Gillian's was generally considered to be an institution of Ocean City, with grand openings and pre-season sales for the location historically having drawn crowds multiple blocks long,[3] and employed many local youths during the summer,[4] and in more recent years, many Eastern European workers.

[5] Roy Gillian started his career in the orchestra at C. Elwood Carpenter's Dance Club (aka The Casino), located over the Moorlyn Theater on the old Boardwalk.

In honor of his 100th birthday in 1990, David Gillian donated a horse from the Carousel to the Ocean City Historical Museum.

In 1965, Roy left the family business and started Wonderland Pier at 6th Street and the Boardwalk (where Stainton's Playland had burned down 10 years prior), with 10 rides and a parking lot.

It closed in 2014 after only five years of operation due to lasting damage from Hurricane Sandy that was unable to be repaired in a cost-effective manner.

The proposed resort consists of 252 rooms, retail space along the boardwalk, and keeping the Carousel and Giant Wheel attractions from the closed pier.

[47] The following year, the husband and father of the victims, John J. Bailey Jr. sued the park and sought $275 million in damages, and claimed that the Pier knew the coaster was defective prior to opening it, and further stated that his 5-year-old daughter was nearly killed in the accident as well, but failed to meet height requirements to get into the cart with her sister and mother.

[48] A former employee of Zamperla, the manufacturer of the ride, later sued the company, claiming they fired him for pointing out safety concerns regarding the Wild Wonder.

[59] September 16, 1995, saw a power outage in Ocean City that left several people stuck on Gillian's Ferris wheel.

[60] In June 2007, the park was closed for two hours after a 17-year-old girl had fired shots from a .22 caliber gun into a sand dune from one of the Pier's rides.