The Santa Monica Pier and Chicago's Navy Pier will mark the 100th anniversary of Route 66 with a coast-to-coast "Pier to Pier" event Saturday, June 6, offering free Ferris wheel rides for 66 minutes at both locations beginning at 10 a.m. local time.
Free rides on the Pacific Wheel at Pacific Park and the Navy Pier Centennial Wheel will run from 10 to 11:06 a.m. Guests must RSVP in advance; quantities are limited and available first-come, first-served. RSVP for Pacific Wheel rides at pacpark.com/route-66-day and for Centennial Wheel rides at navypier.org/pier-events/route-66-day.
The event marks Route 66's connection between Chicago — recently dedicated as the highway's new symbolic eastern starting point — and Santa Monica's iconic western terminus at the pier. During the promotional window, souvenir ride photos are available for $6 at both locations.
"This celebration brings together two iconic destinations linked by history, nostalgia and the timeless excitement of reaching the end — or beginning — of America's most famous highway," said Jim Harris, executive director and historian of the Santa Monica Pier.
The Pacific Wheel is recognized as the world's only solar-powered Ferris wheel.
Edited by SMDP Staff