page_title: Casa de Shenandoah
section_title: Operation
hierarchical_section_title: Casa de Shenandoah / History / Attraction / Operation
caption_attribution_description: English: Wayne Newton's automobile collection at his Casa de Shenandoah estate in Las Vegas.
context_page_description: Casa de Shenandoah is the former estate of singer Wayne Newton, who also used the property as a ranch for various animals. It is located on 39.5 acres in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. Newton initially purchased five vacant acres of the property in 1966 and gradually expanded it with several houses, including a mansion completed in 1978.
  In 2010, Newton proposed turning the estate into a public attraction, an idea that received opposition from nearby residents who had concerns about the traffic that such a project would bring. Newton's proposal was approved by county officials, but was delayed in 2012, when his business partner on the project, CSD LLC, filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he and his family had interfered in the development plans.
  After legal issues were resolved, the property was put up for sale in 2013 and again in 2014. The estate ultimately opened as a public attraction on September 18, 2015, with Newton's involvement. It closed for renovations on April 24, 2018. Newton said the property would reopen to the public, although he and his wife subsequently withdrew the permits for the attraction in July 2018.
context_section_description: A VIP party was held on the night of September 17, 2015, ahead of the public opening the following day. Attendees to the VIP party included Carrot Top, Clint Holmes, Lance Burton, Robert Torti, Sabrina Bryan, and the Harbers. At the time of the opening, Newton said, "Nobody thought we'd be back here. When we moved out, I never thought I'd be back here, either." The Newtons continued living at their newer house following the public opening of Casa de Shenandoah, although Wayne Newton visited the ranch every day. Within five days of its opening, approximately 400 people had visited the ranch daily.
  The newly built Visitor Center across from the ranch contained Newton's memorabilia, shops, and a short documentary film about Newton's life and the creation of Casa de Shenandoah. The video tour was narrated by Newton, while a VIP package featured Newton himself as the tour guide. Three shops were each respectively named after Newton, his wife, and their daughter: Wayne's World, Kat's Korner, and Lauren's Lair. Customers were shuttled from the visitor center to the estate.
  Featured on the tour was Newton's collection of 13 rare automobiles, mostly consisting of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys. The collection included vehicles owned by Johnny Carson and Liberace, and two one-of-a-kind cars: a 1934 Rolls-Royce and a 1983 Mercedes-Benz. Also featured on the tour was Newton's Native American artifact collection, his private jet, armed forces items, and letters he received from U.S. presidents. Newton's memorabilia dated back 60 years. The property contains 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m²) of grass, and the tour also featured Newton's zoo of animals. In November 2016, neighbors of the estate complained of peacocks being a nuisance. Newton's attorney said the peacocks were not Newton's responsibility, stating that the animals were already present in the area when Newton bought the property in the 1960s.
  CSD LLC was allowed to hold events on the ranch under strict guidelines set by the county. This included no outdoor loudspeakers, no alcohol sales, and no events after dark. CSD also could not charge for events. However, these rules would later be ignored, and neighbors subsequently complained about events at the property for reasons such as loud music and traffic congestion. County commissioner Jim Gibson said CSD was "doing things well beyond what they were authorized to do."
  In early November 2017, the Nevada District Office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) held a banquet on the property, an event which included a $1,500 cash bar. Neighbors complained that the event utilized loudspeakers and that it lasted after dark, prompting an investigation by county code enforcement officials. The SBA also opened an investigation into the event, as SBA money was illegally used to pay for alcohol at the event. Subsequent controversial events held at the ranch included a $10,000 wedding and a car show. In April 2018, more than 1,200 people attended a dining and dancing event that included live music until 9:30 p.m.
  Casa de Shenandoah closed to the public on April 24, 2018, although the estate continued to host a few more events into the next month. Newton said the closure was necessary to allow for renovations, which could not take place with tours ongoing. He said the property would reopen as soon as possible. However, on July 10, 2018, the Newtons withdrew the permits used for the property's museum and tour operations. Newton said, "As of now, we are just taking a breather and deciding what we want to do in the future. We have not wanted to make any rush decisions." Cosmetic work on the property, including exterior painting, would continue. During the same month, CSD stated it would not use the property as a museum or event space for at least a year. The animals were required to be relocated by mid-September 2018.
caption: Newton's automobile collection (2016)
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "COOLPIX P900", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "COOLPIX P900   V1.2", "Image DateTime": "2016:08:02 13:34:35", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "234", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "13556", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4962", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/30", "EXIF FNumber": "16/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "320", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Standard Output Sensitivity", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2016:08:02 13:34:35", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2016:08:02 13:34:35", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "29/10", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "42/5", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4608", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3456", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "990", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "47", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}