Bowcraft Amusement Park

The website is extremely misleading — for many, many reasons:
–It states clearly on the homepage that parking and entry to the park are free. **This is not true** Apparently if you arrive after 4pm for the $ 14.95 wristband special, ALL people must pay for wristbands to enter the park — even if you are a parent just watching your kids go on rides or watching over an infant.
— The pictures online are beyond photoshopped and enhanced. In reality, the place looks like it might have been awesome in 1983, but is beyond run down, old, worn, and dingy. I just hope they keep their stuff up to par on safety code stuff.
— The staff is surly and couldn’t care less about the kids. Not sure if I saw any staff members smile the entire time we were there.
— The carnival games and all rides are majorly run down. Torn carpet, broken signs, disgusting water in the boat ride, broken lights, the list can go on and on…
— The entire place is CRAZY overpriced and they nickel and dime for everything. The place is obviously not making any money and the owner just keeps raising prices to try and gain revenue. Even the snack booth has the old prices crossed out and new ones written over it. I bought a small bottle of poland spring ($ 2.50)and asked for a cup of ice so I could split it between my kids and the cashier told me it would be an extra $ 0.25. I must have looked at her like she had 3 heads, because she nicely said that it wasn’t her rule and that she was specifically told by management to charge a quarter for every cup given out. SERIOUSLY???
On a positive note, there were no lines (probably because this place is a you-​know-​what hole) and my 3 and 5 year olds enjoyed themselves for almost 2 hours. I’m hoping that someday the place will be sold and someone will update it and make it worth while for NJ families. It has such potential, but really needs an overhaul in every which way.

This place is despicable and run by money hungry people who are not kid friendly. Don’t patronize this business and maybe they will go out if business and someone else will take it over.

…the idea of a smaller scale amusement park geared towards smaller kids is good one, however, we experienced quality&safety concerns. Some rides are rusted/​peeling, some of the corroded areas we had to touch — like the safety bars. Staff seems very young. The absolute clincher and deal breaker was when the balloon ride, which rotates and spins in multiple directions, started with myself and my five year old granddaughter NOT YET BUCKLED IN. The attendant saw her holding the two ends, and me adjusting my own, didn’t assist or ensure it got done — she just walked away and hit the power. Luckily I was able to get them adjusted and buckled before it went too fast. Worse if you can imagine, was the half-​hearted apology from the manager. Safety is not a nuisance, this is a major problem! Safety for any person needs to be of the utmost concern, children even more so. I will not go back.

This place is ancient (in a rundown way) but the kids always have a great time. It’s just big enough and has a variety of rides for teeny kids, little kids, and teens.
It has the usual Scrambler, Tilt-​A-​Whirl, bumper cars, the backwards rock and roll ride, kiddie motorcycle, flying swings, slide on a burlap sack. The midway games are also old. Some overpriced food selections, of course.
You can usually find deals on their website.

Geez where to start! Staff has all been pretty rude and snobby. Every ride is just about 5 dollars per person. If that’s the case save your money and go to six flags!

Overall, Bowcraft gave my daughter a very fun birthday party & her friends truly had a blast riding all of the rides. Plus, the size of this park is ideal for younger children, yet there are enough options for even the adults to enjoy. Staff was also very helpful from when I first set up the party, through the planning process and finally during the party. I would say the cost is comparable to other party places though perhaps there aren’t quite as many «frills» (for instance, I don’t believe they offer treat bags as an add on). One nice bonus is they do «discount» adult ride wristbands for the parties to $ 10 which is helpful and the facilities, including the restrooms, are very clean. I would likely recommend Bowcraft to others because at the end of the day, all of the kids left with smiles. Besides I do have a soft spot for the place since I went there as a child & it’s still pretty quaint and charming even after all these years.
Of course, Bowcraft management could work on a few things (hopefully they are reading this) —
Firstly, stagger the parties more, even just a few minutes would help. Our party was supposed to start ON THE HOUR & we were there early to set up. However the previous group lingered so it was nearly 20 minutes AFTER THE HOUR when our group started getting ride wristbands. It was another 10 minutes after that (roughly 30 minutes after the original start) that all of our stuff (balloons, gifts, cake etc.) was finally set up on our dedicated table. Thankfully I paid for the 2 hour ride option but obviously some time was lost there (and since they remove everyone’s wristbands when you return for pizza and cake that lost ride time cannot be made up). As an example of a good practice, Pump It Up staggers parties so that one might start at 3:15, allowing time for staff to clear up one party before another starts. Bowcraft should do that or staff has to be firmer and get people to leave on time.
Secondly, along with the above, perhaps consider additional party staff when multiple parties are held at the same time. From what I saw, staff really tried to keep up but were overwhelmed by volume. I think even 1 more person would have worked, simply policing the room. We had people from other party groups continually trying to sit at our table which was set up with our stuff & even had a sign with our daughter’s name. Also I found one of the other party parents nosing around my daughter’s gifts though he claimed he thought someone left his son’s gifts there by mistake. I then noticed the «Don’t keep valuables here» caution on the rules sign & so I promptly decided to take the envelopes with gift cards back outside with me, though I couldn’t lug all of the presents around the park.
Finally while the pricing is similar to other party places, some of the details are lacking: (1) all of the kids were given fruit punch without being given a choice (though pitchers of water were available on the table) when other places offer 2 drink options, (2) cake is not included even with the basic package so I had to bring my own for additional cost and (3) the website lists balloons as included in the package on the website yet we were not given any.

This park is local so it’s convenient but the rides are very old and the prices are very steep. If you add a few more dollars with it you can go to six flags…

The rides are not all working all the time. The owner is s self centered inconsiderate selfish only cares about money and not the smiles of the kids. If all the rides don’t work you should let your customers know and not pay charge full price for wristband when all the rides don’t work The place is disappointing

Nice local place to go. Great for little kids under 7. Anything older the rides are probably too kiddie for them. The park has a decent amount of rides (think larger carnival size). You can buy tickets or a pass. My daughter is 36 inches and was able to go on most rides with an adult. Crappy thing was that I had to buy tickets for myself as well. Rides are about 4 tickets each person. Good thing is never really too crowded.

Prices are pretty ridiculous since the rides cost so many tickets but definitely hours of entertainment for the kids.

Great place for a nice family day out when you have young children 2 – 5 older kids not so much to do but I have a 2 year old son and he was able to ride everything except the bumper cars, roller coasters, alien spaceship cup, and the music sled ride. Two adults and 1 child had a great time we opted to go during the 13.95 special from 4 – 8 which was a great deal my son had a blast and I can’t think of anywhere else he can ride almost all the rides. We didn’t get food there decided to try the Chinese spot across the street which we thought would be cheaper. We did get 2 slushies that was 6 bucks and change so it adds up will try the pizza and funnel cake next visit. Overall its a decent place but I wouldn’t go at normal admission price 27.50 is a lot for about 20 rides or maybe even less I didn’t count. My son enjoyed himself thats all that matters. We will be back in July.

We took our daughter here this past weekend and she loved it just as much as we did. We all were able to go on somerides and had fun seeing the fake wild animals while riding on the train. Really great place to go for kids to have fun without planning ahead of time.

Don’t fall for the summer nite special on Tuesdays. It’s $ 13 for EACH person, including children, for four hours (4 PM to 8PM). At 8 PM the entire park closes, including the arcade. And you pay admission regardless if you go on any rides. The rides are mostly for kids and there aren’t many there to begin with. The place needs to be renovated because the rides they do have are old. Best bet is to go with the young ones on other nights where you just pay for the rides that you go on. Other than that, don’t waste your money and try to rush everyone on all the rides. Not worth the hassle.

Really fast, fun rides for a smaller amusement park. Bowcraft is somwhere to go when you don’t want to wait on lines, want to go on rides, and want to have fun! I recommend you to go here if you are in the area.

Kind of fun to have so convenient. Yes, most of the older rides are really run down but my daughter who is 6 years old doesn’t seem to notice. I never buy more than a slice of pizza or an ice cream bar here so I don’t care that the food prices aren’t cheap. Plenty of nearby healthier choices close by… there’s a subway sandwich shop across the street. As for the staff, I went to Disneyworld last year and the kids who work at Bowcraft are 100 times more polite than at Disney (although that may be more of a statement about Disney’s decay than it is about Bowcraft).

People… Don’t expect Disney World on Westbound Rte. 22, cause this it ain’t.
Bowcraft is the perfect local amusement park with more (and better) rides/​prices than say, Warren’s township’s carnival. This place is practically an institution that I went to as a child, where I now take my own children. There are decent kiddie rides… A train going around the park, Samba balloons, boats, trapeze swings, and for some thrills, a tilt-​a-​whirl and Scrambler. There’s also a kiddie coaster, bumper cars, and an adult (albeit tame) metal coaster. Parking is easy, there’s never really a wait for rides, and its a great place to take your kids for a few hours. They have a summer night special, Tues-​Thurs. for 12.95 which gets you a wristband for unlimited rides until they close. I’ve also found the workers there to be very courteous. For the $ 25 dollars I spent last night, it was no more expensive than going to a movie, and a much better way to spend a nice Summer night. So, all of you crotchety tightwads who want bigger and better, you really should just head to Six Flags.

My husband and I took our boys last Sunday (7÷7÷13) and it was a great place not to big kinda like a carnival would be:) the boys had a blast and my husband and I enjoyed ourselves as well… all in all it’s a pretty descent place… not expensive, laid back and not crowded like most places…
The only down fall about it is we think they should atleast let the lil ones on some more of the rides IF they are accompanied by the mom/​dad!!! :-/

A fun, fairly inexpensive amusement park best suited for younger kids.
We opted to get the fun-​pass all-​inclusive $ 25 pass for the kids, and to just buy tickets as we needed for adults. All kids over 48 inches can go on just about everything. Kids under 42 inches are strictly kiddie rides. Kids 42 – 48 inches can on nearly everything – some require they go with an adult, while on others an older sibling is sufficient.
They offer two fun passes. 1 is open to 4pm. The other is 3 – 8 pm. If you get there at 2:15 like we did things get a little frustrating. We opted to get a lay of the land and do an early snack break – (no popcorn available – unbelievable!) – to kill some time until 3. Most rides are 4 tickets while a few are inexplicably 5 tickets. An amusement park of this small scale, with no real main attractions should just keep all the tickets the same.
20 tickets $ 20
40 tickets $ 36
100 tickets $ 77
There’s probably less than 20 rides in the entire park. Just to reiterate, unless you plan to go on most of the rides as an adult, I recommend fun passes for the kids and to just buy tickets as you need for adults. You’d need to clear 5 rides in order to make the fun pass worthwhile.

One of life’s unwritten rules is that you really can’t criticize the amusement parks of someones childhood, and expect to escape unscathed. In my youth there was Freedomland (great, but short-​lived) and Palisades Amusement Park (legendary, but a bit shabby toward the end). Don’t even think about slamming either when I’m within listening range.
The curious omission was that Bowcraft was open «way back then,» and although it is incredibly easy to reach– few from my neighborhood or grade school did. Maybe it just wasn’t impressive enough then to admit as a valid amusement park selection. The years that followed brought Great Adventure and the other mega-​parks; Bowcraft became so much more a casual highway stop than it was a much anticipated Saturday or Sunday destination.
Bowcraft was a place we took our sons when they were younger. True to history, their memories were also of a convenient casual highway stop– and nothing more. The dozen or so rides are rickety, and so dated in their technology to merit jaded opinions. Cleaning and maintenance were always hit-​or-​miss; usually «miss.»
I won’t discuss the horrific death-​and-​dismemberment stories, whether true or urban legend, as all amusement parks have them. I will discuss the admissions and/​or ride prices, equally horrific, which are outrageous for the value delivered.
Yes, anything which might be expected in the area of service dies a slow death at the hands of what we locally know as «the Rt. 22 service standard.» Whether the establishment is retail, dining or amusement, the same just-don’t-care attitudes prevail. Those who criticize Bowcraft for the lack of onsite value-​priced food options obviously drove across Rt. 22 blindfolded. No matter which direction you drove, the road is paved with questionable dining choices. More so, last week’s burger and fries guy will eventually be next week’s Bowcraft ticket taker. Such is «the Rt. 22 service standard.»
My apologies if Bowcraft just happens to be the amusement park of your childhood, for more reasons than the obvious.

I used to go here a lot as a kid. When I was little I loved it. Couldn’t get any better than a divorced dad trying to pick up your spirits (and win you over) with a trip to Bowcraft. But the fact of the matter is that the rides were old and a kid fell out of the ferris wheel (fracturing his skull) because the teenager operating the machine did not fasten the safety bar correctly. After that my mom wasn’t too into my dad taking us there. They used to pile us onto that same ferris wheel, me and my brother with two tiny twin siblings on the inside. Glad we didn’t fall out too.
I also remember the arcade kind of sucked and the boat game was overpriced. but when you are a kid you don’t realize those things. Even as a kid though I did realize the mini golf was falling apart and on its last leg. Hopefully they put some money into fixing that one.