Storybook Land + Morey's Piers + Playland's Castaway Cove + Gillian's Wonder Pier + Steel Pier: My Jerseylicious Coaster Con XXXVIII Trip Report - Part III

Hello again. :}

Welcome back to My Jerseylicious Coaster Con XXXVIII Trip Report! We're covering a lot of ground in this update, so be sure to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. :}

Storybook Land is the second Coaster Con host park and 7th park of our trip. :}

Look at how pretty this is! Which way do we go, Lars?

(That's Lars on the bottom left. Everyone say "Hi, Lars!")

As you might've guessed, Storybook Land features attractions based on Mother Goose stories, Grimm stories, and others. :}

Not everything here is from a storybook, however; there's some pretty entertaining cultural references of the modern variety. :}

They also have the lovely "Old Tymers" car ride, seen here being modeled by Tony and May. :}

Storybook Land has two trains; one on a tradition set of rails, and one that's more of a cleverly-disguised parking tram. We'll be riding all of these marvels of transportation later. :}

Animals, of both the real and mystical variety, also call Storybook Land home. Isn't the Turtle Whirl just the cutest? :}

Storybook Land is home to one roller coaster, the world-famous "Bubbles the Coaster!"

Okay, maybe not world-famous, but it should be. This ride is adorable. And a lovely shade of pink. 

There's also some spine-shattering airtime on the bunny hops before the station! You have been warned. 

Bubbles selfie! I've got my pink shirt on to match. :}

Great Adventure lost their Arrow Development antique car ride in 1975 when the entrance to the park was moved. They were supposed to be re-built beneath the log flume in 1976, but that never materialized. If you're in New Jersey and need your Arrow car fix, look no further than Storybook Land! :}

For a kiddie park, Storybook Land is very well developed. There's quite a few points of interest tucked away into a relatively small park. 

You can have lunch in a train caboose...

...or perhaps outside, with a goose. :}

This adorable building has been made into little Christmas ornaments that are for sale at the Storybook Land gift shop. :}

Their next Christmas ornament needs to be this. Because it's amazing.

Mary had a little lamb.

But she was still hungry, so she fried up some bacon. 

At its core, Storybook Land is like the sprawling, elaborate kiddie area of a giant established theme park, except the giant park doesn't actually exist and nobody cares because the kiddie area is insane!

Storybook Land were amazing hosts, of course. I don't think they'd ever seen so many people desperate to ride Bubbles the Coaster!

Bubbles, Cinderella, and others make appearances on Storybook Land's homemade cookies. :}

Storybook Land's newest attraction is this adorable Hickory Dickory Dock-themed Twist-n-Drop ride. This was my first ride on one, and I quite liked it. :}

Storybook Land is quite devoted to the art of storytelling; a very active approach is often taken to depict the scenes invoked by various classics.

Grimm tales and others get some appropriately unsettling representations.

Over here we have Sleeping Beauty's "Castle," 

although I doubt she gets much sleep with neighbors like this.

Later this season Storybook Land will debut "Out on a Limb," a new kiddie swing ride!

Here we have the shoe in which the Old Woman lives.

There were tons of children and a pie cooling in the kitchen, but no sign of the Old Woman. Kinda makes you suspicious of what's in the pie...

I have some concerns about the Crooked Man. What if he has some kind of joint or muscle disease?

Storybook Land has built a slide from the top of Jack and Jill's Hill, although tumbling down it is not recommended.

I forget who lives here, but after Michael knocked on the door he bonked his head on the ceiling as he turned to leave. Oops! :}

Moby Dick's enclosure is TOO SMALL. RAWR!

#whitefish

The tiniest details are important to Storybook Land. So much time and care was taken to make each of these stories come to life!

Humpty-Dumpty likes to chill on the Storybook Land marquee. He's the kind of guy who drives ride operators crazy by constantly sitting on the hand rails of queues.

Okay, ready for a journey? And some intellectual property copyright infringement?

It's time to follow Alice down the rabbit hole!

Such an experience is simulated in slide form, as demonstrated by Michael. :}

Oh, this isn't creepy at all.

That's better.

OH GOD

Like I said, I think Disney's copyrights are being infringed on here. Custom depictions based on the book are one thing (a la the Alice ride at Pleasure Beach Blackpool), but these look like story boards lifted from the 1951 Psycadisney classic. 

You knew this guy had to make an appearance. 

Legal stuff aside, the Alice walk-through is honestly incredible. It could easily pass for an attraction in Fantasyland. 

Like the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland, scenes aren't exactly in chronological order. 

But here we do find the culmination of the film's events before stepping back outside.

Oh shoot! Look how cool this is!

Everyone seems quite taken by the clever Alice labyrinth of playing cards.

"Creepy" rests just on the other side of a very fine line. If this doesn't cross that line, it's pretty close. Pretty cool though, in any case.

As a park's ever-changing landscape often means construction, it seems only natural to have a construction-themed ride!

Though obviously not of any relation to a fairytale or anything of that nature, this ride definitely still fits in nicely here at Storybook Land.

Time for a train ride! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaall aboard!

Hello, ACErs! That's ACE official photographer Madonna in the hat.

Everybody say, "Hi Madonna!"

Any fans of Hey Diddle Diddle out there? Your time is now!

Storybook Land is a great place to beat the heat! The park is almost entirely in the shade.

Hey! It's Mark! Everyone say "Hi Mark!"

Everyone say "Hi geese!"

Beyond the train and Bubbles the Coaster is a newer-looking area of Storybook Land.

Here we have a Rockin' Tug, a water play area, 

and goats!

and Bambis!

and Miley Cyrus. 

Let's give the Old Tymers a spin!

Michael and I are driving Miss Ray! :}

Bubbles was packed all day with ACErs snagging their credit!

Make a wrong turn in your Old Tymer and you might end up in Wonderland!

While most antique car rides have steel roofs, Storybook Land has some of the only cars I've seen that have canopy tops.

CHIPMUNK!

Man! There's Disney characters all over this place!

The clocks all say that it's almost time to head to the next park!

But first, a quick ride on the Candy Cane Express!

There's the train, btw. I failed to get a picture of it when we boarded it earlier!

Okay, Ray! We're about to get back in the car! Be on your best behavior. ;}

Hooray! We're in New Jersey's famous beach-y playground, Wildwood, home to the famous Morey's Piers and beachfront water parks!

For the next two nights our home is the charming Nantucket Hotel.

Any room with a view of a wooden coaster has my approval. :}

Custom Coasters International in da house! Great White is here!

We've got to head over to Mariner's Pier for our dinner reception, but I think a quick inaugural ride on Great White to kick off our time in Wildwood is in order. :}

*JAWS theme music*

Adventure Pier (where we are) is the southern-most of Morey's three piers. In the middle is Mariners Landing, and further north is Surfside Pier.

Mariners has the distinction of running the U.S.'s first Boomerang, which has called Wildwood home since 1984. We'll find as we go along that these piers are quite the trendsetters! 

Time to get bit!

As it approaches its twentieth season, this quintessential CCI coaster reminds us that it still has a lot to offer. At the time of its debut, a wood-tracked coaster with a steel superstructure seemed ridiculous, but its a trend that has proved its usefulness time and time again!

No time for grabbing wieners! We've got dinner waiting for us at Raging Waters!

Now here's something you don't see very often: a "hand made cigars" advertisement!

Wildwood may be the birthplace of saltwater taffy, Santa Cruz is the taffy capital of the world. ;}

Speaking of Santa Cruz, Morey's Piers and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk are the two parks that battle it out each year for Best Seaside Amusement Park at the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards. With back-to-back Cons at these parks, it will be interesting to see where the added exposure lands them in future GTAs.

For two parks in the same category, Morey's Piers and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk probably couldn't be any more different if they tried. However, they both have the support of irresistibly quirky beach towns! 

Ahh, Wildwood's famous Sightseer tram!

"Watch the tram car, please! Watch the tram car, please!"

Across from the entrance to Mariner's is an impressive looking waterpark. This plot was once home to Nickel's Midway Pier, which featured the 1919 John Miller "Screem Machine" wooden coaster until 1984. The ride was famous for its John Miller signature Double Dip and for not having upstop wheels!

Curley's Fries are a Wildwood institution. The fries are actually crinkle-cut as opposed to curly. :}

Woohoo! I feel so welcomed!

Mariner's Landing is teeming with screams!

Hmm. Not sure how this is gonna go. I guess we'll see.

Time to get in line for a tour! Morey's is offering three tours to choose from, which we'll take sometime tomorrow! 

There's no Great White tour, but you can walk on the beach under the coaster and pretend you're on a tour. :}

Hi Deb! Find a place to park your ship! It's almost time for dinner!

The way to dinner is through one of Morey's two Raging Waters water parks, which offer some really cool old school attractions!

Morey's really has a way with taking advantage of space.

Fruits of the sea hors d'oeuvres! Jumbo skrimp cocktail and crab fingers! :}

A nice band played during the reception. Here on the right is Morey's Piers Director of Marketing Tim Samson, who many of us got to meat last year at Con. :}

Oof. I'm not quite sure how this is gonna go either. Like the Sea Serpent, the Great Nor'easter was one of the very first installations of this now ubiquitous Vekoma coaster. Now, I'm not sure if this now-famous layout was something that was planned around Morey's existing attractions, but if it wasn't, it's an amazing coincidence that the ride fits. 

See all that stuff in front of the waterpark? The trailer and park artifacts? Where all that sits was once Hunt's Pier, an amusement pier that had competed with Morey's since the 1950's. Armed with a small wooden coaster (The 1957 "Hunt's Pier Flyer") and several other charming attractions, Hunt's held its own against the growing Morey's Piers for a couple decades. However, with the addition of Sea Serpent and other major attractions throughout the 80s, Morey's gained the upper hand. In a last-ditch effort to compete, Hunt's was rebranded as "Conko's Party Pier" and opened what was, at the time, one of the country's most impressive looping coasters: the five-loop Vekoma "Kamikaze."

The year before Six Flags Great Adventure launched the record-breaking Great American Scream Machine, Conko's Party Pier had dazzled the local masses with the ultimate one-up of Morey's Sea Serpent; a colossal, custom looper with a one-of-a-kind "Butterfly Loop," a reverse sidewinder, and a double corkscrew. While the ride was everything a major park could want, Conko's Party Pier suffered major financial losses and called it quits in 1991, just three years after the Kamikaze premiered. The park's closure was not only to the gain of Morey's Piers, but of Six Flags, who'd found themselves a new marquee coaster for Six Flags Over Georgia! The Ninja opened in 1992, where its five loops still thrills (read: pulverizes) guests to this day. If you look at the ride's superstructure, you'll notice how it was designed with all of its supports facing inward, so as to fit snuggly within the perimeter of Hunt's Pier. Evidence of Hunt's rapids ride also lies in Ninja's superstructure in the form of a few high-clearence arches under which the rapid flume passed.

What's interesting about all of this is that the one-of-a-kind Kamikaze design went on to inspire Vekoma's Suspended Looping Coaster, with each of the ride's inversions and elements finding themselves intact and in sequence; its impressive yet compact design was an obvious choice for mass-prdouction. No sooner did the SLC hit the market did Morey's Piers install one mere yards away from where the Kamikaze once stood. Crazy right?

Anyways, after Conko's Party Pier closed and sold off most of its rides, Steel Pier (which we'll be visiting later) bought the closed Conko's and re-launched in 1996 as Dinosaur Beach. However, even with the addition of the world's first spinning wild mouse in 1997 (still another now-inescapable coaster phenomenon with roots in Wildwood!), Dinosaur Beach was nothing more than a fossil by the turn of the century. Morey's Piers then bought the pier and has since been using it for storage. In 2009, Morey's parted with the last piece of old Hunt's Pier, the 1960 Philadelphia Toboggan Company Gold Nugget Mine Ride, which Knoebels purchased and re-launched as Black Diamond in 2011. Yay happy endings. :}

Okay, I told myself I wasn't going to go off on a block text tangent until after dinner, but I just could't wait. And now dinner is served: baked clams, a shrimp and crab cake, and fresh caprese salad! :}

In addition to the Great Nor'easter, Surfside Pier is home to two more coasters: Flitzer and Doo Whopper! :}

As if seafood wasn't enough, Morey's also gave us marshmallows and fire. :}

And an amazing sand sculpture! 

Our little beach reception area was really cool! I actually spent a fair amount of time in the sand. :}

(Hey, it's an impressive feat to get someone like me out on a beach. Not really a huge beach person.)

Such amazing craftsmanship. :}

We'll be hitting Surfside tomorrow. Tonight it's all about Mariner's!

But first, a quick run back to the hotel. :}

Nantucket at night is quite blue and lovely!

Mariner's famous big wheel has an LED lighting package that both dazzles and induces seizures. 

Every five minuets or so, the air around Mariner's is filled with the screams of happy (?) Sea Serpent riders. 

Okay, now where were we?

Mariner's other coaster is "Rollie's Coaster," a particularly charming Pinfari Zyklon coaster that harks back to a time when having flamboyant street lamps on every crossbeam was commonplace. :}

Rollie's Coaster replaced another Pinfari Zyklon, one that Mariner's had opened in 1967. Surprise, surprise! It was the first Pinfari Zyklon in the United States, along with its twin over at Casino Pier. 

The pier's other fancies include a Musik Express, 

a very impressive haunted walk-thru (more on this later),

a swinging ship, and

…oh no...

…uh…uh...

ARCADE! YES! Arcade time is now!

COIN PUSHERS!!! *______*

If you know me, you know I love my coin pusher games, especially the Wizard of Oz one.

Oooooo! This is a new one! It has a similar concept to Wizard of Oz, but with some crazy new features! :D

As I began to play, the head of games at Morey's walked up to me and introduced himself. He noticed my Coaster Con badge and welcomed me and all of us to his arcade and to Wildwood! He was thrilled to see that I'd found "Ticket Circus," which is one of Mariner's most popular games (and his personal favorite). As it turns out, this is the only one like it in the world right now! Morey's saw it on display at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo this past November and bought it on the spot. I told him that was a good call; it's my favorite now, too! :} 

I am so fulfilled. 

SUCCESS!

MUST…….GET…….KITSCHY BEACH MERCHANDISE!

If kitschy curios aren't your thing, Mariner's Arcade has a wide variety of prizes!

This is the single-greatest selection of arcade merchandise I've ever seen.

This is your world, Mariner's Arcade, and we're just living in it! :}

After my euphoric time at the arcade, I headed back out into the midway. It's almost midnight; that's when ERT starts! :}

Ok, you know what? Let's get the Sea Serpent situation taken care of.

It was bad. The end. 

Sea Serpent LOOKS amazing though. I love that there's a ticket booth, restrooms, and a gift shop all in the middle of the ride. lol

Raging Waters also looks pretty neat at night!

We're on the Ferris Wheel right now, btw. In case you were wondering. We didn't just, like, randomly float away after the ride on Sea Serpent.

Oooooh! French Macaroons! I had a raspberry one and a chocolate one. They were delicious. :}

Rode it again. Now I have a headache. I'm going to bed. 

Bam! Morning! A full day of Morey's lies ahead!

Hello Surfside Pier! Let's party!

Woohoo! I just had a mimosa for breakfast and I am ready to take on the world! ;}

First up is Flitzer! I love Flitzers! And this Flitzer loves anime, apparently.

We're super excited for Morey's otaku (Google it) Flitzer! 

The Flitzer rides great and induced giggles. Cuz that's what Flitzers do. :}

Kate and Tom agree that the Doo Whopper also induces quite a few giggles. :}

Any roller coaster themed to food has my support.

The best ride on any of Morey's Piers would have to be their log ride, Zoom Phloom. It is just outstanding! 

Oof. Ok, let's do the thing…I guess...

You know, it's just an amazing ride to look at. I thought to myself must've designed this ride around the pier. There's no way that this is an off-the-shelf ride, the way it fits in here.

Believe it or not, only minor changes to the ride's existing layout were needed to wedge The Great Nor'easter into Surfside Pier. 

Look at the way it fits perfectly around Zoom Phloom! All other SLC feature a slightly more-raised turnaround after the sidewinder; Morey's had to flatten theirs a bit due to the low clearance they had to work with.

The first SLC, Walibi Holland's "El Condor" opened in May of 1994; Eighteen months later, there was a whopping ten Vekoma SLCs in operation around the world. Half of those were in North America, and one of them is right here! I'm struggling to think of a roller coaster phenomenon that was as immediately explosive as the Vekoma SLC. 

The "Fly" part of the Great Nor'easter eliminates the head-banging aspect of your typical SLC ride, but the Nor'easter is still the shakiest one I've ridden. Far from the worst, but just…damn! It was like falling down a staircase for 48 seconds. There's a reason they take your picture at the beginning. ;}

Not even the scariest haunted house can faze us after that ride on the Great Nor'easter. If we can survive that, we can survive anything. :}

It was great, of course. There was even a live scare actor at one point! 

Now for some new hotness! It's Kong!

I love rides on roofs. The views are always great.

Thanks to clever theming and outstanding location, these are easily the best Flyers outside of Knoebels!

Flyers on top of a building + gentle breeze = flying out of control almost immediately. You've got to come out and ride these!

Time for more Flitzer action, starring Michael!

I just love the paint job on these cars!

*racing-type-noises*

So…I'm pretty sure this anime character is based on Edward Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist series…this won't mean anything to the typical reader, but I found it hilarious.

Hey! It's Dave! Speaking of hilarious, I think it's time for a bunch of log flume onride photos!

Hey, knock it off back there! You guys are having too much fun!

I'm not usually one to freak out over onride photos, but Morey's was giving all Con attendees unlimited photos! Is that amazing or what?

Here's Michael, me, Ray, and Chris all crammed into one log!

Here's Michael trying to strangle me. I knew it would happen sooner or later. x}

Now for a quick lunch: three massive slices of pizza and a delicious lemonade shake-up (paid for with some of my free "Morey's bucks." Everyone at Con got $20 in Morey's bucks to spend at any food place in the park. :} )

Alright, it's time for our tour! We're doing a lights-on guided walkthrough of the Ghost Ship  haunted house!

We did this attraction last night and it was genuinely amazing and terrifying. 

Originally part of the park's miniature golf course, Ghost Ship is a big, detailed, indoor/outdoor run for your life around two stories of sunken ship!

One tour guide narrated for us with the use of a portable intercom system. The other tour guide, though out of face, practiced her role as scare actor!

Where are we now? Look up!

We're under, around, and above the waterpark all at once!

A good haunted house is still pretty damn creepy with the lights on. It was so true in this case.

Here's everyone's favorite room, the rat passage! tiny open-ended air hoses flail around at your feet to simulate the sensation of hundreds of rats flooding the floor! It's pretty freaking awful when the lights are off and everyone is shuffling their way through.

Normally you can't take pictures like this from the Ghost Ship. Everyone has to keep moving and no cameras are allowed! That's what makes tours like this great. :}

No, I didn't put my hand in there. I'm not that kind of person.

It's not every day you find a haunted house with a veranda. :}

What a nice view! 

The water that sloshes out as people ride the slides makes for an added moment of discomfort when you're wandering around a ship full of bloody zombies.

Random thing about Rollie's Coaster: You basically sit on the floor and you ride with a shoulder harness. Despite this, I really liked the ride. :}

God, some of this stuff is even worse in the daytime. 

Aye aye, captain.

This guy was floating in stagnant water beneath us. Nice.

At the end of our tour, we got to check out the backstage area.

Super-cool blueprint of the ship!

Here's where the magic happens! This vanity turns normal people into pirate zombies. :}

Lots of dark ride action today! Now it's time for Pirates of Wildwood!

Arrrrr! This be a 3d-type-attraction, matey!

I think pirates came and took Michael and Ray's 3D glasses!

Ghost Ship shares its building with this great flying boat monorail thing. It seems to be one of the park's most popular attractions! :}

The boats share a path with the seagull cycles that float over the water park. :}

Here's one of Raging Waters' coolest slides! It's actually several slides strung together with little pools in between. :}

We didn't get as close a look at the other Raging Waters, but it looked cool too!

We'd planned on doing some water park stuff but never really got around to it. lol

This is a great way to get pictures of everything in the waterpark without having to walk around. Every park needs one of these. :}

You know you're at an old school waterpark when one of the attractions is a rope swing!

We're going over to Adventure Pier next! The Great White is all we've ridden on that one so far!

INCOMING!

Look who I ran into at Adventure Pier! It's the Perry Twins, Derek and Doug! :D

We did the Sling Shot too. It was a blast!

Mark Brunner joined us for this one! Our Road to Thunderbird posse has reassembled! 

Okay, time for the Coaster Con Annual Banquet

Every year during Coaster Con, ACErs in attendance get together to do stuff and things and make announcements and present awards and all that jazz.

Here's the stuff that is happening. 

Nice big room full of cool people!

Dinner was delicious. :}

Fast-forward four hours! We've got some ERT ahead of us but it's raining and I'm pooped! Time for bed!

Good Morning Adventure Pier!

Breakfast was served in, among other things, a giant cup-ish thing. In crepe form, in this case. :}

The weather doesn't exactly feel ideal for waterparks right now, but you kids go on ahead!

Luke, Michael, and Chris starting their morning out on Rollie's Coaster!

no

Like Kong, Mariner's Wave Swinger is mounted on a rooftop! Makes for great views. :}

The sky coaster makes for great views too!

Here's a great view of Jeff and Ray worried sick about their impending ride!

I think they really enjoyed themselves. :}

Adventure is the smallest and youngest pier of Morey's Piers. It's primarily up-charge attractions and opens every afternoon at 4. 

Mark, Colin, Frank, and Scott are ready for the irresistible loveliness of the Screamin' Swing!

It's on a roof, too! Gotta get that extra height. :}

As you can see, the pier's Sky Ride is no more. For now, anyways. Maybe we'll see it again in the future?

One of the coolest things on Adventure Pier is artBOX, a museum/shop/exhibit dedicated to the Jersey Shore. See that bird thing on the upper right? That's the tower ornament for Morey's Huss Condor!

The Condor has been grounded since around 2010, sadly. There in the background you can see some of the sky ride cars. They're art now! 

It's sky coaster time for Josh, Tony, and May.

May screamed a lot. It was hilarious. :}

Now Michael, Luke, and Adri get their turn!

Fly like eagles, guys!

For lunch we're going to a taco joint, called Taco Joint. :}

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos! <3

Alright, Mariner's Arcade! I'm back for more!

…aaaaand the power goes out. In the entire pier. And also Adventure Pier. I never did learn what had happened, but everything was back to normal after about half an hour. Still played the heck out of some Ticket Circus! :}

Let's check out the Boardwalk Mall, shall we? :}

I found a store full of kitschy trinkets! It made me very happy. :}

There were some really cool prints for sale, in which Sea Serpent made some cameo appearances! 

Thank you, Morey's Piers, for being such awesome hosts for Coaster Con! 

The ACE New Jersey Shore Crawl starts now! We're at Playland's Castaway Cove in Ocean City!

I see a Looping Star! Yay…?

Everyone wave to the cute pizza boy! Hi cute pizza boy! :}

Castaway Cove is a really cute park with a lot to offer considering it's about the size of your typical Wal-Mart. 

Rides on roofs, part two!

An exotic bird trainer lets guest take pictures with the birds…although some guests seem more into it than others. :}

Cool Jersey Guy says its time for a ride on the Python!

Welp. It can't be worse than Sea Serpent, can it?

It was actually tolerable. :}

Now for the real reason we're here! It's another Flitzer! Not quite as flashy as the one in Morey's Piers, but just as smooth and fun. :}

Michael and Ray Flitzering around. :}

You two just look thrilled.

A neat feature about this Flitzer is that it still has manual brakes! :}

We'll be going on a Ferris Wheel ride here in a bit. :}

Now it's time for the most adorable coaster ever, Pirates Gold Rush!

The ride is just so tiny and cute. It's about 10ft tall at its highest point and probably about 200ft long. :}

Oh yeah, and they have one of these vomit factories. And it's on a roof, of course.

Flitzer and friends from the Ferris Wheel!

Nice little spread of things going on. :}

I can only imagine what it must be like to be in one of these hotels. lol

Do you see the adorable little kiddie coaster back there in the corner? :}

I bet the views aren't bad from these hotels. :}

You know, I really should've done this little obstacle course thing and taken pictures of the Flitzer from it. Oh well.

Our next stop on the Shore Crawl is just ahead! 

Word on the street is this Flitzer is for sale.

Dan Koch, if you're reading this, this is me telling you to buy this for Alabama Splash Adventure. :}

I can't believe how crazy-sharp the drops are on those Looping Stars. Oh, Pinfari.

We've still got some daylight left! Let's moooooove out!

See ya later, Castaway Cove!

Down the boardwalk we go! Can you smell that lovely ocean air? :}

So either this place sells really massive pieces of taffy, or giant taffy-shaped inflatable thingies. I didn't even really notice until after taking the picture. lol

Here's another cool-looking old school-ish waterpark akin to the ones at Morey's

Almost there!

Here we are! Gillian's Wonderland!

The entrance is so big that taking a picture of the whole thing is a challenge.

It's pretty cool though. :}

A pretty large indoor area makes up a big chunk of the park.

Outside there's a rather large Ferris Wheel and other amusements. :}

I spy a Wacky Worm!

*excitement*

As you can see, there's a pretty cool train monorail that circles the park. I've never seen one like it before. :}

The park's dark ride is adorable. Just what a hokey haunted house should be. :}

Runaway Train is an interesting looking compact steel coaster from L&T Systems, the people behind the Windstorm coasters. 

It's a shorter, milder ride than Windstorm, but very enjoyable. :}

Theming.

I think a nighttime wheel ride is in order. :}

Ooop! I've been spotted!

Michael somehow got on a different train than Ray and me, so I went up a nearby flight of stairs to get some wider shots. :}

We rode the log flume there on the left. It was very cool. :}

Hey Ray! Was it scary? :}

Add this one to the "cool to watch / not cool to ride" list for me. lol

Castaway Cove from the Ferris Wheel! 

I think I like Castaway Cove a little bit better than Gillian's, but I might not when they get rid of their Flitzer. lol

These days, a cool custom log flume is a very hot commodity!

Having an oddball steel coaster helps too. :}

Up ahead is our last stop on the Shore Crawl! Do you see it?

Goodnight Ocean City!

Hello Atlantic City!

The Trump Taj Mahal is exactly the kind of dated, gaudy garbage I was hoping to find in Atlantic City. Anything related to Donald Trump will lead to garbage in spades, after all. ;}

Marvel at the glorious horror of this casino. Look at it.

LOOK AT IT.

This…uh…umm… hmm.

This one is actually really quite pretty. This is so unprecedented. 

Oh yeah, the reason we're at the Taj Mahal is because it's connected to Steel Pier, the last park on our Shore Crawl!

Its two coasters, a kiddie and a spinning mouse, are everything I'd dreamed of for my trip to Atlantic City. lol

I don't know what's going on here and I don't care. I love it. 

Atlantic City is like Las Vegas's twisted gutter trash cousin. This is the nasty, tired-out Vegas you remember from the 90s. 

There's actually a law in Atlantic City that says the lighting packages on any structures, marquees, and/or attractions must be at least 25% burnt out.

Trump's got the 25% or more thing down, but Margaritaville needs to get its act together before they get kicked out of town.

Ok, in all seriousness, I'm really excited that we found St. James Place.

#monopolyrepresent #miltonbradleyforever

There's some neat stuff on this boardwalk. Stained glass, anyone? :}

Oooh! I think we need to have dinner here. 

Yesssss. This pizza so amazing. The restaurant was actually featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. :}

Ran in here for keychains. All of the little shops are kitsch garbage city. <3

While in one of the stores I found Pineapple Canada Dry. Who knew? lol

Goodnight Atlantic City! Our time together was brief, and I may have contracted a disease of some sort, but I loved every minute of it. ;}

Dude. We still have six more parks to hit on our journey! 

Thrillography finishes off New Jersey with a bang and then visits New York City for the first time! Coney Island, here we come! 

:}