Our new ferris wheel has really got Atlantans excited of late. Located downtown in the Luckie-Marietta area, The wheel is almost 20 stories high with 42 gondolas that are able to hold up to 6 people. Cost is about $15 for adults and just over $9 for children. I recently tried out Skyview on a recent weekday evening.
While it is nice to have the view, it is somewhat dwarfed by many of the downtown buildings. The location (from a viewing standpoint) is not ideal, but there are only so many places downtown that something that large could be placed. I thought the night view would be better but after experiencing it, I believe a day view would be better where you could actually see Centennial Park and some of the landmarks, only be visible during daylight. That being said, I would not want to be waiting very long in the summer heat to get on Skyview.
There are VIP gondolas available. I hear it is about 50 bucks (pricing is not listed on the website). VIP ensures a 30 minute ride vs. the normal 15 minute ride and you get to skip past the long lines to a VIP gondola. And there are glass floors, but they were rather scuffed up, so not sure how much that adds to the experience. The tinted windows are great for um…bow chicka bow wow??
Parking is a headache. There is a large sign that misleads you into thinking parking is $3, but that is only during the day. In the evening it is $10. If you park across the street in the pay lot where Waffle House is, it is $5, however the system wasn’t accepting cash and rejected our credit cards. Luckily we caught a woman leaving who let us have her ticket.
All the staff we encountered was extremely polite and helpful. I think kids would love it. As an adult – I do think the $15 price tag seems kind of steep considering the view. And as someone who had ridden the London Eye, I was less than thrilled with the view. If you decide to visit, make an evening of it. Visit one of the nearby restaurants like Trader Vic’s, Legal Seafoods, Ray’s in the City, White Oak Kitchen and Cocktails, Der Biergarten or Max’s Coal Oven Pizza.
Skyview Website
168 Luckie Street
Atlanta, GA
Read about more downtown Atlanta restaurants and hot spots:
Guide to the Ultimate Girls Weekend in Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta Hyatt Staycation
ParkBar – Burger spot in downtown Atlanta
Peachtree Center Must Try Restaurants
Polaris – revolving restaurant at the Hyatt Atlanta
RED Restaurant at Philips Arena
Smoke Ring – barbecue joint in Castleberry Hill
The Sun Dial at the Westin Hotel in downtown Atlanta
