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.
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Park → welcome → decision
The landmark amusement park made the announcement on September 9, marking an end to its 119 years of operation.
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park → make → operation
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.
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Gibbs → locate → 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.
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that → welcome → decade
On September 9, the park said the 2026 season would be its last.
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season → say → September
The announcement came two days after the park’s final day of operations for the year wrapped up.
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day → come → year
In a statement, the park authorities said that they were closing permanently and that the park was up for sale.
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park → say → 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.
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we → sadden → sale
They added, “It has been a privilege to care for a place that has meant so much to generations of families.
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that → add → 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.
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park → find → 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.”
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we → close → Park
They said more details regarding the sale would be shared ‘as they become available’.
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they → say → sale
We are truly grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey,” they added.
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they → add → journey
IB Parks & Entertainment, the Chicago-based company that has owned the property for five years, didn’t specify any reason for the closure.
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that → base → 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.
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park → acquire → defaults
A brief reopening in June 2021 gave the park another run; however, lower attendance and operating pressures affected the park.
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attendance → give → park
A rare survivor
Clementon Park & Splash World is one of the oldest operating amusement parks in the world.
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Park → operate → 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.
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Gibbs → open → line
The growing popularity of trolley lines drew visitors from neighbouring Camden.
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popularity → grow → Camden
In 1931, a fire nearly destroyed the park, but it survived.
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it → destroy → park
The Gibbs family’s original stewardship lasted until 1977, before ownership passed to others.
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ownership → last → others
For decades afterwards, the park changed hands repeatedly.
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park → change → hands
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’.
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it → undergo → slides
The renovation cost $5 million, and it also attracted more visitors.
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it → cost → visitors
Then came the 2019 crisis, when loan defaults left the park dark.
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defaults → come → park
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.
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Clementon → operate → portfolio
But five years proved insufficient.
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years → prove → ?
IB Parks & Entertainment has faced challenges across its holdings.
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Parks → face → 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.
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property → open → shortfalls
What’s next for the park?
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What → ’ → park
The company has offered the property for sale, hoping to find a buyer willing to preserve the park’s legacy.
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company → offer → legacy
If such a buyer emerges, New Jerseyans may still have a place that holds memories of a century.
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that → emerge → century
Whether that’s realistic remains uncertain.
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’s → ’ → ?
Regional parks usually depend on real estate value or development potential as much as operating margins.
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parks → depend → margins
A 52-acre property in Camden County may appeal more to developers than to potential operators.
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property → appeal → operators
The future of the park now hangs on its next buyer.
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future → hang → buyer
The Aporia
