Typically we try to avoid staying in parking lots when there is a nation of public lands to explore, but sometimes we don’t have much choice when we’re trying to keep our travel times manageable. The Morongo Casino was the 2nd or 3rd casino we’ve stayed at, depending on how you define them. Of the three, it was probably our best casino parking experience.
Camping Accommodations at Morongo Casino
While Morongo Casino didn’t offer any camping amenities like 50,000 Silver Dollars with its electric hookups, or the Cherokee with full hookups, what Morongo had was a massive lot where one could park far away from anyone else. One can stay up to 7 days at the Morongo Casino and all you need to do is check in at the main desk to get a free “RV pass.” The lot is patrolled regularly by casino security so that pass is a necessary inconvenience.
Things to do at Morongo Casino
One of the reasons we stopped at the Morongo Casino was its family-friendly bowling alley. The RV lot was right behind the alley and on one of the days we were there, we took advantage of the convenience to introduce the kids to the sport. Previously, Mom wasn’t a fan of bowling, and Dad was ambivalent, however, playing with the kids and experiencing their joy second-hand reinvigorated the sport for us.
The pricing was a little unique in that you paid by the hour of time at the lanes, vs paying for a game. Shoe rentals were extra. When we were there they had a “Family Special” where for one price you got an hour and a half, shoe rentals, and a medium pizza. As we had other plans for dinner, we just did the hour. We were able to get a game and a half in during the hour we bought and that was plenty of bowling for us.
The casino itself had a pretty varied food court that we ate at one night as well. Whenever we stay at a casino or other business we always try to buy something to “pay” for the spot.
Final Thoughts for Morongo Casino
Unless you’re a fan of casinos, I’d only treat Morongo as a quick stop between locations. The bowling was great, and the food was alright, but otherwise, the area didn’t have much to offer, especially for a family traveling frugally. However, if casinos and tourist traps are your thing, you can’t beat a week of free camping. As it was, we were initially only going to stay for a couple of nights, but a bad wind storm blew through the area and we appreciated being able to stay put safely for a couple more days.
