Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Waterparks is a classic
seaside amusement park located on
The Wildwoods
The Wildwoods are a group of five communities (four distinct municipalities and one census-designated place) in Cape May County, New Jersey. These are situated on the Island of Five Mile Beach, a barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean. These Je ...
'
boardwalk
A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...
in
Wildwood and
North Wildwood, New Jersey
North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decr ...
. The park has been family owned and operated since 1969 and is currently run by 2nd generation Morey Brothers, Will and Jack. Morey’s Piers has more than 100 rides and attractions across its three amusement piers and two beachfront
waterparks.
Description
Surfside Pier
Surfside Pier is located at 25th Avenue, in
North Wildwood
North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decre ...
. It was the first of the three piers, opening in 1969 with a giant fiberglass slide that cost 25 cents to ride. The slide was closed at the end of the 2010 season and refurbished as a waterslide at the pier's water park. Surfside Pier includes the
Zoom Phloom,
AtmosFEAR,
The Great Nor'easter, and
Runaway Tram
Runaway Tram is a steel family roller coaster located on Morey's Piers' Surfside Pier in North Wildwood, New Jersey. The attraction replaced the aging Flitzer roller coaster and required the reconfiguration of several rides on the pier and r ...
.
Mariner's Pier
![Giant Wheel Wildwood NJ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Giant_Wheel_Wildwood_NJ.JPG)
Mariner's Pier, located at Schellenger Avenue in Wildwood, is like a traditional amusement park, with classics like the
Super Scooters,
Teacups
Teacups is an amusement ride characterized by cup-shaped spinning vehicles atop a turntable-like floor. Typically, each set of six teacups has a center bearing mounted underneath, similar to a car wheel bearing mounted on a circular floor capab ...
,
Musik Express
A Music Express is an amusement ride based on the original Caterpillar (ride), Caterpillar rides of Germany. Several near-identical ride designs are also produced by other companies: Musik Express by Italian company Bertazzon and US Majesti ...
,
Ignis Fatuus,
Sea Serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of dragon sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably Mesopotamian (Tiamat), Judaeo-Christian (Leviathan), Greek (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scylla), and Norse (Jörmungandr).
Mythology and fo ...
and the Giant Wheel, a tall
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...
built by
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory) which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld.
History
The company originally ...
, which opened in 1985. In the early mornings of the summer, breakfast can be eaten on the wheel. In June 2011, 11-year-old Abiah Jones died after falling from the Giant Wheel. Since then, a "no single riders" policy was created for when guests ride the ferris wheel to ensure the safety of the guests.
Adventure Pier
Adventure Pier, located at Spencer Avenue, includes
Grand Prix Raceway and the famous wooden coaster
The Great White, the Skyscraper ride, a
The Spring Shot ride, a
Screamin' Swing
Screamin' Swing is a pneumatically powered pendulum ride designed and manufactured by S&S - Sansei Technologies. The ride was first installed and operated in 2004 at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, United States. On February 26th 2 ...
, a
Skycoaster, a
maze
A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...
, helicopter tours, and a
boat tag game.
Ocean Oasis Water Park + Beach Club
Ocean Oasis Water Park + Beach Club is on the beach behind Surfside Pier. It includes
water slide
A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides require riders to si ...
s, a
lazy river
A lazy river is a water ride found in water parks, hotels, resorts, and recreation centers, which usually consists of a shallow () pool that flows similarly to a river.
There is generally a slow current, usually just enough to allow guests to g ...
, a hot tub with bar access and a kids area.
Raging Waters Water Park
Behind Mariner’s Landing is Raging Waters Water Park. It includes two unique kiddie play areas at Shipwreck Shoals and Camp KidTastrophe along with speed slides, a lazy river, Shotgun Falls and an activity pool full of challenges.
History
Surfside Pier
In 1969, Bill and Will Morey Sr. purchased two lots of boardwalk in North Wildwood at 25th and 26th streets. They called it Morey's Pier and opened that summer with a giant fiberglass slide called the Wipe Out. Guests paid 25 cents to slide down the ride in burlap sacks. Sometime in the mid-2000s, what was referred to as Morey’s Pier was rebranded Surfside Pier by management and continues to go by that name to this day.
Mariner Pier
![Giant Ferris Wheel (Morey's Piers) Wildwood NJ Night 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Giant_Ferris_Wheel_%28Morey%27s_Piers%29_Wildwood_NJ_Night_2012.JPG)
The Moreys extended their operation in 1976 when they purchased Marine Pier and renamed it Mariner’s Landing. At the time of purchase, the pier was fire-damaged and seven of the existing 12 rides on the pier had to be thrown away. However, the pier kept growing. In 1984, the Moreys purchased the Sea Serpent roller coaster. The late-2010s brought new attractions to the pier, such as a permanent biergarten, a new family friendly rollercoaster called “The Wild Whizzer” and the renaming of Mariner’s Landing to Mariner Pier. The new branding is now being used by Morey’s Pier Management.
Raging Waters and Ocean Oasis Waterparks
In 1985, waterslides were installed on Mariner’s Landing and called Raging Waters waterpark. The waterpark opened a day early due to the
ocean pollution
Marine pollution occurs when substances used or spread by humans, such as industrial, agricultural and residential waste, particles, noise, excess carbon dioxide or invasive organisms enter the ocean and cause harmful effects there. The majorit ...
. The project was masterminded by designer and architect Fred Langford. A second Raging Waters was built on Surfside Pier in 1988. This park was overhauled and relaunched as Ocean Oasis Water Park & Beach Club in 2006 and features Bonsai Beach, Endless River and various new waterslides.
Adventure Pier
Fun Pier
Fun Pier opened up as the Wildwood Convention Hall Pier in 1924 by being leased out by Holly Beach Realty. In 1957, Holly Beach Realty ended their contract with the Wildwood Convention Hall Pier and eventually rented the pier to Joe Barnes, who ...
was purchased and renamed Wild Wheels. The Morey's described it as an "interactive amusement center" with active participation by customers. This pier became home to
The Great White, the Skyscraper ride, a
The Spring Shot ride, a
Screamin' Swing
Screamin' Swing is a pneumatically powered pendulum ride designed and manufactured by S&S - Sansei Technologies. The ride was first installed and operated in 2004 at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, United States. On February 26th 2 ...
, a
Skycoaster, a
maze
A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...
, a
boat tag game,
batting cages
A batting cage (or tunnel) is an enclosed area for baseball or softball players to practice the skill of batting.
The optimal material for batting cages is netting, and they are typically rectangular in shape. Chain-link fence is not required but ...
, and the
Grand Prix Raceway. In 2006/2007, in conjunction with the new Surfside Pier branding at 26th Avenue, Wild Wheels became Adventure Pier. In 2012, the Skyscraper was relocated to the pier from the old Hunt’s Pier, replacing two rides. The pier began removing smaller rides off the pier around this time as well, such as the Snake Slide, Apache Helicopters and a Carousel. In 2016, the Chambers of Checkers Maze was moved and rebranded to make way for a larger Grand Prix Raceway that will now occupy most of the back pier. In 2020, Morey's announced a gateway project that includes the removal of boat tag, the existing Kohr Brothers' custard stand, and the old "SkyRide" station. In the place of these structures, multiple recycled shipping containers will be retrofitted and home to multiple new eating establishments, including a Curley's Fries and a new Kohr Brothers building. No dates were given, but it is expected to be completed in 2021 or 2022.
The Old Hunt's Pier
Hunt's Pier was also eventually purchased for more rides and attractions.
Hunt's Pier went defunct in 1990 and became Conko's Party Pier in 1991, Ocean Pier in 1993-1994, and was leased by the Catanosos in 1995 and called Atlantic Pier with kiddie rides on the front and the rest of the pier closed off with a white wall, and 1996-1998 Dinosaur Beach with the Golden Nugget Mine Rescue, Long Neck River Log Flume, and Raptor Rapids as the three surviving rides from Hunt's Pier to be reused for Dinosaur Beach. Dinosaur Beach permanently closed Sept. 1998 and was then used for maintenance, storage, and tram-car parking with go-kart rides. The Golden Nugget remained on
Hunt's Pier until 2008 when it was purchased by
Knoebels' Amusement Resort
Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three woo ...
and restored in their park as the
Black Diamond. As of 2021, no announcements have been made to add any attractions, and the pier is instead home to various shopping and eating establishments, a maintenance and storage facility, and a "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"-themed mirror maze.
Rides and attractions
Surfside Pier
Mariner's Landing
Adventure Pier
Former rides
Incidents
The Great Nor'easter
In August 1995, a 36-year-old employee, Dallas White, was picking up trash in a fenced area beneath the ride and was struck in the head by a passenger's foot and killed. Shortly after this accident, Morey's Piers employed a new restricted section which prevents anyone underneath the ride while it is in motion.
Sea Serpent
In June 1998, the
Sea Serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of dragon sea monster described in various mythologies, most notably Mesopotamian (Tiamat), Judaeo-Christian (Leviathan), Greek (Cetus, Echidna, Hydra, Scylla), and Norse (Jörmungandr).
Mythology and fo ...
roller coaster suffered its first ever accident, injuring 14 of the 23 riders on board, some of whom were stranded upside down. According to Will Morey, chief executive officer of the Morey Organization, the accident was thought to have been due to a wheel coming off a rear axle, causing the coaster train to jerk to a stop midway through the ride, as it was looping backwards.
Giant Wheel
On Friday June 3, 2011, 11-year-old Abiah Jones, a student at PleasanTech Academy Charter School in
Pleasantville, New Jersey
Pleasantville is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 20,629, which was an increase of 380 from the 2010 census count of 20,249, which reflected an increase of 1,237 ...
, died after falling between 100 and 150 feet from the Giant Wheel. She fell at about 12:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at 1:14 p.m. at the
Cape Regional Medical Center
Cape Regional Medical Center, formerly Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital, is located at 2 Stone Harbor Boulevard in the Cape May Court House section of Middle Township, New Jersey, United States. It is the only hospital in Cape May County
...
.
Her parents, Twanda and Byron Jones, subsequently filed a lawsuit against the ride's operator.
Investigators were unable to determine how the girl, who was riding alone, got out of the gondola. A report by the state Department of Community Affairs found the ride's restraints to be working properly and suggested that to get out of the car, a passenger probably would have had to stand. The report recommended that children be forbidden from riding the Ferris wheel alone.
[
]
SpringShot
In July 2021, a 13-year-old girl from Weatherly, Pennsylvania
Weatherly is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located northwest of Jim Thorpe and south of Wilkes-Barre.
The population was 2,525 at the 2010 census.
History
Originally called "Black ...
was struck in the face by a seagull during the ride, but was not injured.
Sea Dragon
On August 20, 2011, five people were injured as a result of the center mast on the Sea Dragon breaking. One person was sent to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, while four others had minor injuries that were treated at the scene of the accident. The spokeswoman for Morey's Piers and Beachfront Waterparks did not answer questions from the media regarding the incident.
For the 2012 season, the Sea Dragon has been replaced with a newer model of the same ride called Riptide.
Zoom Phloom
On July 2, 2010, a child was severely injured on the ride when he had a seizure, which caused him to strike his head on the car he was riding in, making him completely unconscious. Shortly after, the Morey's Piers management forbade guests to ride Zoom Phloom alone.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Photos of Morey's Piers over the years
*
{{Authority control
Amusement parks in New Jersey
Piers in New Jersey
The Wildwoods, New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Cape May County, New Jersey
Tourist attractions in Cape May County, New Jersey
1969 establishments in New Jersey
Family-owned companies of the United States