Adventuredome

Adventuredome (formerly Grand Slam Canyon) is a 5-acre (2.0 ha) indoor amusement park located at Circus Circus in Winchester, Nevada on the Las Vegas Strip. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. The park is connected to the hotel inside a large glass dome, and currently offers 25 rides and attractions including the Canyon Blaster roller coaster, rock climbing wall, 18-hole miniature golf course, a video game arcade, clown shows, Xtreme Zone, Pikes Pass, Virtual Reality Zone, Midway Games, and carnival-type games. Because the park is enclosed, it is not affected by cold, rainy, or windy weather, unlike most theme parks, and is open year-round. Every October from 2003 until 2017, the Adventuredome was changed to Fright Dome as a Halloween-themed theme park.[1]

Adventuredome
Circus Circus Las Vegas & the Adventuredome in 2008
LocationWinchester, Nevada, U.S.
Coordinates36°08′16″N 115°09′58″W
Slogan5 Acres of Indoor Fun!
OwnerPhil Ruffin
OpenedAugust 23, 1993 (1993-08-23)
Previous namesGrand Slam Canyon (1993–1998)
Operating seasonAll Year
Area5 acres (0.020 km2)
Attractions
Total19
Roller coasters3
Websitewww.circuscircus.com/the-adventuredome
Former Adventuredome logo
Adventuredome logo (2011–2016)

The Adventuredome opened on August 23, 1993, in the west parking lot of the hotel. It sits on a reinforced 18" thick deck elevated 18 feet (5 m) above ground. The dome itself consists of over 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) of pink tinted, insulated glass over a teal green space frame (to minimize structural poles inside). Each pane of glass weighs approximately 300 lb (140 kg).

Previous owners of Adventuredome were Mandalay Resort Group (formerly known as Circus Circus Enterprises) (1993–2005) and MGM Resorts International (formerly known as MGM Mirage) (2005–2019).

History

The park began construction in 1992 as a $75-$90 million project to introduce a family-friendly amusement park to Las Vegas.[2] The building's dome design was created entirely out of pink tinted glass, with each pane weighing approximately 300 lb (140 kg).[2] The dome itself consists of over 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) of pink insulated glass placed over a teal green frame.[2] Construction took a little over a year to complete, and the park was finally opened on August 23, 1993, as the "Grand Slam Canyon", a dinosaur-themed amusement park.[2][3][4][5] Grand Slam Canyon originally featured four rides: the Canyon Blaster roller coaster, the Twist 'N' Shout water raft, the Rim Runner shoot the chutes, and the Hot Shotz Lazer Tag arena, now known as "Lazer Blast".[3] The dinosaur theme consisted of eight large animatronic dinosaurs spread throughout the park, with visitors being able to read the informational placards in front of each one.[5] Though visitors could not ride them, the dinosaurs often "interacted" with the visitors, with some spitting water on guests.[5] Grand Slam Canyon, as indicated by its name, was also inspired by the Grand Canyon and originally featured river-rapid rides, two lagoonlike pools, a lazy creek and a re-creation of a pueblo.[5]

Grand Slam Canyon was initially popular, but visitors often expressed their desire for more things to do. Tom Nolan, the vice president of theme park operations at Adventuredome, suggested that "it was a [matter] of what people wanted versus what they could do" and added that "there were a lot of animatronics, a lot of theming, but people said there weren't enough things to do."[3] Following the feedback, the park was closed for 45 days beginning in April 1994 to remodel.[3][6] During the remodeling, several family-friendly attractions were added, such as Midway shows, Canyon Cars (bumper cars), Sand Pirates (a swinging pirate ship), Miner Mike (a mini roller coaster), Thunderbirds (a mini airplane ride), and Drifters (a mini Ferris wheel).[6] The Twist 'N' Shout water raft ride was removed to make way for several of these rides, solely due to its size, and the animatronic dinosaurs were removed to move away from the dinosaur theme (although remnants of the dinosaur and grand canyon themes still remain).[5][6] After the remodeling, as space became available, rides were added to the theme park one or two at a time every few years.[6] Near the laser tag arena, for example, management added a rock climbing wall and a miniature golf course. Though initially hesitant to add the golf course out of concern for the park's glass dome, as of July 29, 2014, there has not been a single golf ball incident.[6]

The park was renamed "Adventuredome" on May 1, 1998.[4] In 1999, management tried to keep up with the latest developments in the industry by consulting visitor surveys. This resulted in the addition of several dynamic thrill rides across the next few years, including the Inverter that same year, Chaos in 2001, the Frog Hopper in 2002 and the Sling Shot in 2004.[6] On February 3, 2013, the Rim Runner was permanently closed to make way for a newer roller coaster named "El Loco". El Loco officially opened on February 18, 2014.[7][8] Adventuredome became a $75-$90 million project.

Rides and attractions

The current and former attractions at the amusement park are provided below.[9]

Coasters
Current Name Picture Opening Date Manufacturer Minimum Height Requirements Description Ref(s)
Canyon Blaster August 23, 1993 Arrow Dynamics 48 inches The world's largest indoor double-loop, double-corkscrew roller coaster. This is an original park attraction. [5][10]
El Loco February 18, 2014 S&S Worldwide 48 inches Only the 2nd of its kind in the United States, El Loco, a custom S&S coaster, took the place of the splash down pool of the Rim Runner ride. [10]

Premium rides
Current Name Picture Opening Date Manufacturer Minimum Height Requirements Description Ref(s)
Chaos March 2001 Chance Morgan 48 inches Ride that spins while allowing each car to flip on its own axis while tilted to a 70 degree angle. [11]
Disk'O 2007 Zamperla 48 inches A ride where passengers sit on a spinning disk which rides along a half pipe track. [11]
Extreme Ride Theatre – Featuring Angry Birds: The Ride 2018 [12] SimEx-Iwerks 42 inches Motion Simulator Experience. [11]
FX Theatre – Featuring SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue! May 2013 SimEx-Iwerks 33 inches 4-D film experience replaced SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D in late May 2013. [11]
FX Theatre – Featuring Ice Age No Time for Nuts 4D June 2016 SimEx-Iwerks 33 inches Replaced Dora & Diego 4d Catch that robot butterfly! [11]
Inverter 1999 Chance Morgan 48 inches Ride that spins riders upside down. [11]
Lazer Blast August 23, 1993 Unknown 42 inches Formerly known as "Hot Shots Lazer Tag." Laser tag arena built into the base of the park's signature mountain. This is an original park attraction. [11]
Sling Shot 2004 Chance Morgan 48 inches 100' tall free fall ride that shoots riders upwards with 4G's of acceleration. [11]

Large rides
Current Name Picture Opening Date Manufacturer Minimum Height Requirements Description Ref(s)
Canyon Cars May 1994 Zamperla 42 inches to ride, 54 inches to drive Bumper cars. [13]
NebulaZ November 2020 Zamperla 42 inches to ride NebulaZ. [14]
Sand Pirates May 1994 Zamperla 33 inches Swinging pirate ship. [13]

Junior rides
Current Name Picture Opening Date Manufacturer Minimum Height Requirements Description Ref(s)
Frog Hopper 2002 S&S Power 36–58 inches Shoot you up, hop you down ride. [15]
Thunderbirds May 1994 Zamperla 36–58 inches An airplane carousel that flies through the air. [15]

Family rides
Current Name Picture Opening Date Manufacturer Minimum Height Requirements Description Ref(s)
B.C. Bus Unknown Zamperla 42 inches A bus that goes up, down and around. [16]
Circus Carousel 1999 Chance Morgan 42 inches Carousel themed with circus animals. This ride was relocated in 2003. [16]
Drifters May 1994 Zamperla 42 inches A hot air balloon themed Ferris wheel. [16]
Road Runner Unknown Wisdom Rides 42 inches Mini-Himalaya that gives a wild trip going forwards and backwards. [16]

Former
Ride Name Picture Opening Date Closing Date Manufacturer Description
Dino Island c. May 2004[N 1] January 2006[17][18] SimEx-Iwerks
Dino Island II: Escape from Dino Island c. May 2004[N 1]
(first opening date)
November or December 2009[19][20]
(second opening date)		 January 2006[17][18]
(first closing date)
May 2011(second closing date)		 SimEx-Iwerks This was a simulator in which one would rescue the last remaining dinosaur on earth. It was replaced with Happy Feet: Mumble's Wild Ride.
Extreme Log Ride! November or December 2009[19][20] May 2011 SimEx-Iwerks Motion Simulator Experience.
Fun House Express Unknown October or November 2004[21][22] SimEx-Iwerks Motion Simulator Experience.
Happy Feet: Mumble's Wild Ride May 2011 Unknown SimEx-Iwerks Motion simulator with scenes from Happy Feet.
Miner Mike May 1994 2019[23] Wisdom Rides A small children's coaster
Pacific Rim Motion Movie Experience June 2016 2018 SimEx-Iwerks Motion simulator with scenes from Pacific Rim.
ReBoot: The Ride April 2000[24] October or November 2004[21][22] SimEx-Iwerks Based on the TV series ReBoot.
Rim Runner August 23, 1993 February 3, 2013 Arrow Dynamics Shoot-the-Chutes with a 60-foot (18 m) drop. This was an original park attraction.
SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D May or June 2005[25][26] May 2013 SimEx-Iwerks A 4-D ride based on the television series, SpongeBob SquarePants.
Twist 'N' Shout August 23, 1993 April 1994 Unknown Large water slide tower with two identical slides. Occupied area that is now home to Canyon Cars, Sand Pirates and midway games. This was an original park attraction.
  • In the 1999 film Baby Geniuses, the Adventuredome makes an appearance as the fictional "Joyworld" theme park. Sly starts the Canyon Blaster ride with two scientists on board and restraints still open. Both fall from the ride.[27]
  • In the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Adventuredome can be seen under construction as the game takes place in 1992, the year the park was being built.[28]
  • In the season 3 episode "Rollercoaster Thru Criss" from the TV series Criss Angel Mindfreak, a train "goes through" Criss' body while he stands on the track of the Canyon Blaster ride after the corkscrews, and Criss ends up in the front seat.[29]

Notes
  1. Archived versions of the Adventuredome's website indicate the ride opened between April 2004 and June 2004.

References
  1. "FRIGHT DOME". MGM International Resorts. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  2. "TimeFlix – Grand Slam Canyon". TimeFlix. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  3. Padgett, Sonya (2011-07-21). "Adventuredome filled to its pink brim". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  4. Spillman, Benjamin (2009-02-12). "Throwback to the family fun era". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  5. Padgett, Sonya (2013-08-22). "Circus Circus celebrates 20 years of adventure under the dome". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  6. Padgett, Sonya (2009-05-07). "More amusement on the horizon". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  7. Bascos, Grace (2014-02-21). "El Loco takes off at Adventuredome". USA Today. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  8. Jones, Jay (2014-02-17). "Las Vegas: Fast El Loco coaster to make its debut at Circus Circus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  9. "Rides & Attractions – Adventuredome Theme Park". MGM Resorts International. 2014-07-30. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  10. "Coaster Rides – Adventuredome Theme Park". MGM Resorts International. 2014-07-30. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  11. "Premium Rides – Adventuredome Theme Park". MGM Resorts International. 2014-07-30. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  12. "Now Playing in the Adventuredome (May 17, 2011)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-17.
  13. "Large Rides – Adventuredome Theme Park". MGM Resorts International. 2014-07-30. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  14. Clemons, Marvin (November 23, 2020). "Adventuredome debuts new ride, NebulaZ". BestofLasVegas. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  15. "Junior Rides – Adventuredome Theme Park". MGM Resorts International. 2014-07-30. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  16. "Family Rides – Adventuredome Theme Park". MGM Resorts International. 2014-07-30. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  17. "Premium Rides (January 4, 2006)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2006-01-04.
  18. "Premium Rides (January 6, 2006)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2006-01-06.
  19. "Premium Rides (November 26, 2009)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-26.
  20. "Premium Rides (December 20, 2009)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2009-12-20.
  21. "Premium Rides (October 16, 2004)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2004-10-16.
  22. "Premium Rides (November 25, 2004)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2004-11-25.
  23. "Miner Mike - Adventuredome (Las Vegas, Nevada, United States)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  24. "The Adventuredome At Circus Circus: Fact Sheet". Mandalay Resort Group. Archived from the original on 2001-04-21.
  25. "Premium Rides (May 27, 2005)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2005-05-27.
  26. "Premium Rides (June 23, 2005)". Adventuredome.com. Archived from the original on 2005-06-23.
  27. Leach, Robin (2013-08-21). "Adventuredome at Circus Circus celebrates 20 years of family fun and thrill rides". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  28. "The Clown's Pocket". Grand Theft Wiki. 2012-08-03. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  29. "Watch the Rollercoaster Thru Criss Full Episode – Criss Angel Mindfreak". A&E. 2007-08-28. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
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