Big Changes Proposed to a Beloved South Jersey Park

The Cape May County Zoo was first opened in 1978 after years of planning and has become a staple of South Jersey with both seasonal vacations and year-round residents visiting every day.

But the property across the street actually predates the almost 50-year-old Cape May County Park and Zoo. First opened in 1976 in conjunction with the United States Bicentennial Celebration, the county first opened Cape May County Park East with Basketball Courts, Tennis Courts, and sports fields.

Over the decades since opening, while the Cape May County Zoo across Route 9 has seen numerous upgrades, Park East has been overlooked and now needs some modernization. Most recently, Cape May County Park East served as the home field for the Wildwood Catholic Academy High School Baseball team.

New Plans Proposed To Upgrade The Property

At the most recent meeting of the Cape May County Commissioners, there was a proposal submitted for a $28 million facility to be built on the site of CMC Park East.

The plans to overhaul the County Park East property include the construction of a two-story field house that will be big enough to host High school soccer match or football games along with small youth tournaments. The new field house would be constructed to be used for basketball and baseball practices, along with potentially some areas for pickleball.

With Middle Township Facilities such as the Clarence Davis Sports Complex with an overwhelming demand for using their indoor and outdoor facilities for sports, this new building at Cape May County Park East would help alleviate the demands for the complex located off Goshen Road in Middle Township.

This new facility at Cape May County Park East would be free to use by year-round residents and seasonal vacationers, unlike the larger Aviation Sports Complex that was proposed to be constructed at the Cape May Airport off Breakwater Road in Lower Township.

In the years after the overhaul of Garden State Parkway Exit 11, the new overpass bridge and traffic pattern has kept Cape May County Park East more hidden from the highway traffic than in previous decades.

New Jersey's southernmost county has a lot to offer year-round residents and seasonal vacationers. Here are my favorite things about Cape May County:

10 Favorite Things about Cape May County, NJ

The history of Cape May County predates the formation of the United States of America by about 100 years as it was one of the first counties established in what was originally known as the West New Jersey Provence. Cape May County's historical records go back as far as 1685 and the County was originally established in 1692. Cape May County has been a huge part of my life and that of my family's for decades, so I wanted to share with you my favorite aspects of the southern most County in the state of New Jersey.

Gallery Credit: Josh Hennig/Townsquare Media