While I love all amusement parks, I discovered recently that my family doesn’t like them as much as I do. That is particularly true of the smaller parks. In light of that, I took a small road trip of my own to check out some of the small parks in the eastern mid-Atlantic coast.
One of the places I have been wanting to get to for years is Ocean City, Maryland. With its location on the Atlantic Ocean coastline, surrounded by the large Chesapeake Bay to the south and southeast, and the Delaware Bay to the north, it is not one of the easiest places to get to. After a long drive, including the oh-so-fun-to-drive Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, I made it to my first stop, Baja Amusements.
Baja Amusements is a Family Entertainment Center focused primarily on go carts with a few rides, an arcade, and a snack bar. Nestled in among the go cart tracks I spy a roller coaster.
Look, ma! It’s a wacky worm! As you can see, people were lined up in droves.
After this small bit of excitement, it was time to move on. A short drive away and located right on the oceanfront is Trimper Rides.
It has a nice boardwalk area that is popular with the locals and tourists alike.
They have a nice assortment of rides including four roller coasters,
a fun house walk-through pirate ship (not many of these are still around!),
and a wacky worm.
Right across the parking lot is site one of a two-site park in Ocean City, Jolly Roger at the Pier.
While this site is quite small, they packed a solid collection of rides and games in this area.
A few miles across Ocean City is their second site, Jolly Roger Amusement Park.
This is what I came here for – Wildcat. I know you were wondering so I will confirm that this is the same Wildcat that operated at Cedar Point until 2011. These Schwarzkopf coasters are my favorite ‘mouse’ coaster. Wildcat is running great.
The cars have seen better days, though.
Jolly Roger also has a classic Miller kiddie coaster. Of course I rode it,
and a wacky worm.
Having made it to the parks closer to when they opened, I was able to make it through them rather quickly and move on. The early bird gets the wacky worm.
The next park on my stop was in southern New Jersey: Morey’s Piers. With the Delaware bay in the way, the easiest way to get there is by ferry.
And we’re off for our 85 minute crossing of the Delaware.
Like any good ferry service, there are a couple of bars on board.
Morey’s Piers is less than a half hour from the ferry and it is actually three different piers connected by a boardwalk, filled with bright lights and all kinds of food stands, some of which are exceptional.
As the beaches close for the day, the crowds pick up at the ocean-side parks, and Morey’s Piers is no exception. With their well-maintained facilities, though, it is no wonder that this place is so popular.
They have a Pinfari Zyklon which is similar to the Schwarzkopf I rode earlier. Yes! I love these coasters.
I can’t forget to mention Flitzer. This classic Zierer coaster was built in 1969 and is still a thrill today.
The cars are quite unique.
Morey’s Piers is a great place to visit any time, but it is especially energizing at night. They have a few other coasters and numerous other rides and attractions.
The highlight of my trip was Great White. This wooden coaster by Custom Coasters International is 20 years old but it is still running great.
The next morning I had a little time to kill so I headed back to the boardwalk.
You do have to be careful as there are bikes everywhere. All kinds of bikes. Quick, math whizzes. How many horsepower is this?
Here are a few more shots of the awesome Great White.
Good bye, Morey’s Piers. Until next time.
An hour north in Atlantic City is Steel Pier, directly across from the Taj Mahal casino.
Like I said, directly across.
They have a nice selection of rides and a couple of roller coasters. I was surprised at how small it was, but I suppose the real draw to Atlantic City is not an amusement park/pier.
But there is no wacky worm.
I did have one more wooden coaster planned for the trip but it was not my lucky day. I do appreciate that they posted this at the ticket booths.
It’s time to head southwest and back towards home but I have one last stop, Adventure Park USA in Maryland.
Adventure Park USA is a Family Entertainment Center with all kinds of things to do. Of course they have a few roller coasters or why else would I be here?
First up is Wildcat, another Schwarzkopf wildcat. I’m really lucking out on this trip! Wildcat has been at a handful of other parks since it was manufactured in 1976. Adventure Park did a refurbishment on it before opening it here in 2007.
This is still a great classic ride.
In 2015 they opened another refurbished coaster, this time a Zamperla Windstorm, called Wild West Express.
It is a bit more unique than many coasters like this in that it has a 3-car train instead of single cars.
And I am rounding out my trip with one final coaster. Can you guess what it is?
Of course! It is a Miller kiddie coaster.
While the early bird may get the wacky worm, by the end of the trip he is tired and sleepy so no more wacky worms for him.
Happy coasting!