Castle Dracula is the oldest haunted amusement attraction in New Jersey. Opened in Wildwood in 1919 as the Old Mill, it went through various upgrades and theme changes until the Nickels family purchased the land side of the pier in 1976. The Nickels built a giant gothic castle on top and made it a walk-through attraction, while the original old mill attraction became the dungeon boat ride, according to Michael Yannette, webmaster of Castle Dracula of Wildwood.
The Nickels, along with retired Disney Imagineers (who built Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion), Universal Studios Prop masters, and New Jersey Amusement Attraction Designer Fred Mahana, built the massive castle from 1976 to ’77. It was open from 1977 to 2002, when two kids broke into the attraction and set it on fire. Today, Castle Dracula remains a cherished icon of Wildwood history.
To keep its memory alive, the first-ever Castle Dracula Weekend will celebrate its history and legacy with all of its fans (3 million people have visited over the years) and former employees sharing their memories. The weekend will be filled with vendors, speakers, Q&As with former cast members and crew, costume contests, an exhibit of surviving pieces of the castle, an artists’ corner, a photo and video exchange, and a special screening of the DarkInThePark documentary.
Much anticipated is a re-creation of the iconic fireplace and great hall scene, created by Thanatos Productions, LLC. Their replica was on display at the East Coast Haunters Convention in Oaks, PA, this past April and won “Best in Show” for their booth display by Haunt Hunters APP.
During the Saturday night show, event organizers plan to unveil a surprise special project with the City of Wildwood that has been a long time coming, said Yannette, who is the director of Castle Dracula Weekend.
The inaugural Castle Dracula Weekend is presented by the Wildwood Historical Society and CastleDraculaOfWildwood.com. It’s all happening on August 9 and 10 from 4-10 pm at Fox Park, across from the Wildwoods Convention Center.
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