Family Tides
After more than two decades, Storybook Land has added a new roller coaster to its lineup of fairy tale-themed rides.
The recently opened CindeRoller Coaster invites families to board custom-painted cars that look like pumpkin coaches, which spin through a castle-like facade, similar to a Tilt-a-Whirl on a roller coaster track.
“It’s a spinning coaster, so that means the cars on the roller coaster spin as it goes around the track. There’s not necessarily any big drops or any loops,” explained Jessica Panetta, the park’s owner-operator.
The coaster is also New Jersey’s first triple-looping spinning coaster, featuring a unique track design.
“The figure eight pattern of the track is a triple, so it’s like a triple figure eight,” said Panetta. “It’s pretty unique. We did that just to make it a little bit more special.”
The CindeRoller Coaster is the Egg Harbor Township-based park’s first new coaster since Bubbles the Coaster opened 25 years ago.
“It’s huge for us to have another one,” said Panetta.
Storybook Land is currently celebrating its 70th season. The family-owned and -operated park has delighted generations with whimsical, fairy tale-themed fun, featuring attractions inspired by beloved storybook characters like Jack and the Beanstalk, Mother Goose, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Little Pigs and many more.
The park is also known for its seasonal events, which have become cherished holiday outings for families, such as its Christmas celebration with Santa and festive lights, as well as its Easter and Halloween events. It has also become a popular destination for school field trips.
But when John and Esther Fricano of Vineland founded the park in 1955, it was little more than a picnic stop between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Panetta said the storybook theme was inspired by popular trends of the time, such as Disney.
“It was a very small picnic grove,” said Panetta. “From there, it just evolved from a playground and picnic area and a burger stand to what we are now.”
Over the years, the park continued to expand and adapt. Adding rides in the 1970s was “huge” for the park, said Panetta.
“The rides kind of made it evolve even more. We started doing a lot of school trips, and we became more of a day trip destination for people, and then we added Christmas in the 80s, which is pretty legendary,” she said, noting Halloween was added around the early 1990s.
Even with the changing times and the park’s expansion over the decades, some of its earliest attractions remain fan favorites, such as The Little Red Schoolhouse, a replica of a one-room schoolhouse that still stands where it was built.
“It was the first building, and that’s still there, and everyone really loves that still,” said Panetta.
The balance between tradition and progress has helped Storybook Land remain a family mainstay without losing its charm.
“We still have to keep up with things,” said Panetta. “It’s a good first park experience for a lot of families and people with young children … we found a way to keep up with the times, obviously keep up with our demand and our crowd, but also we haven’t really changed too, too much.”
Looking ahead, the park has other projects on the horizon, including restoring a ride from the now-closed Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City.
“We have some ideas, some future plans. We acquired a ride from Wonderland when that closed, so we’d like to get that restored and installed. We have a couple of other older rides that we’ve had or purchased from other parks that we want to restore,” said Panetta.
While she said there could be a third roller coaster one day, the park plans to focus on other projects for now.
A grand opening celebration will be held for the CindeRoller Coaster Saturday, July 12.
Riders must be at least 36 inches tall to ride the CindeRoller Coaster with an adult or 48 inches tall to ride alone. Guests taller than 77 inches may not ride. Visit Storybook Land’s website for more details storybookland.com.
Madison Russ is an award-winning journalist, copy editor and adjunct professor of communication based in Atlantic County. An Ocean City native, Madison is passionate about telling stories that matter to locals, often spotlighting nonprofits and exploring the area’s vibrant arts scene.
