It was two decades ago when Steve Wynn first opened the doors to The Mirage, the $630 million megaresort that ushered in an unprecedented era of construction and expansion in Las Vegas.

Led by Siegfried & Roy and the hotel's first guests, the illusionists' famed white tigers, The Mirage was a property the likes of which had never been seen on the Strip; 3,000 rooms, 2,300 slot machines and 1.1 million square feet were just a few of the staggering numbers.

Between 1989 and 1999, 12 new megaresorts would open along the Strip, many of them larger or tricked out with fancier façades, but there is only one Mirage. It was the place to stay when the Griswold family set out on its Vegas Vacation in 1997, and the nothing-to-lose spirit of Nick Papagiorgio still lingers in every roll at the craps table, every spiked milkshake at BLT Burger and every chance encounter at Jet nightclub.

In celebration of the milestone, The Mirage recently rolled back prices on accommodations, food and drink. Guests who partook in room rates starting at $86 per night enjoyed selections from Kokomo's original menus and drank specialty cocktails throughout the resort for $5 were lucky, to be sure, but they were no match for Elmer Sherwin.

Just nine hours after the resort opened on Nov. 22, 1989, the 76-year-old borrowed $20 from his ex-wife and hit the $4.6 million jackpot, then a Las Vegas record, on a Megabucks slot machine. Sherwin and his wife never rekindled the magic, but they established a winning tradition at the resort that lasts to this day.