it was billed as the world's largest sky coaster. The result was a very tall structure that could be seen from anywhere in the park. At night, it was lighted in the same green color as the hotel tower providing an impressive visual. Over time the line-up of attractions changed, especially with the expansion of the hotel's pool and convention facilities. These changes also meant the entrance to the park was drastically changed and now involved a lengthy walk from the hotel, making the park seem like a separate entity. The 40% reduction in area of the park entailed the removal of the Backlot River Tour, Deep Earth Exploration, and Manhattan Theatre. Although unaffected by the layout change, The Haunted Mine was also closed. The Lightning Bolt was initially an indoor roller coaster. In 1997, it had been relocated outdoors to the northern end of the park, to a former special event space in the northwest corner. The ride was later expanded by Arrow Dynamics to include a second , and an extended run over the Grand Canyon Rapids. For a short time, other smaller temporary flat-rides called the park home including a Chance Rides Zipper, Ferris Wheel, and Chaos. None of these attractions stayed very long but did help increase the attractions count. Another addition to the park came in the form of "Kiddie Island." This was an island created in the lagoon near the base of Sky Screamer. It was home to a variety of small attractions such as a paddle boat river, Red Baron airplane ride, and Carousel. Original attractions MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park was built around a movie studio theme and provided for somewhat of a Disney-type experience. It had several themed areas, including Casablanca Plaza, New York Street, Asian Village, French Street, Salem Waterfront, Tumbleweed Gulch, Rio Grande Cantina, New Orleans Street, and Olde England Street. The park's characters were mostly cartoon characters such as King Looey and various others. There were ten major rides and attractions, eleven restaurants and fast food areas, and a dozen retail shops. The original attractions line-up included: Backlot River Tour - A mix between Jungle Cruise at Disney Parks and Universal Studios Hollywood's Studio Tour, in which passengers embarked on a tour via a large boat that passed mock-ups of movie sets with special effects such as gun fire, rain, and water cannons. The queue was the longest