Remembering The Golden Nugget - Chapter One
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- Опубліковано 19 жов 2024
- This short is the first in a series of videos featuring the Golden Nugget Mine Ride on the old Hunt's Pier on the Wildwood Boardwalk. I shot this video in early November 2008 and have blended it with vintage footage recorded by Mel Taylor and Michael Hawthorne. These are the end of days for this classic and beloved dark ride... the sole survivor from the Hunt's era. It is due to be demolished sometime in February 2009. The complete ride through of the Golden Nugget Mine Ride can be found in the following link. • Hunt's Pier 1988 / On ...
Just discovered the Funchase website and this UA-cam channel. Boy, I sympathize with all the other comments. I grew up going to visit my grandmother at the Jersey shore and visiting the Wildwood Boardwalk. Kohr Brothers ice cream, pizza at Macks, ice cream waffles, and all the other yummy food. We never ate dinner before visiting the boardwalk. Those were the days! The Golden Nugget was one of my favorite rides too. I found the Funchase website while looking for information on the Merry Go Round at Playland. I was so sad when I came back to Wildwood one year and it was gone. Never thought that would happen. Kids will always love carousels! Thank goodness for the photos and film of these favorite memories!
That was my favorite carousel, on all the boards. Cedar, & the boardwalk. As a small kid, I loved Playland. The rides behind the merry-go-round, all made for little children. That merry-go-round was made in Germany, I believe. It had a wonderful calliope, also.
I remember going on this ride, back in the late '60's, early '70's. '75 or so, was probably around, my last time. Thanks for preserving all this/these footages, Ralph. It's Roger (Big Bob's, friend)!! Loved, your Halloween house display, when I went through it with Bob, years ago😉!!!
Yo Roger - It’s great to hear from you! Hope you’re doing well. We had some good times and I’m glad you remember our Haunted Walk-Thru. Thank God we have our memories.
@@funchase And I hope you, and your's, are doing well also, Ralph. It's a shame, since Bob moved away, that I don't get to see, alot of our old friends/aquaintence's, anymore😔.
Watching this excellent video is quite surreal. Who would've ever thought back in 1975 when I was seven years old and riding the Golden Nugget that I'd be watching this kind of footage 34 years later on a home computer here in California? This ride and the Whacky Shack were my favorites as a kid everytime we'd go on vacation each June to Wildwood from western Pennsylvania. It was a family tradition. I wish somebody had footage like this of the Whacky Shack. Thanks for the vid and memories.
Hey Ralph...as usual heartbreaking emotions watching this but so grateful you're preserving what you can. As the cliché goes: as long as we have memories, it's never totally gone. Happy New Year and keep up the great work. And Golden Nugget (& Hunt's Pier) R.I.P.
My favorite ride of all time !
This video might not mean much to somebody just surfing You Tube, but it brought tears to my eyes. Maybe you had to know the Golden Nugget to feel this way, its only a ride right? I just want it to be there forever and I am heartbroken over this. I watched every second of this video, and every second brought back another memory, another ride, another vacation. I wondered how many times I went up that incline since 1960. I was back in that mine car again. Thanks my friend. AWESOME VIDEO
Wow, this is sad news. Not unexpected, but still sad. I hoped against hope that it might be renovated and re-opened at some point. Glad I got to see it one last time this summer.
When "Golden Nugget" goes, there will be no more of the 1960s/70s-era Wildwood rides of my childhood. GN was the last link to that past. Makes me feel kinda old...
Ralph, thanks for your fine work in documenting this Wildwood classic.
It was repurposed and reopened at Knoebels. My Great Grandfather designed this ride. They also have another of his rides, the Twister.
I rode this ride up to 5 times per night when Hunt's issued All-You-Can-Ride bracelets in the early 80s. Up top under the golds and pinks of sunset before plunging into the bottomless shaft was incredible. I love the deliberate slowness with which funchase walks--he is paying this ride its proper reverence.
favorite ride ever iN Wildwood
This was simply my family's favorite, for decades! wow...
I'm from North Wildwood and my Uncle Lou ran the Golden Nugget for more years than I can remember. I miss those days; Wildwood used to be so great. Now when I go home to visit my family I don't even bother with the boardwalk.
My Great Grandfather (John C. Allen III) designed this ride :-).
Loved going on it back in the 60'S and 70's as a kid!! Thanks for sharing the memories...
I loved that ride. my brother ran it in 1965.
This was my first roller coaster ride ever and I didn't realize what it was until we were in the car going up the first hill. What great memories!
Happy New Year both Mike and Bob - Although a sad start with the loss of the Nugget lets hope things start looking up from there. It's hard to put into words how I feel when I'm at the Nugget these past weeks... it's been surreal. I'm cherishing every last moment in her presence. Right now it's still here, and even though I know what's to come it really hasn't sunk in yet... I know the toughest days are yet to come. It's very hard to accept what we can't change... I'm still working on that.
While it's sad to have it gone from the Wildwood Boardwalk, the Golden Nugget lives on as the Black Diamond dark ride at Knoebles Park in Elysburg, PA. They've done a great job in rebuilding it, and while some elements (like the animatronic characters) are new, it is still very recognizable as the Golden Nugget.
It's now at my local theme park, knoebels in elysburg PA. Its so awesome!! It's going to be done next summer. I only live a mile away from knoebels soooooooooooo.......
Ya. My one friend, Ethan knoebel, his dad owns the park and he told me all about it. Its awesome!!!!
I was about 9 or 10 in '78 or '79 and loved this ride 2 death! It was part coaster, part just plain bizarre, part comical and just scary enough to thrill you without giving you nightmares. So I told my kid sis (2 years younger) to go on with me. She did and SCREEEAAMED the entire ride! You only have a handful of memories from 30 years ago, that's a great one! My favorite ride of all time - hands down.
As an 80s kid it was one of my favorites as well. Was sad to see it gone but that's the nature of things.
I was at Knoebels a couple of weeks ago from the UK and we had a walkthrough all 3 floors with some of the themeing actually working, and it looks pretty good.
This was fun to watch. I love to explore old buildings and the Golden Nugget was one of the best dark rides. Unique. By exploring it in its final condition, you did what I wanted badly to do.
I know. I'm excited. I live 1hr away from Knoebels. (: And it will probably be built for 2010 2011 because this STUPID Flying Turns is taking FOREVER! It's been under construction since 2006!
@Elderhamm
I live 1 mile away from knoebels. Your right about them restoring old rides. Ethan Knoebel, my one friend said, " it's so cool!! It has like, holograms and seems like a Disney ride!!!!!"
this ride was supposavably bought by and unknow componey or person and there were going to refurbish it and put it back into action but not in wildwood. the many times ive been to wildwood ive seen this ride and wished it was still running so i could go on it
It was repurposed and reopened at Knoebels. Our family follows it closely as my PopPop designed it.
@@THEMADHATTRESS Is the track turns in Knoebels exactly the way it was when at Hunts?
@theripperman It's great that Knoebels Amusement Resort is practically dedicated to keeping good rides. They've already done that with the Flying Turns, the Phoenix, and a few more I cannot recall. (Please note the Flying Turns is a recreation.)
I'm quite satisfied to be going there in 2 days. :)
In the 1960s, I rode this over and over again. I always remember seeing the grave of "Jessie Games" (spelled with a G) on the first plateau of the ride. Thanks for the memories. BRIAN
1st stop, The County Roost
2nd stop The Gold Nugget
The glory days. Never ever again will there be a 1 of a kind Gold Nugget nor a Hunt's Pier dedicated to the little ones for that matter. Both a Wildwood treasure. It served the visitors well because memories will never be lost to those to it meant so much.
Now this goes the way of so many other memories as well. Google "Defunct Amusement Parks Home Page". This should be included too! No one contributed to that site this info.
We'll be coming down from East Brunswick, booked a room for the weekend at the Bolero. Its gonna be tough.
this ride and the keystone cops and the sounds from rifle target game that s what made the memories for me and the sign that saID HOLD YOUR HATS AT THE TOP OF THE FLYER THANKS TOXIC MELL LOL
Thanks for the info. I leave outside of Harrisburg and I plan on going to Knobels again soon, haven't been there in years. Do you have any idea if it's up and running yet?
I hope they build some of the facade or mountain, they could do a good job replacing some of the themed elements. I know in the article they said they weren't going to replicate it exactly as it once was, but still would be cool to have some of it.
Sad to see another great old classic dark ride in this shape. They gave so much fun to so many. Now there is only a handful left of the master of the gendre', Mr. Bill Tracy. Very Sad
Knoebels has one just like it
its the same ride rebuilt with a new story line. They are using all the parts that could safely be used.
My Great Grandfather John Allen designed this. Knoebels repurposed the Golden Nugget and it's almost the same.
the same ride was at roseland park in canandaigua ny
oh darnnn it I thought this was the old gold nugget ride at roseland park in Canandaigua NY
Hey funchase...I want to remember the heyday of that ride...looks like you had some contemporary foootage..maybe not..after watching that presention I feel a compulsion to dive head first from the current day hunts pier (whatever it's called ...looks like a bus stop)
The building for the Golden Nugget is still there, so can't they rebuild it. Also why did they take it apart in the first place?
The original building was built in the era of aesbestos, but the track lives on in a new building at Knobles.
well i was right about the location of black diamond at knoebles. they are relocating there eagles. and putting the golden nugget right next to the mining museum.
i so called it.
but the land has a lot of work to be done as it is.
plenty of trees and the land is not level. so it is going to cost a lot to build this ride. but i think it will be worth it.
black diamond will be awesome. knoebles is such a good park! they will be able to give that coaster the proper care it needs.
golden nugget is to be moved to knoebels' grove elysburg Pennsylvania . it had some goodbye event
i was told it was taking the track and that's it. the rest is being tore down. knoebels' has plans to rebuild it and have it ready by 2010 with the name being black diamond. but they have work to do as it is. with flying turns not working and matenece to be done . i think they will put this thing in the mining section of the park right next to the mining museum and the world class Phoenix.
does anybody know why this piere is gone now? i remember only once going to this piere and riding this when i was maybe 5 or6...of course i was scared to death. why did they get rid of it? there are only go carts now and when you go on the floom ride on the first piere you can see old rides folded up in the back of the piere... so sad. i didn't go to wildwood yet so did they knock down this ride yet? or is it still standing? i always use to look at it wondering why it was still there.
Can you post just the ride when it was operating and not the walkthrough after her prime? PLEASE?
I really wish they would have kept hunts pier! And restored it! Us baby boomer era kids would have spent a fortune now enjoying our childhood over again! The rides today in wildwood are to commercialised..
Hey funchase do you have any other videos of the other "dinosaur beach" pier attractions?
Specifically the jeep ride though the warehouse
npe trusty ol' kanobels got it goin tommorow gonna go on it ya its called black daimond now though!
The complete ride is featured in one of my earlier videos. The link to that video is listed in the description above.
why did they shut the golden nugget down
They Lost a lot of money but the good news is the golden nugget lives on as the black diamond in PA
+Mr_2011 Chevy Mailbu I've been to knoebels to see it but never rode it cuz I don't like dark rides
Hello 👋 what year was this video taken and what was it like then compare to now.