A historic New Jersey amusement and water park is preparing to change hands later this month following its sudden closure.
Clementon Park and Splash World, a longstanding fixture of Camden County in the United States with more than a century of operating history, is scheduled to be sold via an online real estate auction.
The upcoming sale offers prospective buyers a flexible investment prospect, presenting options to either retain the site as a working attraction or redevelop the land for entirely different commercial purposes.
Founded in 1907 by New Jersey assemblyman Theodore B. Gibbs and his sons, the property is one of the world’s oldest operating amusement venues and was one of only thirteen trolley parks still operating before it closed. It was originally built at the end of a transit line to encourage weekend ridership from Camden to the park’s entrance. Over the decades, it evolved from offering a simple steam-driven carousel and Nickelodeon movie theatre to housing a massive 23,000-square-foot wave pool known as Big Wave Bay and modern thrill attractions like the Hellcat hybrid wooden roller coaster, manufactured by S&S – Sansei Technologies.
Despite its long legacy, the park announced it would cease operations on 7 September 2026. Prior to this, the venue was owned by IB Parks & Entertainment, led by real estate developer Gene Staples, who had purchased the site for $2.37 million at a previous bankruptcy auction in March 2021.
Bids start soon
The online auction for the multi-use property is being hosted on the RI Marketplace platform. Bidding is scheduled to open on 19 October and will close 48 hours later at 9:00 AM on 21 October. The starting bid for the 45-acre site has been set at $1.5 million, marking a notable decrease from its 2021 sale price. Buyers should note that the transaction includes a minimum platform fee of 5 per cent (or $25,000) upon closing. The property is currently represented by Matthews Real Estate Investment Services. The broker of record is Patrick Forde, who is working alongside colleagues Josh Cordray and Robert Anderson. In addition, Peter Costanzo from the Fisher Auction Company is involved in the sale process.
The property encompasses exactly 45 acres of land, with a 23-acre private body of water, Clementon Lake, at the heart of the land. At the time of its recent closure, the park featured 19 rides and attractions, including the King Neptune’s Revenge log flume and the Laguna Kahuna children’s water play area. The location benefits from high visibility, with a reported 24,000 vehicles travelling past the property frontage each day, and sits less than one mile from the Pine Valley Golf Club.
Marketing materials currently state that an “owner can continue park operations or reposition the site for multifamily, hotel, or retail use”, with existing infrastructure, including multiple onsite buildings and ample parking, offering immediate repurposing potential. Whether a buyer chooses to resurrect the existing amusement and water park hybrid model or pivot toward a mixed-use development, the upcoming auction will ultimately determine the next chapter for this historic location.
