A summer day draws a crowd to Main Beach as visitors enjoy the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster and other rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
SANTA CRUZ — After a six-year absence, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announced it will be replacing the Ferris wheel that was dismantled in 2017 with the new “Dream Wheel.”
“Ferris wheels are as much a part of a classic seaside amusement park experience as wooden roller coasters, carousels and cotton candy,” said Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Director of External Affairs Kris Reyes. “We are thrilled to add Dream Wheel to our lineup of amazing rides and I know our guests will love the stunning views.”
The Dream Wheel is one of two rides that the Santa Cruz Seaside Co. announced it will be adding to the Boardwalk next year. The other, called Surge, puts 24 riders in gondolas on a wheel’s six spokes, then spins and tilts them.
Both Surge and Dream Wheel are manufactured by the Kansas-based company Chance Rides.
The classic-car-themed Rock & Roll ride will be demolished to make space for the Dream Wheel. The new wheel, about 65 feet tall, will feature 15 gondolas that can hold about four adults or six children each. According to Reyes, the Dream Wheel is “a modern take on a quintessential seaside amusement park Ferris wheel.”
The Boardwalk’s last full-size Ferris wheel, which was about 67 feet high, opened to the public in 1959. It aged out and was dismantled in 2017.
Although an exact opening date for either ride has not been announced, Reyes said the Boardwalk hopes to open Dream Wheel around spring break and Surge around Memorial Day.
Originally published at Aric Sleeper