GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Amusement parks are fun– unless you don’t have access to them.
“It makes it a lot easier on me. I can walk somewhat but I can’t stand very long. People who have disabilities that can’t do as much, some of them won’t even come here,” Tony Chaudoir, a Big Wheel rider said.
The “Big Wheel” is the first wheelchair accessible ride at Bay Beach. And Chaudoir tells FOX 11 that’s important to him.
“They’ve made it a lot easier now. If I want to go on the rides I can go in the back way. So they’ll open the gate and let me in.”
The Ferris wheel is 100 feet tall– or 10 stories high.
To the front, it overlooks the calm water of Green Bay and the amusement park.
“As somebody who was born and raised here, this is a real tradition in our family,” Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said.
Genrich tells FOX 11…
“So to see that in people who live in Green Bay and others from around Wisconsin and even around the country, it’s really fantastic to kind of build on that tradition and enliven it with these rides and amenities.”
The Big Wheel is a ride for all ages. Liam Ellis is six-years-old. He said his favorite part was the view and he wanted to ride again.
Liam’s mom has three kids. Rachel Ellis says it is nice to know there’s room to take a stroller up if she needed to.
“There’s plenty of room. So we always try to plan ahead but you could tell there’s plenty of room to put something on if we needed to.”
There was a long line that wrapped around the gate, but employees say it moves quickly. The ride has 20 gondolas for people to sit in. The Big Wheel can fit up to 120 people.
To climb aboard it will cost you 75 cents.
