MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park facts for kids

The MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park was a fun theme park next to the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It was open from 1993 to 2002.

The park was designed to be a family-friendly place with lots of activities for kids. It had a Wizard of Oz theme, just like the hotel. You could literally "follow the yellow brick road" from inside the hotel right to the park's entrance.

When it first opened on December 18, 1993, the park was 33 acres (about 13.4 hectares). It looked like a smaller version of famous movie-themed parks like Disney's Hollywood Studios or Universal Studios. Later, when the hotel added more pools and meeting spaces, the park became smaller, shrinking to 18.8 acres (about 7.6 hectares).

In 2001, the park's name changed to The Park at MGM Grand. It was mostly used for private parties and company events. Then, in 2002, it closed for good. Today, the area where the park used to be is home to The Signature at MGM Grand hotel towers.

Park History: From Opening to Closing

MGM Grand Adventures first opened its doors on December 18, 1993. It was built on 33 acres of land.

From 1994 to 1997, the park had a special event each October for Halloween. It was called Scream Park. You needed a separate ticket for this event. It included several haunted houses and spooky fun around the park's rides.

Changes and Challenges

By May 1996, the MGM Grand realized the park wasn't doing as well as they hoped. They planned to spend $8 million to change things around. This included moving and making their roller coaster longer. It also meant making the park smaller, down to 18.8 acres.

In June 1997, the park was getting some updates. But soon after, MGM Mirage started selling off the park's rides. They said the park might reopen in 2001 if they couldn't sell the equipment for a good price.

In February 2001, MGM Mirage announced new plans. They would rename the park to The Park at MGM. It would only be open for groups of 50 or more people. Regular tickets for everyone would no longer be sold. The park still had three rides, a large amphitheater, and two theaters. Keeping it open for special events helped make money. They were also thinking about other uses for the land, like new hotels or condos.

The park officially closed in 2002. Its last event was a private party on Memorial Day. People said the park "flopped" because it didn't have many exciting rides. Also, the tickets were quite expensive. Some thought it failed because many visitors from California were used to bigger, more thrilling theme parks. On December 5, 2002, MGM Mirage announced plans to build luxury condos and a hotel where the park once stood. This new development became The Signature at MGM Grand.

Park Updates Over Time

The park changed a lot over the years. When it first opened, tickets were expensive for 1993. An adult ticket was $25 if you weren't staying at the hotel. Over time, the price went down to match the rides better and get more visitors. By 1995, entry was $15, and the Halloween Scream Park was $18.

The park tried different ways to attract more people. They held summer nighttime concerts and spring break events. They also added fun things like bungee runs and bounce houses for these events.

In 1996, the park added a thrilling ride called Sky Screamer. It was a 250-foot-tall skycoaster (76 m). Riders were strapped in and lifted up a 220-foot (67 m) "launch tower." Then, they pulled a ripcord and dropped 100 feet at speeds up to 70 mph (110 km/h). This ride was built over a lagoon that used to have a fake steamboat. By 2000, it was known as the world's largest sky coaster. It was so tall you could see it from anywhere in the park. At night, it glowed green, just like the hotel tower.

As the hotel expanded its pool and meeting areas, the park's layout changed. The entrance moved, making it a long walk from the hotel. This made the park feel like a separate place.

The park shrinking by 40% meant some rides had to go. These included the Backlot River Tour, Deep Earth Exploration, and Manhattan Theatre. The Haunted Mine also closed, even though it wasn't affected by the layout change.

The Lightning Bolt roller coaster started as an indoor ride. In 1997, it was moved outside to a new spot. It was also made twice as long by Arrow Dynamics. It even went over the Grand Canyon Rapids ride.

For a short time, other smaller rides came to the park. These included a Zipper, a Ferris Wheel, and a Chaos ride. They didn't stay long but helped add more attractions.

Another new area was "Kiddie Island." This was an island in the lagoon near the Sky Screamer. It had smaller rides like a paddle boat river, a Red Baron airplane ride, and a Carousel.

Original Attractions: Movie Magic!

MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park was designed to feel like a movie studio. It aimed to give visitors a Disney-like experience. The park had several themed areas, like Casablanca Plaza, New York Street, and Asian Village. The park's characters were mostly cartoon favorites like Betty Boop and King Looey.

When it first opened, the park had ten main rides, eleven places to eat, and a dozen shops. Here are some of the original attractions:

• Backlot River Tour - This ride was like a mix of Disney's Jungle Cruise and Universal Studios Hollywood's Studio Tour. Guests rode a large boat past fake movie sets. They saw cool special effects like gunfire, rain, and water cannons. The waiting line for this ride was the longest in the park. It also showed extra information about special effects.
• Deep Earth Exploration - This ride opened a bit later because of new technology. It was the first ride to combine a 3-D movie with a motion simulator. Riders boarded fake tunneling machines to journey to the center of the earth. An animatronic Robot Pilot (voiced by actor Matt Cates) guided them. The ride stopped at different points, letting riders look out at special effects.
• Lightning Bolt - An indoor, space-themed roller coaster that went up to 35 mph. In 1997, this roller coaster was moved outside and made twice as long.
• The Haunted Mine - A classic dark ride where passengers rode ore cars into an old, spooky mining operation.
• Grand Canyon Rapids - A white water rapids raft ride. It had special effects like an old west gunfight and a tunnel explosion.
• Over the Edge - A log flume ride that went through an old sawmill. It had two drops, one 25 ft (7.6 m) and another 40 ft (12 m). It reached a top speed of 25 MPH.
• Parisian Taxis - These were bumper cars that looked like taxis on the streets of Paris.
• Pirates' Cove - An outdoor theater with 950 seats. It had a pirate ship and a lagoon. This was home to the "Dueling Pirates Stunt Spectacular" show.
• Magic Screen Theatre - An indoor theater that showed different performances. It opened with a blacklight puppet show called Kaleidoscope and a live show recreating The Three Stooges. Later, it hosted BMX Grind, a stunt show with BMX bikes and in-Line skating.
• King Looey Theatre (later Manhattan Theatre) - An indoor theater that featured various shows. One popular show was an ice skating spectacle starring King Looey.
• You're in the Movies (later Gold Rush Theatre) - Another indoor theater that hosted different shows.

Park Characters

• King Looey was the kid-friendly version of the Leo the Lion mascot. King Looey wore a black tuxedo with a red bow tie and a golden crown.