The Stratosphere Tower is the landmark tower portion of the world famous Stratosphere hotel and casino located in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the tallest free-standing structure in the entire state of Nevada. It is also currently the tallest free-standing tower in America, as well as the second-tallest in the entire Western Hemisphere. Available within the tower itself are two observation decks, a revolving fine dining establishment called Top of the World, and three thrill rides. The hotel portion of the Stratosphere is actually located in a separate building structure as opposed to within the tower itself.
As Las Vegas begins to establish itself more and more as a fine dining destination, the Top of the World restaurant has become one of Stratosphere Tower's biggest draws. It is located more than 800 feet above the city and the restaurant itself slowly revolves at a rate of 360 degrees every 80 minutes to offer diners a breath-taking panoramic view of the city from above as they enjoy their meals. Top of the World is billed as a fine dining establishment and has been the recipient of much recognition over the years from respected publications such as Sante and Wine Spectator. It was even named "Best Gourmet Room'' by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The other huge draw to Stratosphere Tower is the selection of state-of-the-art thrill rides available to visitors. Currently there are three to choose from with all of them taking advantage of Stratosphere Tower's considerable height to treat passengers to incredible views of the city from above while treating them to heart-pounding thrills at the same time.
The first of these is known as Insanity the Ride. An experience on Insanity extends riders over the edge of the tower via a huge mechanical arm. The ride then spins the riders at speeds up to three G's, tilting this way and that all while suspended at a height of more than 900 feet above the ground. Insanity the Ride is insanely popular not only for the exhilarating experience it offers riders, but also for the unique way it offers them to view Las Vegas at its best.
The next of the three thrill rides is X-Scream. X-Scream is described as a giant see-saw that operates while riders are suspended 866 feet above the ground. An experience on X-Scream begins with propulsion over the edge of Stratosphere Tower. After dangling for a while, riders are then pulled back up and then propelled over the edge again.
Last but not least is the Big Shot. The Big Shot shoots up to 16 riders at time from the Stratosphere's 921-foot platform and up the tower's mast to heights reaching 1,081 feet before bringing them back down again. The sequence then repeats and continues at forces of up to 4 G's on the way up, as well as treats riders to an exhilarating negative G experience on the way down. Riders' legs dangle free throughout the ride as they are treated to a unique and thrilling view of Las Vegas from above.
Admission to Stratosphere Tower must be purchased, as well as separate tickets to each of the individual thrill rides. However, Stratosphere does offer several package deals for those planning on experiencing several of the tower attractions during their stay. Reservations at Top of the World are required for dinner and strongly recommended for lunch.
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