The Forum Shops at Caesars

The Forum Shops at Caesars has been described as the "Shopping Wonder of the World" with 70 retailers and restaurateurs. Store front facades and common areas resemble ancient Roman streetscapes with immense columns and arches, central piazzas, and ornate fountains, including the Fountain of the Gods. The Fountain Festival is just one of the many reasons to shop here.  At the fountain Bacchus, god of merriment and wine, hosts a party with Apollo, Plutus and Venus who join in the astoundingly realistic animated robotic feature.

The new expansion of the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace will double the existing number of stores and restaurants.  The new 283,000 square foot complex will effectively double the size.  Plans add two restaurants, the Cheesecake Factory and Chinois, and 35 new stores including: Opals & Gems, Fred, Ice Accessories, Max Mara, Hugo Boss, Fendi, Alfred Dunhill, Hyde Park, Bernini Sport, The Gap-Gap Kids, Guess Kid-Home, Shauna Stein, Diesel, Caviarteria, Bath & Body Shop, Niketown, Rampage, Abercrombie & Fitch, Salvatore, Victoria's Secret Bath & Fragrance, Bath & Body at Home, Footworks, The Polo Store-Ralph Lauren, Lalique, Emporio Armani, Virgin Mega-store, F.A.O. Schwarz and Swatch, along with .

The centerpiece of the addition will be an 85-foot-high by 160-foot-wide Roman Great Hall. The hall will host "Atlantis," a spectacle staged before a 50,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, the home to hundreds of tropical fish. The show itself will feature animatronic characters, laser lights, fireworks and special sound effects.

Men's and women's fine fashions: A/X Armani, Ann Taylor, bebe, Bernini, Beyond the Beach, Cache,  Express, Cuzzens, Escada, The French Room, Gianni Versace, Guess, Kerkorian, Knot Shop,   North Beach Leather, Rose of Sharon, St. John, and Vasari and Versus.

Merchants featuring fine leather goods: Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Christian dior and El Portal.

Specialty gifts: The Museum Company, Brook-stone, Caesars World, Crystal Galleria, Endangered Species, Magnet Maximus, The Disney Store, Warner Bros. Studio Store, Planet Hollywood Superstore, Wet of Santa Fe and Zero Gravity.

Art galleries: Antiquities, Galerie Lassen and Thomas Charles Gallery.

The Forum Shops at Caesars is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; until midnight on Friday and Saturday, some stores and restaurants open longer. Free valet parking is available at the Forum entrance on the lower level between Caesars and the shopping center. Covered deck parking can be found adjacent to Caesars Palace.  For more information call 893-4800.

Rio's Masquerade Village

Like most things in Las Vegas, you just aren't shopping you are experiencing.  Inspired by a Northern Italian village, the village features ornate architecture, including Italian marble and sandstone from around the world.

The shops at the village are often over looked in favor of the Masquerade Show in the Sky. Using state-of-the-art technology, world-class performers and top designers from around the world, the show celebrates the spirit of carnivales from around the world. The show consists of three complete parades, each with a different themes; "New Orleans' Mardi Gras," "Rio/South of the Border" and "Venice."

Each float was designed and engineered by Harris Production Services, along with Scenic Technologies. These extravagant floats use lights, fiber optics, and strobe lights. The bi-level Riverboat float features smokestacks and a paddle wheel, and holds eight performers and eight guests; the colorful Brazil is adorned with flowers and maracas, and carries six performers and nine guests; the Balloon float rotates in both directions as it carries two performers; and the Venetian Gondola holds performers and guests behind two graceful swans complete with moving wings. Pay close attention to the interactive "Faces of Masquerade" float. This innovative two-sided float portrays two faces that speak to shoppers and guests. Is it alive?  Not quite, it  houses a technician/performer controlling the movement and voices of the masquerade faces.

The floats travel throughout the village at a rate of 3-feet per second on a 950-foot, 10,000-pound ceiling track. Coming soon, the tower will feature two high-speed, glass observation elevators

Specialty Shops: unique to Las Vegas, including Reel Outfitters, Copavana Cigars, Gary's Island/Dick's Last Resort, the Napa Gourmet Grocery and many more

Restaurants: Napa, Bamboleo Mexican restaurant and lounge, Mama Cucina family-style Italian, Mask Asian delicacies, the Village Seafood Buffet and the Wine Cellar Tasting Room.