In the heart of downtown Las Vegas, where bright lights and extravagant designs are as common as the changing neon colors on the iconic Fremont Street canopy, a new proposal promises to deliver an unforgettable experience – a rooftop amusement park.
The proposal, a brainchild of Rohit Joshi, the owner of the Neonopolis entertainment complex, dreams of breathing new life into the already vibrant downtown district. This ambitious plan is the latest in a series of creative ideas to reinvigorate downtown Las Vegas. The twist? This outlandish plan might well see the light of day.
Joshi’s notion of a futuristic amusement park eclipses the head-turning Venetian canals idea from Steve Wynn or the intriguing illusions of life-size replicas of the Titanic and Starship Enterprise. Next week, at the International Council of Shopping Centers Convention, Joshi will lay bare his plans to redefine the concept of malls as we know them.
“Malls are getting outdated and I think this is the way downtown will grow,” Joshi suggested during a conversation with KSNV-TV/Las Vegas. His Neonopolis, an impressive 250,000 square-foot shopping mall composed around a city parking garage, lies just east of the famed Fremont Street canopy.
The edifice, unveiled in 2002, hosts a plethora of establishments, amongst them, the notorious Heart Attack Grill, Dick’s Last Resort, and a Denny’s, in addition to 11 other establishments including an offbeat axe-throwing range aptly named Axehole.
A sprawling $300 million amusement park in possession of two roller coasters, a sky-diving simulator, and a zipline is what Joshi envisions, with the financial burden distributed among the individual tenants. He has optimistically targeted a fall opening for the park, which he has dubbed “Mini Disni,” wagering that a clever spelling twist would protect him from potential copyright infringement litigation.
Securing a spot right next to SlotZilla’s entrance, the proposed site for the amusement park positions it close to the 77-foot-high zipline, offering riders a thrilling journey across the Fremont Street Experience since its inception in 2014.
However, a formidable rival lies just two miles away. The Strat operates its rooftop amusement park, home to four rides including an 855-foot-tall sky-diving simulator.
Yet, Joshi is not without his setbacks. In his portfolio of ambitious projects, several have fizzled out, including the Silver Star movie studio concept, which drew criticism for the Pahrump, Nev. town board, and a proposed large-scale housing, retail, and sports complex in Winter Springs, Fla. that never materialized.
Two decades after these proposals, Joshi now steps onto the unpredictable stage that is Las Vegas, once more dreaming big, striving to transform fantasy into reality. Yet, as revealed by a long trail of wealthy dreamers before him, the journey from a bold idea to an functioning attraction in the City of Lights is fraught with challenges. Only time will tell whether Joshi’s audacious proposal will earn its place among the neon marvels of Las Vegas.
