I have done the rollercoaster ride on top of the Stratosphere Tower, and I can confirm that it is quite scary. The actual ride is not so bad in terms of acceleration and speed, but the view makes it quite thrilling.
The thing that sticks out at the side is even worse, although that ride itself would probably be extremely boring even for kids if it was at ground level. But at 1000 ft, it is a hell of a ride, and I think there was nobody on that thing who did not scream at the top of their lungs.