The Route 9 property was once an Ocean County family destination where dinner came with model trains, and Blackbeard’s Cave offered go-karts, rides, batting cages, miniature golf and an arcade. After years of decline and vacancy, a new restaurant is preparing to move in.
BAYVILLE, NJ — For a generation of Ocean County kids, a trip to C.B. Huntington’s wasn’t simply dinner.
There were trains running around the restaurant. Next door, Blackbeard’s Cave offered an arcade, miniature golf, batting cages, go-karts, a driving range and an entire collection of attractions that made the Route 9 property one of Bayville’s most unusual and cherished family destinations.
Then, piece by piece, it disappeared.
Now the long-vacant restaurant property is preparing for another comeback. Agave, a new restaurant expected to combine steakhouse, Mexican and Italian cuisine, is being planned for the former C.B. Huntington’s and Bill’s BBQ Shack building, with its owner targeting a February opening.
C.B. Huntington’s was a restaurant kids remembered
C.B. Huntington’s Railroad Company occupied the restaurant at the sprawling Blackbeard’s Cave property on Route 9.
Its signature attraction wasn’t on the menu.
Model trains traveled around the dining room near the ceiling, turning an otherwise ordinary family meal into something children could watch from their tables. C.B. Huntington’s became closely associated with birthdays, family dinners and trips to the neighboring amusement complex.
Shore News Network recalled the restaurant after its closure in a 2020 review of Bill’s BBQ Shack, remembering the trains, character nights and families combining dinner with an evening at Blackbeard’s Cave.
The restaurant was only part of the draw.
Blackbeard’s Cave was much more than miniature golf
At its height, Blackbeard’s Cave was essentially a small family amusement park sitting along Route 9.
Blackbeard’s Cave opened in 1989 and featured an extensive collection of attractions: a go-kart track, bumper boats, batting cages, a 20-hole miniature golf course, climbing wall, driving range, archery range, Water Wars, Adventure Station with 14 children’s rides, a full arcade and a 30,000-square-foot paintball arena.
It was a one-stop destination and a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night.
The kiddie park even had its own small roller coaster and an array of rides including a Ferris wheel, Rio Grande Train, Safari Truck and Red Baron.
For families, that meant dinner at C.B. Huntington’s could turn into hours of entertainment without leaving the property.
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C.B. Huntington’s closes and Bill’s BBQ takes over
By 2018, C.B. Huntington’s was gone.
Bill’s BBQ Shack moved into the restaurant that year, operated by the daughter of one of Blackbeard’s Cave’s original owners and her husband. The family initially hoped to preserve the famous trains, but said at the time that the aging equipment had become too expensive to repair and maintain.
Bill’s transformed the restaurant into a barbecue concept built around smoked ribs, brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken and wings.
The arcade and amusement attractions initially remained part of the experience.
That didn’t last.
The arcade closes and Blackbeard’s begins to disappear
Blackbeard’s Cave Arcade closed in February 2019 after roughly 25 years, although portions of the outdoor amusement operation continued or attempted to reopen.
Then came a much larger problem.
In September 2020, Blackbeard’s Cave announced it was downsizing. Management cited years of financial struggles, maintenance expenses, taxes, the cost of leasing part of the property and the additional blow delivered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan was to surrender leased property, sell equipment and consolidate the business onto land it owned.
Only miniature golf operated during part of the pandemic period, and Blackbeard’s subsequently announced it would not open for the 2021 season. It never returned as the sprawling family entertainment center Bayville residents remembered.
Bill’s BBQ also eventually disappeared. By July 2022, its signs were gone, its website had vanished and the restaurant was closed.
That left the former C.B. Huntington’s building vacant and another piece of the old Blackbeard’s complex dormant. Much of the site was replaced with a self-storage center and the rest has been demolished and reclaimed by nature.
Agave plan has been developing since 2025
The latest announcement is actually the next stage of a redevelopment plan that surfaced publicly last year.
In September 2025, plans were presented to Berkeley Township for Agave to take over the former restaurant at 140 and 150 Atlantic City Boulevard.
The proposal described a 270-seat restaurant on approximately 2.7 acres with 97 parking spaces. The plan called for largely retaining the existing building rather than demolishing it, with ADA improvements, parking lot restriping and other modifications. The restaurant was also expected to have a liquor license.
At the time, the concept was described primarily as a Mexican family restaurant with the possibility of a catering hall and mariachi entertainment.
The project sits within a redevelopment area, giving Berkeley Township a formal role in the process. Township officials acting as the redevelopment entity indicated in 2025 that they had no objection to the proposal, although the project still required the applicable municipal approvals.
Berkeley’s municipal code still contains a section specifically addressing the former Blackbeard’s Cave Restaurant property, including its parking areas, entrances and exits.
What’s coming to the old C.B. Huntington’s now?
The concept has apparently evolved.
According to the latest information provided following a conversation with Agave’s new owner, the restaurant is now expected to offer a broader combination of steakhouse, Mexican and Italian food.
The current target is an opening sometime in February.
That would put diners back inside a building that has spent years sitting quietly along one of Berkeley Township’s busiest commercial corridors.
The amusement park isn’t coming back with it. Much of the larger Blackbeard’s property has already changed, including land now occupied by a storage facility. The 2025 Agave proposal also did not include a neighboring abandoned building that township officials asked about during the redevelopment discussion.
Still, reopening the restaurant represents a significant step for the property.
Berkeley Township’s own ordinances preserve a reminder of just how established the destination once was. Municipal code identifies the location as the Blackbeard’s Cave Restaurant and Game Room property, with specific traffic regulations governing its parking lot.
Another chapter for a Route 9 landmark
Agave will be the latest attempt to reinvent a property that has already lived several lives.
For longtime Bayville residents, it was C.B. Huntington’s, model trains circling overhead and kids waiting to finish dinner so they could get next door.
Then came Bill’s BBQ Shack.
Outside were Blackbeard’s Cave, the arcade, kiddie rides, miniature golf, batting cages, go-karts and the driving range.
Most of that landscape is gone.
But the restaurant building remains, and if the latest timetable holds, people could once again be pulling into the old C.B. Huntington’s property for dinner by February.
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