Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Las Vegas to get a London Eye-like Ferris wheel & amusement park
In an effort to boost Las Vegas' family appeal, Clark County commissioners have approved plans to build a new amusement park on the Las Vegas Strip. Located at the former site of the Cloud Nine Balloon near Mandalay Bay, the 9-acre attraction will include shops, restaurants, and several roller coasters.
The new amusement park's biggest draw will likely be a massive $100 million dollar Ferris wheel in the vein of the London Eye. Like that attraction, developers hope Vegas' wheel will be as popular and as iconic. The 500-foot tall Ferris wheel will feature air conditioned, family room-sized gondolas. The amusement park and Ferris wheel are set to open in 2013. Las Vegas' KTNV has more.
This seems to be part of a growing trend as similar observation wheels have been proposed at the New Jersey Meadowlands and in downtown Atlanta. Cities likely see them as strong revenue producers thanks to the success of the London Eye, one of London's top tourist attractions.
[Image credit: Flickr user - Wilfried.b]
Filed under: North America, Theme Parks
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John Mar 6th 2011 12:35PM
When Ferris invented his eponymous wheel way back in 1892 it was to to show that American engineers could outdo Eiffel and his tower. Our World's fair attraction didn't just stand there, it moved!
That first wheel was huge but then all the following copies just became tiny amusement park rides. It took the bestselling book, "Devil in the White City", to remind people how incredible the original was, and a historically knowledgeable individual in London to bring back the Ferris Wheel as Ferris envisioned it. I'm glad to see that.
I'm also looking forward to the movie of the Devil in the White City where I'm sure the original wheel will be prominently shown.
John Mar 6th 2011 12:46PM
By the way, didn't the concept of Las Vegas as a family destination fail? The amusement park behind the MGM Grand closed and the Treasure Island Pirate Battle show became one of show girls gyrating on the boats. Families just didn't gamble enough. That's why the present ad campaign is the very adult "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas".
Also, if you go by CSI, Las Vegas is the world capital of the most unspeakably gruesome gothic murders.
dilara Mar 6th 2011 11:16PM
Lol John, thank you for those informative yet entertaining comments. I especially giggled at the CSI part because it is true. I do not know much about the history of amusement parks, Ferris wheel or Las Vegas for that matter, but somehow these so called efforts to make it a more family-friendly environment don't fit right in my mind. I think that authorities need to stop making every city or town somehow similar to another one, or available to all kinds of people. Some places have a certain persona, certain appeal to specific demographics or characters. Vegas is all about the games, the glamour, the flashy nightlife... Vegas has a target audience and I don't think it should be altered.