On November 13, 2025, the doors at Hard Rock Casino Tejon opened at noon in Mettler, California, after a morning of ceremony and camera flashes. People queued early, some for hours, for a first walk across the gaming floor at the base of the Grapevine.
The opening capped a fast build for a $600 million, multi-phase project developed with the Tejon Indian Tribe, positioned to pull visitors from both the Central Valley and Southern California. In early reporting and company statements, the property was framed as the first full-scale gaming and entertainment venue of its kind in Kern County, with Phase I centered on the casino, dining, and retail.
Opening day, on the record…