A 20-minute drive from Newark Liberty International Airport sits a shopping centre that time largely forgot. Woodbridge Center in Woodbridge, New Jersey, opened during the golden age of the American mall, and unlike most of its peers it has never had a serious facelift since the turn of the century. That lack of modernisation has turned it into an accidental time capsule — beige colour schemes, wooden railings and all — with online commenters comparing the vibe to the mall in the 1978 film 'Dawn of the Dead'.

The nostalgia runs deep for locals. Early anchors included department stores Abraham & Straus, Ohrbach's and Stern's, and the mall once welcomed shoppers through a 'Space Port', a space-age entrance one Facebook fan said made a shopping trip feel like a mission to another planet. Blogger James Sigman has written an entire ode to the place on Substack, recalling the childhood joy of hearing a trip there was on the cards. Major expansions in the '80s and '90s kept it thriving, but those days have faded; some corners are quiet now, and online debate questions whether the mall is even still alive. Locals, clearly, still care.

What keeps it ticking is a mix of quirky retail and indoor entertainment. The standout store is VHS — short for video games, hip-hop and sports — which buys and sells vintage games, music and memorabilia in impressively clean condition. The mall's own Instagram bills it as a home for 'collectors, geeks, gamers, toy hunters, comic lovers and nostalgia addicts'. There's also Castle Furniture, an ornate, golden-lit furnishings shop flanked by two large Corinthian-style columns at its entrance.

The rest of the spread leans interactive. A Dave & Buster's — the food-and-arcade chain that might feel like a tourist trap in Manhattan — fits right in here. Smaller storefronts offer laser tag, airsoft, escape rooms and an 18-hole glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course, plus a carousel, trampoline park and train rides for younger visitors. It's not on the scale of New York's giant Destiny USA, but for a rainy afternoon there's plenty under one roof.

So why should a traveller bother? Because 'dead mall' culture has become a genuine draw for a certain kind of visitor — people fascinated by America's mid-century retail architecture and the communities that grew up inside it. If you're flying into Newark en route to New York City and have a few spare hours, Woodbridge Center offers a low-cost, weirdly charming detour that no glossy Manhattan shopping district can replicate. Come for the retro interiors, stay for the vintage video games.

Story via Islands.