Half-Price Tickets for Ocean City Boardwalk Rides Available Online and In Person

Riders enjoy the merry-go-round at Gillian's Wonderland Pier on the Ocean City Boardwalk on Saturday, April 12, 2014. The annual spring ritual of half-price sales for rides on the Ocean City (NJ) Boardwalk is underway. With the weekend before Easter bringing spectacular weather to Ocean City, walk-up sales at Playland's Castaway Cove (10th Street and Boardwalk) and Gillian's Wonderland Pier (Sixth Street and Boardwalk) were brisk. But in recent years, both of Ocean City's amusement centers have offered the same discounts for online purchases.

• Playland's Castaway Cove:  Sale includes 40 tickets for $20 (normally $40). Discounts also include 5 Seaside Go Kart Speedway passes for $20 (normally $30) and 5 Seaside Village/Golden Galleon Mini Golf passes for $22 (normally $35). Sale runs through April 27.
• Gillian's Wonderland Pier: Sale includes one book of 25 tickets for $10 (normally $20). Sale runs through April 20.

The spring ticket sales have long been a popular way to help offset the costs of a summer night on the Boardwalk. Playland offers 32 rides, including the landmark Double Shot that takes riders on a 110-foot vertical drop. Customers also can buy the discounted tickets in-person noon to 5 p.m. daily at Playland through April 27. Discounted tickets can be purchased in person at Gillian's Wonderland Pier and at Stainton's, A Gallery of Shops (810 Asbury Avenue) noon to 5 p.m. through April 20. Iconic rides at Gillian's include the log flume and giant Ferris wheel.  Both parks will be open noon to 5 p.m. during Easter weekend (April 19 and 20).