Historic Jersey Shore amusement park closes after generations of family thrills
OCEAN CITY, N.J. (AP) - For generations of vacationers heading to Ocean City, the towering "Giant Wheel" was the first thing they saw from miles away.
The sight of the 140-foot-tall (42-meter) ride let them know they were getting close to the Jersey Shore town that calls itself "America’s Greatest Family Resort," with its promise of kid-friendly beaches, seagulls and sea shells, and a bustling boardwalk full of pizza, ice cream and cotton candy.
And in the heart of it was Gillian's Wonderland Pier, an amusement park that was the latest in nearly a century-long line of family-friendly amusement attractions operated by the family of Ocean City's mayor.
But the rides were to fall silent and still Sunday night, as the park run by Ocean City's mayor and nurtured by generations of his ancestors, closed years, the victim of financial woes made worse by the lingering aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Superstorm Sandy.