Roller Coasters in New Jersey

It looks like we have a great selection of roller coasters in New Jersey! There’s Six Flags Great Adventure with many of the biggest and best roller coasters in the world, then you have a whole host of amusement piers along the Jersey Shore. An east coast outpost of Nickelodeon Universe makes a great indoor option, and there are lots of smaller parks just for little kids. Let’s take a look. (As always, check hours and prices online before your visit.)

Click on the coaster name below for a video of each ride! Ride all the roller coasters in New Jersey from your house!

Six Flags Great Adventure

At Six Flag Great Adventure in Jackson, not too far from Philadelphia and Trenton, they have 14 roller coasters with one more on the way, many of which are record breakers! Wooden coaster El Toro is supposed to be one of the best coasters in the country! They have clones of the Batman suspended coaster, Superman flying coaster, Dark Knight indoor mild mouse, and Joker wing coaster that you can find at other Six Flags parks (like Great America near Chicago.) And they’ve got the world’s tallest roller coaster in Kingda Ka. Other big thrills include the Green Lantern stand-up coaster, the world’s biggest single-rail Jersey Devil Coaster, Medusa, and Nitro hyper coaster. On the tamer side, we have Skull Mountain indoor coaster, a Runaway Mine Train, Harley Quinn Crazy Train, and Lil’ Devil Coaster. Coming in 2024 is Flash: Vertical Velocity a “super” boomerang.

Other thrill rides include a big 3-way Cyborg Cyber Spin, a Justice League shooter dark ride, high swings, the world’s tallest pendulum ride, and the world’s tallest & fastest drop tower, incorporated right into the big hill on Kinda Ka. Tamer thrills include several spinning rides, a big Ferris wheel, a beautiful carousel, a log flume and river rapids water rides, a Houdini-themed dark ride, and a skyway. Rounding out the attractions are 15 rides just for smaller kids.

Admission

A 1-day ticket can be as much as $100 at the gate or as little as $50 online right now. Don’t forget the new Six Flags Plus membership options – here, it costs $13 per month for access to all Six Flags Parks. Or look into the tiers of annual passes if this is the only park for you.

Parking is an extra $40 on a daily ticket. (Parking is included with a plus membership or annual pass.) And there is a Hurricane Harbor water park and a Wild Safari drive-through zoo associated with Great Adventure, but they aren’t included in a day ticket.

Morey’s Piers

On the Jersey shore in Wildwood is Morey’s Piers, a string of three piers with 7 roller coasters total. These specimens are all a bit older, though some of the family-style coasters are new-ish. The biggest ones seem to be the wooden Great White, the steel boomerang Sea Serpent, and the suspended Great Nor’Easter. Then we’ve got the Doo Wopper wild mouse, the Rollies Coaster, Runaway Tram, and Wild Whizzer on the tamer end.

Other thrill rides include a drop tower, two dark rides, a screamin’ swing, a go-kart track, and a smallish pendulum ride. On the tamer side is a beautifully lit Ferris wheel, a fun hanging pirate ship monorail ride, several more spinning rides, a 3D cartoon adventure, a log flume, and a small carousel. There are 14 more rides just for smaller kids, mostly of the in-a-circle variety.

Admission

Rides are priced per ticket, or there are “wild passes” available during the more popular times. The coasters cost 6-10 tickets, the three biggest being 10, the rest are 8, and the smallest, the Wild Whizzer is 6. Tickets cost around $1.25 each, though the more you buy at once, the cheaper they are. Passes seem to go for around $40, though I can only see Oktoberfest prices right now, and I don’t think all the rides are open during that festival. Definitely make sure to check prices and hours before you visit.

There doesn’t seem to be any dedicated parking for the piers. It’s just whatever you can find along the beach. There seem to be several options and smaller lots, all of which are paid lots.

Nickelodeon Universe

Nickelodeon Universe is an indoor theme park in East Rutherford, just north of Secaucus and New York City. The whole place is called American Dream and looks like “Mall of America East” with shopping and dining and several indoor attractions. Not only is there the theme park, there’s also a water park, a separate wave/surfing pool, a SeaLife Aquarium, a couple of mini-golf places, a mirror maze, an ice rink, a real-snow ski resort, and a huge outdoor Ferris wheel. They even have a circus going on right now.

The Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park features 5 roller coasters: Sandy’s Blasting Bronco, TMNT Shellraiser, Shredder, Timmy’s Half-Pipe Havoc, and the tame Nickelodeon Slime Streak. Other rides include several spinning rides including a pendulum ride that goes nearly upside-down, a spinning drop tower, swings, a small Ferris wheel, a carousel, and a “sky railway” around the whole park.

Admission

You can pay with points if you just want to hit the coasters, or pay for an all-access pass to ride everything. Passes are as much as $79 on weekends, though right now you can get a fall sale price as low as $39 on non-peak days and $25 for just the last two hours of the day. You can also bundle Nickelodeon Universe with some other attractions at American Dream, like the water park and some of the minor attractions. It looks like everything else is separate. Keep in mind that you can save $10 by buying your tickets online ahead of time.

Parking at American Dream is $5 if you stay any longer than one hour.

Casino Pier

Back to the beach! Casino Pier in Seaside Heights has 4 roller coasters. There’s Hyrdrus with the good view, Pirate’s Hideaway with a spiral lift, Xolo Loca with spinning and “hampster wheel” cars, and Hot Tamales kiddie coaster. Otherwise, they have a lot of those spinning flat rides, a Ferris wheel, a portable-looking funhouse, playground, skyride, slide, plus 10 more rides for smaller kids. There is also mini-golf, go-karts, and some extreme slingshot rides at the pier, plus a waterpark side.

All the rides are on a per-ticket/credit system, with each credit costing $1. To ride all the coasters would cost $25. Besides buying credits, there are many types of admission to fun at Casino Pier. You can get a $40 wristband for access to all rides for 2 hours. ($45 on weekends.) $75 buys you all-day access to the pier rides and the water park. And there are lots of individual costs as well for karts or golf, etc. Note that the Sky Ride isn’t included in either wristband. It’s $5 for a one-way trip or $8 for a round trip. It’s worth looking through all the options to see what works for you.

There’s no dedicated parking lot for the pier. It’s just whatever you can find along the beachfront.

Playland’s Castaway Cove

Next is Playland’s Castaway Cove, just up the beach in Ocean City. The offerings look much the same as Casino Pier above. They’ve got one big coaster in GaleForce, two smaller ones in Wild Waves and Whirlwind, and the kiddie Pirate’s Gold Rush, Other rides include flat rides, a funhouse, a playground, a drop tower, log flume, Ferris wheel, train, and lots of rides for kids. But I will say, some of their flat rides look more thrilling than average.

There’s also an arcade, go-karts, and mini-golf, natch. Everything is priced separately, with tickets costing $1 each. To ride all the coasters costs $28, though there is a $10 pass just to ride GaleForce, which is usually 14 tickets.

Again, parking is just what you can find nearby.

Steel Pier

Another oceanside park is Steel Pier in Atlantic City, about 30 minutes further north. There isn’t a lot here right now, just the kiddie Locomotion. But they’re installing a new spinning wild mouse coaster due to open in 2024 and something larger is planned for 2025. Other rides include 10 just for smaller kids, and 10 more for bigger kids, including a diving horse-themed drop tower and some fun-looking flat rides. A big Ferris wheel, a slingshot ride, and helicopter tours are priced separately.

Tickets for rides cost $2 each, making the current roller coaster $12 to ride. But there are deals for ticket packages, a $45 Friday-night wristband, and select Tuesdays & Thursdays when all rides are just 2 tickets each. As usual with these seaside parks, parking is wherever you can find it along the shore.

Jenkinson’s Boardwalk

Another beachside park, Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant, features 2 roller coasters. Shark Escape and Tidal Wave are both on the family-friendly side. And most of the rides in the park cater to smaller kids. But there are a few more thrilling rides in the lineup, like a drop tower and a pendulum ride. There’s also an aquarium, a fun house, batting cages, a ropes course, plus the ubiquitous arcade and mini-golf.

Each attraction is a separate fee on a credit system, where credits are 50 cents each. The more credits you buy, the less they cost. Shark Escape is 12 credits (or $6) and Tidal Wave is 14/$8. The Fun House is 16 credits, and the aquarium is 32 (or $16.) They have an unlimited wristband good for 3 hours on all the rides for $47 during the week and $50 on weekends and holidays.

Jenkinson’s actually operates several of their own parking lots! They have 5 along the length of their attractions, including one large lot at the amusement park. There is a fee, but they don’t say what it is. There are also plenty of city and private lots nearby if these are full.

Keansburg Amusement Park

Our 6th beach park is Keansburg Amusement Park in Keansburg, right below New York City. They have 2 roller coasters, the Looping Star and the tamer Sea Serpent. The park also has a haunted house dark ride (currently under refurbishment), a solid complement of classic rides, and lots for small kids. One of those classics is an old Loop-O-Plane, which is unique. A water park is attached, plus an arcade, batting cages, and go-karts.

Rides can be on an individual basis, with tickets $1.25 each. For instance, the Looping Star would cost $7.50 to ride by itself. There are also several wristband options. A combo package for unlimited rides plus 3 hours at the water park costs $71 (though there is a cash discount.) If you go Mon-Thurs (excluding holidays), basically the same thing is $39. On Friday nights, there’s an after-5 ticket for the amusement park for only $24. Make sure to check out the discounts page before you visit.

There is a parking lot behind the amusement park that costs $7 during the week and $10 on weekends. That price is good for all day, but you’d have to pay again if you leave and come back.

Land of Make Believe

The next park isn’t at the beach! The Land of Make Believe is in Hope, closer to the PA border and about an hour from New York City. It’s aimed pretty squarely at kids, including its two roller coasters, Thriller and Twisted Timbers. Other rides include everything from a small pendulum ride that goes upside down and an off-road safari adventure to a historic house and a basic maze. It looks like there’s a pretty robust water park attached with more thrilling slides.

Admission is $45 at the gate, or right now, it’s $33.76 online. Parking is free.

Clementon Park

Clementon Park isn’t on the beach either, but it is on a lake in Clementon, a little south of Philadelphia. They also clock in with 2 roller coasters, but at least one of them is a little more thrilling! Here, we find the Hell Cat wooden coaster and the kiddie Dragon Coaster. They also have a coaster-like Ring of Fire looping ride, a fun-looking log flume right over the lake. A solid collection of spinning and flat rides and several kid’s rides round on the rest of the options. Nearly half the park is water park. I’ll talk more about that below in the water parks section.

Admission is usually around $40, though here at the end of the season, they are $35 for adults, $30 for kids, and $20 for seniors. Parking is free, though if you have an annual pass, there are VIP spots just for you.

Storybook Land

Here’s another park just for the littles – Storybook Land in Egg Harbor. Along with 16 rides, almost all for small children, there’s a train that circles the park, and one kiddie roller coaster called Bubbles the Coaster, a pretty standard dragon coaster. But they’re installing a second one called the Cinder Roller Coaster. It’s one of those figure-8 tracks with spinning cars, though it looks like this one might go through a castle prop.

Tickets cost $33 at the gate, or $30 online ahead of time. Parking is free.

Funplex

The Funplex in Mount Laurel is one of those indoor/outdoor family fun parks with bowling and an arcade. This one has more than a few rides, including the FunCoaster, a wild mouse with spinning cars. Otherwise, they have laser tag, bumper cars, bumper boats, a small indoor go-kart track, mini-golf, and a robust outdoor water park. There’s even a hotel attached if you want to stay the night.

Admission is only through a day pass or annual membership. there are no per-ride charges. Weekday admission (Wed-Fri) is $29, weekends cost $43, or $29 on Saturday after 7 pm. Military save 10% and seniors 65+ get 20% off. Parking is free. Note that you can’t leave the park and come back, though there is a restaurant on site.

Mountain Creek Waterpark

On the site of the notorious Action Park, we find Mountain Creek Waterpark in Vernon, part of a ski resort near the border of upstate New York. In the water park is the Alpine Mountain Coaster, the only mountain coaster in New Jersey.

You can only ride the Alpine Coaster with a day ticket, an annual pass, or, interestingly, a bike park season pass. It looks like the park is closed for the season, but day tickets seem to cost around $40-50. That’s just a guess, so make sure to check prices before your visit! Parking is free.

iPlay America

iPlay America in Freehold is one of those indoor arcade halls with laser tag, go-karts, and an XD dark ride. They also have some sort of virtual TopGolf experience. There are a few amusement rides in the mix, including the Freedom Rider, a spinning, figure-8 coaster.

Rides and games are on a credits system, with credits costing 50 cents each. Just to ride the roller coaster costs $6/12 credits. Or there is a wristband for unlimited rides for $38, but most of those rides are for kids. If I add the two other rides that look even remotely interesting to me, it would only be $17 total.

Fantasy Island Amusement Park

Oop, back to the beach – though not on it this time. At least not on the ocean side. Fantasy Island Amusement Park in Beach Haven is mostly for kids without anything to distinguish it too much. I will say, it has the cutest themed tilt-a-whirl I’ve ever seen. The park sports one roller coaster, Hang Ten, one of those spinning, figure-8 models. There must be hundreds of these in arcades across the country! This one is at least outdoors. A water park and mini-golf course is across the street, but not affiliated.

All rides cost 4-8 tokens, and each token costs $1. Hang Ten by itself costs $6. (The only 7-token ride is a swinging pirate ship called the Sea Serpent, and the only 8-token is a launch tower.) Active & retired military get in free and can buy up to four “unlimited ride passes for $20 each.” Unlimited passes are available to non-military, but only on specific days or events. Check the events & offers page before your visit. It seems like parking is just on the street wherever you can find it.

Gillian’s Wonderland Pier

Back in Ocean City, we have Gillian’s Wonderland Pier with a basic Wacky Worm kiddie coaster. There’s an indoor space with several rides just for kids, and several outdoor attractions, like a log flume, a great wheel, a haunted house dark ride, a glass house, and a pendulum ride. When I think of the Jersey Shore, I think of a place just like this.

The site page for tickets is currently blank, so I’m not sure how much it costs. The bigger rides cost 8 credits each, the haunted house 7, and the roller coaster is 7. They seem to be open for business, but I guess you can’t buy tickets online. There’s a large parking lot next to Gillian’s, as part of a larger city sports complex.

BONUS: Jersey Shore Trip Planning

Just in case you want to make a road trip out of all of the Jersey Shore’s amusement piers, here they are in order from north to south. (i.e. from New York City.) Keansburg is at the top, then Jenkinson’s –> Casino Pier –> Fantasy Island –> Steel Pier –> Gillian’s & Castaway Cove are right next to each other –> then Morey’s Piers are at the bottom.

I don’t know if you could ride all of New Jersey’s beachside roller coasters in one day, but over a long weekend might be a fun trip.

Water Parks in New Jersey

What with the Atlantic-facing Jersey Shore and serving the populations of Philadelphia and New York City as well as the state, there are a lot of water parks in New Jersey! Some are notorious, some are simple, and some or rip-offs.

• Hurricane Harbor New Jersey is the water park attached to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson. The park features a whopping 20 slides, 2 kids’ areas, a wave pool, and a lazy river. Daily tickets can be as much as $70, though here at the end of the season, they’re only $35 each. Parking is an additional $40, unless you have an annual pass or plus membership.
• Dreamworks Water Park is in the same American Dream building as Nickelodeon Universe in East Rutherford. This park features 17 slides including the “world’s longest hydromagnetic water coaster,” the Dream Runner. They also have the world’s largest indoor wave pool, two areas for kids, a lazy river, and some hot tubs. Admission during the week is $39 for all day or $25 for the last two hours of the day. On weekends, that soars to $99/$59. There’s also $5 for parking if you’re there for more than an hour.
• Mountain Creek Water Park in Vernon (the site of the old Action Park), features 11 slides, many of which are built into the hillside. (Though reportedly not as treacherous as they used to be.) There are 3 areas for kids, including a mini lazy river, plus a wave pool, and a cliff jump. Admission seems to be around $40-50, but definitely check before you go.

• Morey’s Piers in Wildwood has two water parks, one on the end of two of its three piers. At Ocean Oasis, you’ll find 7 slides, 2 kids’ areas including a big splash tower, a lazy river, and a swim-up bar. At Raging Waters are 4 more slides, 2 more kids’ areas, another lazy river, and an activity pool with a log crossing and a rope swing. There’s no info on pricing, but I can’t imagine it’s on a per-ride ticket system. Parking is along the beach where you can find it.
• Runaway Rapids is the water park at Keansburg Amusement Park with 10 slides, several areas for kids, and an interactive lazy river. Plus, there’s a rope swing, two hot tubs, and a lily pad crossing. Three hours at Runaway Rapids costs $39 ($1 off w/ cash.) Or from 4pm to close (whenever that is) costs $18 during the week and $25 on weekends and holidays. You can combine your waterpark visit with the rest of the rides for an upcharge, but make sure to check all the discounts beforehand. Parking is $7-10 at the adjacent lot.
• Splash Zone in Wildwood on the shore features 8 slides, 3 kids’ areas including one just for infants, a lazy river, and a FlowRider. And for once, it looks like the FlowRider doesn’t cost extra. The pricing structure is interesting: $50 for all day, $40 for 10 am-1:30 pm, or $45 for 2:00-5:30 pm. There’s a parking lot nearby, but it sounds like other city lots cost less.
• Breakwater Beach is attached to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights. It features 7 slides, 2 kids’ areas, a lazy river, wave pool, and a hot tub “spring” that looks fun. Admission to just the water park area is $45 and under, or $40 if you show up during the first hour of the day. For access after 3 pm, it’s $35 and under. For the slides and all the pier rides (excluding a few), it costs $75. Parking is in lots along the beachfront.

• Thundering Surf Waterpark, across from Fantasy Island above, features 7 slides, 2 kids’ areas, a lazy/crazy river, and a FlowRider included in park admission. There are LOTS of admission options from a 2-hour pass for $37 to a 5-day “surf & turf” which includes the adjoining large two-course mini-golf for $129. There are discounts for under 42″, age 2 and under, age 65 and over, and for non-participants, and hefty discounts for members of the military.
• Tomahawk Lake Waterpark in Sparta Township is a picnic ground with 7 hillside slides, most of which dump you right out into the lake, so swimming back to shore is required. There’s also a kid’s slide area, inflatables, a mid-lake dump bucket, bumper boats, paddle boats, mini-golf, a snack counter, ice cream, and beer. There are a lot of separate costs here: parking and admission to the lake itself cost $14-20 per person, plus it’s $15-17 for the waterslides ($10 after 4pm), and extra for the boats and mini-golf.
• Big Kahuna’s in West Berlin is another indoor water park, though there is an outdoor area too. All 5 slides are indoors, as well as a FlowRider surf simulator, 2 kids’ areas, a lazy river, activity pool, relaxing pool, and hot tub. Add to that a lap pool, wave pool, and kids’ pool outside. Day tickets are $50 on the weekends, $40 on weekdays, but only $41/$34 if you buy online. Make sure to check the website for more deals – currently, there’s a 3-close ticket for $30. Parking is free.

• The Land of Make Believe in Hope features 5 slides, 3 kids’ areas, and a lazy river, all incorporated into the regular park. Admission is currently $33.75-45 and parking is free.
• Clemonton Park includes Splashworld with 5 slides, 2 kids’ areas, a wave pool, and a lazy river. Tickets are included in admission, which is currently $20-40. Parking is free.
• The FunPlex in Mount Laurel has a water park with 5 slides, a kids’ splash tower, a lazy river, activity pool, and a relaxation pool. Admission is $29-43 and parking is free, though you can’t come and go.
• There’s another FunPlex in East Hanover with a waterpark featuring 5 slides, a lazy river, an activity pool, and an infinity pool. Admission to the whole complex is $29-43, and parking is free.

• Island Waterpark at the Showboat Resort in Atlantic City is mostly indoors, with 4 slides, 2 kids’ areas, a lazy river, FlowRider, an activity pool, and an adults-only pool and swim-up bar. Admission is anywhere from $49-79, depending on the day. There are discounts for after-4 tickets, groups, military, seniors 60+, and first responders.
• Crystal Springs, operated by the city of East Brunswick, features 3 slides, a lazy river, a spray park, plus lap, activity, family, and kiddie pools. Admission is comparatively steep – $20 for residents, $30 for non, and $5 more on weekends and holidays.
• OC Waterpark in Ocean City only has 3 slides, 1 kids’ area, and a lazy river, plus a jungle-themed mini-golf course. They want to charge you a lot for it though – $49, which includes a round of golf. Though you can get $2 off by buying online, and it’s $44 for just a 3-hour pass & no golf. Golf on its own costs $10.
• Diggerland in West Berlin is a construction-themed amusement park (no roller coasters, though) with a “Water Main” water park area. They only have 2 body slides, but there’s also a wave pool, a lazy river and whirlpool, and basically large shallow pools with lots of activities in them, like inflatables, crossings, basketball, and splash areas. Admission is around $50, though check the website for specials. Parking is free.

Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below!