I have a 1990 Motel Guide!

[Robert K]

I have a 1990 Motel Guide book and it shows practically all the old motels! A collector's item! I think I got it in the mail back in 1990 since we didn't actually go to Wildwood that year, we went 1980-1983 when my father was alive, he died in 1986, then we went back 95, 96, and 98. Haven't been back since. Wildwood was more magical back in the early 80's vs. today with all the tall thrill rides on the Morey's, loss of Castle Dracula, Hunt's Pier, Sportland Pier, old Fun Pier pre-1985. I can remember the motels we stayed at between 1980-1983, the Sea Bird, the Tide Winds, I forget if there were any others. Who agrees with me that the demolition of the old motels is just plain stupid? And the senseless Castle Dracula fire that could have been prevented had the cop caught the two juveniles BEFORE they entered the castle with matches? And the demolition of most of the Hunt's rides in 1989? For freaking teen-wowing thrill rides. When will they ever learn? And Ed Zaberer's burning down in 1992? My high school graduation year! I was in Ed Zaberer's in the early 80's! Another thing is I live 2 miles from Dorney Park in Allentown, PA, I lived in the same old house my entire 31 years of life! I still live with my mom and brother and her male friend. What happened to Dorney Park is a similar story, they were family owned from 1884-1992, they had dark rides and all, but after giant Cedar Fair from Sandusky, Ohio bought the park they destroyed alot of the old character of the park in the name of "progress" and the next teen-wowing thrill ride or steel coaster. First thing they did was raze the old Journey to the Center of the Earth mill chute after 1992, it was built in 1927 and served several generations. It was the second last mill chute in the US, the only other survivor is in Lake Winnie in GA. Dorney Park and Wildwood (Nickels Midway Pier) both lost their old mills 10 years apart. Now only Kennywood and Playland NY still have old mills in the Northeast US. I shudder to think all of the people, kids born in the 80's, 90's and beyond have no sense of this old stuff and the stuff that is gone, it seems all kids today want are "thrills" and giant coasters. Oh, CONDOS SUCK.

[FlyinGN]

wow shame you can't scan and post pics of the brochure!! Thanks!

Frank

[MMM]

I have quite a few of those motel guides. For many years, both the Hotel/Motel association and the Chamber of Commerce published their own guides. I don't think they do that anymore and just one guide is made.

[AnthonyV]

No. The Wildwood Chamber of Comemrce still put out their own guides these days... The other guide is called The Visitors Guide which is like a magazine sized publication of motel ads. You can get one from the Chamber of Commerce Website. The 2005 edition should be coming out very soon I'm sure.

My mother still has old Wildwood guides going back to 1960 somewhere in her home. Back then they were only about 30 pages (if that much) and got thicker by the years as more motels were built.

Sadly, it seems that history will repeat itself in reverse now as more and more of those buildings are lost forever...

[MMM]

I recently got one from I think 1961 in beautiful condition. It's nice, but sadly it doesn't have pictures in it.

Thanks for the info on the Chamber of Commerce still putting out its own guide.

[Bob Squad]

What s an old mill ride? Is there just one at Lake Winnie or two more at Kennywood and Playland. I go to Playland at least once a year. the only thing I think you could mean there is the log flume but there can't possibly be only 3 log flumes left in the country. I must not be understanding something correctly. I remember the log flume in wildwood with the giant lumber jack with one hand on backwards. (Never understood why that was)

[Robert K]

An old mill is a boat ride in the dark. Wildwood had one, lost it in the Castle Dracula fire in 2002, most of them dated from before 1930. There's only a few left in the US now. Dorney Park in PA my hometown park had one but it was torn down after 1992. It was the second last one with a lift and drop. Lake Winnie's is the last with lift and drop. www.darkinthepark.com has pics of Wildwood's old mill, and www.casabrian.com/parks/lakewinnie2001.html Lake Winnie's Boat Chute and Playland's old mill www.sallycorp.com/darkrides/old_mill.htm www.westchestergov.com/wcarchives/Playland/mill.htm rollercoaster.dreamhost.com/photos/Rye%20Playland/Ye%20Old%20Mill/ Old mills were more common in the first half of the 20th century, but many have vanished over the past few decades.

[Robert K]

www.laffinthedark.com/articles/dorney/dorney3.htm This was Dorney Park's old mill, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Dismantled 2001 is wrong, it was razed after 1992. I had my final ride August 92.