Sling Shot at Circus Circus

The Sling Shot is the Adventuredome's vertical launch tower at Circus Circus — a Chance Morgan ride running since 2004 that fires seated riders about 100 feet up the tower at roughly 4 Gs, then drops and bounces them back down. The whole thrill is the launch: your stomach registers the acceleration before your eyes catch up, and it's over in well under a minute. Like everything under the pink dome, it's indoors and air-conditioned, running year-round regardless of the weather.

Budget around the reality that this is one short ride inside a pay-to-ride park. Entry to the Adventuredome is free, but riding takes the all-day Unlimited Ride Pass — $60 adult, $30 junior, and the Sling Shot is included (unlike the separately-priced mini golf, VR and laser maze) — or a single-ride ticket sold in person. The 48-inch height minimum matches the adult-pass threshold. Worth it as one hit among the dome's two coasters and twenty-odd rides; overkill as the sole reason to visit.