Seattle Great Wheel & Miner’s Landing

Right next to the Seattle Aquarium is arguably the most touristy spot in the whole city – the Seattle Great Wheel and Miner’s Landing on Pier 57. You can see the huge Ferris wheel from all over the city! But there’s more to Pier 57 than just the Great Wheel.

Miner’s Landing

Inside Pier 57 is a long corridor full of restaurants and other food treats, at least one shop, an arcade, and – for lack of a better term – other “amusements.” It looks like a cross between Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and Wall Drug in South Dakota. There’s an Alaskan Gold Rush theme to the whole place – apparently, gold from Alaska docked at Pier 57 in 1897. But the theme is executed like an amusement park, not anything authentic like Pike’s Place Market up the hill.

There are three restaurants at Miner’s Landing, all of them serving seafood. They’re pretty touristy looking, mostly serving the cruise ship crowd that docks a few piers down. The most casual is The Salmon Cooker, a counter-service spot on the street side, with some outdoor tables for dining. Inside is The Crab Pot where you can buy a “Seafest” where they dump steamed buckets of seafood directly on the table. And the nicest seems to be The Fisherman’s Restaurant at the end of the pier, with plenty of outdoor seating right under the Seattle Great Wheel. There’s also a bakery to buy “Alaskan Sourdough” loaves and a hardworking ice cream counter.

Under minor amusements, there is a cheesy souvenir shop, an arcade, a small indoor carousel, and a shooting gallery game. Salish Sea Tours also operates from here, offering tours of Elliot Bay – the part of Puget Sound that Seattle faces.

Wings Over Washington

But the attractions that make Miner’s Landing worth visiting are at the end of the pier. Besides the Seattle Great Wheel, there is one other ride worth checking out, and that’s Wings Over Washington.

If you’ve ever been to Soarin’ at Disneyland in California or Walt Disney World in Florida, then you are familiar with this ride system. Long rows of seats are hoisted in front of a large, curved projection screen, making you feel like you’re flying through the scenery. In this case, it’s themed to the natural beauty of Washington State.

I was super impressed with the quality of the whole production. There’s only a small waiting area, but once you get into the pre-show room, there’s a lot going on! There’s a projected host at the front and even animal animatronics along the walls. Then on the ride itself, there are some impressive mist effects, more animatronics, and a beautiful introduction to natural attractions across the state.

I won’t say it moved me as emotionally as a similar ride in the Mall of America – FlyOver America – but I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I definitely think it is worth the price, though not worth more than that – it’s pretty expensive for just one ride. I’ll talk more about prices at the bottom.

Seattle Great Wheel

Now we come to the main attraction, the Seattle Great Wheel. I was fully prepared for this to be an overpriced tourist trap extraordinaire, but I was very pleasantly surprised! Even in the middle of the day on a Friday, with wall-to-wall tourists at Pike Place Market, the Great Wheel loads quickly, then you get a fair amount of ride time with six full revolutions around (and plenty of stopping.) Each ride car is fully enclosed and air conditioned, making this a great option even on a hot afternoon. And each party gets their own car. Even as a solo rider, I had my own gondola.

Of course, if you don’t like heights the the thought of a swinging gondola car makes your stomach lurch, this might not be the attraction for you! But if you enjoy stuff like this, you are rewarded with fantastic views of Elliot Bay, the mountains, and the city. If you don’t already have plans for seeing the sunset from the Space Needle, watching it from the Seattle Great Wheel is a fantastic option. From here, the sun sets over the water to your right. And if you want to be extra fancy, there are even ways to have a VIP meal served to you while you ride.

Admission

Both the Seattle Great Wheel and Wings Over Washington are on the pricy side, so if you can find any discounts online or in a brochure, make sure you use them. The easiest way to buy your tickets for everything at Miner’s Landing is online. It’s honestly pretty confusing to buy in person, with just one, maybe two, little cashier’s stations. With an online purchase, you can just go straight to the attraction, and bypass any confused lines.

For the Seattle Great Wheel: adults cost $18 each, ages 65+ cost $16, ages 3-11 are $13, and 0-2 are free. There’s also a VIP car with leather seats and a glass bottom that costs $50 per person.

For Wings Over Washington: adults cost $19, seniors $17, and youth are $15. All riders have to be at least 42 inches tall to ride.

For a 1-hour sightseeing tour from Salish Sea Boat Tours: it costs $33 for anyone age 12-64, $30 for 65+, $23 for ages 3-11, and free for age 0-2. The cruise includes an audio tour and two bars onboard with drinks and food for sale.

The small carousel inside Miner’s Landing costs $6 to ride, and I think the shooting gallery was about the same. You need tokens to play the shooting gallery and tickets for the carousel, but I assume the arcade takes standard quarters and dollars.

Conclusion

It may be extra touristy, but the Seattle Great Wheel and Wings Over Washington are quality attractions, if on the pricy side. The rest of Miner’s Landing is very skippable – there’s much better food and shopping up the stairs at Pike’s Place Market, or anywhere in Seattle other than this.