Ocean City, Maryland’s old-school amusement park, Trimper’s Rides, has a brand new addition. The Inlet Eye is a nearly 150-foot ferris wheel with 36 enclosed gondolas, unveiled Saturday.
The Inlet Eye, one of two Big Wheel ferris wheels in the nation, is one of the tallest structures in Ocean City and Trimper’s says riders get a view “spanning 14 miles from Assateague to Fenwick.”
The wheel has 33,000 LED lights and contains five miles of electrical wire. It was built in the Netherlands and made the 1,000-mile trip on 12 tractor-trailers–all 400,000 pounds of it.
Trimper’s Rides held a ribbon-cutting with live music on Saturday, admitting the first 126 guests for free (one guest for each year the amusement park has been open).
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan called the Inlet Eye “a fantastic addition to Ocean City” that will enhance the Trimper’s Rides family tradition and enhance the resort town as a whole.
The honor of taking the first ride was auctioned off to benefit Believe in Tomorrow Foundation’s Children’s House by the Sea, a respite housing program for critically ill children and their families. The Angell family won the auction, raising $460 for the charity.
The Inlet Eye will be at Trimper’s Rides for the rest of the 2020 season. The ride costs $10 per person, $6 for children under age 12, or $25 for a family of four and is included in some all-day wristbands.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
