The boardwalk between 6th and 14th Street is where Ocean City’s family reputation gets tested every night, by kids with ride tickets in one hand and caramel corn in the other. We’ve walked these boards with toddlers, grade-schoolers, and grandparents. Here’s the 2026 version.
The lay of the boards
The Ocean City NJ boardwalk’s amusement and food core runs from 6th Street to 14th Street, eight blocks of rides, pizza, arcades, mini golf, and candy. Entering around 12th Street puts you in the middle of everything: rides two blocks north, food in both directions, and quieter boards to the south.
The boardwalk is long, but the part your kids care about is compact: 6th to 14th Street holds essentially all of the rides, arcades, food counters, and mini golf. Come up the ramp near 12th Street and you can see most of it. Playland’s is a short walk north, JiLLy’s and Congo Falls are right there in the 1100s, and Manco & Manco’s 12th Street shop is at your back. With little kids, that geography matters: shorter walks between stops mean more done before the kids are finished for the night. Our house is six blocks from 12th Street Beach, and we plan whole evenings around this stretch.
Rides in 2026: what’s operating
In 2026, Playland’s Castaway Cove at 1020 Boardwalk is Ocean City’s operating amusement park: 30-plus rides including three coasters, free entry, pay-per-ride tickets, open seasonally from spring to early October. Gillian’s Wonderland Pier at 6th Street closed in 2024 and its rides remain shut, replaced for now by an arcade and pizzeria.
The rides changed in 2024, and many older guides haven’t caught up. Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, the century-old park at 6th Street with the 140-foot Ferris wheel, closed for good as an amusement park on October 13, 2024. The wheel and the antique carousel still stand, but they don’t run; the site reopened in 2025 with an arcade and the Ocean City Pizza Company while the owner and the city work out what comes next. Walk past for the photo, but don’t promise your kids rides there.
The good news: Playland’s Castaway Cove at 1020 Boardwalk (near 10th Street) is open, with more than 30 rides, from a gentle train and antique cars up to three roller coasters, including the looping Python and the big GaleForce. Entry is free, so grandparents can wander in and watch; you buy tickets and pay per ride. The park runs seasonally from late March into early October, with summer hours in the evening, roughly 6pm to 11pm, which is when you want to be out there anyway. Check their posted calendar for shoulder-season weekends.
The food gauntlet, ranked by kid
The essential Ocean City boardwalk foods are Manco & Manco pizza (9th and 12th Street locations, since 1956), Johnson’s Popcorn caramel corn at 1368 Boardwalk (since 1940), Shriver’s salt water taffy and fudge at 9th Street (since 1898), and Kohr Bros frozen custard. All are family-run and all are operating in 2026.
Every family develops a circuit. Ours starts at Manco & Manco, because pizza is dinner and the plain slice is the benchmark. They’ve made pizza on the boards since 1956; in 2026 the 9th Street and 12th Street shops are the boardwalk locations to aim for. Then Kohr Bros frozen custard, the vanilla-orange twist. Johnson’s Popcorn at 1368 Boardwalk is the take-home move: they’ve hand-mixed caramel corn in copper kettles since 1940, a fresh batch every few minutes, and the tub travels well. Shriver’s, at 9th and Boardwalk, is the boardwalk’s oldest business (1898) and the best free show on the boards: the taffy machines run in view of the store, so kids can watch the candy get pulled and wrapped before picking their flavors.
Mini golf, arcades, and the art of the ticket haul
Congo Falls Adventure Golf at 1132 Boardwalk has three 18-hole mini golf courses, one fully indoors and air-conditioned. JiLLy’s Arcade at 1168 Boardwalk runs more than 100 games, from Skee-Ball and claw machines to modern racers, and stays open 24 hours a day in summer. Both sit near 12th Street.
Mini golf works for a four-year-old and a forty-year-old at the same time. Congo Falls Adventure Golf at 1132 Boardwalk stacks three 18-hole courses into one complex, with waterfalls, caves, and a snake pit; the Lost City course is entirely indoors and air-conditioned, which matters on a rain day (see below). A block up, JiLLy’s Arcade at 1168 Boardwalk has more than 100 games, Skee-Ball to Star Wars, and runs 24 hours a day in summer. Set a token budget before you walk in; you will go over it.
Bikes, surreys, and strollers
Bikes (and rented surreys) are allowed on the Ocean City boardwalk from 5am to noon between June 19 and September 7, 2026, with all-day riding generally permitted off-season. Strollers and wagons are fine any time. Dogs are never allowed on the boardwalk except during the Dog Days event weekend in October.
Mornings on the boardwalk are a different place: joggers, coffee walkers, and families pedaling four-across in surreys. In season (June 19 to September 7 in 2026), bikes are permitted from 5am until noon, so the move is breakfast on the boards and a family ride before the crowds build. Rentals are easy: OC Bikes rents at 12th and Boardwalk at JiLLy’s, and Ocean City Bicycle Center at 8th and Atlantic, a block off the boards, rents everything from kids’ bikes to three-row surreys. Strollers and beach wagons are welcome on the boardwalk at all hours. Dogs are not allowed at any hour, carried or otherwise, with one exception: the Dog Days weekend each fall.
When it rains
Rainy-day options on and near the boardwalk include the fully indoor, air-conditioned Lost City mini golf course at Congo Falls, JiLLy’s Arcade’s 100-plus games, watching taffy production at Shriver’s, and browsing the downtown Asbury Avenue shopping district a few blocks inland. Most boardwalk food counters stay open in the rain.
A rain day with kids is manageable. The indoor Lost City course at Congo Falls was built for this, JiLLy’s Arcade absorbs hours, and Shriver’s taffy-works is a free attraction under a roof. When the boards themselves get too wet and windy, shift three blocks inland to the downtown shops along Asbury Avenue and let everyone pick one small thing. Then pizza. Manco & Manco stays open in the rain.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Ocean City NJ boardwalk free?
Yes. Walking the Ocean City NJ boardwalk costs nothing, and there is no gate or admission at any point. You pay only for what you choose to do: rides at Playland's Castaway Cove are per-ticket, mini golf and arcades charge per round or per game, and beach tags are only needed on the sand.
Are there amusement rides on the Ocean City NJ boardwalk in 2026?
Yes. Playland's Castaway Cove at 1020 Boardwalk operates more than 30 rides in 2026, including three roller coasters and a Ferris wheel, with free entry and pay-per-ride tickets. Gillian's Wonderland Pier at 6th Street closed in October 2024; its rides are not running, though an arcade and pizzeria opened on the site.
Is Wonderland Pier in Ocean City NJ open?
No, not as an amusement park. Gillian's Wonderland Pier closed October 13, 2024 after almost a century. As of 2026 the giant Ferris wheel and carousel stand idle while redevelopment plans are debated. The site reopened in 2025 with an arcade and the Ocean City Pizza Company, so you can still walk through.
When can you ride bikes on the Ocean City NJ boardwalk?
In summer 2026, bikes are allowed on the boardwalk from 5 a.m. to noon between June 19 and September 7. In the off-season riding is generally permitted all day, with posted exceptions for special events. Surreys and rentals follow the same clock, so families ride in the morning and walk at night.
What food is the Ocean City boardwalk known for?
Four names come up every time: Manco & Manco pizza (since 1956, at 9th and 12th Street on the boards), Johnson's Popcorn caramel corn mixed in copper kettles since 1940, Shriver's salt water taffy and fudge (the boardwalk's oldest business, 1898), and Kohr Bros frozen custard. Look for them between 6th and 14th Street on the boards.
Are dogs and strollers allowed on the Ocean City NJ boardwalk?
Strollers and wagons are welcome any time; the boards are wide, flat, and stroller-friendly for the full length. Dogs are never permitted on the boardwalk, even carried or in bike baskets, with one exception: the Dog Days event in late October, when leashed dogs are invited for a weekend.
