Giant Wheel was an Intamin-supplied

double wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

that operated at

Hersheypark Hersheypark (known as Hershey Park until 1970) is a family theme park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about east of Harrisburg, and west of Philadelphia. The park was founded in 1906 by Milton S. Hershey as a leisure park for the employees of ...

between 1973 and 2004. The entire structure weighed over 135 tons, and was installed in a 25-feet square slab of concrete, 10 feet thick.Hershey's Guidebook, Western Publishing Company, 1974. The ride comprised a 116-foot cross beam, each end carrying a 12-arm wheel, with a circular eight-passenger cabin suspended from each of the wheel arms. One end of the cross beam would rise approximately one hundred feet as its wheel spun in a clockwise motion. The cabins could also be spun in the horizontal plane using a central steering wheel, similar to a teacup ride. After being up in the air for several minutes, and after the second wheel was loaded, the first wheel was lowered to the ground and the second wheel raised in the air. When shut down, the cross beam would rest at

equipoise Equipoise may refer to: * Clinical equipoise, or the principle of equipoise, a medical research term * Equilibrioception, the state of being balanced or in equilibrium * Boldenone undecylenate, an anabolic steroid, by the trade name ''Equipoise'' * ...

, both wheels dangling 40-to-50 feet off the ground. The ride could handle large crowds, and had a capacity of 2,000 persons per hour. The Giant Wheel closed in October of 2004 and the ride was removed over the late fall with some of the gondolas being saved and the rest of the ride being scrapped. Some collectors have received and even restored some of the gondolas to original condition to as they were in the park. When The Chocolatier opened in 2021 the park refurbished and installed one of the gondolas onto the outside patio where it can be visited today by guests. The Hersheypark Supply Co. gift shop introduced a line of retired attraction souvenirs during the summer of 2022 featuring the Giant Wheel.

References

* {{Ferris wheel Removed amusement attractions Former Ferris wheels Hersheypark Amusement rides introduced in 1973 Amusement rides that closed in 2004 Amusement rides manufactured by Intamin