Las Vegas isn’t usually associated with theme park attractions. In fact many people visit the area not knowing any rides exist there. However, others consider a thrill ride capital, taking on locations such as Florida, Los Angeles or Ohio. Most of the top hotels on the Las Vegas strip have some sort of theme park related attraction. Even the hotels themselves can be described as something out of a theme park. Below are descriptions of just a few of the main Vegas resorts. But to witness the shear exhilaration of just seeing these ‘over the top’ hotels, well, you have to visit them yourself!

Circus-Circus Hotel and Adventure Dome    Rising up at the lower end of the strip is the Circus-Circus Hotel and Casino. This resort was built quite a few years ago as one of the first main hotels in and around Las Vegas Boulevard. It features an indoor theme park at the rear with many top Vegas attractions.    The Adventure Dome is a must for any ride enthusiast in the city. The dome is made out of over 350,000 sq. ft of pink-tinted glass and has many attractions on the inside. Canyon Blaster, the signature ride, created by Arrow Dynamics in their early years is quite a ride experience. Although it isn’t heart lined and the transitions hurt to a certain extent, the back seat has plenty airtime and great G-forces throughout the ride.

Luxor     The Luxor is perhaps the most breathtaking piece of modern architecture one could see. Yet you wouldn’t find it anywhere else apart from the Las Vegas strip. The hotel/casino is Egyptian themed with the centrepiece being a 32 story tall pyramid. The inside is hollowed out with the hotel rooms on the side. The casino and attractions are on the first and second floors inside the pyramid along with many restaurants and shops.    Many wouldn’t associate the Luxor with high speed thrill rides, and to a certain extent is true. However, on the inside, you can find 3 attractions just waiting to be experienced. The main ride is an IMAX simulator that takes you on a 5-minute trip either in search of a sacred Obelisk or on a trip around the Giza pyramids. Also on the inside is an 8 story high IMAX theatre as well as a 3D cinema.

Nascar Café    At the lower end of the strip you can find the Nascar café. Where you can pick at your meal under Nascar vehicles hanging from the ceiling and chill out and watching various sports around the bar with some friends. Or, you can soak up the thrill of Speed, a premier shuttle coaster featuring two launch segments and a large vertical loop taken both forwards and backwards. The ride can be seen from a most of the bottom end of the strip and can be found running alongside by the Sahara Resort.

New York-New York Hotel    ”I once ate an English meal, inside an Irish bar, at the New York-New York hotel in Las Vegas.” If you haven’t worked it out, Vegas is very over-the-top, and the New York-New York resort shows off that point to the extremes. Here is a mock up of the New York skyline including buildings such as the Empire State building, Chrysler building and even the Statue of Liberty. But that isn’t what picks it out from the rest; the thing that catches your eye is the 200ft roller coaster that raps itself around the outside.    The Manhattan Express speeds through 2 inversions at a max speed of 67mph. The ride was built by Togo of Japan back in 1997. Many enthusiasts say this ride was a disappointment, but it still shows to be quite an experience mainly down to its location. The ride is quite rock in places and features quite a bit of head banging but on the whole; it is an adrenaline packed ride.

Stratosphere Tower    Dominating the Las Vegas strip, the Stratosphere Tower can bring the tear out of the hardest grown men. Trust me I’ve seen it happen. This tower isn’t for the faint hearted, with the highest thrill rides anywhere in the world. The height of these rides is over twice the height of Kingda Ka opening at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2005. At over 900ft, X-Scream, Big Shot, High Roller and soon to be Insanity are the ultimate thrill rides for any enthusiast... If you have the guts!    The hotel opened in 1996 with only Big Shot and High Roller operating. But 2003 saw the grand opening of X-Scream, a ride that literally hangs you 915ft above the Las Vegas strip over the side of the tower. The top of the tower proves location is everything. And soon coming in March 2005 is Insanity. This spinning-based ride spins you round at as fast as 45mph hanging 60ft over the tower above the strip 900ft below. But choose your rides carefully unless you prepared to pay a large sum of money to ride them all. The rides are around six to twelve dollars each, but are definitely worth it at night.