After more than a century of welcoming families through its gates, Clementon Park and Splash World in Camden County, New Jersey, has announced the ‘difficult decision’ to close permanently. The landmark amusement park made the announcement on September 9, marking an end to its 119 years of operation. The property is now up for sale.
The end of a 119-year ride
One of New Jersey’s oldest amusement parks, Clementon Park and Splash World, located in Camden County, had operated continuously since 1907, when Theodore Gibbs and his sons opened it as a trolley park. Over the years, it has welcomed millions of visitors, survived the fire in 1931, weathered ownership changes, and, more recently, even navigated the financial turbulence that has claimed many regional parks over the past decade.On September 9, the park said the 2026 season would be its last. The announcement came two days after the park’s final day of operations for the year wrapped up. In a statement, the park authorities said that they were closing permanently and that the park was up for sale. “We are saddened to announce that we have made the difficult decision to close the park and plan to offer the park for sale.”They added, “It has been a privilege to care for a place that has meant so much to generations of families. We are hopeful that we will find a buyer who shares our love for Clementon Park and will carry its history and legacy forward,” the park said in a statement shared on its website. “As we close out our 2026 season, we want to sincerely thank our guests, Season Passholders, team members, and community for being part of another summer at Clementon Park & Splash World.”They said more details regarding the sale would be shared ‘as they become available’. “Thank you for the memories, the support and five wonderful seasons. We are truly grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey,” they added.IB Parks & Entertainment, the Chicago-based company that has owned the property for five years, didn’t specify any reason for the closure. The company acquired the 52-acre site in 2021 through a foreclosure auction for $2.37 million, just two years after the park had temporarily shut down due to the previous owner’s loan defaults. A brief reopening in June 2021 gave the park another run; however, lower attendance and operating pressures affected the park.
A rare survivor
Clementon Park & Splash World is one of the oldest operating amusement parks in the world. The park first opened in 1907, when Theodore Gibbs and his two sons introduced it as a traditional ‘trolley park’, built at the end of a transit line. The growing popularity of trolley lines drew visitors from neighbouring Camden. In 1931, a fire nearly destroyed the park, but it survived. The Gibbs family’s original stewardship lasted until 1977, before ownership passed to others. For decades afterwards, the park changed hands repeatedly. In 1993, it underwent a renovation, adding the Splash World waterpark, featuring multiple water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and the 13,000-square-foot Aquatic Paradise ‘sprayground’. The renovation cost $5 million, and it also attracted more visitors.Then came the 2019 crisis, when loan defaults left the park dark. The 2021 purchase by IB Parks & Entertainment was a rescue. As the company operates multiple parks across the country, including Indiana Beach and Sahara Sam’s, this rescue gave hope that Clementon might integrate into a larger portfolio.But five years proved insufficient. IB Parks & Entertainment has faced challenges across its holdings. Its New York property, Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World on Grand Island, did not open for the 2026 season, citing attendance and revenue shortfalls.What’s next for the park? The company has offered the property for sale, hoping to find a buyer willing to preserve the park’s legacy. If such a buyer emerges, New Jerseyans may still have a place that holds memories of a century. Whether that’s realistic remains uncertain. Regional parks usually depend on real estate value or development potential as much as operating margins. A 52-acre property in Camden County may appeal more to developers than to potential operators. The future of the park now hangs on its next buyer.
