Adventures at the Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas
Stratosphere tower is one of the Las Vegas’s most iconic buildings, although it is not situated on the main street, the Strip. But what is so special about it? Everything! First of all, the look - it looks like something from outer space. Secondly, this place is actually a hotel. And last but not least, there is a small amusement park at the top of the Stratosphere tower!
Can you imagine the view from the top?
How to get to Stratosphere tower?
I would advise you not to walk from the Strip to the Stratosphere tower after dark, because you will be passing through a shady area and I would not like you to be unsafe. You can always get an Uber, they are cheap in Las Vegas!
Like I already mentioned, Stratosphere tower is situated a bit off the Strip, more precisely in what is considered to be an unsafe area at night, and the walk to the Strip is pretty long, so you would basically need to take a taxi every time you want to go there. Believe me, you do not want to walk in the Nevada heat.
If you decide to walk there anyway, just locate the tower and start walking towards it. The path will not be straight and you will have to walk through several side streets (hence the advice not to do it at night), but on the way, you will find two pretty cool things you can do If you decide to walk there. One of them is indoor skydiving, and the other one is browsing the world’s largest gift shop, called Bonanza.
The hotel
Yes, this is also a hotel, and it is pretty cheap - around forty dollars a night for a room. But the cheap rooms are not situated in the tower, they are situated in the courtyard. The tower rooms are a little more expensive, and you have to specify where you want to stay while making a reservation. I personally do not see a point in staying at Stratosphere tower, simply because it is situated a bit far away from all the action.
The bar
There is a cool bar at the top of the Stratosphere tower, surrounded by panoramic windows. To be able to have a drink there, you will have to pay an admission to the tower, and the drinks there are pretty expensive, so it is not really worth it. Well, unless you want to brag that you had a drink on the top of the tallest building in Las Vegas.
Amusement at the top
This is one of the most unique amusement parks I have ever been to, and even if it offers only a couple of rides, they are extremely thrilling. I did all of them, except for the Sky Jump, and I was shaking for a few minutes after getting off every single one of them!
This is the view straight down from the top of the Stratosphere tower. Now imagine dangling over the edge in one of the rides!
The swings. Swings are not scary, are they? Yes they are, if they are situated on the edge of a 1200 feet high tower! Once you get strapped into your seat, the metal arm will move the swings off the edge of the tower, and they will start spinning in a circle. Hello, vertigo! This ride is thrilling even if you keep your eyes closed!
The see - saw ride. See saws are fun, especially if you dangle off the edge of the tower at some point. This ride is literally just a car on a metal railing, and when the railing tilts, the car moves all the way to the end of the railing. And for a second I thought it will not stop and we will just fly off the tower.
The big shot. You know the reverse drop towers at amusement parks, also called space shots? Well, this is one of them, but it is not situated on the ground, but on the very top of the Stratosphere tower. This was my favourite ride there. The ride operator kept talking to me all the time, which I later figured out served as a good distraction so I will not expect the launch, and I did not. I was answering his question, and before I could finish a sentence, I was launched to the top, dropped all the way down, and then launched again.
The big shot seats are about as uncomfortable as they look. The good thing is that the ride does not last for a very long time.
The Sky Jump is as close as you will ever get to base jumping without actually having to base jump. You will literally be strapped to a metal cable and then jump off the tower. Sounds too thrilling? Apparently other people think so too, because when I was there, I have not seen a single person doing the Sky Jump.
In the past, they even had a roller coaster at the top of the Stratosphere tower! Well, it was not a real roller coaster with loops and everything, because it just went around the top of the building twice and it had one small drop, but still, imagine looking down and seeing people on the Strip looking like ants. That must have been some adrenaline rush right there!
But what about the price? All the rides, except the Sky Jump, cost twenty five dollars. Pretty pricey for a few seconds of joy, but you will not regret it, I guarantee you. The Sky Jump costs around one hundred dollars, and I decided not to do it, since I am a skydiver and I would not find it very interesting.
I have an advice for you at this point - try to do the rides during the day, because you will not have to wait at all. Everybody wants to do it at night, and there is supposedly always a line. So spare yourself the waiting and hop there during the day. And if you are afraid of not being able to see the view at night, do not worry. The ticket will allow you to visit the tower again. You can read more about it in the next chapter.
The view from the Stratosphere tower is pretty cool during the day too.
Another advice - be prepared for the rides to close down because of high winds. When I was in Las Vegas, I was staying at a hotel that was just a five minute taxi ride away from the Stratosphere tower. I decided to call there before I left to check if the rides on the top are open, and they told me they are. As soon as I got there, I was informed that the rides just closed because of high winds. So do not get too excited until you are actually sitting on a ride!
Day and night experience
The ticket that you get when you do the ride (s) at the top of the Stratosphere tower is valid for two visits to the top in the same day. So what does that mean? If you decide to do the rides during the day, just keep that ticket and come back to the top of the tower at night for the view for free. I still cannot believe how many lights Las Vegas has. In all seriousness, before that, I was never able to get a good night shot with my camera because the lights were never bright enough. But Las Vegas is a different story. So many lights, and then darkness in the desert.
Looking up the Stratosphere tower at night.
A short conclusion
If you are not afraid of heights, then a visit to the top of the Stratosphere tower is an absolute must, especially at night. It is pretty mind blowing to see all the Las Vegas city lights, and then a black nothing in the distance. During the day, you will be able to see the city and an empty desert all around, with mountains in the distance.
