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Capital Wheel

2014 establishments in MarylandAmusement rides introduced in 2014Amusement rides manufactured by Chance RidesFerris wheels in the United States
Capital Wheel at National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Capital Wheel at National Harbor, Maryland, USA

The Capital Wheel is a Ferris wheel at National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D. C., in the United States. It opened on May 23, 2014. The wheel was conceived by National Harbor developer Milton Peterson and inspired by the Roue de Paris. Built by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas, it has an overall height of 180 feet (54.9 m) and sits on a 770-foot-long (230 m) pier extending into the adjacent Potomac River, easily visible to passengers on flights to or from National Airport. Landmarks visible from inside the wheel include the National Harbor, the Washington Monument, the city of Alexandria, and Georgetown University. The 165-foot (50.3 m) diameter wheel carries 42 climate-controlled passenger gondolas, each able to seat eight people, including a VIP gondola that can be rented for weddings or celebrations. The wheel has programmable special-effects lighting and seasonal concessions at the base of the ride from the Wolfgang Puck restaurant chain.The entire structure is 175 (52.6 m) feet tall.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Capital Wheel (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

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Latitude Longitude
N 38.78565 ° E -77.01917 °
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The Capital Wheel at National Harbor

National Plaza
20745
Maryland, United States
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Capital Wheel at National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Capital Wheel at National Harbor, Maryland, USA
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Nearby Places

Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Woodrow Wilson Bridge

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Jones Point Light
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The Jones Point Light is a small river lighthouse located on the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia. It was built in 1855. It is a small, one-story house with a lantern on top and served primarily as a warning light for naval ships approaching the Washington Navy Yard. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1926, replaced by a small steel skeletal tower located nearby; this smaller tower was in use for ten years before being discontinued. After being dark for more than half a century, Jones Point Light was relit by a private concern in 1995, however, it was eventually put out again after ownership switched from the Daughters of the American Revolution Foundation to the National Park Service. Certain local efforts have called for the structure to be relit, but as of 2017, the only working lighthouse on the Potomac River is the Fort Washington Point Lighthouse, located five miles downriver. The lighthouse is located on Jones Point in Alexandria, and is part of Jones Point Park. Visitors can approach the lighthouse, but it is currently impossible to enter the building. The lighthouse is immediately north of the confluence of Hunting Creek and the Potomac River. The 1791-1792 survey of the boundaries of the District of Columbia began at a spot that was then at the tip of a cape at the Point. The south cornerstone from the boundary survey remains in the seawall adjacent to the lighthouse. In 1980, the lighthouse and the cornerstone were listed in the National Register of Historic Places as reference #80000352. The lighthouse is also listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey as survey number VA-641. The listing shows lighthouse drawings and several black-and-white photos of the lighthouse prior to restoration.