Downstate Illinois: Near I-24

Harrahs in Metropolis, Illinois is RV-Friendly and is convenient to Interstate 24 in the southern end of the state. It's a medium sized riverboat, docked on the Ohio River, with gambling on three levels. The gaming floors are roomy with roulette, craps and several blackjack & three-card poker tables on the second level and a poker room on the top level. Over 1,200 gaming machines throughout are upgraded as new slots and video poker machines debut.

There is a designated section for oversized vehicles on the quiet end of the parking lot. Free overnight parking is available. The casino is just 3.8 miles from I-24 exit 37.

We have visited lots of casinos throughout the country. From time to time we receive coupon offers for a free night at a casino hotel, but usually the offer arrives at our mailbox when we're hundreds of miles away from that particular casino. This week, when we knew we'd be passing through southern Illinois, we called to say we were in the area and to ask if the free hotel room offer (the one we received last year) could be used now. Surprisingly, they gave us the free room. I guess it was a slow week. So I got to enjoy a bubble bath...what a treat! (Only full-timin' RVing gals can identify with that.) The moral of this story is, it never hurts to ask for comps -- casinos are always willing to attract people to their gaming floor. Sometimes when you ask for a comp, they'll say no, but often they say yes. You never know unless you ask.