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Free-fall Rides
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The Manhattan Express roller coaster in Las Vegas thrills riders with loops, dives, and a final barrel-roll twist.
Photograph by Theo Westenberger |
If betting the farm isn’t scary enough, climb onto one of Las Vegas’s seven heart-pounding thrill rides.
Get jump-started at A. J. Hackett Bungy (+1 702 385 4321; U.S. $49) next to the Circus Circus hotel. Dangling from a 171-foot-high tower will seem tame, however, compared to Vegas’s other high-tech novelties. Reservations suggested.
More free-falling is available at the
SkyScreamer
at the MGM Grand hotel (3799 Las Vegas Boulevard S.; +1 702 891 7979; U.S. $25 to $35), where you can become a 70-mile-hour (113 kilometers-hour) human pendulum, hooked to a line suspended between two mammoth towers. Reservations suggested.
At Flyaway (200 Convention Center Drive.; +1 702 731 4768; U.S. $35), you can skydive indoors, without the airplane. A 21-foot-high (6-meter-high) vertical wind tunnel generates speeds up to 115 miles an hour (185 kilometers an hour).
Roller Coasters
For standard theme park thrills, the
Manhattan Express roller coaster
at New York-New York Hotel & Casino (3790 Las Vegas Boulevard S.; +1 702 740 6969; U.S. $8) takes you through a series of twists, loops, and dives at breakneck speeds that allow you to experience g forces similar to a barrel roll in an airplane. Busiest on weekends and holidays.
Had your fill of conventional coasters? Then try one at high altitude. The
Stratosphere hotel
High Roller (2000 Las Vegas Boulevard S.; +1 702 380 7777; U.S. $9) twists and turns atop the 1,149-foot-high (350-meter-high) Stratosphere Tower. Busiest on weekends and holidays.
The Stratosphere Tower also has the Big Shot (U.S. $10; both rides—the High Roller and the Big Shot—U.S. $14), which rockets you up a 160-foot-high (49-meter-high) needle at a force of 4 g’s, then free-falls back to the launchpad. Busiest on weekends and holidays.
— David Stratton
Read the feature story on Las Vegas “48 Hours in Vegas, Baby,” in the September 1999 issue of TRAVELER.
Cirque du Soleil
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com
This organization of circus and street performers is internationally acclaimed for their spectacular theatrical productions and have open-ended runs at Las Vegas’s
Bellagio
and
Treasure Island
hotels.
lasvegas.com
http://www.lasvegas.com
Hosted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest newspaper, this site provides the local scoop on sports and news, as well as a calendar and ticket information for events.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
http://www.lasvegas24hours.com
This site offers a variety of planning tips and useful maps to the world-class shows, events,
accommodations, and gaming of Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide
http://www.lvol.com
Over a thousand pages of Las Vegas entertainment listings and other information are served here.
vegas.com
http://www.vegas.com
Try this site for information on resorts, dining, and entertainment—plus a live chat room with Vegas stars and a free screensaver that parodies the Vegas scene.
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