The Wharf Ferris Wheel

Rising high above the marina, the Ferris wheel lifts riders well above the surrounding buildings for one of the best vantage points on the Alabama coast. From the top you can trace the Intracoastal Waterway as it threads between the mainland and the barrier islands, pick out the boats moving through the marina, and, on a clear day, see across the back bays toward the open Gulf beyond the dunes.

The gondolas are fully enclosed and climate controlled, which makes the ride comfortable through the humid Gulf summers and cooler winter evenings alike. Families with young children, older visitors, and anyone wanting a relaxed overview of the coast can enjoy it in any weather. At night, lit up over the water, the wheel becomes the visual anchor of the whole district.

The Ferris wheel is part of The Wharf, a planned waterfront district built along the Intracoastal Waterway in Orange Beach. It brings together shops, restaurants, a large marina, a movie theater, and an outdoor amphitheater that hosts concerts, all laid out along walkable streets and a boardwalk facing the water. It has grown into one of the main gathering spots on the Alabama coast.

For visitors, the wheel and the district make an easy evening: a ride for the view, a meal by the water, a stroll past the boats, and perhaps a show at the amphitheater. Its position on the waterway, rather than directly on the Gulf beach, gives it a calmer, marina-town feel, a nice counterpoint to a day spent out on the sand.

The larger setting is the Alabama Gulf Coast, a stretch of sugar-white quartz-sand beaches, dunes, and shallow back bays shared by the towns of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The sand here is famously fine and pale, washed down over ages from the Appalachian Mountains and carried to the coast, and the warm Gulf waters make this one of the South's favorite beach destinations.

Just beyond the beaches lie state park lands, coastal forests, and a network of bays and bayous rich with fish and birds. The barrier islands and the mouth of Mobile Bay, guarded by historic forts, are within reach, so the Ferris wheel's view is really a preview of a whole coast worth exploring, on foot, by boat, or by car.

Summer is the high season on the Alabama coast, when the beaches, the marina, and The Wharf are at their liveliest, warm and humid by day and festive by night. It is the busiest and hottest time, and the enclosed gondolas make the wheel a welcome, cooler way to enjoy the view above the crowds.

Spring and fall bring gentler weather and thinner crowds, ideal for a relaxed visit, while winter on the Gulf Coast stays mild, and quiet evenings offer the district and its views nearly to yourself. Sunset is the standout hour in any season, when the light turns the water gold and the wheel and district begin to glow.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.