Casino Pier is an amusement park situated on a

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Seaside Heights Seaside Heights is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 2,887,New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The pier opened in 1932 and formerly extended approximately into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

from the narrow strip of the Barnegat Peninsula, including approximately six blocks within Seaside Heights. 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 Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

. 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 Hydrus is a small constellation in the deep southern sky. It was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35-cm (14 in) d ...

(a Euro-Fighter roller coaster) and a Ferris wheel.

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 The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

style #146-A Military

Band Organ A fairground organ (french: limonaire) is a French pneumatic musical organ covering the wind and percussive sections of an orchestra. Originated in Paris, France, it was designed for use in commercial fairground settings to provide loud musi ...

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 Skee-Ball is an arcade game and one of the first redemption games. It is played by rolling a ball up an inclined lane and over a "ball-hop" hump (resembling a ski jump) that jumps the ball into bullseye rings. The object of the game is to collect ...

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

, and

video poker Video poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker. It is played on a computerized console similar in size to a slot machine. History Video poker first became commercially viable when it became economical to combine a television-like mo ...

. 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 Ring toss is a game where rings are tossed around a peg. It is common at amusement parks. A variant, sometimes referred to as "ring-a-bottle", replaces pegs with bottles, where the thrower may keep the bottle (and its contents) if successful. Ring ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

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 A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

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 will eventually be relocated to a new building which will eventually be built specifically to house it and to be a carousel museum. The building is planned to be 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 is now scheduled to reopen in its new location by fall 2022.

Attractions

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Current attractions

Kiddie rides

* Boats – Classic boat-themed carousel * Car Combo – Classic car-and-truck-themed carousel * Dizzy Dragons – Dragon-themed tea-cups attraction * Hot Tamales – Mexican-themed kiddie roller coaster * Jump Around – Dune buggy themed carousel ride manufactured by

Zamperla Antonio Zamperla S.p.A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found in ...

that randomly jumps and bounces as it rotates * Motorcycles – Classic motorcycle-themed carousel * Pony Carts – A pony cart themed carousel * Speedway – Children's version of the classic whip ride themed to

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

* Mermaid Parade – Mermaid themed "North Pole" kiddie log flume ride manufactured by

* Elephant Express - Classic elephant themed ride manufactured by

Family rides

* Bumper Cars – Classic bumper cars attraction featuring music and special-effect lighting * 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 * Go-Karts – Single and double passenger go-kart vehicles that travel up to 14 mph (23 km/h) * Ferris Wheel – A spinning

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, capsule ...

that takes riders 131 feet (40 m) above the Jersey shore * Moby Dick – Horizontal platform ride that elevates and descends quickly as it rotates vertically * Musik Express – Caterpillar ride that features pop music, lighting, and sound effects * Pirates Hideaway – Pirate-themed roller coaster (many people call it a junior coaster, but it's more family-built) * Pirate's Island – Pirate-themed maze with ropes, bridges, and a slide * Sky Ride – Chairlift transport ride * Super Slide – A classic slide that riders use rugs to slide on * Surf Shack – Surfer-themed funhouse obstacle course * Tilt-A-Whirl – Classic Tilt-A-Whirl platform ride * Wave Swinger – A tilting swing ride that swings riders in a circle as they elevate and descend *Xolo Loca-A family spinning roller coater manufactured by SBF Visa Group

Thrill rides

* Centrifuge – an indoor scrambler with lights and interior effects adding to the experience *

– a Euro-Fighter Roller coaster manufactured by

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany. History In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the Anton Schwarzkopf ...

with a 97 degree drop * Shore Shot – Drop tower ride that shoots riders 125 feet (38 m) into the air at 45 mph (72 km/h) producing both positive and negative g-force * Skycoaster – Swing-style ride that drops riders from 109 feet (33 m) reaching speeds up to 80 mph (130 km/h) * Skyscraper – A Gravity Works, Inc. Windmill-type attraction that rapidly spins riders 170 feet (52 m) into the air at speeds up to 70 mph (110 km/h) * Super Storm – Pendulum type of ride that makes a 360-degree revolution

Former attractions

Rides removed after Hurricane Sandy

* 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

Rides destroyed during Hurricane Sandy

Star Jet Star Jet was a steel roller coaster that operated at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey from 2002 until it was swept into the Atlantic Ocean by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Construction and early operation Star Jet was a replacement for the s ...

– fell into the Atlantic Ocean during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and was demolished in May 2013 * Wild Mouse * 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 * Enterprise (ride) * Musik Express – the original one got destroyed, and Casino Pier added a brand new one after the storm * Tilt a Whirl – the original one got destroyed, and Casino Pier added a brand new one after the storm

Rides removed before Hurricane Sandy

* Jet Star (roller coaster operated from 1970 to 2000) *Inverter *Sling Shot *Himalaya *Power Surge *Graviton *Flying Bobs *Wizards Cavern

References

External links

{{Commons category
Casino Pier official websiteCasino Pier Photo Gallery
Amusement parks in New Jersey Buildings and structures in Ocean County, New Jersey Piers in New Jersey 1932 establishments in New Jersey Tourist attractions in Ocean County, New Jersey Rebuilt buildings and structures in the United States Seaside Heights, New Jersey