Clementon Park 8/29/11 Yes a PTR!

[Leo C]

This summer I had bounced around the idea of returning to Clementon Park. I wanted to and was forced to stay local this summer. I found their last $9.99 before 11AM Monday deal was too good to pass up.I had also heard that Adrenaline Family Entertainment was putting the park and Alabama Adventure for sale so that sealed the deal for my return.

I drove down the White Horse Pike, the old US Route 30 to my second homepark, the small Clementon Park. It's actually equidistant as Great Adventure is to me. Dutch Wonderland and Idlewild in PA are actually on Rt. 30. Clementon Park just sits a few blocks away from Rt. 30 on Clementon Lake.

Some signs and markers down the old New Jersey portion of old US Route 30.

Clementon Lake

Old Clementon Park & Splash World logo

Clementon Park is the closest park to serve the urban areas of Philadelphia, Camden, and the South Jersey suburbs. The park over the years tend to have drawn people from the cities and old New Jersey towns near by. I went to the park as a young teen, before I became an enthusiast. I was quite lucky to get cycles on the gentle and old Jack Rabbit figure 8 wooden coaster. Even when the park added the Tsunami wooden coaster in 2004 after Jack Rabbit went SBNO in 1998 the park seemed to look old, neglected, and edgy with its buildings, attractions, and clientele. The asphalt and buildings looked older and beat. The park with the addition of Splash World had flats and attractions for guests of all ages. The flats for teens for many years came from the 80s and 90s: Rainbow, Thunderbolt - the Himalaya, the Pirate Ship, Inverter, Chaos but time had not been kind to these rides. The park at one time had a white tiger show in the old carousel building.

I believe things took a change for the better starting at the end of 2007. Adrenaline Family Entertainment bought the park as well as Alabama Adventure. A new chapter for the park began with the demolition of the long SBNO Jack Rabbit coaster. During the first season under new ownership the park picnic areas were refurbished and paved, the asphalt was recoated. The older flats were slowly but surely removed and replaced. Chaos and Rainbow were replaced with a Kontiki themed modern water playground with tipping bucket for children.

The view from the parking lot of Clementon Park & Splash World with its most recent logo.

In the following years the park added a new racing mat slide and trap door straight dropping slides to the water park and replaced the Thunderbolt and Inverter with a drop tower and Ring of Fire.


At opening the crowds were light.

I immediately made my way to the Ring of Fire within the first cycle of passengers. The train had an open cap. It was the first Ring of Fire I've done with OTSR and without a roof. During the cycle it was cool to watch the operator push back and forth the joystick to control the ride cycle.

I then made my way to the back of the park.

Hellcat the park's wooden coaster didn't look ready just yet so I rode the King Neptune's flume ride.

Finally I saw a train pass on Hellcat so I went up to the station to ride. Hellcat was originally Tsunami and then J2 before its current name.

On the lift hill I could see the Philadelphia skyline to the right in the distance. The coaster doesn't induce tears like it used to when it debuted as Tsunami. With trims on the first drop the coaster is still quite intense. I sat in the back seat and in the second row a couple of cycles. I find the PTC trains shuffle throughout the course and in the helixes. For now I don't think the coaster is marathon worthy. It's advisable to get off the train and cycle back through to give yourself a rest. It's not a bad coaster as it still brings it. It just had its best days when it debuted.


The infield picnic area is one of the first areas that received TLC after the Adrenaline takeover.

After about 3-4 cycles on Hellcat I made my way through the park to photograph the kids' area next door.


The kiddie rides are generally under a roof in an area next to Hellcat and the former site of Jack Rabbit.



Afterwards I made my way to the front of the park near Splash World and the Kontiki play area.

In the front of the park I rode the new drop ride. It's a short tower but still delivers a stomach dropping drop.

Overall, I had a really nice day. I finished up by 1PM. The weather was fantastic and the crowd really light as the day at the park was just starting. Coming so early I got through the park quite quickly.

Over the last few years I like the job Adrenaline Family Entertainment has done to enhance Clementon Park. It's unfortunate the recession had hit our economy. It was a big step forward for the park to demolish Jack Rabbit, replace some flats and continuously expand Splash World. I finally posted pics in a TR because I wanted to help change the impression of this place amongst enthusiasts. Before the plans to sell the park I was hoping the park would get a steel coaster for the Jack Rabbit site, hopefully at least a mouse. A Eurofighter would be the perfect niche ride for this park in New Jersey. it's something this state doesn't have yet. No matter what happens the park is in better physical shape since AFE took over. Here's to a bright future Clementon Park.

[Antoine]

Good report. Glad to see they are trying to improve the place little by little. I know when I took my first trip there last year, I was not impressed with the place at all. It seemed run down and very ghetto. I took one trip on Hellcat and Ring of Fire and left the place. I mean the placed looked so ghetto that I second guessed leaving my car in the parking lot for fear it would get stolen. Question: Was that drop tower there last year? Because I do not remember seeing it at all and it isn't a ride I would pass up no matter the height. Clementon is also equidistance for me with SFGADV. I don't claim it as my homepark though because well only been there once and based off last year I wouldn't be proud to call it my homepark. Hopefully in the next few years with new ownership I can change that mentality.

[Leo C]

I knew about the dual announcement of the Ring of Fire and drop tower flats last year. The details were quite vague about the drop tower and it came by the end of the season. Coming from the main entrance Ring of Fire is too your immediate left, the drop tower immediately to your right. The drop tower is a trailer based model.

This visit was the day after the Hurricane Irene wretched weekend. It seemed like everything was smiling down on me that Monday morning with the clear sky.

[Antoine]

Oh ok, that drop tower wasn't there when I went there last year then. I was there in May and I know that Ring of Fire was still brand new then so I got a spin on it. But there was nothing to the right resembling a drop tower. I could have taken a trip to Clementon again this year, but I wanted to go to SFGADV more badly though. Not for the credit, because I rode Chang in Kentucky and already had the credit, but to get a trip on my first B&M stand-up in about 6 years. Plus Nitro is there and I can never pass that up when given the chance. However, hindsight is 20/20 and looking back I could have done a 2 parks in 1 day thing. I did not stay at SFGADV very long because most rides were walk-ons so I could have easily gone to Clementon later on. Oh well, maybe next year.

[Leo C]

SFGADV is still the big dog. When you're across the sea you have to get the SFGADV first when you return. Understood.

[Rick B]

Nice report! I sure hope it makes it. There have been too many parks closing down. I'll have to run up there sometime soon.

[Leo C]

They may still have it awhile just like other parks' flats are for sale on the listing pages and continue to run. I didn't feel it was a closure threat. The investment group that owns the park wants to cash in on their investment now. They want to move on.

[AVALANCHE]

Leo,

Having worked at Clementon for a total of 4 years now.. it is VERY kind of you to put together a nice trip report about the park. We get such a bad reputation sometimes. Usually its from people who havent been here since AFE took over. AFE has done a very nice job cleaning up this park, as prior to my employment here I only had memories of what the park had become in the late 90's as a kid. Just seeing some new rides and a revival of some of the infrastructure gives me a lot of hope that we'll be around for many more years to come.

For anyone interested, the park as a whole actually had a pretty decent season.. so as Leo mentioned, the reason for the sale is not at all because were in any sort of decline. And I hope that whoever owns us after this season continues what AFE started.

But again, thanks for giving us another chance. I love seeing fellow enthusiasts in the park!