Myrtle Beach SkyWheel

SkyWheel is a 187ft Ferris wheel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.When it opened on 20 May 2011 it was the second-tallest extant Ferris wheel in North America, after the 212ft Texas Star in Dallas, and the tallest wheel in the United States east of the Mississippi River.DesignSkyWheel is a Ronald Bussink Professional Rides designed R60 Giant Wheel, and was manufactured by Chance Morgan.It is similar in design to the Niagara SkyWheel on Canada's side of Niagara Falls, and the Seattle Great Wheel, both of which are 175ft tall.Skywheel has "42 glass-enclosed, temperature controlled gondolas" described as "ballooned-out square", each with seating for six passengers. Unrelated people are not required to sit together.The wheel will operate year-round. Though the wheel itself can withstand 135 MPH winds, the gondolas must be removed if high winds are predicted, a process that takes eight to ten hours.City manager Tom Leath said, "It's big enough to be an iconic feature for the city."LocationSt. Louis-based developer Koch Development Company and Pacific Development had been looking for a site for a Ferris wheel; they chose Myrtle Beach because of its new boardwalk, which has its northern end near the site, next to Plyler Park.