Public viewing area

A public viewing area is a space set aside for members of the public to safely view sites of interest, such as airports, railroads, construction sites or other facilities. Sometimes they are known as visitor centers or interpretive sites.

In locations that have inherent dangers and would not normally be accessible to the public, viewing areas provide a way to satiate the public curiosity without exposing inordinate risk. Many sites contain descriptive signs, viewing pavilions, picnic facilities, toilets, radio receivers and brochures.

Examples

Airports

• Chicago Executive Airport (Palwaukee) (KPWK) in Wheeling, Illinois, has a public viewing area along Palatine Frontage Road that allows the public to view aircraft operations at the airport and provides seating, parking and airport information. A speaker with Air Traffic Control radio operations allows visitors to hear the planes and control tower.

• Mitchell International Airport (KMKE) in Milwaukee, WI has a public viewing area located on the north edge of the airport along Layton Avenue providing parking and rebroadcast of ATC communications.

• Aurora Municipal Airport (KARR) in Sugar Grove, Illinois has a picnic table next to the control tower where the public can safely view operations.

• DeKalb Airport (KDKB) in DeKalb, Illinois has a viewing area set up at the east end of the hangar row.

• McCarren International Airport (KLAS) in Paradise, Nevada (Las Vegas) has a viewing area along Sunset Road next to the longest two runways at the airport. Tower communications are available on FM radios.

• Nashville International Airport (KBNA) in Nashville, TN has a viewing area off of Vultee Avenue, east of Briley Parkway (TN-155). Picnic tables, trash cans and parking are provided.

• Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) in Palm Beach, Florida has a viewing area in a small park on the south side of the field on Perimeter Rd, just east of the approach end of Runway 31. Picnic tables, trash cans and parking are provided.

• Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (KFLL) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida has a viewing area on the south side of the approach end of Runway 9L, just east of the Animal Shelter. Picnic tables, trash cans and parking are provided. A loudspeaker monitors the tower.

• Hinckley Airport in Hinckley, Illinois has a picnic table along the grass strip for people to watch the aircraft operations and skydivers returning. The airport is used mostly for glider operations (Windy City Soaring) and skydiving (Chicagoland Skydiving Center), the skydivers (usually) return to a clearing just north of runway 9/27.

• Glendale Municipal Airport in Glendale, AZ has a $100 Hamburger restaurant overlooking the main apron and runway, this also has a patio outside where visitors can enjoy the weather, view the aircraft operations and have meals. When the restaurant is closed the patio remains open for seating.

Railroads

• Rochelle, Illinois, has built a public viewing area at the crossing of the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads there, complete with an elevated shelter, parking lot, gift shop, toilet facilities and BBQ grills. They pipe in railroad radio audio on 106.9 MHz so visitors can listen to the radio traffic on FM radios. Trains magazine also sponsors a webcam to allow viewing of via the Internet.

• Folkston, Georgia has a small but well-appointed viewing area, overlooking the "Folkston Funnel", a stretch of track where two CSX lines have combined for a large amount of rail traffic. The shelter itself has some chairs, rail radio broadcasts, ample parking and electrical outlets for charging camera batteries. The only amenity it lacks is a restroom, but there is a McDonald's within a block that is railfan friendly. Highlights of viewing include up to 60 trains a day, including the auto train and the Tropicana juice train.

• Homewood, Illinois has built a public viewing platform at the south end of the CN (former Illinois Central) Markham Yard. This location is on the east side of the tracks and is connected by a tunnel under the tracks to the Homewood Metra / Amtrak station. Near the station is a static display of an IC GP10 and caboose. There is a Starbucks coffee shop on the other side of Harwood Avenue from the viewing platform and there are several restaurants within an easy walk in downtown Homewood.

Locks and dams

Many lock and dam facilities along the various rivers in the US have public viewing areas, including:

• Lock and Dam No. 15 in Rock Island, Illinois on the Mississippi River
• Olmsted Locks and Dam in Olmsted, Illinois on the Ohio River
• Lock and Dam No. 12 in Bellevue, Iowa on the Mississippi River
• Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant near Lewiston, New York, on the Niagara River, has an extensive interpretive center known as Power Vista.
• Hoover Dam near Boulder City, Nevada, on the Colorado River, has an exteremely large interpretive center and tour facility.

Construction sites

These are, by necessity, often temporary in nature. Harkening back to the "knotholes" in fences used by passersby to view the progress of a site, some large projects provide a glimpse into the construction by intentionally placing viewing ports in fences, often geared toward selling space in the final project.

Sports venues

Some stadiums provide locations where the public can view games in progress without entering the stadium or paying for an admission. AT&T Park in San Francisco, California, home of the San Francisco Giants has such an area.

External links

• Bruce's Planespotting guide: http://www.bruceleibowitz.net/spotting-guide.htm
• Airport Spotters Wiki: http://www.spotterswiki.com
• Homewood Viewing Platform: http://blackhawk.artsalive.org/homewood.htm