The SeaWorld SkyTower is the name given to similar
observation tower
An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...
s located at both
SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park in Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. It is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, public aquarium, and marine animal rehabilitation center. SeaWorld, the theme park's proprietor, is owned and operated by Un ...
and
SeaWorld Orlando
SeaWorld Orlando is an animal theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated ...
theme parks.
SeaWorld San Diego
The San Diego SkyTower is a
gyro tower
A gyro tower, or panoramic tower, is a revolving observation tower with a vertically moving platform. A gyro tower's observation deck is not simply raised to provide its passengers a spectacular view, it is also rotated around the supporting mas ...
that was constructed in 1968 by
Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd of Japan. It opened in 1969 and gives passengers a six-minute view of SeaWorld and San Diego while rising at a rate of while spinning slowly at 1.02 rpm. The original ride vehicle was replaced in 2002.
SeaWorld Orlando
The Orlando SkyTower was constructed in 1973 and opened in 1974. The tower is the tallest observation tower in
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
and contains a double decker rotating pod. SkyTower is lit with an array of Electronic Theater Control's LEDs as of February 2013. The height of the tower is from the base to the top of the structure, however riders only reach a height of . The highest point of the structure which includes the topping flagpole is .
Incidents
On December 22, 2015, at the height of the Christmas travel season, the Orlando SkyTower became stuck, 200 feet up. There were about 50 people on the ride at the time, and it took two hours to get all passengers down. This was the first known incident on the ride.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings in Orlando
References
{{Reflist
External links
SeaWorld SkyTower
Towers in Florida
SeaWorld Orlando
Amusement rides introduced in 1974
Buildings and structures in Orlando, Florida
Towers completed in 1974
1974 establishments in Florida