The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol opened the doors to its permanent home on Thursday. Country music star Blake Shelton will perform at the casino’s entertainment venue to celebrate its grand opening.

With the long-awaited grand opening of the permanent Hard Rock Casino in Bristol on Thursday, casino officials want visitors — whether they’re curious first-time guests or high rollers from another country — to know they’re in Bristol.

Smoking will be allowed inside the new Hard Rock casino gaming area but efforts have been made to address concerns of non-smokers. Virginia allows casinos with proper ventilation an exception under provisions of the 2009 Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act.

After over two years as president of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, Allie Evangelista is finally getting to see the permanent facility open in its

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol is set to open Thursday. The iconic guitar smash is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. The grand opening is set for noon. We plan to stream those events on our website and social media platforms. There are some traffic changes to be aware of as well.

Hard Rock Casino in October once again tallied more "win" — or revenue after paying successful bettors — than any of its competitors for a 36th consecutive month.