Going to New Heights

Dallas suburb nabs new Ferris wheel that rivals Fair Park's famed Texas Star

The Grandscape Wheel will open on Friday, September 10.

Photo courtesy of Grandscape

The Grandscape in The Colony soon will debut the Grandscape Wheel, a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel that rivals the Texas Star, a State Fair of Texas mainstay.

Opening on September 10, the Grandscape Wheel was designed by Dutch Wheels, which has created observation wheels around the world. The Grandscape Wheel features 42 climate-controlled gondolas with music for riders to enjoy views of The Colony, nearby Frisco, and the North Texas skyline.

Each gondola seats up to eight people, with a special four-person VIP gondola with a glass floor and leather, Ferrari-style seating also available.

The Grandscape Wheel stands at 180 feet tall, which comes close to the 212-foot-tall Texas Star. Of course, the Texas Star is only available during the State Fair of Texas, while the Grandscape Wheel will be open every Wednesday through Sunday. The ride will last approximately 12-15 minutes, making around three revolutions.

"We are so proud to bring the Grandscape Wheel to The Colony, Texas and be a part of the immersive entertainment lineup at Grandscape along with Nebraska Furniture Mart, Andretti Indoor Karting, and Games and Scheels,” said Jim Riggs, Developer and Managing Partner of SouthWest Wheel Partners in a statement.

The Grandscape Wheel will adhere to various COVID-19 guidelines, including social distancing. Families will be allowed board up to eight people per gondola, but anyone not living in the same household will not be seated together. Hand sanitizer will be provided for guest use, and gondolas will be sanitized between guest boarding.

Tickets for the attraction range from $12.01-$15.94 per person, with kids 3 and under riding for free. The VIP gondola costs $49.88 per person, a cost that also includes front-of-the-line access and a souvenir photo.

Grandscape is an outdoor entertainment, dining, and shopping destination in The Colony anchored by Nebraska Furniture Mart and Scheels. It is also currently home to Jurassic World: The Exhibition, located directly next to the Grandscape Wheel through January 2, 2022.

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This Week's Hot Headlines

Dallas amusement park purchase leads this week's most popular stories

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Editor's note: The top news in Dallas this week includes a new owner for longtime amusement park and a slew of restaurant openings. Plus, a Dallas neighbor earns a top safety ranking, and we look back at the biggest entertainment stories of the year. Below are the most popular Dallas stories of the week. And for holiday weekend fun, go here.

1. Dallas acquires 30-year-old amusement park for $13 million. An amusement park in Far North Dallas was purchased by the City of Dallas to be developed into a community park. The Dallas City Council voted during its December 11 meeting to buy Adventure Landing, with a goal to keep the park in business.

2. Dallas neighbor is proclaimed the second safest city in the U.S. One of Dallas' buzziest suburbs is also one of the safest in the U.S.: It's none other than Frisco, which was declared the No. 2 safest city in America for 2025 in a new study by personal finance advisors MoneyGeek.

3. 7 new restaurants open in Dallas in a single week. Dallas is brimming with an unexpected bounty of openings. From sweet crepes and rolled ice cream to a unique dual-restaurant in Frisco, these are the absolute newest places to check out.

Le Bistrot Bar Sardine is now open in Snider Plaza. Kayla Enright

4. Acclaimed restaurant team to open Centro on the Square in McKinney. There's an exciting new restaurant coming to McKinney from a team with serious cred: Called Centro on the Square, it'll open in Historic Downtown McKinney at 112 E. Louisiana St.

5. Alamo Drafthouse saga leads Dallas' top entertainment stories of 2024. The biggest movie drama of 2024 in Dallas starred the theaters themselves. Here's a look back at our most-read entertainment stories of the year.

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