The following five Las Vegas attractions no longer exist, from an Old West town to an elaborate water park.

The Las Vegas philosophy must be “easy come, easy go.” We open and close restaurants, attractions, and other hot spots like they’re jars of peanut butter. Even elaborate hotels, casinos, and shopping centers aren’t immune.

When you grow up in this transient city, it’s not uncommon for some of your favorite places to simply disappear into obscurity. We’ve literally imploded historic hotels for spectacle and quietly closed others without fanfare. Suddenly, your favorite hangout is gone—as if it was simply a mirage. Speaking of mirages, the former Mirage volcano is a perfect example.

From an Old West Town and unique domed entertainment venue to an elaborate water park, a full theme park, and an authentic ranch, the following five attractions were once bustling destinations for tourists and locals alike. Today, there’s very little to no indication that these family-friendly Las Vegas attractions ever existed.

1. Old Vegas

Where: 2440 South Boulder Highway, Henderson
When: 1978-1986

A family attraction with a Western theme, Old Vegas was meant to resemble Las Vegas in the 1850s. It had shops, amusement rides, and a casino but also celebrated the city’s heritage. Buildings included a replica of Las Vegas’ Old Mormon Fort and relocated bungalows from the former ‘40s–’60s-era El Rancho Vegas hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Another nod to the city’s past was the Eureka Locomotive, a historic gauge steam engine, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. After a photo opportunity next to the train, you might stumble upon a mock cowboy shootout or hanging, or pretend to be locked in wooden stocks or behind the bars of the Old Vegas jail.

Sadly, Old Vegas was only open to the public for less than 10 years, primarily due to business dealings and dwindling crowds. Ever-so briefly renamed Westworld, the park closed for remodeling in 1986 and never reopened. It was demolished in 1997.

Most kids who grew up in Las Vegas in the 1980s can attest that the drive to Old Vegas felt like a never-ending road trip through the blazing desert to the middle of nowhere. Today, the surrounding area is developed, and the land holds a housing subdivision, also named Old Vegas, located off the highway on the way to and from Boulder City.

2. The Omnimax

Where: Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino
When: 1979-2000

The OmniMax was a feat of modern innovation mixed with old-school technology. Located at Caesars Palace where the Colosseum now stands, it looked like a huge golf ball sitting atop a porte cochere on Las Vegas Boulevard. 

The theater used a domed screen to project family-friendly science, nature, and feature films from a specialized IMAX-OmniMax projector. From outside the hotel, people on the Strip got a show as triangular exterior panels on the golf ball lit up in different patterns whenever a film was in progress. 

Inside Caesars Palace (based on historical photographs and this writer’s memory), you entered the spherical theater through doors on the casino level. The intimate movie-style theater utilized surround sound and a wrap-around screen that covered your whole range of vision, evoking an all-encompassing experience. It almost felt like you were the pilot flying on a historic journey or falling down a dramatic waterfall in a barrel.

You exited the theater past the glassed-off projection area, watching as the film was rewound on the enormous projector, and descended a fancy split staircase back onto the casino floor. It was an experience.

The Omnimax was demolished in 2000 to make way for the 4,100-seat Colosseum.

3. Wet n’ Wild

Where: 2601 South Las Vegas Boulevard
When: 1985-2004

The words “Wet n’ Wild” mean different things to different people. To those who grew up in Las Vegas in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it means the best water park ever.

Located on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, the former 27-acre Wet n’ Wild waterpark is not to be confused with the perfectly adequate current Wet ‘n’ Wild in the Southwest Valley (it’s all about the apostrophes). 

The original waterpark was an exciting haven from the hot desert summer for the entire family. It was also a social scene for 20th-century teens and pre-teens, though the water slides and rides were the main attraction. You’d be hard-pressed to find a local from that era who didn’t spend a weekend afternoon floating on the Lazy River, trying not to drown in the 17,000-square-foot Wave Pool, or braving the 76-foot-high Der Stuka. 

But like most good things, it didn’t last, and closed in 2004. By 2006, all remnants were gone. 

The prime Strip-front property has changed hands and plans several times and remains undeveloped, though in 2024, local real estate development company LVXP announced plans to build a casino resort with three high-rise towers and an accompanying 18,000-seat NBA arena. At 752 feet, it would be the tallest building in the state, opening in 2029.

4. Grand Adventures Theme Park

Where: MGM Grand
When: 1993-2000

Once upon a time (OK, in 1993), the emerald green MGM Grand opened on the former site of the Marina Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. 

It was a different time. A family-friendly time. A time when the MGM Grand had a magical Wizard of Oz theme, complete with Dorothy, Toto, ruby slippers, and a yellow brick road leading to the entrance of MGM Grand Adventures theme park. 

The words “theme park in Las Vegas” can be loosely translated, but MGM Grand Adventures was a genuine theme park. It was only 33 acres to Disneyland’s 500, but it still had Disney vibes. 

The little park that could was meticulously constructed to block out the outside world (a feat in Las Vegas). It had themed neighborhoods, entertainment, food, and seven rides. One of the four theaters was a Three Stooges theater with a live tribute starring Larry, Curly, and Moe. On the streets of the park, roaming characters, live shows, jugglers, and singers added to the festive ambience. 

Unfortunately, despite its heart and soul, the theme park wasn’t profitable, and the rides couldn’t compete with those at The Adventuredome at Circus Circus. In 1997, MGM Grand reduced the theme park’s size by 40 percent to construct its pool, spa, and conference center. After trying out a seasonal schedule, by 2000, poof, it was gone. 

Once a spirited theme park, the land is now occupied by the classy three-tower Signature at MGM Grand, which opened in 2006, and the four-story Topgolf driving range, which opened in 2016.

5. Bonnie Springs Ranch

Where: Near Blue Diamond, Nevada
When: 1840s-2019

Originally a stopover for wagon trains heading to California in the 1840s, Bonnie Springs Ranch sat on nearly 64 acres in the Red Rock Canyon area of the Spring Mountains near Blue Diamond. A family-owned and family-friendly getaway 20 miles west of Las Vegas included an 1880s Western town replica, a restaurant, a motel, horseback riding, a petting zoo, and gorgeous scenery. 

The authentic western town replica, known as Old Nevada, opened at the ranch in 1974. Visitors could ride a mini train from the parking lot to the town’s entrance to witness shootouts and hangings, learn Old West history, shop, peruse 1800s artifacts, and take photos. 

The zoo, which was added in the 1980s, was an exciting attraction for young children with goats, deer, bobcats, burros, lynx, coyotes, ferrets, hedgehogs, llamas, porcupines, prairie dogs, squirrels, turtles, and a woodchuck. You could also regularly find peacocks, ducks, and other birds galavanting about the pond out front of the restaurant, begging for a photo opp.

After closing in 2019, plans were announced to demolish the ranch. Groundbreaking for a housing project known as The Reserve at Red Rock Canyon occurred in 2022. 

As reviewer Jules M writes on Tripadvisor, “I was lucky enough to get out to Bonnie Springs before it closed forever. I had a great breakfast at the little restaurant there and then headed out … to experience this natural, beautiful land, and it did not disappoint. I will cherish this memory with my pictures and the story that my guide told of the family who once ran this western treasure for all to experience the history of the Bonnie Springs area and the joy it brought to all who were able to visit.”