Construction has begun on the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol in Virginia. Hard Rock Bristol president Allie Evangelista told the Bristol Herald Courier in an Oct. 28 report that the date for a formal groundbreaking ceremony would be announced soon.

“We are ready to move forward and will be opening [in the] spring [or] summer of 2024,” she said.

Hard Rock opened a temporary casino in Bristol last July – Hard Rock’s first project in the state.

Bristol is located in southwest Virginia and is nicknamed the “birthplace of country music.” The Birthplace of Country Music Museum is located there – a musical connection that was appealing to Hard Rock officials. It is also the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee – just across the state line.

The permanent $400 million hotel-casino is being built at the former Bristol Mall site. It is expected to have more than 2,700 slot machines and more than 100 table games. In addition, it will feature a 750-room hotel, seven restaurants and four bars. Hard Rock Bristol will also include a 3,200-seat Hard Rock Live indoor entertainment venue with an outdoor option that can accommodate 20,000 people, officials said.

The Seminole Tribe is the parent entity of Hard Rock International. More is at hardrock.com.