Giant Wheel was a double Ferris wheel ride that operated at Hersheypark between 1973 and 2004. It was built by Intamin, who also built several other rides for Hersheypark, including Storm Runner and Canyon River Rapids. The ride was sponsored by Giant Food Stores in its last two years of operation.
The Giant Wheel resembled two giant arms joined at a central hub, with a grossly-oversized hand (with twelve "fingers") extending from the end of each arm. From the "fingertips" of the fingers dangled circular cabins, on to which up to eight people could be loaded at a time. One "arm" would rise approximately one hundred feet as the "hand" would spin in a clockwise motion on a wheel up to the 125-foot and down to the 75-foot level. The cabin 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 other "hand" (located at the other end of the 116-foot cross arm) was loaded, the first "hand" declined back to the ground while the other rose in the air.
When shut down, the ride's "arms" would rest at equipoise, both "hands" dangling 40-to-50 feet off the ground.
The Giant Wheel could handle large crowds, and had a capacity of 2,000 persons per hour. The weight of the entire structure was over 135 tons, installed in a 25-feet square slab of concrete, 10 feet thick.[1]
The original plan to build an 11th roller coaster, named Turbulence, was cancelled, and in 2005, Balloon Flight and Starship America were built on its original site.
The Giant Wheel never operated during Christmas Candylane. Instead, rides from other areas of the park were brought in and placed under it, including the Mini Train, Dinosaurs-Go-Round, and Mini-Pirate. A star of Bethlehem light sculpture was placed on the top of one of the arms. It has since moved to the Sidewinder.