I am absolutely obsessed with trams, ski lift rides, air gondolas, and all things like them.
The first one I ever rode was the Roosevelt Island Tram in NYC and every time I go to NYC, I go and ride the tram. It’s not a big or long one, it’s the location on this for me – It’s very much a part of my personal NYC experience. The tram system accepts only Metrocard and you need to swipe on each leg of trip AND exit tram. Runs on a regular schedule except holidays. Noted.
North Carolina
For my second airlift ride – our NC State Fair added the State Flyer and it’s a permanent fixture but only runs on certain occasions (i think?) and it’s the BEST view of the entire fair. Highly recommend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjyZFPWP1dB/
I didn’t realize it was made locally in Sanford NC AND cost $1 million! Wow. This is also a must do for me when I go to the fair. LOVE IT – this video below is pretty cool too.
Tennessee
When we went on the first and likely only, family vacation to Gatlinburg Tennessee, we found the coolest tram and sky chair there! So we rode both of those. The Gatlinburg boasts that it’s The Home of North America’s longest pedestrian cable bridge – you can ride the Skylift to get to that AND have a beer and a app at the top. We had such a fun experience here – I believe the tickets were $35 each for adults.
Now, the Skylift and the Skybridge are fun but y’all. They ALSO HAVE A TRAM!
Ober Gatlinburg – We just happened to stumble onto this one and it’s only $22-25 per ticket! SCORE! You can visit a bunch of things at the top – including a mountain coaster which we ALSO rode. LOL. We had a blast in Gatlinburg. This one happens to be one of the largest and each car can carry 120 people.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVkqCAzr-ID/
Once we reached the top, we went to the Wildlife Encounter and watched some ice skating and went on the mountain coaster. That was my very first ride on one of those and um, wow. I did it! lol Jason freaking LOVED it. He was going so fast that it automatically slowed him down a few times. Me? No worries there – I used my brakes judiciously.
Now, I have started creating a list of “MUST RIDE” trams and gondolas and all things like that.
Canada, Spain
1. Vancouver Skyride
This is the big boy – North America’s largest aerial tram system! The tram operates year round and departs every 15 minutes. Tickets are not the cheap side at about $70 for an adult ticket but that is a round trip and access to the mountain top attractions that are open. AND they also offer a Skyride SURF – where you can ride on TOP of the tram. YES PLEASE!
2. Madeira, Spain