They Wasted Zero Time Painting Over the Wonderland Pier Mural

The body wasn’t even cold yet before the Wonderland Pier mural was painted over. The former amusement park closed on Sunday for the last time and they’ve already got the brushes out. Up for a century, gone within three days. Kind of a metaphor for life if you think about it:

Erasing Gillian’s Wonderland Pier … literally. pic.twitter.com/gMW00Rt3OY

— Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg) October 16, 2024

Goodbye little palace guard. “They wasted no time — unbelievable,” said a passer by. pic.twitter.com/CMMh9XALlo

— Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg) October 16, 2024

Already starting to erase a nearly century old legacy at Gillian’s (W)onderland Pier, which closed Sunday for good In Ocean City, NJ. pic.twitter.com/cskR4MyoXe

— Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg) October 16, 2024

I was a Castaway Cove guy growing up. Held hands with my grade school crush on the Double Shot, not to brag. Rode in the log flume with my high school girlfriend. Beat anyone down who dared step to me on the Super Slide. Me and the Playland Pirate go back decades. Still, it’s sad to see Wonderland go. The lit-up ferris wheel on the Ocean City skyline is a core memory for any kid whose parents vacationed down the shore. That and the Farley Plaza were how I knew it was about to be a week of outdoor showers and boardwalk french fries as a kid. Unfortunately in the years after COVID Wonderland was more known for rides that were out of service than family fun.

Hate to see it go. Especially because it’s probably going to become another waterfront hotel. There’s no concrete plan yet, but the new owners own the ICONA hotel properties and speculation on Facebook groups is that they’ll build a luxury hotel on the spot. You’ll know in six months.

RIP Wonderland Pier. Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. Look at what this thing used to be. What a glow up for the ferris wheel:

I still can’t believe there used to be a train that connected the islands. Every time I’m taking a leak at The Princeton I yearn for the days of a train. It’d be better than taking a $100 Uber back to Wildwood because the Jitneys don’t do inter-island travel.

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