Battleship New Jersey Lands $24.25 Million for Major Visitor Center + More

One of New Jersey’s most recognizable landmarks is about to receive one of its biggest upgrades yet.

The Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial has announced a massive $24.25 million redevelopment project that will bring a brand-new visitor center, dedicated parking and millions of dollars in repairs and improvements to the historic ship.

Luckily for us, in the past few years, we have seen the Big J get a ton of love and care. 

This new project will be the largest capital investment in the Battleship New Jersey since the museum opened along the Camden waterfront in 2001.

The redevelopment is broken into three major parts.

Around $9.5 million will go toward building a new landside visitor center, another $5.5 million will fund a parking structure at Wiggins Marina, and more than $6 million will go directly toward improvements aboard the Battleship itself.

A huge portion of the project is being made possible through $19.8 million in state tax credits awarded through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion, or CAFÉ, program.

The goal is not only to preserve the ship, but to turn the surrounding property into a much better destination for visitors.

The new visitor center will provide additional space for exhibits, educational programs and other activities, while the dedicated parking should make getting to the Battleship significantly easier.

Also See: Wildwood TV Show In Development

The USS New Jersey underwent its historic dry docking in 2024, when the massive battleship was moved from Camden to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for extensive maintenance and preservation work. The Wildwood Video Archive filmed a full dry-dock tour during that time. You can watch that video at the bottom of this article.

That project focused heavily on protecting the physical future of the ship. This new investment takes the next step.

USS New Jersey is the most decorated battleship in United States Navy history. The Iowa-class battleship served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and again during the 1980s before eventually being decommissioned.

Today, the ship serves as both a museum and memorial honoring the thousands of sailors and Marines who served aboard her.

The Battleship already sits near Adventure Aquarium, Wiggins Park and the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion. Improving parking and creating a larger visitor facility gives the waterfront another major attraction capable of bringing visitors into Camden and keeping them there longer.

Construction is currently expected to take approximately two years, with work anticipated to begin sometime during the second or third quarter of 2027.

Museum officials have not yet released exactly how construction will impact visitors or access to the ship. Those details are expected to be announced as the project gets closer.

But one thing is clear: more than two decades after the Battleship New Jersey opened as a museum, one of the state’s most important historic attractions is preparing for its next major chapter.

Below is our dry-dock tour. Before you watch, please do consider subscribing.