United States Nevada Where to Find Coasters and Water Slides on the Las Vegas Strip Theme Parks and Water Parks in Las Vegas and Nevada By Arthur Levine Arthur Levine Facebook Twitter Arthur is a travel writer with more than 25 years of experience. He has been covering theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, and attractions for TripSavvy since 2002. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 12/09/21 TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre It could be argued that Las Vegas is one giant theme park. There is no gate around the city of course. Nor is there one owner/operator controlling everything. But there are bright lights and whimsical architecture as well as wild shows and a festive atmosphere. And let's not forget the compelling themes including Egyptian pyramids, the decadent Roman Empire, the circus, and the canal city of Venice. Take that Epcot! There are no cuddly costumed characters to meet and greet, but there are plenty of plumed, topless showgirls and hookers on the prowl. Amid all of the blinking slot machines and endless buffets, there are actual roller coasters and other rides to be found in Vegas. And despite its desert location, there are also water parks. If Las Vegas is one giant theme park, it is one that is marketed primarily to adults. In the early 1990s, Sin City was trying to partially reinvent itself as a family-friendly destination. At that time, there were more theme parks and attractions along the Strip than can be found today. The effort largely failed. The park-like attractions that remain are largely geared to adults who live by the decidedly non-family-friendly creed, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." If you find yourself staying in Vegas, you'll find plenty happening. The following theme parks, water parks, and attractions are arranged alphabetically: 01 of 14 Adventuredome Theme Park (at Circus Circus) in Las Vegas MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL The 5-acre park is located inside a pink-hued geodesic dome. Among its attractions are the Canyon Blaster and El Loco coasters, a 4-D theater, spinning thrill rides, laser tag, a carousel, and kiddie rides. There are also clown shows, midway games, and mini-golf. Don’t forget to head over to the Circus Circus casino for its free circus acts and huge Carnival Midway with even more games of chance. The midway also offers a large arcade. In 2021, the Adventuredome added “Scooby 4-D” to its repertoire of films playing in the 4-D theater. (Other titles include “Ice Age 4-D” and “SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D.”) Among its newest thrill rides, the park added NebulaZ, a spinning, dizzying attraction that is as much fun to watch as it is to experience. 02 of 14 Area 15 in Las Vegas Area 15 It's not a traditional theme park or amusement park, but this funky, indoor complex offers wild art exhibits, a food hall, live music, and other features. Theme park-like attractions include the Birdly flight simulator, the Haley’s Comet zipline experience, the Emprium arcade, and the Gallerie 360 audio-visual experience. 03 of 14 Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL The free fountain show in front of the Bellagio hotel and casino is stunning and was surely one of the inspirations for the World of Color show at Disney California Adventure. 04 of 14 The Big Apple Coaster in Las Vegas TripSavvy / Elliot Jonch Garcia The steel coaster that used to be known as the Manhattan Express snakes around the "Statue of Liberty" and other NYC landmarks in front of the New York-New York hotel and casino. This is not one of our favorite rides, as you can read in our scathing coaster review. Continue to 5 of 14 below. 05 of 14 Buffalo Bill's Hotel and Casino in Primm Affinity Gaming The rides at this casino on the outskirts of Vegas (on the California state line) include the Desperado, one of the early hypercoasters, a log flume, a motion simulator theater, and a freefall tower ride. Note that the casino sometimes closes the attractions for extended periods. Check to make sure they are open before you visit. 06 of 14 Cowabunga Bay Las Vegas Cowabunga Bay This large outdoor water park includes lots of slides and attractions, including the Rock-A-Hoola bowl ride, a launch capsule loop slide, a mini funnels ride, a family raft ride, a wave pool, and an enormous interactive water play structure. 07 of 14 Cowabunga Canyon in Las Vegas Formerly known as Wet ’n’ Wild, Cowabunga Canyon is a major outdoor park includes plenty of wild slides and unique attractions such as The Rattler, the first water ride of its kind in North America, the Canyon Cliffs speed slide, the Hoover Half Pipe, and Constrictor, which features one of the tallest and tightest banking turns of any water slide in the world. 08 of 14 FlyOver Las Vegas Pursuit Scheduled to open in 2021 on Vegas' famed Strip, FlyOver Las Vegas will use flying ride theater technology (think: Disney’s Soarin') to simulate a hang gliding-like journey. It will transport guests to places like Lake Tahoe, Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, and other iconic sites in and near Nevada. The attraction will incorporate a 52-foot wraparound screen seats that move in sync with the action, and sensory effects such as wind and scent cannons to augment the experience. Continue to 9 of 14 below. 09 of 14 The High Roller in Las Vegas TripSavvy / Elliot Jonch Garcia At 550 feet tall, the High Roller laid claim as the world's biggest Ferris wheel for many years until it was dethroned in 2021 by the Ain Dubai (Dubai Eye). It is located at The Linq on the Strip. Other activities at The Linq include Fly Linq, a zipline that soars above the complex; VR Adventures, a virtual reality experience; and Brooklyn Bowl, which offers bowling and live shows. Kind Heaven, an interactive, multi-sensory attraction that is designed to transport visitors to Southeast Asia through technology, entertainment, music, and food is scheduled to open in 2020. 10 of 14 John's Incredible Pizza Company in Las Vegas John's Incredible Pizza Company Part of a chain of pizza restaurants, John’s includes Fun World, an indoor family entertainment center with rides, an arcade, and activities. The Las Vegas location offers bumper cars, the Twister spinning thrill ride, a swinging pendulum ride, an arcade, and mini-golf. It specializes in birthday party celebrations. 11 of 14 Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas Pinball Hall of Fame If you enjoy bangin' the pleasure machines (get your head out of the gutter, that’s a Bruce Springsteen lyric about the Asbury Park arcades), then be sure to visit the Pinball Hall of Fame. It’s jammed with one of the world’s largest collections of pinball machines and includes vintage models from the 1950s up to the 1990s. In 2021, the Hall of Fame moved into a new, 25,000-square-foot facility and now boasts even more machines. Visitors are invited to play the machines, including the vintage ones. 12 of 14 Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas Marcin Wichary- Flickr Unfortunately, Star Trek: The Experience, which was located at the Las Vegas Hilton) closed in 2008. You can read about the wonderful, but defunct attraction in our review. Continue to 13 of 14 below. 13 of 14 Stratosphere Tower Thrill Rides in Las Vegas American Casino & Entertainment Properties Read about the unusual attractions at the top of the 900-foot tower including the Big Shot freefall ride, the spinning Insanity ride, the teeter-totter XScream ride, and the absolutely insane Sky Jump “controlled drop” from the top of the tower to the gorund. 14 of 14 Wild Island in Sparks Wild Island The medium-sized outdoor waterpark includes a wave pool, speed slides, lazy river, family slides, Hurricane Cove kids area, and Scorpion half-pipe tube ride. Other attractions include bowling, go-karts, laser tag, mini-golf, an arcade, and billiards. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email