Why you should experience Texas Star Ferris Wheel in Dallas, Texas.
Texas Star Ferris Wheel is Dallas in motion, a slow, luminous sweep of skyline, sky, and story that defines the Fair Park horizon.
Rising 212 feet into the air, it's not just a Ferris wheel; it's a Texas landmark that captures the vastness of the state itself. Each rotation offers a shifting tableau, from the gleam of downtown skyscrapers to the tree-lined edges of South Dallas, bathed in warm evening light. When the cabins crest the top, a hush falls, conversation fades, the wind hums, and for a brief moment, you can see the whole city breathe. By night, Texas Star Ferris Wheel glows like a crown of neon jewels, its 16,000 lights tracing slow circles above the fairgrounds. Whether it's your first ride or your fiftieth, the magic is the same, that weightless feeling of floating between past and present, high above the hum of Fair Park.
What you didn’t know about Texas Star Ferris Wheel.
When it debuted in 1985, Texas Star was the tallest Ferris wheel in North America, a title it held for nearly three decades.
Originally imported from Italy, it arrived in Dallas piece by piece, assembled just in time for that year's State Fair of Texas. The wheel's 44 gondolas can carry more than 250 passengers per rotation, and it remains one of the fair's most iconic attractions, visible from miles away. For years, its lights operated on simple incandescent bulbs, but in 2013, the entire system was upgraded to energy-efficient LEDs, allowing for dazzling light shows that dance across the night sky. Texas Star has withstood storms, scorching heat, and generations of laughter, quietly spinning through the lives of millions who've shared its view. Few rides hold the same blend of nostalgia and awe; fewer still have become shorthand for a city's identity.
How to fold Texas Star Ferris Wheel into your trip.
Time your visit for sunset, that's when Texas Star reveals its full beauty.
As golden light spills across Fair Park, grab a corny dog or a funnel cake and line up for a ride. The queue moves quickly, and each cabin is enclosed, making it comfortable even in warm weather. Once aboard, keep your eyes open for landmarks: Reunion Tower glinting in the distance, Cotton Bowl Stadium below, and the sprawl of Dallas stretching endlessly beyond. If you're visiting during the State Fair, the lights of the midway shimmer like a living mosaic beneath you. Outside fair season, the ride still operates on select dates, offering a quieter but no less memorable experience. End your evening with a walk along the Esplanade, where the wheel's reflection ripples across the water. Texas Star Ferris Wheel doesn't just lift you into the air, it reminds you how small and beautiful the world can feel when you see it from above.
Hear it from the Foresyte community.
The park isn't subtle and that's the point. One second you're taking artsy pics of buildings and next thing you're holding corn dogs the size of your arm. Big D energy right there.
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