Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: rides (22) tickets (15) ride (14) kids (10) time (10) great (9) family (8) boardwalk (7) good (6)
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  • 4/5 MARUVELAN D. 2 years ago on Google
    Great place to have fun with your children, since most of the rides are geared towards them. Log flume is really good, but probably not for really young kids. The only problem is that the prices are kind of expensive for tickets if you don't buy a big quantity. Overall a fun time.
    2 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Amy B. 1 year ago on Google
    Gillian's is a great amusement park for it's size. They have quite a few rides in a more compact area due to the fact that they are on the boardwalk. Definitely geared more towards smaller kids but they do have some pretty cool bigger rides also. (Full disclosure I worked there for a few summers when I was a teenager so I'm slightly biased) Prices are decent but the rides are pretty steep on how many tickets are needed to ride. I got the 60$ package that gives you 80$ worth and me and my daughter went through it pretty quickly b,/c the rides are 5-7 tickets per person but it's kind of par for the course when going to these types of places
    2 people found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 4/5 atom t. 1 year ago on Google
    So much fun for younger kids - and their parents also! The prices are a little steep - $20 for 25 tickets, $60 for 80, and $125 for 185 tickets. You'd be surprised at how quickly those tickets are depleted, also! But luckily, they never expire, so hang on to any remaining ones (if you have any) for the next time you visit.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Abigail A. 1 year ago on Google
    Took 12 children there today, aged 12 and under and THEY had an absolute blast. The rides were many and varied enough to keep us busy for well over 2 hours. The unlimited rides pass (from 2-5pm) for $25 was a solid purchase and there are conveniently close boardwalk bathrooms. Before going, check your kids' heights, because the littlest ones might be sadly left out due to various ride height requirements. Many smaller kids (32-36 inches) could do rides as long as they were accompanied by an adult, so responsible adults should be ready to participate actively with smaller dependents. Wear sunscreen as needed and pack extra water bottles and sunglasses/hats if possible, because the majority of rides are not shaded!
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 2/5 Chris L. 1 year ago on Google
    This use to be a great place to take the kids, but prices have gotten so high that it’s no longer worth it. There are more reasonable alternatives. At first they put all the tickets on a swipe card so that it’s more difficult to know how quickly ride tickets are being depleted. Next, all the ticket prices were raised. Then raised again. Now it’s 5 tickets/$4 (25 tickets for $20), for one child to do this unmaintained not ride for (literally) 2 minutes. Prices per child/person only go up from there.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 4/5 Jon W. 1 year ago on Google
    Awesome place for kids on beach/non-beach days. It's located right by a lot of other things on the Boardwalk. These rides are more focused for younger kids with a few ones for the older. Sign up for their email list as they typically do a big ticket sale once a year so you can stock up for the season. They're also open all year (weekends only when it's not summer).
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 shruthi l. 2 years ago on Google
    Good boardwalk amusement park , fun for all aged. boardwalk it self is good, with lots of restaurants and amusement places like go kart, mini golf.
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 5/5 Archangel Productions L. 8 months ago on Google
    So we had to go here because our son LOVES animatronics and had to see the Man and Dog show. He was not disappointed. The rides were fun and well maintained. The staff is friendly. There is a fast food cafeteria style restaurant inside with a good selection of fanta soda and tasty pizza. We definitely will be coming back!
    1 person found this review helpful πŸ‘

  • 1/5 William H. 6 months ago on Google
    Gilligan's was a wonderful place for my wife and I 30 years ago, really the place memories were made. I'm sad to say since returning 2 years ago in 2021 after 20+ years, it was tremendously downhill and now each visit over the past 2 years it's worse. 1/3 of the ride are shutdown or broken, many items on each ride are not functional (safety & cosmetic), the staff (most) are not embracing the kiddo spirit (some are amazing and we thanked each of them), then lastly but most importantly the cost is OBSCENE!!!!!! We have a young family of 5 (twins, 4 & a 2.5 year old), for <1 hour of rides it was $120 in tickets, with wife & I sitting out many rides or attractions. Proper comparison...... today we went to Story book land for our second time ever, also $120 for a family of 5. The rides were all open, EVERY SINGLE safety belt, light bulb, hydraulic ram, car horn were 100% functional and in good condition. We spent 4 hours here and were more than satisfied. Myself as an engineer I noticed the rust, surface, lack of lubrication, air leaks & water leaks on all rides. Note: at Storybook land I noticed the condition of their 30-50 year old ride and immaculate is an understatement. No rust, no caked grease, no sticky hydraulics, no shorted electrical, no peeling ir cracked fiberglass / pastic.... just every detail has been gone over, but they still maintain their classic and original look, feel and nostalgia of a simpler time when I was a kid. Understood Gillian's is top notch real estate and good labor is hard to find but Castaways Cove, even though busier, not nostalgic and not as young kid friendly is a far better investment. We spent $20 for our family to ride the elevated train once and another $24 for our 3 kiddos to jump on the trampolines, which that equipment alone I could buy on Ebay for ~$2-3k in that condition. The real estate is worth $100MM+ .... if someone would just spend $1-2MM, beef up their maintenance crew and Maintenance budget, pitch a PR campaign of keeping the generational memories / nostalgia alive, make an hourly ride fee instead of strictly tickets then this could once again be a gold mine. Sadly, after many failed attempts we'll not be returning to Gillian's unless they can get their succession issues in order and refurbish this legacy theme park that is an OC boardwalk staple to (I dare say) millions of people and will soon be dead or shut down. Please prove me wrong, I would love to return and pass the torch to my children.

  • 4/5 Ashok G. 1 year ago on Google
    The $25 unlimited ride deal between 2 to 5 PM (Mom to Fri only) is amazing, absolute value for money. Staff were very friendly and perfect kids getaway. There is a public restroom and parking lot right behind to it.

  • 5/5 Rae s. 8 months ago on Google
    We had a great time today! 7/22 Lifeguards are awesome!! Very attentive! Food great! Ice cream awesome! Games were kind of difficult for a 3 1/2 yr old but the beach and water was awesome!

  • 5/5 Heather H. 10 months ago on Google
    Great family fun day with your little ones. Tickets were on sale for 1/2 the price, $25 for 50 tickets. All of the attractions were not open just yet, due to the season. There was enough to keep you busy with your little ones for a few hours. They removed some of the rides that were inside and added an arcade area with plenty of games for a variety of ages to play over the winter. Bring your appetite because while you wait for the pier to open you can have lunch at the 6th Street Pizza & Grill, which is right on the corner of the pier. After lunch and rides we took a walk down the boardwalk and made our way to the beach to chase some seagulls! This is a definite trip to make with the family to make memories and have a Great day!

  • 4/5 Kevin Y. 6 months ago on Google
    I still remember coming here in the 90s as a teen. Several weeks ago, we brought our child here for the first time. While there weren't many ride options for her age, she was very happy on the three rides she went on. We had just gone to the Steel Pier in AC the night prior and this place was much better priced. We were also happy with the length of the ride. We didn't use up all the credits we bought and confirmed that the card would still be valid for our future visits.

  • 4/5 Daniel U. 6 months ago on Google
    I have been coming here for ages. The nostalgia is real. Outside of that, everything depends on when you go. Obviously there are times where it is busier than others and therfore cleaner than others. Overall a real nice place to go and have fun as a family. It is a little pricey if you have a large family. The staff is generally either really nice or passive but acceptable for a bunch of kids. Always a staple of the trip!

  • 4/5 Stacy E. 8 months ago on Google
    We love this place. So many cute rides, great for younger kids. Our favorite are the cars that whip around. There are a few rides for the thrill-seekers, but it's more of a family-ride type place. The weekday wristband deal (2022) is a great value, and it's hardly ever busy during that time. Overall, we highly recommend! Updated for 2023: We did the same weekday wristband deal as before and are glad because even though the ticket prices didn't go up, the number of tickets per ride did (most are 6-8 tickets). We were pretty disappointed with the ride selection as quite a few were closed (ferris wheel, music express, and the log flume for the first 2 hours of the wristband). Overall, it's still a great place for families with smaller children (2 to 7 years old).

  • 5/5 Mandi H. 11 months ago on Google
    I spent a beautiful day with my niece and sister in-law. It's pre peak season so not crowded at all.

  • 5/5 Tj M. 1 year ago on Google
    This time at Gillian's wonderland Pier I was there for a birthday party which I must say was absolutely fantastic. Me and my family had a great time My son and daughter went on almost all the rides that they could. There's food within walking distance up and down the boardwalk and certain things available right there on site. If you're looking for a good time that's not overly expensive I highly recommend going.

  • 5/5 Kristen H. 1 year ago on Google
    Great for toddler rides. The indoor toddler section is breezy, shaded and great selection for the littles!


Call +1 609-399-7082 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • βœ“οΈ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • βœ“οΈ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • βœ“οΈ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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