CINCINNATI, Ohio— It’s the end of an era for downtown Cincinnati as the SkyStar Ferris wheel begins to come down this week. But soon enough, a permanent Ferris wheel will be in its place.
- The SkyStar has been at The Banks in Downtown Cincinnati since August 2018
- The temporary Ferris wheel is moving to San Francisco
- A permanent Ferris wheel will be constructed in its place
As people watched and rode the SkyStar on its final day, they took in the views from atop the 15 story tall Ferris wheel.
“I loved seeing it," June Gibson said after riding the SkyStar. "It was almost like it was a 360 view form Mount Adams to the Newport on the Levee to downtown. So it was a great view. I really enjoyed it.”
Last month SkyStar announced the temporary Ferris wheel would move out of the Queen City after a year and a half on the banks and will soon be shipped out to San Francisco.
“We were sad that they were taking it away but glad that they’re building a new one," Beth Fritsch said as she visited the SkyStar on it's last day.
But downtown Cincinnati won’t be without a Ferris wheel for long. SkyStar also shared that a new permanent Ferris wheel will be in its place in about a year. The new attraction will be spokeless and completely unique to the U.S.
Families are happy to hear about the permanent addition of a Ferris wheel to Cincinnati’s skyline.
“We like that it’s changing the scene of what our skyline looks like and making it a little more family friendly," Fritsch said. "Bringing people down for more than just sports. It’s nice to have a reason to come down with the kids and it looks pretty from the other side of the river too.”
“It would go good with the stadiums and the theaters and the other entertainment we have downtown," Gary Gibson said after riding SkyStar.
And now as the Ferris wheel is beginning to be torn down for its cross county trip, Cincinnati residents and visitors know they won’t have to get used to the empty spot in the skyline for long.
The permanent Ferris wheel should be complete by March 2021.