Influential Coasters of My Childhood is an ongoing series on We Were Inverted showcasing the rides I grew up enjoying in the 1980’s & 90’s. Some of these rides sadly no longer exist and some are far from what I would deem as a “good” coaster nowadays. Nevertheless, these are the coasters that hold a special place among my memories and helped make me the enthusiast that I am today.
When I kicked off this series one of the coasters I knew I had to feature was the Golden Nugget, from Hunt’s Pier in Wildwood, N.J. There was a problem, however. Where was I going to find photos of the coaster? It last operated in 1998 and was sitting but not operating for 10 years afterward. It was slated to be demolished, but thankfully Knoebels stepped in to save it in 2009. It has been operating as a revamped version of the ride, now called Black Diamond, since 2011. And yes, I will be talking about the Black Diamond in the customary Modern Take follow up blog.
The solution to my photo problem came to me by luck, a few months ago. I found an old Wildwood article online that featured photos from Hunt’s Pier’s other famous coaster, the Flyer. The caption for the photo read, “Courtesy of the Wildwood Historical Society (WHS).” Long story short, I checked out their website and saw that they had a public archive. Visiting became a must and I held off writing this blog until I was able to venture up to Wildwood. I finally got the chance to do just that on Thursday, June 24, which you can read about in, “Jersey Days, Pt. 2 – Morey’s Piers.”
A Boy at the Beach
As I have said so many times at this point, I credit my Aunt Cheryl for getting me to ride my first true “big” coaster, Comet at Hersheypark. Memories with my grandparents from Wildwood proceed that memorable day with my aunt, however. Every summer my grandparents took me, then later, my younger brother, Brian, to Wildwood for a few days. We spent time on the beach, going to the arcades, bringing home hermit crabs, and all the stuff you do along the boardwalk. And while I enjoyed all those things immensely, none of them came close to the joy I got from the rides on Hunt’s Pier.
Hunt’s Pier was home to several rides that I spent countless hours of my life every summer riding, such as: the Golden Nugget, Hunt’s Flyer, Whacky Shack, the Skua Pirate Ship, Jungleland, and the Ghost Town Iron Horse Railway. All that on one pier! Sure, there were other piers at Wildwood with rides I also enjoyed, but Hunt’s was my go to! For some photos and history of these rides, check out the 2019 Wildwood Video Archives blog, “10 Rides You Miss From Hunt’s Pier.”
Simply... In Awe
One thing Hunt’s Pier did and did very well was theming. If you took a minute to check out the Wildwood Video Archives blog, that is abundantly clear. Golden Nugget, however, was not what drew my eye my first visit to the beach. That honor belongs to the Skua Pirate Ship, which can be seen in the image above, back and to the left.
During my first trip to Wildwood, I remember sitting in the back seat of my grandparents’ car. My grandfather was stopping at a few hotels with vacancy signs to compare rates – you know, in an era that predates sites like Hotels.com? After stopping at two or three hotels, I saw a huge skull out toward the beach. I don’t recall what happened next, but my guess I that began talking about it non-stop because my grandfather drove up to the hotel in front of the pier. He booked an oceanside room with a perfect view where I could see the entire pier.
I remember walking into the room and immediately looking out large glass doors leading out to the balcony. My eyes went right to the Skua, but that’s when I saw the huge mine in front of it. I had no idea what it was, but it sure looked awesome. I just stood there, anxious, as my grandparents unpacked, taking it all in. I wanted to be down on that pier. Nothing else mattered to me. And once I did, I never wanted to leave.
Part Coaster, Part Dark Ride
If you’ve ridden Black Diamond, then you know the entirety of the ride takes place indoors, except for the porch-style loading station. When the ride was in Wildwood, however, that was not the case. About half the ride took place going around and on top of the show building, all before moving inside. Prior to entering the mines, numerous props told a story of the wild west with skeletons, wagon, cacti, and small structures strewn about. You can see some of those in the photo gallery down below.
Once inside, the ride presented riders with countless dark ride inspired elements, including miners, barrels, and the infamous spinning tunnel. I loved that element so much and remember my grandmother telling me that if I shut my eyes, I wouldn’t feel the sensation of twisting. It was true, too! When I was a kid, that blew my mind. There’s no doubt that my love of dark rides comes from the Golden Nugget.
A POV, but Not Quite How I Remember
Thankfully, an on-ride video of Golden Nugget exists on the YouTube from the channel, MouseNy. Dated as being filmed in 1996, that was two years before it ultimately gave its last ride in Wildwood. The ride also looks to have underwent some re-theming by this time in its lifespan. I have seen a few comments from various sites mentioning the addition of dinosaur props being added to the ride during its Dinosaur Beach days. I assume that is also when the props on the roof were switched to include the helicopter and wrecked campsite? I don’t remember either of those and the computer monitors at the camp are too new to be from the 80’s. If anyone has any details on this re-theming, please let me know.
Lifelong Memories
During the 80’s, I spent hours riding Golden Nugget. It was easily my favorite ride on the pier. Whether I was riding with my grandparents, alone, or or with Brian, each ride on the Golden Nugget was an immersive experience. I liken it to reading your favorite book over and over, or watching your favorite movie again and again. Sure, you know what to expect, but the journey is always fun.
I wish my grandparents were still around to see how much our Wildwood trips ultimately played a role in me becoming a coaster enthusiast. Somewhere among my parent’s belonging exist photos from some of those trips too. I would have loved to have included those photos here, but I have yet to locate them. I vividly recall a photo my grandmother took of my grandfather and I sitting on the train, waiting to ride. If I find that, I will surely find a place to put it on the site. I’ll probably add it to this blog retroactively as well. So if you’re seeing it, then that means I found it.
Speaking of photos, before I close things up, I ask you to look through all the photos in the gallery below. These are the one I was able to photograph, digitize, and touch up from the WHS. They had so many more in their collection that I’ll want to photograph sometime in the future. I did get some of Flyer for another installment in this series too.
Photos Courtesy of the Wildwood Historical Society Museum
Digitizing & touch up work done by Patrick R. Wagner
The photos in the gallery above all come from the Wildwood Historical Society Museum archive. I was given permission during our visit to photograph these photos to be included in this blog series and in future content on We Were Inverted.
The Wildwood Historical Society Museum
There was no way that I wasn’t going to give the WHS a mention at the conclusion of this blog. I wanted to include a few photos I took inside their ride showcases that focused on Hunt’s Pier and the Golden Nugget. Believe me, they’re ever better to see in person.
If you’re a fan of Wildwood, roller coasters, or amusement parks, do yourself a favor and stop by for a visit. Admission is currently free, with donations accepted. The museum also features a giftshop with all kinds of keepsakes from Wildwood’s past and present. I picked up an official piece of the Wildwood boardwalk stamped with art from the former haunted attraction, Castle Dracula. For those of you who are not local, or aren’t able to travel, you can also visit the museum’s online store, where I’ve ordered both a Golden Nugget and Skua button. You can see those in my Pin Collection.
