Staten Island: Future Home of the World’s Largest Observation Wheel

Serving as home to some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline, Staten Island will have much more to offer visitors within the next year. The only boat-accessible New York City borough has plans to construct the world’s largest observation wheel, which will make the views of the Big Apple even more iconic.

The wheel will measure slightly more than 300 feet tall and will provide expansive views across all five boroughs. Below the wheel, a major development project is underway that will include shops, restaurants and even a baseball park. Named Destination St. George, the new retail and recreational hub will rest beneath the behemoth that will be called the New York Wheel.

A second development plan for Staten Island is Empire Outlets, also scheduled to open in 2017. Not only will there be shops such as Nordstrom, Banana Republic and Nike, but the outlet center will also have a hotel and restaurants. Empire Outlets will be the city’s first outlet shopping mall.

With these new attractions joining the Staten Island Zoo, the biking and hiking trails of the Staten Island Greenbelt and plenty of sandy beaches, New Yorkers will have even more reasons to hop on the ferry and spend a weekend visiting their island neighbor.