Tech: There's now a $100 million park in the middle of the Las Vegas strip

Las Vegas' first urban park just opened, and it features some 250 trees down a city boulevard.

Las Vegas is now a bit greener. Some 250 trees that span five acres were recently planted down Las Vegas Boulevard.

MGM Resorts partnered with !Melk Architecture to build a new $100 million park, which officially opened in April after 20 months of construction. As the first urban park in Las Vegas, it features plenty of benches, native plants, nighttime lighting, and even a small waterfall.

Take a look below.

The plaza sits outside MGM's New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts.

The design team was inspired by the auburn palette and arid vegetation of the Mojave Desert, !Melk's principal Jerry van Eyck told Business Insider.

The park features over 7,000 shrubs and 20 different species of trees native to Nevada, including acacia, mesquite, and palo verde.

The promenade is made from hand-cut marble tiles that form a winding pattern through the park.

The builders widened the sidewalks to make space for the park, van Eyck said. Real estate that was once held by parking spots are now taken up by trees and benches.

Vegas attractions surround the trees, including restaurants, the two-story Hershey's Chocolate World, and a 20,000-seat theater.

"The park will blend the beauty of the desert landscape with the energy of the urban commercial space at the heart of the strip," van Eyck said.

Las Vegas' first urban park just opened, and it features some 250 trees down a city boulevard. Read Full Story