Casino Pier is an amusement park situated on a pier, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The pier opened in 1932 under the ownership of Linus R Gilbert, an industrialist. Gilbert acquired the property between Grant and Sherman Avenue extending east from the Boulevard to the Atlantic Ocean and oversaw the construction of the pier under his company, LR Gilbert Construction. The pier formerly extended approximately 300 ft (91 m) into the Atlantic Ocean from the narrow strip of the Barnegat Peninsula, including approximately six blocks within Seaside Heights. In 1937 Linus R. Gilbert expanded the business further with the addition of a 165‘ x 65‘ chlorinated saltwater pool.
Casino Pier was partially destroyed in October 2012 after part of the pier collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean due to the storm surge generated by Hurricane Sandy. Park management rebuilt the pier's lower deck, and a shortened version of the pier reopened with limited rides in 2013. An expansion for the pier opened in 2017, which includes Hydrus (a Euro-Fighter roller coaster) and a Ferris wheel.
Contents
Facilities
Casino Pier was an amusement facility center featuring numerous rides, games, and concession stands. Before Hurricane Sandy, there were 38 rides on the pier, ranging from family rides to roller coasters; other attractions include a rooftop miniature golf course, a chairlift that runs the length of the Seaside Height's boardwalk north of Casino Pier, a figure 8 Go-Kart track, and numerous concession stands which serve typical boardwalk fare (pizza, cheese steaks, sausage sandwiches, ice cream, funnel cake, and lemonade).
Located in the Casino Pier Arcade, between the boardwalk and Ocean Terrace was once the historic antique carousel built by Dentzel and Looff in 1910 named the Dr. Floyd L. Moreland Carousel. This carousel first arrived in Seaside in 1928. A Wurlitzer style #146-A Military Band Organ originally built in 1923 was also included to provide the carousel's music. The arcade currently houses the Pier Grille, a restaurant. The arcade features numerous arcade games, including claw and pusher redemption games, many popular video games, as well as classic arcade offerings such as Skee-Ball, pinball, and video poker.
The pier itself also featured several games. Some are games of chance, such as spinning wheels, but more often, the games involved a rudimentary amount of skill, such as a ring toss, basketball shoot, and Ladder Climb.
Although most of Casino Pier's offerings have been on the pier itself, additional Casino Pier recreational and concessional areas are located on the boardwalk between Grant Avenue and Sherman Avenue. Casino Pier owns a water park across the street, Breakwater Beach, which was remodeled in 2003 from the original Water Works water park that once stood on the property. Breakwater Beach incorporates numerous water slides with a heavy focus on families. Breakwater Beach has undergone several phases of reconstruction, and several slides have been rebuilt.
The antique Dentzel/Looff carousel was acquired from Casino Pier in 2017 to refurbish and relocate it. The carousel has been closed and was shut off on April 7, 2019, and the disassembly and relocation process began in November 2019. The carousel is now relocated to a new building built specifically to house it and is a carousel museum. The building is located next to the boardwalk between Carteret and Sampson avenues. The carousel was originally scheduled to reopen in its new location by 2021. However, the carousel has reopened July 3, 2024.
Attractions
References:
Park map (2010, picture)
Park map (2017, picture)
Current attractions
Airplanes – Classic airplane-themed carousel
Boats – Classic boat-themed carousel
Car Combo – Classic car-and-truck-themed carousel
Dizzy Dragons – Dragon-themed tea-cups attraction
Elephant Express - Classic elephant themed ride manufactured by Zamperla
Helicopters – Classic helicopter-themed carousel
Hot Tamales – Mexican-themed kiddie roller coaster
Jump Around – Dune buggy themed carousel ride manufactured by Zamperla that randomly jumps and bounces as it rotates
Mermaid Parade – Mermaid themed "North Pole" kiddie log flume ride manufactured by Zamperla
Motorcycles – Classic motorcycle-themed carousel
Pony Carts – A pony cart themed carousel
Speedway – Children's version of the classic whip ride themed to NASCAR
Bumper Cars – Classic bumper cars attraction featuring music and special-effect lighting
Carousel – Classic modern carousel
Crazy Cabs – a flat ride that modernizes the tea cup ride, where you are spinning in multiple directions on a platform
Disk'O – A circular platform ride with outward-facing seating that spins riders as the platform moves back and forth along a half-pipe track
Former attractions
Air Race – Airplane-themed attraction in which riders experience up to 3 G's during loops and dives that reach heights of 25 feet (7.6 m)
Crazy Bus
Moby Dick - Attraction was named and themed after the 1851 novel Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville. It was a horizontal platform ride that elevated and descended quickly as it rotated vertically.
Surf Shack
Star Jet – fell into the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and was demolished in May 2013
Wild Mouse - the original one was closed in 2012, and it was relocated to Scandla family fun center, and it was also renamed as Crazy Dane Coaster in 2015.
Log Flume – destroyed after falling into the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy in 2012
Lady Bugs
Kite Flyer
Samba Balloons
Kid Swing Ride
Pharaoh's Fury
Tornado
Safari Train
Funhouse
Centrifuge - the original one got destroyed, and Casino Pier added a brand new one after the storm.
Stillwalk Manor – destroyed after falling into the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy in 2012
Rock Wall
Rock N' Roll