If you turn onto North Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood and you see a set of large dinosaurs, you're looking at Jurassic Adventure Golf, a popular miniature golf course since the 80s that is in its seventh season of new ownership.
A Philadelphia police officer for over 40 years, Jim Dietz started looking for the right opportunity to keep him busy after his eventual retirement. And naturally his attention turned to Wildwood, a place he and his family had been visiting for decades.
Jurassic Adventure Golf had been in disrepair for two years, the perfect fixer upper. He quickly took over a vacant storefront on the corner and turned that into Jurassic Swirl, an ice cream parlor.
“Our first goal was to get it up and operational. Each year, we try to change things up or add something to it to keep making it a bit more attractive,” Dietz says. “So when people come down, there’s something new that makes them want to come back.”
What are the biggest challenges? “Didn’t realize how difficult it could be to sell ice cream,” Dietz says. “It’s a lot more too than scooping ice cream.”
Jurassic Adventure is a family affair - with his four boys and wife helping out. He also loves that it provides summer employment for a bevy of friends and family.
The golf course is seasonal, and Memorial Day is its big opening weekend.
I asked Dietz about how Wildwood has changed over the years. He says that a lot of the motels have disappeared and some of the sense of nostalgia along with it. That’s why he loves the businesses they’ve purchased.
“One of the nice things about owning the golf course and ice cream shop - we’re determined to keep that place open and maintain the nostalgia.
Hole 10: It's the toughest hole on the course - you have to hit it up a hill into a hole, which shoots it down one level, where you have to make that put.
While Dietz has only owned the course for a couple of years, Jurassic Adventure itself has been around since the mid 80s and, with that, comes a bit of stewardship. He understands how much people want to the course to stay relatively the same.
Dietz says not a day goes by without some adult saying they have been coming to the course for decades or three generations of families talking about how many times they've played the course.
When asked about the places he loves in the area, he recommends Owen’s and The Angle Sea Pub for really nice affordable meal. For those looking for necessities like suntan lotion, he recommends Beach Bums on Spruce Avenue.
300 New Jersey Ave, North Wildwood, NJ
Hours: 10am - 11pm seven days a week (golf), 6pm - 11pm seven days a week (ice cream)
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