STRAT Tower SkyPod and Thrill Rides: Tickets and Tips

The base SkyPod ticket is your entry. It takes you up the tower to the indoor and outdoor observation decks for that unbeatable 360 view over the whole valley. This alone is worth doing for the view.

Base admission is mid-tier priced, with a small bump for the upper outdoor deck. If all you want is the view and the photos, this is all you need.

Important note: the observation ticket does not include the rides. Each thrill ride costs extra, either bought individually or bundled. Decide your appetite before you buy so you get the right tier.

Big Shot is the easiest entry: it launches you up the spire and drops you, a quick burst of weightlessness over 1,000 feet up. Intense but short and beginner-friendly for thrill seekers.

X-Scream is a teeter-totter track that pushes you out over the edge of the tower and dangles you above the Strip. It looks scarier than it feels, more dread than g-force.

Insanity is a spinning arm that whips you out over the edge and tilts you face-down toward the ground far below. This one earns its name and is the toughest of the three perched rides.

Then there's SkyJump, which isn't a ride, it's a controlled descent. You jump off the tower on a guided wire and fall toward the ground. It's a separate, pricier experience and the ultimate dare up there.

If you only want the view, get the base SkyPod ticket and stop there. No shame in it, the view is the headliner.

If you want the rides, the bundle that includes SkyPod access plus all three tower rides (Big Shot, X-Scream, Insanity) is the best value by a wide margin versus buying them one at a time.

SkyJump is its own thing and always costs significantly more. Only add it if leaping off a skyscraper is specifically on your list. For most people, the three-ride bundle plus the view is the sweet spot.

Go at sunset. You get the daytime view, the sunset, and the city lighting up, all in one trip. It's the best window by far, though also the busiest, so arrive a little before golden hour.

Eat after, not before. These rides are not gentle on a full stomach. The revolving restaurant up there is great, but do it post-rides.

Check the weather. High wind can shut down the outdoor rides, and that happens more than you'd expect. If thrills are your whole reason for going, call ahead or check on a calm day.

Lines stack at night and on weekends. Buying tickets ahead saves you the box-office wait, and the ride bundle means you're not fumbling for upgrades while in line.

For the view alone, yes, the STRAT SkyPod is the best high-up vantage point in Vegas and a fair price for it. The trek to the north end of the Strip is the only real downside.

For thrill seekers, it's a must. There is nowhere else on earth quite like riding Insanity out over the edge of a thousand-foot tower. The three-ride bundle delivers genuine, memorable terror.

Skip the rides if heights wreck you, and skip SkyJump unless you specifically want to base-jump-lite off a tower. But everyone should ride the elevator up at least once for that view.