The Capital Wheel

Deathly afraid of heights! But what is a girl to do when she is gifted free tickets by the manager at one of the restaurants at the harbor? Well, go and experience it of course!

Super cool and something to do! The view is beautiful!

Romantic for sure!

Perfect for date night! Go when the sun is setting! You'll be able to kiss in peace! lol

From the moment we purchased tickets to the moment we said goodbye bye to the staff it was a remarkable experience to myself and my family!

The capital wheel is an iconic attraction at the National Harbor MD, and you can tell when you run a tight smooth operation. The entire experience went so seamlessly to the point we bought tickets again and had a second ride on the spot. We met the VP of the wheel, Mr Lovato who was extremely generous and pleasant in accommodating us while making sure we had the very personal touch that made us feel like family. Amazing views and so much fun at the flight deck bar. Great drinks and very professional bartenders. We highly recommend the capital wheel at National Harbor. From the bottom of our heart we thank you for the amazing hospitality.

Have ridden this several times. It certainly is beautiful at night, and when landing at nearby DCA, it's a reminder "flight almost over." National Harbor has a lot going on. This large Ferris wheel is impressive. Also as a man who doesn't like heights, I must say it's actually quite pleasant. While I do wish there was a bar or something to hold to in the car's interior, you're completely enclosed with clean door windows. It's not insanely height up, but it will provide you and another person, a nice view of the Potomac River and Woodrow Wilson Bridge. All of the employees have been friendly, and I get my tickets at the kiosk, although I believe online is available.

The first time I was edgy, but after a first rotation, smooth sailing. It is extremely quiet and relaxing operation wise. For those who haven't done it, go for it but see if you can get a coupon/voucher if they still have them. My night visit was the best, as seeing DC to the north illuminated was pleasant. They gave us I believe 10 to 15 minutes of ride time. This is a nice set up, and yes it certainly has a high end location, plus it's probably expensive to operate. I'm in no hurry to go back, but will do it again. This does give you another vantage point.

This wheel is amazing. I am normally scared of ferris wheels but still like to go on them. This one was so pretty when coming into the area, i new i had to stop by sometime during my stay and ride it. There was no line and no people. We had the whole wheel for ourselves it was about a 10 min ride, it was slow but nice and very intimate and safe. The staff was very friendly as well. The views were great as we went a little after sundown and saw a great view. I will go back once im in the area.

This attraction is probably much more popular on a sunny day in the summer, but I went here on a winter night and enjoyed the experience. You are allowed a decent amount of time on the wheel, and the enclosed pods are heated and comfortable. The staff was friendly and wait times were short.

I'll be honest with you all, when I came down to this area and knew that I would be spending the next two weeks working down here, the one thing that I wanted to do prior to leaving this area was to ride the wheel. I did accomplish it, but it took me nearly the full two weeks to do so.

I really didn't have a plan of attack for doing this. The day that my friend and I did this we kind of did it on a whim. We were eating nearby and could see the wheel. I had joked that we should do it (I was going to do it one way or another regardless). As we were sitting there we kept talking about it until we finally pulled up the website on our phones and went ahead and purchases our tickets. Much easier this way, but honestly not that much of a time saver.

See, you can purchase online beforehand, but you are still going to have to wait in the line to get your ticket, and if it is a special ticket, you are going to still have to wait. Honestly, either way of purchasing, online or inline, is about the same amount of time.

We went with the Brew and View ticket which allows you to enjoy yourself an adult beverage during your experience. Great idea, bad execution. With this ticket you get to go to their bar called The Flight Deck. Pick from a menu of drinks to take with you and you get to enjoy that in a souvenir cup. The cup is kind of cool and reusable, although if you get one for wine I feel like you get less of a drink. Once you get your drink, you have to basically go back down to where you purchased your ticket and get in line for the wheel. So all those people that were behind you before at the window are now in front of you.

Standing in the line can be like that at any amusement park. Every so often it would move forward when they would change out the riders. It took forever. There is barely a covering and when you do finally get some shade on a sunny day, that's when the line moves and you are thrust back out into the sun.

The people running the ride are swift with their movements. You can tell they have been doing this for a while and it is just second nature to them. They give you the safety lecture on what you can and cannot do on the wheel and then load you up and send you round and round.

I don't recall the amount of times you revolve, but it feels like a good duration. This allows for you to see just about everything you can while doing your rotations. The views a spectacular, you can see the whole of National Harbor, across the Potomac to Alexandria, and in the distance you can see the Washington Monument. Make sure you take as many pictures as possible while up there, every angle you can think of.

Honestly, just sit back and enjoy, it is quite nice.

If there's a Ferris Wheel nearby, I will always visit it on a trip. Such a fun, peaceful activity to enjoy and see the view of the city.

We bought the Groupon here, and if it's still an option, it's a great deal! It included a ride for 2, a free drink for 2 after the ride, and a free photo. For pretty much the same price as admission at the gate. If it's available, look into it.

The wheel itself was a great experience. Plenty of rounds. It was cloudy and rainy when we came so not the best views.

Surprised by how good the quality was of the drinks. Was super relaxing and enjoyable to sit and enjoy a drink after the ride.

A good choice for a Ferris wheel ride if you're in the area.

Finally, I made it here! I've been to the National a Harbor enough times but yet never rode the wheel until this past weekend. Easy to get tickets on site. They offer packages with drinks and/or photos. The ride seemed pretty quick but fantastic views of the area! It's fun to try. I'm scared of heights and don't do roller coasters. This wasn't bad at all!

Something different to do for a date night. Fun and romantic, especially at night. Cool scenic route. A great view of the people, water and the city.

Our ticket included a free cocktail, but the bar was closed. (I've never seen the bar open, so I question the validity of the voucher. lol)
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Beautiful setting.
Ice cream carts and candy store nearby.
It's near downtown where all the restaurants are so it's in a convenient location. Bring your walking shoes.
Nearby is a statue of a buried Giant if you want a photo op