Theme Park In Las Vegas Needs To Happen Now

It was April Fools Day in 2022. The Instagram account Las Vegas Issues punk'd the entire valley with one post. With this one post, the fervent desire for a theme park in Las Vegas was realized.

Taking a little closer of a look, and it was clear it was a joke. Just south of Mountain's Edge? Woof. You thought traffic was bad on Blue Diamond Road already? Nevertheless, thousands of poor suckers were convinced it was happening and word traveled fast. It's a rumor that has bubbled before.

Just coming from Six Flags Magic Mountain this past weekend, it reminded me of the embarrassment of riches Southern California has, and the near-nothingness that awaits us in the Las Vegas area.

We say this with all due respect to Adventuredome. It is cool. It is one of a kind. But a theme park? That's a stretch.

There used to be a theme park in Las Vegas in the past. MGM Grand Adventures was next to MGM Grand from 1993 through 2000, a little short of 7 years. But it definitely lacked when it came to adventures and thrills and has since been replaced by The Signature and TopGolf.

Beyond that there was Scandia and Adventuredome, and Scandia is gone. There were little tastes of high thrills aside from those two, with Sahara's NASCAR rollercoaster, New York New York's coaster, and a drive down to Primm could send you on a coaster guaranteed to make an appointment with your chiropractor.

A "ride all day" pass at Adventuredome runs $60 for adults and $30 for kids at the 'dome. Meanwhile right now you can get half-off a pass at Six Flags Magic Mountain at a mere $49. The two are no comparison, and from what we can see there is no locals discount at Adventuredome.

Down the street at New York New York, there is a locals discount on the $25 single ride on the rough and short Big Apple Coaster. But it can only entertain you for so long.

While the bogus Vegas Issues story had people convinced Six Flags was coming to Mountain's Edge, the real best place for a theme park in Las Vegas is just south of the valley along Interstate 15.

If you have ever driven on Interstate 15 to and from state line during a weekend, you know this is a prime location to catch the eyes of visitors coming to and from. Maybe instead of leaving Sunday morning and battling Primm grid lock, they'd opt to stick around and play at "Six Flags Las Vegas" and drive later that night.

Before you say "Las Vegas doesn't have enough people to have its own theme park," look at the other theme parks throughout the country. Buffalo and Oklahoma City are Six Flags markets with far smaller populations and not nearly the amount of tourism coming into the city.

Meanwhile Cedar Fair (who is set to merge with Six Flags) has several high profile parks in lower or equal population areas, meaning placing a theme park in Las Vegas would not be out of the question at all.

Looking south on Interstate 15, there's Disneyland, Legoland, Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, Sea World, Belmont Park and so many others. The time has come. We need a theme park in Las Vegas. The drive is unbearable if all you're in the need for is a fun thrill without the 5 hour drive that goes along with it.

Nevada Mine tours are very popular, and a lot of fun. It's a cool experience - especially in the summer. Though they may not be for everyone.

In Pennsylvania, some tourists got the full experience when they decided to do a mine tour. Probably not the experience they were expecting. But all is well.

54 people got trapped in a coal mine in Lackawanna, Pennsylvania. It took a few hours, but everyone was brought out of the mine safely.

There was some sort of mechanical problem, and they all had to come up through an emergency capsule. The Lackawanna Pennsylvania Coal Mine Foreman, Edmund Neidlinger, said, "I'm here eight years and never had to use it." About 15 years ago they broke an axle on the mine car, and that was the last time they used it.

Neidlinger, controlled the mechanism that lifted the emergency capsule up and down. It only fits about three or four people at a time, so it took about two hours to get everyone out. But they all got out, and everyone is just fine.

It was just a fluke, and there was no danger, The kids on the tour had fun. In fact, so much fun, that they wanted to go back down and do it again! They also got coal from the coal guy down in the mine, so - win, win.

Mine operators say they will figure out what caused the problem, and the mine car will be repaired.

I've done several Nevada mine tour, and they are so interesting. If you're heading to, or live in Nevada, they are a great day trip, or weekend getaway.

If you want to experience a mine tour - without the excitement of getting stuck - there are several to experience in Nevada. And they really represent the history of our great Silver State. Here are some Nevada Mine Tours that are well worth a visit.

They say Eldorado Canyon is probably the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine in Southern Nevada. It ran from 1861 until 1942. Steamboats on the Colorado River were the main way to get there for 40 years. There are mine tours, it is great for photo shoots, and has also been used in movies. It's also a great place to have a wedding! It's a quick day trip from Las Vegas. Two miles past the little town of Nelson, Nevada, on highway 165.

First staked out in 1859, Virginia City’s Chollar Mine was one of the leading producers of gold and silver. It hauled out about $17 million in gold and silver. Virginia City is a really cool place to visit to begin with. A lot of rich Nevada old west history. Many haunted attractions, many just plain fun attractions. And the Chollar Mine historic mine tour is a a really interesting tour.

What better way to do a tour, than doing a saloon first - then going into a mine. Ponderosa Mine tour is only about a half hour long. It features a hundreds of  pieces of equipment on display. Ponderosa Mine has been stabilized and retrofitted to feel like a museum. A unique, and fun tour. Read about its history here.

This is more of a mining park. It has restored mining equipment, historic exhibits, a self-guided tour, and a guided ATV tour. There is small movie theater, and mineral displays that are lit with black lights to enhance the sparkle. There is an underground mine tunnel you can walk down. The Burro Tunnel is definitely not for everyone, but it's quite intriguing! And there is a steel viewing cage that looks down a 500′ foot deep stope. Yes, a stope, not slope.