Description: Nick promised me that this time we would spend time at the actual beach. So before we left out for home, we headed down to the beach to eat and have some fun. After we ate, we headed across the street to enjoy some fantastic views on the Skywheel.
The Skywheel opened up on Myrtle Beach’s famed grand strand on May 20, 2011. It is 187 foot tall and was designed by Ronald Bussink Professional Rides for $12 million dollars. It was manufactured by Chance Morgan rides that produced Superman at Six Flags Mexico and Steel Lasso at Frontier City. It is the second tallest Farris Wheel in North America (The Texas Star in Dallas is 212 feet) and is the tallest east of the Mississippi.
The wheel has 42 glass gondolas that can carry up to 6 passengers per gondola. The wheel was designed to withstand winds up to 135 miles per hour. If the winds are predicated to be high enough then the gondolas must be removed. It takes 8-10 hours to remove them. Guests are given amazing views of both the beach and the grand strand.
St. Louis based developers Koch Development Company and Pacific Development decided to have the wheel build as part of a new grand strand entertainment complex which would include shopping and dining. It is connected to the Land Shark Restaurant which is owned by singer Jimmy Buffet. Jimmy has 2 other restaurants in Myrtle Beach including Margaretville and Cheeseburger in Paradise. This year offcialbestof.com named it "Best Scenic Experience in South Carolina".
The attraction is open year round. There is a gift shop. The "flight" goes around 3 times and takes about 15 minutes to complete. They are handicapped accessible and only service animals are permitted. There is a VIP flight which features a VIP gondola which is enhanced with leather seats and takes about 30 minutes. You also get a T-Shirt and lanyard. At night this place lights up the grand strand with over 1 million LED lights. If you are here in the evening you need to experience this.
Nick and I got our ticket and hopped in the gondola. It slowly took us up giving us amazing views of the grand strand then up and over looking out into the ocean. But make sure you turn around and enjoy the views of the town as well. You are treated to some amazing views every time you turn around and I would imagine at sunset, this would be incredible. I am enjoying going back and forth between the seats snapping away with my camera. Nick isn’t a fan of heights but enclosed rides like this do not bother him as long as he doesn’t look down. But he was afraid by hopping back and forth would start the thing swinging. It didn’t.
This is a terrific attraction for your next group or event. You can even get married on the Skywheel. You can purchase advanced tickets on line. Your best bet for parking is to park in one of the paid lots nearby. There is very limited metered parking on the street. There are plenty of places to dine nearby. There are public restrooms just outside the entrance.
Please see the website for current ticket prices and hours.
Recommendation: Very highly recommended.
Website: www.myrtlebeachskywheel.com
They are on Facebook.
For some of the best views around, make sure you stop in and enjoy the amazing Skywheel.
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