Residents and visitors come together to enjoy all Camden has to offer. From community programs to waterfront attractions, Camden offers entertainment, history, a vibrant arts scene and activities throughout the year.
Residents and visitors come together to enjoy all Camden has to offer. From community programs to waterfront attractions, Camden offers entertainment, history, a vibrant arts scene and activities throughout the year.
Adventure Aquarium
Exclusive attractions include the only great hammerhead shark on exhibit in the United States, as well as Genny and Button, the only hippos on display in an aquarium the world over. Visit adventure during the holidays and experience Christmas Underwater with Scuba Santa and the world’s tallest underwater Christmas tree in the Shark Realm.
The Battleship New Jersey
The Battleship New Jersey is the most highly decorated battleship in U.S. history. Built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, it rose to glory in the Pacific in World War II, saw action in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and ended its extraordinary career by serving U.S. Marines in Beirut, Lebanon. Visitors can tour the ship, experience a 4D flight simulator, and even camp aboard overnight, sleeping in the same bunks once used by American servicemen.
Camden Children's Garden
The four-acre Camden Children's Garden is a special place to learn about the natural world. The facility offers horticultural experiences for creative and imaginative play and hosts public and private events throughout the year. Beyond engaging exhibits like the Philadelphia Eagles Four Seasons Butterfly House, Plaza de Aibonito, and Ben Franklin’s Secret Workshop, the Children’s Garden also provides community gardening, environmental education, and service experiences.
Wiggins Park Marina
Located in the heart of waterfront attractions, Wiggins Park Marina features a 50-slip marina, sweeping views, a welcome center, and boater amenities, including indoor restrooms, showers, laundry, and barbecue and picnic facilities. It is open April to October and is a popular destination for seasonal and daily boaters during concerts and waterfront festivals.
BB&T Pavilion
The 25,000-seat BB&T Pavilion indoor-outdoor amphitheater entertains concertgoers with fantastic views of the riverfront and 40 headlining acts and festivals annually. Last year, the venue took home the Top Amphitheater Award from Billboard. In addition, its name sponsor, BB&T Bank, supports the Camden community with financial literacy education, volunteerism, and material contributions.
Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park
In 2017, Camden cut the ribbon on Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park on the site of the former Riverfront State Prison. It offers five acres of open space; a half-mile multiuse trail that connects to the Circuit Trails; and a one-of-a-kind ADA-accessible playground.
Walt Whitman House
The wood-frame, Greek Revival Walt Whitman House was the only home ever owned by the transcendentalist poet. During his time in Camden, he grew to international fame as the author of “Leaves of Grass,” hosted visitors from around the world, and completed his last comprehensive volume of poetry before his death in 1892. A national historic landmark, the site welcomes visitors who come to experience the last worldly surroundings of America's great "Poet of Democracy” for group and guided tours.
Rutgers University–Camden Writers House
The Rutgers University–Camden Writers House, an 1885 Queen Anne Revival known as the Henry Genet Taylor House, was created by Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre Jr. Today it houses the Rutgers Master of Fine Arts program, select English classes, and programming for the Writers in Camden Series, which welcomes nationally acclaimed novelists, poets, and essayists for readings and discussions.
Learn more about Camden’s History by visiting the Camden County Historical Society’s website at www.cchsnj.org
Rutgers University Center for the Arts
The Rutgers University Center for the Arts hosts performances, exhibitions, education, and community projects that inspire arts appreciation and creates meaningful opportunities to participate in the arts. Comprising the Stedman Gallery and the 650-seat Walter K. Gordon Theater, the center hosts community events, dramatic and musical performances, and the Symphony in C orchestra. It is designated a major arts organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Filbert Studio
Housed in a converted old union meeting hall in the University District, the Filbert Studio is operated by award-winning ceramic and sculpture artist Jeffrey Filbert.
Studio Eleven One
Studio Eleven One on North Front Street is home to Camden artist William Butler and Thomas Lift, LLC, the art and design firm Butler co-owns with his wife, Ronja. Butler’s work has a socially conscious focus, and he is committed to contributing to the positive transformation movement in Camden.
Camden FireWorks
Since opening in 2016, the arts-and-social-change organization Camden FireWorks has converted a restored firehouse into the linchpin of the SoBro Arts District, which focuses on creating sustainable collaboration among artists in the Waterfront South neighborhood “SOuth of BROadway.” The area incorporates the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum, the South Camden Theatre Company, Bridget’s House for Writers, the Nick Virgilio Haiku House, Sacred Heart Church, and Bee Still Studios.
Camden’s calendar is packed with events all year long. Visitors and residents enjoy programs like Camden Jam, Breakfast with Santa at the Aquarium, concerts in the parks, pop-up community events, craft beer festivals, and more.
Go to connectthelotscamden.com or camdencounty.com for a full listing of events
New Year’s Eve Celebration
Each year, families and friends gather on both sides of the waterfront as Philadelphia and Camden ring in the new year together. More than 10,000 spectators line the Camden Waterfront, with fireworks displays at 6 p.m. and midnight.
Freedom Festival
The city and Camden County come together to celebrate Independence Day with the annual Freedom Festival, a free event that welcomes tens of thousands of visitors to the Camden Waterfront. The family-friendly festival includes top-notch entertainment, activities for children, and a local wine-and-beer garden for adults. The event concludes with an unparalleled fireworks display over the Delaware River.
XPoNential Music Festival
The annual XPoNential Music Festival draws more than 20,000 people to the Wiggins Waterfront Marina over the course of a long weekend to hear a diverse roster of high-profile and independent artists curated by Philadelphia’s WXPN 88.5 FM radio.
Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge
The annual Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge is the largest certified 10K race in the tri-state area, in which more than 4,000 people participate for the benefit of the Larc School, a local nonprofit serving students with disabilities.
Summer in the City Concert Series
The Cooper Foundation Summer in the City Concert Series brings local and rising artists to the Sheila L. Roberts Park in the Cooper Plaza neighborhood for family-friendly entertainment, free water ice and face-painting, and book giveaways from the Garden State Discovery Museum.
Camden County Sunset Jazz Series
The Camden County Sunset Jazz Series brings more than 75,000 residents to the waterfront every summer for a free series of shows from renowned musicians.
Ike Celebrity Pro-Am Bass Fishing Tournament
For the past two years, Camden City has welcomed the Ike Celebrity Pro-Am Bass Fishing Tournament, a fundraiser for the Ike Foundation, which focuses on introducing kids to fishing and the outdoors.
Camden Night Gardens
Camden Night Gardens is nighttime public arts festival that aims to foster community vibrancy through the arts. Presented by the City of Camden and Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, this highly anticipated event transforms open spaces with temporary light, sound, and projection installations to visually connect neighborhoods, engage the community, and attract visitors from the region.
Camden Jam
The daylong Camden Jam Arts and Music Festival is the Connect the Lots program’s signature season closer. The free event includes live music, arts and crafts, sustainability demonstrations, food trucks, and more.
Parada San Juan Bautista
Each year in June, Camden celebrates its Latin culture with the San Juan Bautista Puerto Rican Parade and Festival. Established in 1957 by the parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church under the guidance of Father Leonardo Carrieri, la parada has become one of the premier Latino cultural events in the region, promoting civic pride and cultural unity.