This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
SkyTower | |
---|---|
General information | |
Status | Operational (as of March 2024) |
Type | Observation Tower |
Location | 7007 Sea World Drive Orlando, Florida and 500 Sea World Drive San Diego California U.S. |
Coordinates | 28°24′37″N81°27′41″W / 28.410373°N 81.461443°W 32°45′56″N117°13′45″W / 32.7654271°N 117.2292372°W |
Completed | Calif. 1969; Fla. 1974 |
Owner | SeaWorld |
Height | |
Antenna spire | FL 425 ft (129.5 m) |
Roof | CA 320 feet (97.5 m) FL 400 feet (121.9 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 2 |
The SeaWorld SkyTower is the name given to similar observation towers located at both SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld Orlando theme parks.
The San Diego SkyTower is a 320-foot (98 m) gyro tower that was constructed in 1968 by Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd of Japan. [1] It opened in 1969 and gives passengers a six-minute view of SeaWorld and San Diego while rising at a rate of 150 feet per minute (46 m/min) while spinning slowly at 1.02 rpm. The original ride vehicle was replaced in 2002.
The Orlando SkyTower was constructed in 1973 and opened in 1974. The tower is the tallest observation tower in Florida 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 400 feet (120 m) from the base to the top of the structure, however riders only reach a height of 365 feet (111 m). The highest point of the structure which includes the topping flagpole is 425 feet (130 m).
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. [2]
The CN Tower is a 553.3 m-high (1,815.3 ft) concrete communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto, built on the former Railway Lands. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for the government's real estate portfolio.
The John Hancock Center is a 100-story, 1,128-foot super tall skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois. Located in the Magnificent Mile district, the building was officially renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue in 2018.
A Ferris wheel is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, they are kept upright, usually by gravity. Some of the largest modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on the outside of the rim, with electric motors to independently rotate each car to keep it upright. These cars are often referred to as capsules or pods.
The Columbia Center, formerly named the Bank of America Tower and Columbia Seafirst Center, is a skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The 76-story structure is the tallest building in the state of Washington, reaching a height of 933 ft (284 m). At the time of its completion, the Columbia Center was the tallest structure on the West Coast; as of 2017, it is the fourth-tallest, behind buildings in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Calgary Tower is a 190.8-metre (626 ft) free standing observation tower in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally called the Husky Tower, it was conceived as a joint venture between Marathon Realty Company Limited and Husky Oil as part of an urban renewal plan and to celebrate Canada's centennial of 1967. The tower was built at a cost of CA$3,500,000 and weighs approximately 10,884 tonnes, of which 60% is below ground. It opened to the public on June 30, 1968 as the tallest structure in Calgary, and the tallest in Canada outside Toronto. It was renamed the Calgary Tower in 1971.
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other establishments. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for " international amusement installations". The company has corporate offices across the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States.
A gyro tower, or panoramic tower, is a revolving observation tower with a vertical 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 mast, either once in the raised position or while traveling up and down the center mast.
The 63 Building, officially called 63 SQUARE, is a skyscraper on the island of Yeouido, overlooking the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. At 249.6 m (819 ft) high, it was the tallest building outside North America when it was opened on July 27, 1985, and it is the second-tallest gold-clad building in the world after Grand Lisboa in Macau. It stood as South Korea's tallest building until the Hyperion Tower surpassed it in 2003, but remained the country's tallest commercial building until the Northeast Asia Trade Tower was topped-out in 2009.
The Mile-High Illinois, Illinois Sky City, or simply The Illinois is a concept proposal for a skyscraper that was to be over 1 mile (1,600 m) high and was conceived and described by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in his 1957 book, A Testament. The design, intended to be built in Chicago, included 528 stories, with a gross area of 18,460,000 square feet (1,715,000 m2). Wright stated that there would be parking for 15,000 cars and 100 helicopters.
Harbour Centre is a skyscraper in the central business district of Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which opened in 1977. The "Lookout" tower atop the office building makes it one of the tallest structures in Vancouver and a prominent landmark on the city's skyline. With its 360-degree viewing deck, it also serves as a tourist attraction with the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant, offering a physically unobstructed view of the city.
The Canton Tower, formally Guangzhou TV Astronomical and Sightseeing Tower, is a 604-meter (1,982 ft)-tall multipurpose observation tower in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou. The tower was topped out in 2009 and it became operational on 29 September 2010 for the 2010 Asian Games. The tower briefly held the title of tallest tower in the world, replacing the CN Tower, before being surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree. It was the tallest structure in China prior to the topping out of the Shanghai Tower on 3 August 2013, and is now the second-tallest tower and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.
SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park located in Mission Bay Park, San Diego, California. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the theme park is an animal-focused marine mammal park, oceanarium, marine animal rehabilitation center, and aquarium.
Manta is a steel launched roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego in San Diego, California, United States. The ride was manufactured by MACK Rides and opened to the public on May 26, 2012. It utilizes the same ride system that was used in Blue Fire which opened in 2009 at Europa Park.
Falcon's Fury is a free-standing Sky Jump drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Manufactured by Intamin subsidiary Intaride, the ride reaches a maximum height of 335 feet (102 m), making it North America's tallest free-standing drop tower. Riders experience about five seconds of free fall, reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). The ride's name was chosen to invoke a falcon's ability to dive steeply at high speed to capture prey.
Polercoaster was a type of amusement ride offered by US Thrill Rides and Intamin. An installation consists of a large tower structure which features glass elevators to an observation deck, as well as a steel roller coaster wrapping around the tower. The model was first introduced in 2012, and in 2013, four were proposed for construction. However, US Thrill Rides cancelled all future Polercoaster locations, after the company went bankrupt.
Skyscraper was a roller coaster concept originally planned for a future Skyplex entertainment complex located in Orlando, Florida. Development began in 2012 by American manufacturer US Thrill Rides and Swiss manufacturer Intamin, with both companies designing the attraction as the first Polercoaster model utilizing an observation tower for its main support structure. Skyscraper would have been the tallest roller coaster in the world at over 500 feet (150 m), and it would have featured both the steepest drop and highest inversion in the world.
US Thrill Rides was an entertainment design and consulting company in Orlando, Florida. It was best known for creating thrill rides in several US locations.
Electric Eel is a steel launched coaster at SeaWorld, San Diego, California. The coaster opened in 2018 as the park's then-tallest and fastest, until the opening of Emperor in 2022. The ride is loosely themed around the electric eel. An educational area and informational exhibit on electric eels can also be found by the attraction and near the queue.
Sky Trek Tower is a 285-foot (87 m) gyro tower located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the attraction is the tallest free-standing structure in Lake County, Illinois. Opening on June 28, 1977, the ride was part of an expansion program by the Marriott Corporation following the opening of their Great America parks the year prior. From 2019 to 2023, the ride was closed to the public.