For Toronto residents looking for an easy getaway, Niagara Falls is a popular road trip. Now there’s another reason to make the roughly 90-minute drive south: Niagara Falls is getting a massive new Ferris wheel that will be the tallest in Canada.
HOCO Entertainment and Resorts plans to replace its aging Niagara SkyWheel on Clifton Hill with a $40-million, 76-metre-high Ferris wheel. The existing SkyWheel, which has been operating for about 20 years, is about 53 metres tall.
Once complete, the new wheel will become the tallest in Canada and will offer up some stunning elevated views across Niagara Falls and the surrounding area.
According to recent news, the project comes after the Niagara Parks Commission gave up on plans for a separate mega Ferris wheel on Queen Victoria Park, close to the falls.
Instead, the new SkyWheel will be built on the existing Clifton Hill site, already one of Niagara Falls’ busiest entertainment districts where all the tourist fun seems to exist.
There are other projects underway also in the area that will make Niagara Falls a place to watch. For instance, the Toronto Power Hotel, a planned five-star boutique hotel being developed inside the historic Toronto Power Generating Station, shut down in 1974, along the Niagara River.
For Torontonians, it gives an old favourite a new twist. Niagara Falls may be one of Ontario’s most familiar destinations, but with new hotels, and attractions, it could be worth making the trip again.