Riding the myrtle beach skywheel with young kids
The Myrtle Beach SkyWheel has become an iconic landmark in our city. But sadly it’s something many locals, especially local families haven’t experienced.
We have loved riding it once a season and just recently we tried the SUNRISE FLIGHT and man, it was incredible! Here are our notes for how to ensure you have a good time riding the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel with young kids.
The big details
WHERE: 1110 N Ocean Blvd
WHAT TO EXPECT: A 15 minute ride in a climate controlled gondola style car. This isn’t a ferris wheel, it’s an observation wheel with amazing views up and down the beautiful coastline of Myrtle Beach. Sunrise flights are 30 minutes long.
HOURS & TICKET INFO: Rides happen daily from 11am until 12pm. You can purchase tickets in advance or on-site.
MORE DETAILS: The SkyWheel website has all the ride options available and online purchase options.
what the ride itself was like with kids
Not gonna lie, the first couple of minutes tested both the kids and me. We moved a few feet upward and both kids got the big scared/uncertain look in their eyes and I realized just how high we were going to be! But we smoothed out quickly and ended up having a great time. Here are a few tips that calmed us all down.
BE READY TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU SEE | This helped my kids and wasn’t any trouble for me. I just processed my thoughts out loud. As I looked around I pointed out whatever I saw. This helped the kids keep their attention on one specific thing while they adjusted to being in the moving gondola car.
IT LASTS ABOUT 15 MINUTES | That was about 6 full revolutions for us. It might help telling kids it’ll be 6 spins instead of saying 15 minutes. Each time we went down and passed the loading station the attendant waved excitedly so we got excited and waved back. This helps keep the energy and excitement high.
WE DIDN’T HAVE TO STOP AND START A LOT | Nobody likes the constant stop and start on a ferris wheel (or observation wheel), do they? Thankfully we didn’t do much of that at all. They only load a few cars at any given time so we stopped a couple of times on the way up and a couple of times at the very end.
THERE IS AN EMERGENCY BUTTON | If you really, really need to get off for an emergency then there is a red button at the top of your car that alerts the team that you need to exit ASAP.
Sunrise Flight
We got up early for the sunrise flight and it was so cool. These happen Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until the end of August and then select dates through the rest of the year. The sunrise flight is 30 minutes long and loads at just before 6am. They also have coffee and a few pastries you can grab on your way to the gondola car. It was so cool to see the boulevard so quiet in the early morning then get to enjoy the sun slowly making its way up over the horizon.
giveaway & discount code
We have 4 tickets to giveaway so head over to IG for details about that!