USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education): It's no gamble: there's a lot to do at Mohegan

VARIETY isn't only the spice of life, it's an absolutely essential ingredient--for me, at least--in creating a successful (long) weekend getaway. I like options, even when it comes to gambling. For quite awhile, my wife and I had wanted to take a trip to Mohegan Sun, the sprawling casino operated by the Mohegan Tribe on their reservation in southeast Connecticut (a relatively painless three-hour drive from our home on Long Island). Margaret was excited about gambling (and why not, she's very good at it), while I, who usually only dabble in various games of chance, was equally interested in the venue's recent $1,000,000,000 expansion, Project Sunburst, spearheaded by highly acclaimed designer David Rockwell, whose goal was to bring nature's elements--earth, wind, fire, and rain--to the project.

Mohegan's Casino of the Earth, with 180,000 square feet of gambling space, opened in 1996. Casino of the Sky, the centerpiece of Project Sunburst, opened in September, 2001. The expansion added 115,000 square feet of gambling space. The casino features the world's largest planetarium dome --some 150 feet across--which showcases ever-changing fiber-optic displays of the sun, moon, and stars accompanied by the lighting effects of Wombi Rock, a three-story crystal mountain built inside the casino, crafted from more than 12,000 individual plates of onyx and alabaster fused to glass, serving as a three-level nightclub and bar, the latter, Leffingwells, boasting more than 50 varieties of martinis. So, the planetarium sky overhead will change one way or the other.

Mohegan also is changing the way live music is seen and heard with its new Cabaret and Arena. The Cabaret seats 300, though it easily could hold almost twice that. However, management wisely has opted for the high (or at least less-crowded) road. Instead of cramming in extra bodies in order to sell more tickets, they've placed a premium on space and comfort while maintaining an intimate atmosphere. Although seated near the back, we still were close enough to see the facial expressions of Tony Bennett and his band. Bennett, whose nightclub act of old favorites is perfect for this venue, even delivered one song sans microphone to demonstrate the acoustic quality of the room. He sounded great.

Meanwhile, most new arenas built today seat about 20,000 since those they play host to--hockey and basketball teams, prizefighters, and rock bands--need the huge amounts of revenue that such massive audiences can generate. Mohegan, however, has cleverly downsized the concept of the big arena. Here, less is indeed more, as the 10,000 seats provide the feel of a large crowd while considerably shortening the sightlines. The sound, too, is impressive. (We saw Gloria Estefan.) We'd really like to return to this arena for a sporting event since every seat is a good one and there are no nosebleed sections. (2006 Winter Olympic Selection Committee take note: This place is absolutely perfect for hockey and figure skating.)

Another wonderful spot within Mohegan Sun is the Wolf Den, a 350-seat no-cover bar that has offered free entertainment since opening in 1996. The stage is practically right on top of the tables, and it's SRO all the way around. Since the stage and seats are enclosed by half-walls, those gambling at the nearby slots and tables can hear the band, and patrons cram the area outside to listen and dance. An oversized screen beside the stage makes viewing easy for everyone. John Secada, a former member of Gloria Estefan's Miami Sound Machine, had the place hopping the night we were there. Well, kind of there. That was the evening we saw Tony Bennett at the Cabaret. Since his show had an earlier start time and lounge-style acts don't last as long as concerts, we made our way over to the Wolf Den when Bennett was through. We couldn't get in, so, drinks in hand, we joined those on the fringes and enjoyed the latter part of Secada's set.

One of the major pluses of the whole Mohegan scene is the fact that you're permitted to leave and enter places with your drinks. For example, when we finished dinner prior to the Bennett show, we were encouraged by our waiter to take our unfinished drinks with us. Pretty cool, we thought, but what about when we try to bring them into the Cabaret? It turns out Bennett discourages waitress service during his shows, so patrons are allowed to get libations at the casino bar outside the main entrance and bring them to their seats, even during the performance.

When Mohegan Sun opened six years ago, there were 20 dining venues. There are now 36, ranging from food court fare to buffet-style meals to incredible gourmet cuisine. Our favorite locale was Todd English's Tuscany, where the celebrity chef serves authentic regional Italian cuisine in his 200-seat restaurant, which sits under a 55-foot indoor waterfall. The appetizers we sampled---eggplant caponata, roasted cipollini Agro Dolce, rice croquettes, stuffed figs, and assorted cured meats--were so delicious and plentiful that we almost didn't have room for the scrumptious pasta course or magnificent entrees. We tried the housemade truffled ricotta ravioli and papardella al aragosta, then were floored by the roasted chicken with porcini mushrooms and walnut polenta, as well as the grilled bass with shrimp vinaigrette. Although we were close to bursting, in our family, no meal is complete without dessert, and it was no chore at all to make room for the pasta frolla with plum compote.

Another restaurant that provides an excellent atmosphere and food to match is the 100-seat Rain, in which cascading water, polished metals, glass ceramic "puddles," and shimmering fabrics blend to create an intimate feel akin to a Connecticut summer rain. And we had no objections to eating a delicious five-course meal in the rain.

Then there's Michael Jordan's Steak House. From the look of his girth since returning to the National Basketball Association this season with the Washington Wizards, Jordan may be his own best customer, and no wonder. The filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes were to die for. Our final dinner was a scrumptious feast--from beginning to end--at Bamboo Forest, one of Mohegan Sun's original eating establishments. As wonderful as the meal was, we just couldn't get enough of the bowls of Chinese noodles that greet customers at each table. How something so crunchy could be so soft, delicate, and delicious was beyond us. I guess we were just resigned to the hard noodles that come with our Chinese take-out back home.

To indulge the inveterate tourist in us, we decided one brisk but sunny morning to forgo the cards, dice, and chips and instead make the 20-minute trip from our hotel in Groton to Mystic, Conn., home to the Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport. The aquarium proved a pleasant diversion, especially the outdoor exhibits which included Beluga whales, harbor seals, sea lions, and penguins. The cold, clear weather undoubtedly invigorated captives and onlookers alike. Inside, the jellyfish tank was stunning and the creatures within it surreal. Also fascinating was the Challenge of the Deep exhibition, the section dedicated to the journeys of Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the sunken Titanic and other ships lost at sea. His latest research concerns a 1,500-year-old Byzantine fishing boat, which, because it sunk in the oxygen-poor Black Sea, remains perfectly intact despite the fact that it is made of wood. (Those nasty sea worms that eat sunken ships for lunch can't survive in such anoxic conditions.) Undersea film footage taken by Ballard and his crew is breathtaking, yet eerie.

While the aquarium is ultramodern in its research and ecological sensibilities, Mystic Seaport remains a haven for the past. One of the country's top maritime museums, it has the largest collection of boats and nautical photography in the world. There are three distinct experiences at the seaport--the shipyard, where the nearly lost art of wooden shipbuilding endures; the exhibit galleries, where the culture of the seafaring life unfolds through photos and memorabilia; and the 19th-century village, where tall ships and historic buildings bring the past to life. The museum's prize tall ship is the Charles W. Morgan, an 1841 vessel which enjoys National Landmark status as America's last surviving wooden whaleship. Visitors can participate in sail-setting demonstrations or learn about life as a whaler by visiting the cramped quarters below. Underline that last part. It's absolutely unimaginable that sailors could live for months, even years, at a time in such a limited amount of space. Even without the boat rocking, I was claustrophobic and sort of seasick within minutes. Lead me back to terra firma.

Back at Mohegan Sun, we really had hoped to go shopping since, at the time, Christmas was closing fast. At this juncture, though, Margaret was committed to the gaming tables and slot machines. While I was itching to blitz as many of the 30 new shops (and almost 130,000 square feet of retail space) as possible, I had promised not to abandon my wife at the roulette wheel merely to indulge my passion to spend and buy. Believe me, though, I shall return.

When we do make a return visit, Mohegan Sun's major drawback (at least for the overnight guest) will be just a distant memory. This spring, it will open a 34-story hotel, replete with 1,200 guest rooms--including 180 suites--with a minimum of 450 square feet per room. More important, it will be located on the casino grounds. No more wasting valuable gambling time shuttling back and forth to area hotels.

On the trip home (a few pounds heavier and a couple of dollars lighter), we ended up taking an unexpected shuttle--a 90-minute sojourn by ferry across Long Island Sound--thanks to some post-Sept. 11 fallout. Even before we had made the journey up to Mohegan, there was talk that the bridges could be the next terrorist targets. With three young children at home, we seriously considered not going at all. We were ready to gamble, but not that way.

The morning we were to leave Mohegan Sun, the television news broadcast the latest shocker: A jet had crashed into a residential neighborhood moments after taking off from Kennedy Airport. All bridges and tunnels into and out of New York City were shut down indefinitely until the nature of the crash (terrorist attack?) was determined. Extending our stay was not an option. We now were frantic to get home. But how? My quick-thinking wife suggested the ferry, and a few hours later were were chugging from the departing dock at Bridgeport, Conn., bound for Port Jefferson, N.Y., a mere 30 miles from our home. A little poorer but much relieved, we finally pulled into our driveway and reveled in the bountiful hugs and kisses from three kids overjoyed to have their parents back home.

Wayne M. Barrett is Managing Editor of USA Today.