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?
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
I think I would love to take my grandchildren to visit there when they re a little older. You have described so well that I can see how people of all ages can enjoy it.
This looks like a fun place to visit. I used to love amusement parks as a kid!
That looks like so much fun. I would like to visit there. Thank you for the information.
This place has always sounded fascinating to me. The Boardwalk… I can imagine ladies and gentlemen from ages gone by strolling down it.The ferris wheel is HUGE. I can only imagine what it was like new and the wonder it brought and still brings.
No beaches in Colorado. We do have an amusement park with a great carousel and ferris wheel.
We are a beach family as well; so much so that we moved to Florida! There is just something about visiting those old family favorites that bring a joy to the soul. The wristband is a great idea Shelly.
We love going to the beach as a family and plan to go this summer. We also love going to amusement parks. All the ones we visit are on the west coast DisneyLand, Magic Mountain, Great America to name a few. This park that you wrote about sounds fun too and I like that tip you suggested about getting the wrist band instead of purchasing tickets they are making these rides way too expensive and it seem like the price goes up every year.