Family Fun at Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City

Gillian’s Wonderland Pier is an amusement ride attraction located on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. Gillian’s has been around since 1929 and my family has been visiting it since the late 1970’s every time we go down to the Jersey shore. Since it’s located right on the boardwalk, its only open seasonally. Meaning, late Spring through the early Fall.

When you visit, you’ll find all kinds of fun rides for the family to enjoy. Rides for the tiny tots, for school-aged kids, teenagers and for adults. Two of the most iconic rides that you’ll find there are the Big Wheel (Ferris Wheel) which can be seen for miles on the island and the vintage carousel.

The park is broken down into 4 main sections with amusement park rides located in each. You can buy tickets and pay for each ride as you go or you can purchase a wristband with unlimited rides for the day. The rides can be quite pricey, so if you’re going to spend a few hours there with the kids, I recommend going with the wristbands vs. the tickets. Just my 2 cents on that!

If you want to avoid long lines and big crowds, take the kids up to Gillian’s during the afternoon or early evening hours. Once the dinner hour has passed, they can get really crowded, especially during the weekends in the summertime. You can find parking on various streets and in parking lots nearby…although a lot of them charge a fee. If you’re staying in a nearby hotel/motel, I suggest walking up to the park.

As a child…I spent time at Gillian’s every time we spent time in Ocean City. Once I became a parent, we took our daughter there too. Now that we’re grandparents, we’ve had the pleasure of taking our grandchildren there too. We have a lot of great family memories and we’re looking forward to building even more.

Do you and your family enjoy going to the shore/beach? Do you enjoy going to amusement parks as a family? If so, what are some of your favorite beach destinations and/or amusement parks to visit?

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