading!

For more information on the various tour packages offered and about the estate and horses go to their official website.

http://casadeshenandoah.com

Big thanks to Gwen for doing the work writing up the fantastic time we had at Wayne's Casa de Shenandoah! I loved it too and will likely return with my Mom and husband Randy in the future to see it again! Gwen right back at you about being a great friend. :)

For those of you who aren't aware yet most of my prettiest headbands are designed by Gwen. Her store on Esty has some lovely headbands and also some really fun ones like her best seller during Halloween the Medusa Snake headband!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GwenOffuttDesigns