On a sweltering hot Saturday afternoon during our March trip to Las Vegas, we headed to Margaritaville for lunch. Nothing says vacation quite like umbrella drinks and cheeseburgers in paradise! After parking behind the Flamingo, we became distracted by a large, shiny object. The enormous High Roller Observation Wheel is a new-ish attraction in Las Vegas and one that we had not yet experienced.
The big question...night or day? I love the twinkling lights of nighttime in Vegas, but we decided to just go for it then and there, opting for a daytime ride. At twenty-six dollars a ticket, the daytime rides are ten dollars less than nighttime. The ride lasts for thirty minutes and we had the option of paying thirty-seven dollars for a ride in a cabin with an all-you-can-drink bar. We held out for Margaritas. It was the right choice too, because the cabins with a bar had a long queue. It seemed that it was the option that everyone was choosing. Not only did we not have to wait, but we ended up with an entire cabin to ourselves. Score!
Dan took some panoramas to show off all of our space. It was huge!
At 550 feet, The High Roller is the tallest observation wheel in the world. During the ride, there was a video presentation ( with a mega annoying host) giving facts about Vegas and the wheel. They showed a cool time lapse video of the construction of the wheel.
The view was good, but far from the best in Vegas. The wheel is located mid-strip, behind the Linq and Flamingo hotels, so it's off center. There are much better views to be had from many of the hotels actually on the strip. Still though, we had fun taking pictures.
When we exited, they had several bars ready to go. Drinking is popular in Vegas, who knew?
We also saw some pretty rock decor under the wheel.
Was the wheel worth the price? Meh.
Let me qualify my reaction by letting you know that I'm not a "view" person. Sure, I can appreciate a pretty view, but I get bored with it quickly. Thirty minutes is a lot of time to spend looking at a subpar Vegas view. However, the wheel itself is a bit of a marvel. I've done the London Eye, which was a similar experience. If you've never done anything like it, then absolutely add the High Roller to your Vegas itinerary.
Finally, here is a picture of me with a giant Flamingo that we found on our way to Margaritaville. Many years ago, I spent over two thousand hours gathering observation research on Greater Flamingos at the zoo.
