The Steel Pier is one of the oldest continuously operating amusement piers in the United States. The original structure opened in 1898 and became famous in the mid-20th century for hosting big-band performances and, for several decades, a diving horse — an act in which a horse and rider plunged from a 20-metre platform into a pool of water, which drew enormous crowds and is now remembered mainly with disbelief. The current pier, rebuilt in 1993 after fire damage, is more conventional: a 300-metre platform extending over the Atlantic with a mix of carnival rides, arcade games, and food stalls.
The dominant feature is the Ferris wheel at the ocean end of the pier — 67 metres tall, visible for miles along the boardwalk. The ride offers the best aerial views of the resort available without a helicopter: the full length of the boardwalk in one direction, the Atlantic in the other, and on clear days the Jersey shore curving north toward Ocean City and south toward Cape May. The pier runs from spring through autumn and is busiest on summer weekends.