Hunt's Pier 1988 / On The Wildwood Boardwalk In NJ

[PhilCommander2]

We went to Wildwood at least once a year when I was a kid in the early 70s...The Golden Nugget was my favorite ride as a little kid and young teenager. Thanks so much for filming and posting this!

Made my morning!!! (along with the sixpack I'm drinking!)

[shaolinlueb]

man i loved the golden nugget. wild wood was so much fun in the 80's and early 90's. when i heard dracula's castle burnt down i was heart broken.

[frythatchick78]

ill pray



[akdaddy70]

I worked Jungleland in '87 and 88. Boy am I glad I didn't see myself...lol

[jerseytomato100]

80s dudes with their spiked hair! love it

[8644mec]

Wildwood in the late 80's and early 90's were some of the best times of my life. Thanks so much for posting. I haven't been down there in years now, but I imagine things have changed too much for my liking by now....

[Trader5822]

Those were the days man, after an early evening fucking teenie boppers (18+) under the boardwalk it was off to the Playpen for a night filled of drinking and whoring ...

The 80's fucking rocked Gismo !

[rwk360]

Bill Tracy passed away Aug 1974, and his company was taken over by other men and then Jim Melonic who still has a company today.

[rwk360]

The spook house was probably Whacky Shack. It was a Bill Tracy dark ride built in 1964 from an Allan Herschell trailer darkride Devils Inn. Ironically, Bill Tracy moved his company from North Bergen to Cape May Court House in 1967 (renaming it Amusement Display Associates from Outdoor Dimensional Displays) after he did most of his Wildwood projects.

[rescueme707]

Hunts pier was the Disney world of the east coast! Now it is all gone thanks to greed!

[CodenameSailorv1]

@rescueme707

It burnt down one winter, it's typical of Wildwood something burns down every year, always during the winter, Sam's Pizza (which rebuilt) Zaber's restaurant, Dracula's castle...

[LeesieC]

It's a shame that Hunt's Pier is no longer existing. It really brough the Wildwood Boardwalk to life back in the 80's and early 90's. It sux that the golden nugget ride footage is all dark. I was just a kid when I went on it and wish I could remember it better. All I remember was it scared the shit out of me...lol. I also remember a spook house on that pier. What was that called? Anyone know?

[rwk360]

I saw a close up of the Whacky Shack entrance with a sign saying Whacky Fun! Stay in car, etc. Shame there's no ride-through video. Does anyone remember what the order of the stunts were, I know there were classic Bill Tracy stunts like sawmill, clock, knit-wit, and crooked mine. I saw it in person outside at night between 1980-1983 but failed to ride it. The Whacky Shack letters slowly turned back and forth and there was a howl sound like a werewolf. The carts would disappear into the unknown.

[Zickcermacity]

I rode Golden Nugget and didn't think much of it as a teenager in this period. I figured, it would always be there, like most folks think. Like the WTC was always gonna be there. . .

[jjobie]

:(  yeah...

[rgadsby1]

I grew up in wildwood, and lived that pier...the golden nugget was and still is the most memorable ride for people whe were lucky enough to be around for them...and how about the footage of the (rattlesnake rapids). Awesome!!! Thanks for posting!!

[dowzycki]

Great video. Marched in Drum & Bugle Corps in the 70's and 80's and went to Wildwood every year in June and Sept. for the VFW and American Legion contests and parades and rode these rides every year. Those years were Wildwood's heydays!!! Thanks for sharing this video.

[Catatouille101]

I wish I went on some of these rides while they were still there.

[TheIzzy41]

The golden nugget ride starts at 3:05

[xhardwarex]

Pretty sure at 4:49 it said botomless shaft on a sign above you.  I was on this in 1986 when I was 9 and will never forget that ride. It scared me when I read that. Keystone capers was cool too. Just got back from wildwood yesterday, I miss all of those old school rides including castle dracula.

[Soccership07]

i have a question...

wut ever happened to hunts peir now there is just go carts on it...

[dankohner]

I alsways used to ride the Keystone Cops ride along with the pirate ship at the back of the pier. Also enjoyed the Busy Bee ride along with the train that ran around the Flyer and the little car ride that was under the Flyer.

[analogk]

The mine cart ride was one of my favorites. Brings back memories.

[xlalax14]

amazing video<3

gonna be in wildwood in august second week

cant wait.

[irtr36]

Hunts pier was the best!!! thanks for the memories!!!!

Howard:

Killadelphia, PA

[10newmoon01]

Incredible and so cool that this video exists. Thanks for posting it.

Chris

Reading, PA

[rwk360]

You'll be riding a wood coaster over Hunt's Pier again, in a few years although all you'll see on the pier then will be metal sheds. You will board the coaster at Morey's Pier, though. As for the Nugget, only the track and trains are going to Knoebels which suggests that they're going to build an entirely new ride with them. Perhaps a coal mine ride since they have the mining museum? The props are going into Morey's four dark rides on the three piers.

[amandablakesmom]

thanks for the memories Mike. Love seeing my husband(Derrick) on the video along with some of his old roommates. Wow I cant believe how long ago that was. Over 20 years later it is really cool to see this stuff. Gotta get a copy from you.

[CoasterCrazy80]

omfg i cant believe they are taking it down next month i loved tht ride. BRING IT BACK!! IF U THINK SO VOTE YES NEXT TO THIS COMMENT!!

[cdpoint1]

yes

[rwk360]

The Nugget IS being removed next year. Most of the props were saved, though for use in Morey's other dark rides, thanks to Anthony (MrBoardwalk) and Ralph (funchase). I loved the Nugget when it was open, I rode it between 1980-1983 with my father who passed March 8, 1986, and again June 96, and June, 98. I will certainly miss it if I go back to Wildwood but like that they saved most of the props for public viewing in other dark rides. Better to save them now before they rot away and fall apart.

[theripperman]

Knobels has bought the Golden nugget and will move it to their park. Not sure when they will rebuild it, but at least it has been saved.

[rwk360]

IF they would reopen it, how would they market a simple 1960 era ride to a new young 2000's generation raised on internet and high-tech thrills? It might be nostalgic for the baby boomers (born 1940-1959) and Gen-X (born 1966-1979), though. Anyway, an announcement about what the plans for it is coming Mon. Dec. 8.

[fhood]

Great video! My family used to vacation there in the mid-1970s. I remember the Gold Mine ride. My favorite as a little kid was the Whacky Shack, though. Dang, I miss that ride! Hopefully you can find some onride footage of the Whacky Shack to post. I loved the onride footage of the Gold Mine ride. Brought back a lot of memories! Thanks!!

[jpw100]

It would be very sad to see the golden nugget be demolished. The ride may never operate again but it was still nice to see it sitting there each summer because it brings back memories. This footage is excellent and how i miss those days. I rode the golden nugget twice when i was young and i remember the first time i rode the ride it scared me.

[rwk360]

Great job on getting a complete ride of the Golden Nugget, as we may never be able to ride it again. It's either going to sit there or be razed. Today's kids don't have the same appreciation for this kind of stuff that kids in the 60's, 70's, and 80's did. It would take a MIRACLE to get the Nugget running again. There's a thread about the possible demolition at doo-wop preservation league forum. The granddaughter of Bud Hunt (the former owner until late 1985), huntspier4ever Kristen posts there.

[rwk360]

Sorry to break the bad news, but it seems that the Golden Nugget might be razed this winter. The thing is 48 years old, and it would cost a lot of money to bring it back. It was SBNO for 10 years. Perhaps the Morey's have given up attempting to save it. Who knows. Now I wish someone else other than the Morey's would have gotten the pier in 1999 and kept the Nugget running and maintained. Letting it sit and rot was no way to treat it. Better pray that it's still there in 2009.

[pepperonixlove]

wow i really enjoyed watching this one it brought back alot of memories. I worked on there and so did my family The Craft Family Bob would have loved to see this Thanks Mike Whose camera did u have ha ha Thanks again Robin Craft

[mawhinney420]

Wow! Thanks so much for posting this. I grew up in North Wildwood and spent many summers on Hunt's Pier. My Uncle Lou actually worked the Golden Nugget and I was hoping I might get a glimpse of him on your video AND there he is at 3:03! Awesome. Thanks for bring back such great memories. I miss Hunt's.

[Bubbarx]

Was uncle Lou LV?

[mawhinney420]

Yup! Those are his initials.

[Bubbarx]

Wow, I am 52, and I can remember every year going down to Wildwood, starting in the 60's, and always checking to see if there was a new LV. Even did it in 1998 last year of the Nugget, I got up there and figured no way, and there it was, LV. Could not believe it.

That is a piece of Wildwood history. They should give you that piece of wood.

[funchase]

Your Uncle Lou is the Duke of Cool. The man is ageless - French Louie is a true Wildwood Legend.

[sbd416]

Some years ago Pat Croce and Comcast-spectacor CEO Peter Lutco were going buy Hunts Pier and put it back to original Specs but there freindship fell apart and so did the deal,shame.

Scott Denny

Runnemede,New Jersey

[OceanKingNY]

Wow, that whistle-sound when the Golden Nugget car goes around the curve really takes me back to my childhood. You would hear that whistle blowing the whole time you were on Hunt's Pier! I wish they'd get it up and running again.

[rocco2820]

all of the sounds alone make this video great

[kristen773]

I agree... where are the videos inside the Skua and Whacky Shack? I'm going to cry when I'm finally able to see those rides again.

[funchase]

I know just how you feel...

[rwk360]

What? No on-ride video of the Whacky Shack? Or inside the Pirate Ship?

[funchase]

Wouldn't that be nice...

[rwk360]

I still miss this place, the younger people today will never know it the way it was, except through websites. At least the Golden Nugget Mine is still there although it needs work to get it back into service and for it to be safe for the public again. Let's hope Morey's does the right thing with it. I visited Hunt's between 1980-1983 and 1995-1996-1998 when it was half closed in 1995, and then Dinosaur Beach for three years. What I wouldn't give for new versions of the old dark rides to be built

[carlfs3]

Another fantastic video. Thanks much Ralph!

[funchase]

Thanks Carl - I knew you'd enjoy that.

[shoredude70]

Great footage!! I spent many days and nights on the WW boardwalk during the 70s and 80s and your videos and site help to bring back great memories. Planet of the Apes and Golden Nugget were my favorites. Thanks and keep up the great work!

[funchase]

Thanks Dude - I'm glad you enjoy the site.