Flaming Praying Mantis
Las Vegas, Nevada
Container Park is a relatively new idea in deployment of an activity hub for tourists and locals. For roadsiders, there's the curb appeal of a huge recycled metal praying mantis blasting flames out of its antennae at random moments in the evening, especially when crowds are milling below. It was built by aerospace engineer Kirk Jellum and partner Kristen Ulmer to be 150 times the size of a real Mantis, and burns about 50 gallons of propane each night. Flames can reach six stories high.
Shops, bars and galleries inhabit dozens of stacked shipping containers and "multifunctional cubes." The containers and other elements are arranged like IKEA furniture, marketing a "sustainable" shopping and leisure experience they won't find on the other end of Fremont St. There's an immersion dome, outdoor concerts (also free), and a variety of art and educational activities.
This is part of an ambitious effort to revitalize a long neglected part of downtown. The park opened in 2013, and a wedding chapel was added in 2016. The 40-foot-long praying mantis is an alumnus of the Burning Man Festival -- recycled to stay and flame in Vegas.