One of the most well-known attractions during the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis was the enormous Ferris wheel. That Ferris wheel has long since been gone, but St. Louis has a new Ferris wheel more than one hundred years later–The St. Louis Wheel at Union Station. The St. Louis Wheel was added next to Union Station as part of the recent re-development of the old train station, and it has quickly become a part of the St. Louis skyline. The wheel operates during the day and in the evenings, so visitors have the chance to get great views of the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis skyline either with the details visible in the sunlight or with the twinkling lights of the buildings at night.

• 

• 

Though we have admired the wheel while driving by, especially at night when the lights on the wheel flash different colors, we finally decided to take a trip on the wheel itself. We opted to do it at night during the Christmas season so that we might see some of the Christmas lights up in downtown. The 200-foot tall wheel afforded us nice views all over St. Louis; we could see well in every direction, although the best views were looking east toward downtown and the Arch. Though it was cold outside, the individual cars of the wheel were quite warm, so we were able to enjoy going around several times. The ride was smooth and pleasant, but we were also glad to be back on firm land once the ride had ended. Overall, however, we very much enjoyed our ride on The St. Louis Wheel and would recommend it to both tourists and St. Louisans alike.