The SkyWheel is a 200-foot Ferris wheel at Pier Park that has become the de facto landmark of the strip, visible from miles of beach in either direction. The gondolas are enclosed and air-conditioned, which matters a great deal in July. A rotation takes about 15 minutes and gives you a clear view over the Gulf and the lagoon side simultaneously — the best aerial perspective of the geography you'll get without a drone.
It is genuinely more fun than it sounds. The scale of the wheel is impressive up close, and the view at the top, looking out over the Gulf on one side and the bay on the other, makes the ribbon of development look both vast and fragile. Go at sunset for the obvious reason.