File:Topsy the Clown, Circus Circus, Reno, Nevada (169701564).jpg

Circus Circus is a hotel and casino located in Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. It includes a 1,572 room hotel and a 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m2) casino which features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day over the midway which also offers 33 carnival games.

It is the second-largest hotel in downtown Reno (and third-largest in the Reno area overall) by number of rooms.

The main structure was originally built as a Gray, Reid & Wright department store which, at the time, was the only department store in the state of Nevada.

1977 brought about plans to enlarge the store, adding 2 additional floors, 102 hotel rooms, and a casino. The casino would have been known as Camp 14, and would have had a logging theme. The south portion of the first floor would have remained under the name Grey Reid's, but would sell only woman's clothing, and would contain an expanded beauty salon. The plan never materialized, and Grey Reid's moved to a new location in the Old Town Mall (now known as the Reno Town Mall) in July of that year. Instead, the owners were approached by Circus Circus Enterprises, the operating company of Circus Circus Las Vegas. After about a year of renovations, the casino opened on July 1, 1978, about a decade after its Las Vegas counterpart, and on the same day as the opening of the Sahara Reno and the expanded Money Tree Casino. Circus Circus Reno was inspired by the gaming boom spurred by the new MGM Grand Reno, casino companies wanted to gain some of that momentum. The Reno Circus opened with a small hotel and very similar attractions to its Las Vegas counterpart. It has three hotel towers: The North Tower, the Casino Tower and the Sky Tower. The North Tower, with 625 rooms, was opened in 1981 and has a height of 225 ft (68 m) and 22 floors. The Sky Tower, with 905 rooms, was opened in 1986 and has a height of 278 ft (84 m) and 28 floors. In 1995, extensive renovations were completed, including the remodel of the mezzanine level where the restaurants are located, the midway, and a sky bridge connecting to the Silver Legacy.

In 2008, It had planned on adding an indoor swimming pool. Until the opening of the Silver Legacy in 1995, guests at Circus Circus did not have access to swimming facilities.

According to a rendering on the Circus Circus website, the pool would have been under a glass canopy, placed atop the sky bridge tram station. As of July 2010, construction has yet to begin, and all references to the project on the resort's website have been removed.

The Topsy The Clown sign was designed by Gordon Tietjen, and manufactured by Young Electric Sign Company.

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