MGM Grand Adventure Theme Park

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

1993 to 2000

Built around a movie studio theme, rides included:
• Lightning Bolt, a steel tracked roller coaster designed by Intamin AG, and later redesigned and lengthened by Arrow Dynamics.
• Haunted Mine, a traditional dark ride with ore cars traveling through an abandoned mine.
• Grand Canyon Rapids, a white water ride with animatronic gold prospectors, geysers, and special effects.
• Over the Edge, a log flume with two drops.
• Parisian Taxis bumper cars.
• Backlot River Tour, said to be a mix of Disney's Jungle Cruise and Universal Studios Studio Tour, riders took a large boat through mock-ups of movie sets with special effects.
• Deep Earth Exploration, the first dark ride/simulator. Riders journeyed to the center of the earth in deep earth tunneling machines with an animatronic Robot Pilot (voiced by actor Matt Cates). The machines made stops along the way where windows would open reveling special effects along the route.
• Four theaters: Pirates' Cove (hosting the "Dueling Pirates Stunt Spectacular"), Magic Screen Theatre, King Looey Theatre (later Manhattan Theatre) and You're in the Movies (later Gold Rush Theatre).
• Sky Screamer, a 250 foot Skycoaster added in 1996.

After operating full time for 5 years, the Adventure Theme Park went "temporarily" to a seasonal (Spring/Summer) schedule, but then closed to the public permanently on Sept. 4, 2000. Two years later the rides were dismantled and sold.

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