Bayside Center

520 Bay Avenue
Ocean City, NJ

(609)525-9244 (summer)
(609)525-9301 (winter)

Bayside Center has been open to the public since June 1996; this property is home to environmental, historical and recreational activities that are focused on the Great Egg Harbor Bay.

In 1995 the 1.35 acre bay front parcel was purchased by Cape May County through the New Jersey Open Space and Farmland Preservation Program for 1.18 million dollars. The City of Ocean City holds a 25 year lease on the property with its historic bay front home, guest house and garage.
The property was originally owned by the Diesel family and was built around 1916 then sold to the Wheaton family in 1958. The Wheaton family used the property for their summer home until it was purchased by the County.

The property was renamed Bayside Center and has had some capital improvements that includes elevation for flood proofing, a new bulkhead, new railings and painting of the exterior.

The property is open to visitors in the summer months from the last Saturday in June until Labor Day from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm.
The property is available year-round for special events and meetings. A pavilion on the grounds makes it a wonderful place for shaded seating and is a wonderful place to relax on a nice evening. You may enjoy the quiet of the Great Egg Harbor Bay during the day or enjoy the spectacular sunsets. An elevator has been installed for full accessibility to all three floors and the bay front porches are available for enjoyment also.
The docks allow access to the public on a year-round basis for fishing and crabbing. Boaters and kayakers may use the slips to launch or dock on a short-term basis.

Inside the house on the first floor there are environmental exhibits and displays about the seashore and the Ocean City Lifesaving Museum. The second floor is home to the Hutsko ship models, a collection of 25 museum quality boat models of historic, local and well-known ships. This life’s work of Master Ship model builder Stephen Hutsko is on loan from his family. Another room is devoted to a collection of to-scale models of historic Ocean City buildings. This interesting collection was produced by former local resident Al Burch.

The third floor is open to the public for unmatched views of the Great Egg Harbor Bay. There is a telescope to help you see the osprey nest close to the 9th Street Bridge.

The Bayside Center presents the Summer Sunset Series, variety of nature programs on Tuesday evenings. The program is free of charge and offers a wide range of topics for families. Reservations are requested by calling the Center during its hours of operation.
Night in Venice is a big night on the bay in Ocean City and the Bayside Center is a great place to view the infamous boat parade. An outdoors party is held on the grounds with a band and special children’s activities prior to the start of the parade. Bleacher seats are available and attendees are encouraged to bring your own picnic. Tickets go on sale July 1, reserve your seat early as this event is usually a sell-out!