Thousands Pack MGM National Harbor Thursday Night at Grand Opening

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Thousands of visitors descended on the $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor resort and casino Thursday night for its grand opening -- with a VIP crowd beginning their arrival to an invite-only bash at 7 p.m.; the doors opened at 11 p.m. for the general public.

The resort and casino reached capacity at 11:15 p.m., according to an MGM spokeswoman. New patrons were admitted as guests departed.

Prince George's County police and MGM employees kept the traffic moving outside (with temperatures in the 30s), waving fluorescent sticks and directing cars into the parking garage. Although the traffic didn't seem as snarled as predicted, the resort could have used some crowd control with the number of people coming up into the casino from the parking garage on the elevators just after 10:30 p.m., when the garage opened to the public.

Inside, guests -- many dressed in sequins, flowing gowns and tuxedos -- were entertained with tap dancers, Washington Redskins cheerleaders, members of the Blue Man Group (who silently stopped for selfies with the crowd, in the soaring Conservatory atrium, decorated with Poinsettias, orchids, carnations and roses). A crowd watched as two artists -- one from Colorado and another from Alexandria -- worked on an ice sculpture of an MGM lion after creating an outdoor bar made from ice.

Waiters and waitresses passed complimentary cocktails, wine and other beverages and dished out samples from the resort's restaurants as guests took a look around. At the Bellagio Patisserie, tiny samples of tiramisu, chocolate mousse and other desserts were made available.

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker chatted with customers who stopped by her new boutique, SJP, and women left carrying bags with SJP high heels. A security guard outside the store kept the crowd under control so it didn't get overcrowded. The crowd outside angled to take photos of Parker.

The casino was packed with crowds playing at the gaming tables and slot machines. Blossom, a boutique cocktail lounge inside the casino, was also at full capacity.

The night capped off an opening day that began with an 11 a.m. news conference with MGM officials, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, who welcomed VIPs and the media for a sneak peek tour of the resort and casino.

Thursday morning, VIPs were met with employees carrying trays of smoothie shots, cucumber "mocktails" while the dining area, dubbed National Market, had samples ready of everything from miniature crab cakes from Pappas to hamburgers from Shake Shack.

If you plan to visit, the address, if you're plugging it into your GPS, is: 101 Harborview Ave., Oxon Hill, Maryland. Valet rates at the MGM resort are $25 for up to 12 hours.

Taking the bus from Alexandria? From the King Street Metro station (Blue and Yellow lines), you can take the NH2 Metro Bus four stops to the MGM National Harbor stop. This is a new bus line started by Metro in October.

The resort is open 24/7.

Local businesses and government officials in Northern Virginia are hoping the new resort is a boost to the entire region's economy.

The morning news conference Thursday, held in the 3,000-seat theater, kicked off with a bit of a glitch, with a video about the resort playing four times (almost as many times as the commercial seen running frequently on local TV stations).

In the audience Thursday morning, in the second row, were celebrity chefs Jose Andres, brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio and Marcus Sammuelsson, who all have restaurants at the resort. "While the building is beautiful, it's the people working here who make it possible," said MGM National Harbor President Lorenzo Creighton.

"We'd like to thank our friends in the building trade," said Bill Boasberg, general manager of MGM National Harbor. Boasberg also thanked MGM employees who traveled to National Harbor from Las Vegas, Mississippi and Detroit, where the company has other properties, to train the new employees.

"It's exciting to see MGM make such a significant investment in Prince George's County and Maryland," said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

Jim Murren, CEO of MGM, spoke after a video that showed a number of MGM properties as well as a lot of the concerts and entertainment at MGM properties. The sound system shook the walls. "What do you think of that? Do we know how to party?" he said. Murren told the audience he has longtime ties to Maryland, noting his wife is from the Baltimore area.

Here are more photos from a tour of the resort, given to media Thursday morning:

PHOTO of traffic around new MGM National Harbor Thursday night. Conservatory at MGM National Harbor. The two-story floral attraction was designed by Ed Libby. The 15,000-square-foot Conservatory will use botanical creations featuring colors of winter, spring, summer and fall.

Images and story by Patch editor Mary Ann Barton