Skyview Atlanta Ferris Wheel

By alantvuong on May 19, 2019

I always loved going on amusement park rides, but since I was paralyzed and in a wheelchair due to a car accident, it is something that is a bit challenging for me. Since I have no grip from my fingers, I can not grab or hold safety bars, so I tend to go on slow safe rides. I actually done a few crazy roller coasters recently and that totally scared me because I had to be held in by my travel buddies which wasn’t exactly safe. From riding the roller coaster in Las Vegas to Disneyland and the Calgary Stampede, I now like calmer rides. There aren’t many amusement rides in general where the person can safely stay in their wheelchairs, except I knew Ferris wheels are normally wheelchair accessible. Again thanks to Discover Atlanta for complimentary tickets, we confirmed about accessibility and were excited to visit Skyview Atlanta.

all lit up at night

Location

Skyview Atlanta is conveniently located downtown in Centennial Olympic Park. It is also very close to the World Of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, CNN Studio Tours, College Football Hall Of Fame and many shops and restaurants. We were debating on going during the day or night but ultimately decided on going at night so we can see all the lights and the great views of downtown.

lots of steps at the front entrance

About Skyview Atlanta

Tickets are generally about $14 per adult or you can pay $50 per VIP adult where you get luxury Ferrari style seats, longer ride times, chocolates and get to celebrate a special occasion there. Of course, if you check Groupon, there are deals to be had. I figured this Ferris wheel will have the same type of accessibility as the Linq in Vegas and the one in Disneyland. Skyview Atlanta opened in 2013 and is about 20 stories tall which is smaller than the Linq but comparable to Disneyland.

one the gondolas we will be getting into

Getting In

After giving our tickets to a staff member, we were led towards the exit of the ride as the ramp is located there. The entrance only had a bunch of steps so that would not work for me. So coming in from the exit, we were then led to one side of the gondolas. A staff member then grabbed a portable ramp and attached it to entrance of gondola. The seats inside both folded away so I could be positioned in and settled. One set of seats was folded back out so my buddy could sit. There the staff member took away the ramp and shut the door..

staff member getting portable ramp ready

The Gondola

The gondola itself was quite spacious as it normally can carry 6 passengers. Each gondola can be climate-controlled to the passengers liking and features an emergency call button. The gondola has glass windows in all directions so all views could be had. The gondola slightly rocked a bit during the rotation of the wheel but it was never scary and even when we were at the top, the heights never scared me. Also it was spacious enough that I never felt claustrophobic or uneasy at all. The ride was definitely comfortable the whole time.

spacious accessible gondola

The Views

The breath-taking views of the city were all I could think of. Since it was night time, we got to see all the lights, signs and displays of the buildings and streets. We got to rotate in the wheel about 4 times which lasted about 15 minutes. The Ferris wheel itself lit up really nice and same with the trees surrounding the area. We got to see enough of the city with the time allotted for our ride and didn’t feel that we missed anything.. We both agreed that we should come back and ride this during the day to get a different perspective of the city.

looking out at the views

Skyview Atlanta was another must do when visiting Atlanta. Not only do you get to see beautiful scenic views of the city, it is very wheelchair accessible, very calming and enjoyable and is the perfect compliment to your downtown adventure. Thanks again to Discover Atlanta for supplying tickets and recommending this fun attraction. I definitely want to ride this again next time I am in Atlanta.