Top 10 Weird and Unusual Ferris Wheels
Named after George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr this popular fairground attraction hasn’t changed much over the years, but now and again theme parks need to build special version of this fun fair ride to fit in with the theming or surrounding rides. What you end up with are some very unique Ferris wheels that are well worth a ride…
Top 10 Weird and Unusual Ferris Wheels
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Osaka Ferris Wheel
10 – Osaka
More of an oval than a wheel but the passenger cars are suspended on its outer edge just like a normal one!
The Big O Ferris Wheel
9 – Tokyo
This ride is the world’s only Centreless wheel and they had to make it that way because it’s got a roller coaster track going through the middle of it!
Baseball Ferris Wheel
8 – Detroit
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in Downtown Detroit and the home of the Detroit Tigers (Major League Baseball Team) and also a rather unusual Ferris Wheel.
US Royal Tyres Ferris Wheel
7 – Michigan
The Uniroyal Giant Tire Ferris wheel was created by the Uniroyal Tire Company for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, but it has since been moved to Allen Park, Michigan
Waggons Ferris Wheel
6 – Yorkshire
It might look like the wild west, but it’s just good theming and it’s located at Flamingo Land theme park here in the UK.
Toys ‘R’ Us Ferris Wheel
5 – New York
Located in Toys R Us flagship location at the Toys R Us store in New York’s Times Square is a Ferris wheel with so many toy brands on it, it looks like a giant advert wheel! Very cool indeed, but oddly corporate.
World’s Tallest Ferris Wheel
4 – Las Vegas
This would have been no list at all if I didn’t include the world’s tallest Ferris wheel (They call it an observation wheel, but it’s the same thing) located on the Las Vegas Strip.
Underground Ferris Wheel
3 – Transylvania
This Ferris wheel looks normal and at 65 feet high with only 6 gondolas it’s nothing to write home about. But what is amazing is that it’s located 350 feet underground inside a giant salt mine shaft! At only 64ft tall you don’t get anywhere near the top of it even at the highest point of the ride.
World’s First Figure 8 Ferris Wheel
2 – China
Called the Golden Reel it is the World’s first figure 8 Ferris wheel that is apparently inspired by two flaming asteroids! If that wasn’t scary enough it’s located 130 meters in the air!
World’s Oldest Moving Ferris Wheel
1 – Austria
Located at Wurstelprater amusement park in Austria’s capital Vienna is the world’s oldest active Ferris wheels. It’s an impressive 64.75-metre (212 ft) tall and originally it had 30 gondolas but was severely damaged in World War II and when subsequently rebuilt only 15 gondolas. When it was built in 1897 it was the world’s tallest extant Ferris wheel all they way until 1985.