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143-588: United Parks & Resorts Inc. (formerly SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. or SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment ) is an American theme park and entertainment company headquartered in Orlando, Florida . The company owns and operates twelve recreational destinations in the United States, including eight theme parks and four water parks . Notable brands within its portfolio include SeaWorld and Busch Gardens . In May 2018, Themed Entertainment Association and

286-681: A Mack Rides Family Launch Coaster , Electric Eel, a Premier Rides Sky Rocket II , Journey to Atlantis , a Mack Rides Water Coaster , Emperor, a Bolliger & Mabillard dive coaster, and Arctic Rescue , an Intamin Family Launch Straddle Coaster . Electric Ocean is the park's nightly summer event featuring pop and electronic style music with lights and seasonal shows, Sea Lions Tonite (a nighttime Sea Lion show featuring spoofs of other SeaWorld shows and attractions), Atlantis Ignites (a tesla coil and projection show), and Cirque Electrique (a Cirque du Soleil-style show on

429-460: A token ). The cost of the attraction is often based on its complexity or popularity. For example, a guest might pay one ticket to ride a carousel but four tickets to ride a roller coaster . The park may allow guests to purchase a pass providing unlimited admissions to all attractions within the park for a specified duration of time. A wristband or pass is then shown at the attraction entrance to gain admission. Disneyland opened in 1955 using

572-603: A $ 65 million settlement with investors who alleged that the company had deceived them about the documentary's effect on park attendance. SeaWorld operates its conservation program in cooperation with the Department of the Interior , National Marine Fisheries Service and state agencies; its rescue and rehabilitation program was developed to comply with the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and

715-423: A benefit where employees of legal age received two free cases of Anheuser-Busch beer per month, a benefit that continued for the rest of the company. At the time, InBev was thought to be considering selling the parks to the highest bidder, or spinning off Busch Entertainment as an independent company. It was suggested at one point that NBCUniversal was interested in purchasing Busch Entertainment, and folding it into

858-530: A blaze of lights from the "White City." To make sure that the fair was a financial success, the planners included a dedicated amusement concessions area called the Midway Plaisance . Rides from this fair captured the imagination of the visitors and of amusement parks around the world, such as the first steel Ferris wheel , which was found in many other amusement areas, such as the Prater by 1896. Also,

1001-636: A buyer for the two other parks, HBJ refused to sell the parks individually. Despite a long negotiation, Anheuser-Busch bought all six parks in 1989: SeaWorld in San Diego, Aurora, Orlando and San Antonio as well as Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven and Boardwalk and Baseball in Haines City. Soon after the sale was final, Busch sold Cypress Gardens to the park's management and closed Boardwalk and Baseball. Anheuser-Busch put millions of dollars back into

1144-455: A carnival atmosphere. In 1952, he created WED Enterprises to design the park, which was now to be built in Anaheim, and in 1953, was able to convince the bankers on funding the park with the help of a studio artist, Herb Ryman, by making an aerial drawing of Disneyland. By July 1954, construction had started with a deadline of one year. Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955, and two months after

1287-559: A coaster oriented to kids located in the Sesame Street themed area of the park, is built by Zierer . SeaWorld Orlando's recent coaster is Ice Breaker , which opened in 2022, containing the steepest drop of all main SeaWorld Orlando coasters, and being built by Premier Rides . The Orlando park is also home to the original Journey to Atlantis , a intricately themed water coaster by Mack Rides . SeaWorld's Electric Ocean

1430-426: A day and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity. In 2016 SeaWorld announced that they no longer had plans to complete the expansion project. PETA , which opposes whales being kept in captivity, has proposed the theme park operator base its whales in seaside sanctuaries. The company also pledged $ 10 million in matching funds for killer whale research. The plans to increase

1573-661: A development agreement for additional Asian theme parks. By November 2015, SeaWorld and Evans Hotels formed a partnership to explore the development for a Mission Bay SeaWorld-branded resort hotel connected to the San Diego park. By December 2016, the Village Roadshow agreement expired. SeaWorld revived its Dubai plans in December 2016 with Miral but with only a SeaWorld Park joining four other parks on Yas Island when it opens in 2022. In August 2015, SeaWorld announced an 84% drop in second quarter 2015 net income compared to

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1716-507: A killer whale that was brought to the new facility. The harsh winter climate permitted the park to be open only from mid-May until mid-September. The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida opened near the end of the second operating season of SeaWorld Ohio . The success of Disney in Orlando provided a location that was already popular with tourists. SeaWorld Orlando opened in 1973. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich , Inc. (HBJ) purchased

1859-590: A park in the Middle East, but did not specify a timeline or specific location. On December 13, 2016, SeaWorld announced that it would open its first overseas theme park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi , UAE in 2022. It would also be the first franchised SeaWorld park. SeaWorld had announced that in October 2022, the park was 90% completed and was almost open. Finally, on May 24, 2023, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi opened to

2002-446: A pleasure ride of flying carriages that revolved around a central pylon. Other rides included the 'Grotto' (a fantasy ride), 'River Caves' (a scenic railway ), water chutes and a tobogganing tower. Fire was a constant threat in those days, as much of the construction within the amusement parks of the era was wooden. In 1911, Dreamland was the first Coney Island amusement park to completely burn down; in 1944, Luna Park also burned to

2145-469: A proper theme park. That same year, SeaWorld San Diego opened and displayed many varieties of aquatic and marine life. Initially meant to house Walt Disney's dream idea, EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow), Disney executives decided to settle on building the park first in Walt Disney World and the city later. After six years of construction, Walt Disney World opened to

2288-917: A replacement in November 2019 and would join the board of directors along with Neha Jogani Narang. On April 6, 2020, Rivera resigned as CEO with chief financial officer Marc Swanson appointed as interim CEO. On January 30, 2024 the company announced that it would be changing its name to United Parks and Resorts Inc. on February 12, 2024. This rebranding will not affect the names of the SeaWorld or Busch Gardens family of parks. The company changed its ticker symbol to PRKS on February 13, 2024. Busch Gardens parks SeaWorld parks Other parks Theme park Amusement parks evolved from European fairs , pleasure gardens , and large picnic areas , which were created for people's recreation . World's fairs and other types of international expositions also influenced

2431-481: A roller coaster reaching a height of 150 feet, and Journey to Atlantis , a water roller coaster into the mythical land of Atlantis and Texas Stingray a wooden steel hybrid Coaster. In 2008, Busch Entertainment had previously announced plans to open a fourth SeaWorld park in Dubai , UAE , but those plans were abandoned amidst the international financial crisis. In May 2014, SeaWorld announced renewed plans to build

2574-452: A second US location to open in mid-2021. The extended agreement lasts through 2031 with the option for additional locations. At SeaWorld Orlando in early 2019, Sesame Street Land opened. On October 21, 2019, it was announced that the second Sesame Place would be located in San Diego at Chula Vista, California , replacing the current Aquatica San Diego, which closed at the end of the season in fall 2020. Originally set to open in 2021, its opening

2717-552: A second park or risk losing the land to the French government. The park opened March 16, 2002, with only three rides and California Adventure style theming. However, Hong Kong Disneyland was higher quality than the other black sheep, but still lacked the number of attractions that was needed, just like California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park. It opened on September 12, 2005, with only four lands, and had exorbitant wait times on opening day for everything from rides to food. In

2860-479: A show in Shamu Stadium. The whale had been associated with the deaths of two people previously. In May 2012, administrative law judge Ken Welsch upheld two Occupational Safety and Health Administration citations after Dawn Brancheau 's death, including one directly related to her death, and fined the company a total of $ 12,000. Trainers were banned from making close contact with the whales. In April 2014

3003-674: A smaller roller coaster, the Joy Wheel, Miniature Railway, The Whip and the River Caves. A ballroom was constructed on the site of the Skating Rink in 1920 and in 1923 a Variety Cinema was built on the site. Between 1920 and 1935 over £500,000 was invested in the site, constantly adding new rides and facilities and culminating in the construction of the Dreamland Cinema complex in 1934 which stands to this day. Until 2011

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3146-732: A source of fantasy and escape from real life. By the early 1900s, hundreds of amusement parks were operating in the United States and Canada. Trolley parks stood outside many cities. Parks like Atlanta's Ponce de Leon and Idora Park, near Youngstown, OH, took passengers to traditionally popular picnic grounds, which by the late 1890s also often included rides like the Giant Swing, Carousel , and Shoot-the-Chutes . These amusement parks were often based on nationally known parks or world's fairs : they had names like Coney Island , White City , Luna Park , or Dreamland . The American Gilded Age was, in fact, amusement parks' Golden Age that reigned until

3289-467: A standalone attraction next to Disney World (especially now as Disney built one in Disney-MGM). So it divided up the segments of its California tour into individual attractions, such as Jaws , Disaster! , and Kongfrontation . Disney-MGM Studios opened it on May 1, 1989, with two major attractions: The Backlot Tour and The Great Movie Ride. The concept for the park started out as an EPCOT pavilion, but

3432-437: A wall. Kandu V broke her jaw, which severed an artery, and then bled to death. In November 2006, a dominant female killer whale, Kasatka , repeatedly dragged experienced trainer, Ken Peters, to the bottom of the stadium pool during a show after hearing her calf crying for her in the back pools. In February 2010, an experienced female trainer at SeaWorld Orlando, Dawn Brancheau , was killed by killer whale Tilikum shortly after

3575-487: A wildlife animal park, all included in one price of admission. SeaWorld executives replied that their park was sold because of the short season of the animal park, Northeastern Ohio's cold winter months, and also because they were not able to get the necessary permits to build roller coasters like the other SeaWorld properties had been able to. In March 2004, Six Flags announced that it had sold Six Flags Worlds of Adventure to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company , operators of

3718-478: Is SeaWorld Orlando's night program, featuring the fireworks show Ignite , a sea lion show Sea Lions Tonite , a dolphin show Touch The Sky and killer whale show Shamu's Celebration: Light Up the Night . SeaWorld San Antonio opened on May 27, 1988. Its formal opening over Memorial Day Weekend 1988 held about 75,000 people. 3.3 million people visited SeaWorld San Antonio during its first year, 10% more than what

3861-468: Is a major theme park competitor to Six Flags , Disney Experiences and Universal Destinations & Experiences . The parks' marine mammal collections have been the subject of public debate and criticism over the years, with critics saying that the park's practices entail animal abuse. The 2013 documentary film Blackfish , produced after a SeaWorld Orlando trainer was killed by one of the park's orcas, led to initial decreases in attendance, profits and

4004-747: Is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida . It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks , oceanariums , animal theme parks , and rehabilitation centers owned by United Parks & Resorts . The parks host shows starring marine mammals , especially dolphins (including orcas ) and pinnipeds (e.g. sea lions ), as well as zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. The parks also feature thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken , Mako and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando , which can also be found at SeaWorld San Diego , and Steel Eel and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio . Emperor , Arctic Rescue , and Electric Eel can be found at SeaWorld San Diego , with

4147-535: Is illegal to bring drive hunt animals into the United States. He adds that, "SeaWorld opposes the dolphin hunts documented in The Cove . We do not purchase any animals from these hunts. More than 80 percent of the marine mammals in our care were born in our parks. We haven't collected a dolphin from the wild in decades." Since 1993, there have been no permits issued to facilities in the United States to import dolphins acquired through drive hunt methods. Marilee Menard,

4290-458: Is themed after stories based on the ocean and nautical adventure. It was constructed at a cost of ¥335 billion and opened on September 4, 2001. The park's two signature attractions are a modernized version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Journey To The Center of The Earth . In the early 90s, Michael Eisner wanted to make Disneyland in the image of Walt Disney World 's resort style. Plans were made for multiple hotels (such as one based on

4433-603: The Blackpool Pleasure Beach ranked among the top free of charge attractions in Britain. Blackpool Pleasure beach was developed continuously, requiring frequent large-scale investments. The construction of many new rides could be counted on. Rides included the Virginia Reel, Whip, Noah's Ark, Big Dipper and Dodgems. In the 1920s the "Casino Building" was built, which remains to this day. In 1923, land

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4576-631: The Blackstone Group reportedly entered into negotiations to acquire Busch Entertainment. The Blackstone Group already owned a partnership in Universal Orlando Resort, and a significant interest in Merlin Entertainments , which operates attractions and theme parks such as Madame Tussauds and Legoland . Previous estimates have valued Busch Entertainment at US$ 2.5 billion – 3.0 billion. On October 7, 2009,

4719-521: The Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio . Cedar Fair returned the park to its original Geauga Lake name and stripped the park itself of all Looney Tunes and DC Comics branding, including walk around character costumes pertaining to either franchise, since the company did not have the licensing rights. Since Six Flags retained ownership of the animals, the majority of the animal portion of

4862-960: The Disneyland Resort and Universal Orlando Resort to thrilling coaster parks such as the Six Flags parks and Cedar Fair parks. Countless smaller ventures exist across the United States and around the world. Simpler theme parks directly aimed at smaller children have also emerged, such as Legoland . Examples of amusement parks in shopping malls exist in West Edmonton Mall , Pier 39 and Mall of America . Family fun parks starting as miniature golf courses have begun to grow to include batting cages, go-karts, bumper cars, bumper boats and water slides. Some of these parks have grown to include even roller coasters, and traditional amusement parks now also have these competition areas in addition to their thrill rides. In 2015, theme parks in

5005-509: The Endangered Species Act of 1973 . Since its inception SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has rescued and helped more than 40,000 animals, including ill, orphaned or abandoned and injured manatees, dolphins, pilot whales, sea turtles, and birds. As part of its animal rehabilitation program, SeaWorld has claimed the first birth of a killer whale in captivity, the first birth of a marine mammal via artificial insemination and

5148-649: The Grand Floridian Hotel ) and a new west coast version of EPCOT , called WESTCOT. WESTCOT never came to be due to local opposition from residents, rising costs, and the financial fallout of Disneyland Paris. After a corporate retreat in Colorado, Disney executives decided to make a park themed to California so that guests could experience all of California within the confines of the Disneyland Resort and would be built across from Disneyland on its 100-acre parking lot. Disney's California Adventure would be

5291-628: The SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks also offer educational experiences, with each of the parks housing several thousand animals, fish and other sea life in dozens of attractions and exhibits focusing on animal education. Created in 1977, the Puy du Fou is a much-celebrated theme park in Vendée , France. It is centered around European, French and local history. It received several international prizes. Some theme parks did evolve from more traditional amusement park enterprises, such as Knott's Berry Farm . In

5434-636: The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied an appeal by SeaWorld. On December 22, 2015, an 18-year old SeaWorld orca, Unna, died from a fungal infection at the SeaWorld Park in San Antonio , Texas. In 2013, SeaWorld's treatment of killer whales in captivity was the basis of the film Blackfish , which documents the history of Tilikum , a killer whale captured by SeaLand of

5577-645: The Universal Studios Theme Parks chain, but no official bid for the company surfaced. However, other asset sales, such as the sale of Tsingtao Brewery and an issuance of $ 3 billion in new long-term debt in May 2009, raised over $ 11 billion since the start of 2009, temporarily reducing the need to sell Busch Entertainment. Other cited reasons for an apparent reluctance to sell off the company included still-volatile credit markets and receipt of initial bids that were lower than expected. In late 2009,

5720-487: The "Busch Gardens" name to SeaWorld Entertainment perpetually. Blackstone Group began pushing SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment into other areas including plans for TV and animation divisions, expanding its consumer products unit and develop usage for its park film footage. In mid-2011, the company started the SeaWorld Pictures division with Scott Helmstedter as chief creative officer. The division's first release

5863-563: The 1860s and 1870s created mechanical rides, such as the steam-powered carousel (built by Thomas Bradshaw, at the Aylsham Fair ), and its derivatives, notably from Frederick Savage of King's Lynn , Norfolk whose fairground machinery was exported all over the world; his "galloping horses" innovation is seen in carousels today. This inaugurated the era of the modern funfair ride, as the working classes were increasingly able to spend their surplus wages on entertainment. The second influence

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6006-684: The 1870s along the Connecticut River . The trick was getting the public to the seaside or resort location. For Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on the Atlantic Ocean, a horse-drawn streetcar line brought pleasure seekers to the beach beginning in 1829. In 1875, a million passengers rode the Coney Island Railroad , and in 1876 two million visited Coney Island. Hotels and amusements were built to accommodate both

6149-478: The 1920s, Walter Knott and his family sold berries from a roadside stand, which grew to include a restaurant serving fried chicken dinners. Within a few years, lines outside the restaurant were often several hours long. To entertain the waiting crowds, Walter Knott built a Ghost Town in 1940, using buildings relocated from real old west towns such as the Calico, California , ghost town and Prescott, Arizona . In 1968,

6292-453: The Casino building to name a few. The Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II during the 1940s saw the decline of the amusement park industry. War caused the affluent urban population to move to the suburbs, television became a source of entertainment, and families went to amusement parks less often. By the 1950s, factors such as urban decay , crime , and even desegregation in

6435-528: The Dark Arts class with one shop and one restaurant in the former submarine lagoon at Magic Kingdom. She was also displeased with the lack of creative control she had and exited the deal. She went to Universal next and was also displeased with the initial plan to redress the Islands of Adventure's Lost Continent area. To remedy this, J.K Rowling wrestled creative control from Universal and forced them to make

6578-610: The European Middle Ages . An amusement park is a contemporary arrangement, designed to combine components of a fair, carnival, and theme park. An early example of an amusement park is the Bartholomew Fair . By the 18th and 19th centuries, they had evolved into places of entertainment for the masses, where the public could view freak shows , acrobatics , conjuring and juggling , take part in competitions and walk through menageries . A wave of innovation in

6721-538: The Golden Age of roller coasters, being the decade of frenetic building for these rides. In England, Dreamland Margate opened in 1880 with Frederick Savage's carousel the first amusement ride installed. In 1920 the Scenic Railway rollercoaster opened to the public with great success, carrying half a million passengers in its first year. The park also installed other rides common to the time including

6864-512: The Knott family fenced the farm, charged admission for the first time, and Knott's Berry Farm officially became a theme park. Because of its long history, Knott's Berry Farm currently claims to be "America's First Theme Park." Knott's Berry Farm is now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, may be the true oldest continuously operating amusement park in

7007-545: The Lake Milton/ Newton Falls area west of Youngstown, Ohio , it was decided that Aurora, Ohio would be the new home of a SeaWorld. The park opened on May 29, 1970. The Aurora site was approximately 15 miles (24 km) northwest of the Lake Milton site and 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Cleveland. By this time, the founders of the company had captured a few more species of animals, including

7150-556: The Pacific (and later rescued by SeaWorld Orlando) who has been involved in the deaths of three people. In the aftermath of the release of the film, Martina McBride , 38 Special , REO Speedwagon , Cheap Trick , Heart , Barenaked Ladies , Trisha Yearwood , and Willie Nelson canceled scheduled concerts at SeaWorld parks. SeaWorld disputes the accuracy of the film, calling it "propaganda" and "emotionally manipulative". SeaWorld spent $ 15 million on an advertising campaign countering

7293-949: The Tampa Busch Gardens, the Adventure Island Water Park opened in June. Meanwhile, in July 1980, the Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania , jointly planned with the Children's Television Workshop and based on Sesame Street , opened. A second Sesame Place was opened in Irving, Texas , in June 1982 only to close a few years later on October 28, 1984; Busch Entertainment announced in January 1985 that

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7436-560: The United States had a revenue of US$ 8 billion and theme parks in China had a revenue of US$ 4.6 billion , with China expected to overtake the United States by 2020. Some parks use rides and attractions for educational purposes. There are also Holy Land USA and the Holy Land Experience , which are theme parks built to inspire Christian piety. Dinosaur World entertains families with dinosaurs in natural settings, while

7579-534: The United States, open since 1846. Santa Claus Town, which opened in Santa Claus, Indiana , in 1935 and included Santa's Candy Castle and other Santa Claus-themed attractions is considered the first themed attraction in the United States: a precursor to the modern day theme park. Santa Claus Land (renamed Holiday World in 1984) opened in 1946 in Santa Claus, Indiana , and many people will argue that it

7722-735: The Worlds of Discovery brand, the parks were marketed as Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks. A new price plan came along with the new name, where purchasing tickets to multiple parks would get a discount. Sesame Street Bay of Play opened in 2008 at SeaWorld San Diego. Busch Entertainment promoted a number of SeaWorld Orlando executives to corporate ending with the promotion of Orlando executive vice president and general manager Jim Atchison to Busch president and chief operating officer and chairman and president Keith M. Kasen to Busch chairman and chief executive officer on December 1, 2007. With so many executives promoted and staying in Orlando, Anheuser-Busch Cos moved

7865-598: The addition of the Aquatica water park to its adventure park, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove . The parks were bought in 1989 by Busch Entertainment Corp. , the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch , which is best known for brewing beer. In 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Entertainment . In 2013, Blackstone sold 37% of SeaWorld Entertainment in an initial public offering and sold its remaining 21% holding to Zhonghong Zhuoye in 2017. It

8008-531: The allegations and emphasizing its contributions to the study of whales and their conservation. In August 2014, SeaWorld announced it planned to build new killer whale tanks that would be almost double the size of the existing ones to provide more space for its whales, scheduled for completion in 2018. The company maintained the move was not in response to the release of the Blackfish documentary. Wild killer whales may travel up to 160 kilometres (100 mi) in

8151-542: The beginnings of the Wurstelprater as an amusement park. The concept of a fixed park for amusement was further developed with the beginning of the world's fairs . The first World fair began in 1851 with the construction of the landmark Crystal Palace in London, England. The purpose of the exposition was to celebrate the industrial achievement of the nations of the world and it was designed to educate and entertain

8294-718: The boardwalk out over the ocean. The first of several was the Ocean Pier in 1891, followed later by the Steel Pier in 1898, both of which boasted rides and attractions typical of that time, such as Midway-style games and electric trolley rides. The boardwalk also had the first Roundabout installed in 1892 by William Somers, a wooden predecessor to the Ferris Wheel . Somers installed two others in Asbury Park , New Jersey and Coney Island , New York. Another early park

8437-488: The company automatically renewed annual passes after the end of the originally ordered pass expiration. In August 2018, the company extended its licensing agreement for Rudolph and Friends with Character Arts to appear at their parks' holiday events until January 2024. In May 2019, Zhonghong Group defaulted on its loans which were secured by Seaworld common stock. The company turned its shares over to its lenders. Thus Seaworld terminated its agreements for park development with

8580-802: The company in 1976 and 12 years later they built a new park in Texas . In 1988, SeaWorld San Antonio opened just a few miles outside of San Antonio . Growth has pushed the city outwards and now SeaWorld San Antonio lies in the Westover Hills community in West San Antonio. The park was open year-round like its sister parks in California and Florida in 1988 and 1989, then went to a seasonal schedule. In May 1987, Robert Maxwell 's British Printing and Communication Corporation (BPCC) made an unsolicited bid to acquire HBJ. HBJ defended itself from

8723-490: The company's share price. In 2018, SeaWorld's attendance and revenue began to recover with the addition of new rides, shows, and animal exhibits at its parks, as well as increased marketing about the parks' conservation and rescue efforts. In 2016, SeaWorld announced that they would end their in-park orca breeding program and eventually phase out their theatrical orca shows altogether (due to state legislation in California that banned shows using orcas) starting in San Diego. It

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8866-421: The company. As it seems that their parks are not considered destination parks but complementary parks per In Parks Magazine . Two new directors were appointed to the company board that held positions at fully integrated theme park resorts. SeaWorld Parks formed its Resort Development Group on February 1, 2016, with the appointment of the Vice President of Resort Development Steve Iandolo. Anthony Esparza also became

9009-408: The discussions came to fruition as Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to sell Busch Entertainment Corporation to the Blackstone Group in a deal worth approximately US$ 2.7 billion. As part of the deal, Blackstone maintained the current management team from Busch Entertainment and operate it as a separate entity. Further, Anheuser-Busch would sign a sponsorship agreement with the company, thus allowing

9152-523: The documentary Blackfish , which criticized the company's handling of killer whale exhibits, SeaWorld's profits went into a steep decline and its share values plummeted. SeaWorld said in August 2014 that the film had hurt revenues at its San Diego, California park. On December 11, 2014, SeaWorld announced that chief executive Jim Atchison would resign, with an interim successor replacing him on January 15, 2015. The company's share price had fallen 44% in 2014. The company and Village Roadshow in 2014 signed

9295-410: The early 2000s, the Harry Potter book series written by J.K Rowling had become a pop culture phenomenon. Universal and Disney entered a bidding war over the theme park rights to the books, but Disney seemed to have won after Rowling signed a letter of intent with Disney. However, Rowling was disappointed with Disney's small-scale plans to install an omnimover attraction themed to the Defense Against

9438-413: The early 90s after the opening of Universal Studios Florida, Universal sought to build a second theme park, one aimed more towards children and their families. Universal acquired the theme park rights to many properties including Marvel and Dr. Seuss to build the park around. In 1999, Universal Studios opened Universal Studios Islands of Adventure under the new resort name Universal Studios Escape. The park

9581-409: The emergence of the amusement park industry. Bakken ("The Hill") in Klampenborg , Denmark, Wurstelprater in Vienna, Austria, and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark are the three oldest operating amusement parks in the world. Lake Compounce opened in 1846 and is considered the oldest, continuously operating amusement park in North America. The amusement park evolved from traditions in

9724-471: The end of June, but Jaws had to be rebuilt and reopened three years later. However, Universal learned from opening day and started conducting exit surveys and special ticket deals. In 1992, Disney opened its first European park, Euro Disneyland , outside of Paris, France, designed to be like the Magic Kingdom in Florida, yet it caters to the European tastes through changes, including removing Tomorrowland and replacing it with Discoveryland , themed to

9867-463: The end of the marine-life park permanently. All of the animal stadiums and buildings were next torn down or converted into other venues. Some of the SeaWorld property remained intact, albeit hidden or modified. What remained included the former seal and sea lion area, the Ski Stadium (to be used in a Lumberjack show in 2006), the aquarium (to be used for unknown purposes), and two movie theater houses/simulators, once housing 3D/4D movies. The Ski Stadium

10010-406: The entertainment unit's headquarters to Orlando in 2008. By this time, SeaWorld Orlando was seen as the company's flagship theme park. In Dubai, the company in February 2008 signed a licensing and management deal for Busch's Worlds of Discovery, a four theme park development, with Nakheel Properties, an arm of the Dubai government. Worlds of Discovery was planned to open in 2012. The first phase that

10153-547: The experience of the enclosed ideal city with wonder, rides, culture and progress (electricity), was based on the creation of an illusory place. The " midway " introduced at the Columbian Exposition would become a standard part of most amusement parks, fairs, carnivals, and circuses. The midway contained not only the rides, but other concessions and entertainments such as shooting galleries , penny arcades , games of chance , and shows. Many modern amusement parks evolved from earlier pleasure resorts that had become popular with

10296-553: The first SeaWorld park, opened on March 21, 1964. The park features shows such as Sea Lions Live , a comedic show with sea lions and otters, Dolphin Days , a dolphin show, and Orca Encounter , an educational show about killer whales and their behavior in the wild. There are also many seasonal shows which are featured in the summer, notability Cirque Electrique . Rides include Shipwreck Rapids, an Intamin River Rapids ride, Manta,

10439-502: The first hatching of captive green sea turtles. While acknowledging the value of these programs, critics and animal rights advocates have questioned SeaWorld's balance of conservation and education alongside the commercial activities of its theme parks. In 1998, SeaWorld, with the help of the US Coast Guard , released the gray whale J.J. after the whale was rehabilitated at SeaWorld San Diego for 14 months. Groups concerned for

10582-447: The first two being added in the past three years alone. Journey to Atlantis , a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at all three parks. There are operations located within the United States in Orlando, Florida ; San Diego , California ; San Antonio , Texas ; later outside the United States such as Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates ; and previously Aurora, Ohio . On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld Orlando announced

10725-463: The gardens were originally designed for the elites, they soon became places of great social diversity. Public firework displays were put on at Marylebone Gardens , and Cremorne Gardens offered music, dancing, and animal acrobatics displays. Prater in Vienna, Austria, began as a royal hunting ground which was opened in 1766 for public enjoyment. There followed coffee-houses and cafés, which led to

10868-579: The ghettos led to changing patterns in how people chose to spend their free time. Many of the older, traditional amusement parks closed or burned to the ground. Many would be taken out by the wrecking ball to make way for suburb and housing and development . In 1964, Steeplechase Park , once the king of all amusement parks, closed down for good. The traditional amusement parks which survived, for example, Kennywood , in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania , and Cedar Point , in Sandusky, Ohio , did so in spite of

11011-502: The global management firm AECOM reported that the then SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, operating under its previous name, ranked ninth in the world for attendance among theme park companies, led by parks SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay . The Busch Garden division was incorporated in 1979 as Busch Entertainment Corporation to support its growth. That growth came the next year, with its Williamsburg location added Italy to its culture roster plus add two whole parks. Next to

11154-431: The great futuristic thinkers of European culture such as H. G. Wells and Jules Verne . A recession in the French economy and the immense public backlash against the park led to financial hardship, putting the park into debt. However, this did not stop Disney from expanding Disney-MGM Studios with The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror , in 1994, and building their fourth Walt Disney World park, Disney's Animal Kingdom . In

11297-516: The ground. Most of Ingersoll's Luna Parks were similarly destroyed, usually by arson , before his death in 1927. During the Gilded Age , many Americans began working fewer hours and had more disposable income. With new-found money and time to spend on leisure activities, Americans sought new venues for entertainment. Amusement parks, set up outside major cities and in rural areas, emerged to meet this new economic opportunity. These parks served as

11440-411: The group. Yongli Wang, one of the group's representative on the board of director resigned while the other board chairman Yoshi Maruyama was asked to stay on the board. Seaworld Entertainment bought back 5.6 million shares from an affiliate of Pacific Alliance Group in late May 2019. While Pacific Alliance Group separately sold 13.2 million shares to Hill Path Capital. Hill Path share of the company after

11583-531: The health and safety of SeaWorld's captive killer whale population have asked for the animals to be released. SeaWorld has defended their decision to keep the animals by citing their inability to survive in the wild after years of captivity. In response to claims leveled at SeaWorld and other marine parks by the 2009 movie The Cove which accuses them of obtaining dolphins taken in drive hunts , SeaWorld spokesperson Fred Jacobs stated that, "We think we're being unfairly criticized for something we're opposed to." It

11726-641: The hostile takeover attempt by going deeply into debt to make large cash payments to shareholders. The strain of the debt from fighting off the takeover, as well as a strategic decision to re-focus on HBJ's core publishing and insurance businesses, were factors in HBJ's decision to sell its theme park holdings in 1989. The Anheuser-Busch Company made an offer to purchase the SeaWorld parks. HBJ also owned and operated two other parks, Cypress Gardens and Boardwalk and Baseball , and out of fear of not being able to find

11869-553: The land a full scale, realistic re-creation of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts without being a refurbishment of an existing area. The project was announced in 2007 and in 2010 the land was opened to the public and made Universal Orlando a must visit destination. Today, there are over 475 amusement parks in the United States, ranging from mega-parks and those that are operated by Warner Bros., Disney , Six Flags and NBCUniversal . The amusement park industry's offerings range from immersive theme parks such as Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi ,

12012-614: The larger, more popular rides. Later, the "D-ticket" was added, then finally the " E-ticket ", which was used on the biggest and most elaborate rides, like Space Mountain . Smaller tickets could be traded up for use on larger rides so that for example two or three A-tickets would equal a single B-ticket. Disneyland, as well as the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, abandoned this practice in 1982. SeaWorld 32°45′57″N 117°13′35″W  /  32.7657°N 117.2263°W  / 32.7657; -117.2263 SeaWorld

12155-408: The largest disaster Disney ever created because unlike Disneyland, it would be set in the modern day and spoof modern-day California with its cheap, insincere, and flat backdrops. The park would be adult focused, sell fine food, and serve alcohol. When the park opened on February 8, 2001, it received a chilly reception for its lack of attractions, poor environment (for example, Hollywood Studios Backlot

12298-403: The late 1920s. The Golden Age of amusement parks also included the advent of the kiddie park. Founded in 1925, the original Kiddie Park is located in San Antonio, Texas , and is still in operation as of 2022 . The kiddie parks became popular all over America after World War II. This era saw the development of new innovations in roller coasters that included extreme drops and speeds to thrill

12441-471: The modern, competitive amusement park industry. In the late 1950s, Wynne visited Disneyland and was inspired to create an affordable, closer, and larger amusement park that would be filled with fantasy. He followed in the steps of Disney and had subdivisions within the park that reflected different lands. The subdivisions included the Old South and other sections that referenced Wynne's background. By 1968,

12584-466: The motivation for entrepreneurs to build accommodation and create new attractions, leading to more visitors and a rapid cycle of growth throughout the 1850s and 1860s. In 1879, large parts of the promenade at Blackpool were wired. The lighting and its accompanying pageants reinforced Blackpool's status as the North of England's most prominent holiday resort, and its specifically working class character. It

12727-648: The new SeaWorld Chief Creative Officer (CCO). Deep Blue Creative, announced as a new unit in early November 2016, is mostly the former SeaWorld media unit, less licensing and consumer products, led by the previous CCO. The first projects under the Deep Blue unit are Kraken Virtual Reality (VR) ride at SeaWorld Orlando, Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster at SeaWorld San Antonio and Electric Ocean end-of-day event debuting summer of 2017 at SeaWorlds Orlando and San Diego. On March 24, 2017, Blackstone Group announced that it would sell its 21% stake to Zhonghong Group. Zhonghong Group

12870-541: The odds. Inspired by the layout of Tivoli Gardens theme park in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1951, Walt Disney came up with the idea of having an amusement park next to the studios in Burbank. The park would have been called Mickey Mouse Park , built across the street with a western area featuring a steam driven paddleboat, a turn of the century town, and a midway. It was rejected by the Burbank city council in fear of

13013-590: The park and stadium were up for sale. Busch acquired a tenth park, Water Country USA in 1992, which was near its existing Williamsburg location. In 1993, the company hit its record high attendance for all its parks with over 19 million people with a record setting year for Tampa Busch Gardens. In 1995, Cypress Gardens was sold to the park's management. Busch Entertainment announced in November 1992 its joint venture with Grand Tibidabo to build Tibi Gardens in Salou , Catalonia , Spain with other adjunct developments. By

13156-466: The park opened, it welcomed its one millionth guest. Because of the financial success of Disneyland, the amusement industry was reinvigorated. What became Busch Gardens Tampa opened in 1959 as a garden and bird sanctuary. Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961, themed to the six different countries that ruled over Texas. In 1964, Universal Studios Hollywood opened to the public with a studio tour of their backlot that had multiple adventure scenes and became

13299-412: The park would not open as scheduled in May as revenue and attendance were not as expected. In September 1989, Busch Entertainment purchased Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Park Group which included Boardwalk and Baseball , Cypress Gardens and the SeaWorld theme park chain. The Boardwalk and Baseball theme park was closed on January 17, 1990. The Baseball City Stadium would continue its operations, while

13442-405: The park's May 1, 1995, opening, Grand Tibidabo was replaced by Tussauds Group , Fecsa and La Caixa as partners and renamed Port Aventura . Universal Parks & Resorts purchase some share in 1998. The company's marketing program of a regional Florida Fun Cards season pass was launched in 2000. These pass were good for seven-months at the cost of a single admission. Being successful, the program

13585-480: The park, including all of the exhibits and animal stadiums, was either emptied or fenced off for the 2004 season. After a nearly season-long wait, the Cedar Fair company announced its plans for the non-operational side. That entire portion of the land would become an immense waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom, opening in two phases, with the first phase in 2005, followed by the second phase in 2006. This decision marked

13728-591: The park. In 1897, Sea Lion Park was joined by Steeplechase Park , the first of three major amusement parks that would open in the Coney Island area. George Tilyou designed the park to provide thrills and entertainment. The combination of the nearby population center of New York City and the ease of access to the area made Coney Island the embodiment of the American amusement park. Coney Island also featured Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904). Coney Island

13871-426: The park. Other revenue sources include parking fees, food and beverage sales and souvenirs. Practically all amusement parks operate using one of two admission principles: In amusement parks using the pay-as-you-go scheme, a guest enters the park at little or no charge. The guest must then purchase rides individually, either at the attraction's entrance or by purchasing ride tickets (or a similar exchange method, like

14014-467: The parks or at the company's Orlando headquarters. New departments were hired to fill positions that would have previously been managed by Anheuser-Busch, such as a legal department and procurement staff. The largest proposed change to the operation of the parks would be the removal of Anheuser-Busch's Clydesdales from those parks that had them and the removal of the A&;Eagle logos. Anheuser-Busch licenses

14157-491: The parks to revive and prolong their longevity. SeaWorld is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In July 2008, Anheuser-Busch was purchased by Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev . InBev had a reputation as a cost-cutting company that would not be interested in holding non-beverage businesses. In 2009, the combined AB InBev sold its Busch Entertainment division to the Blackstone Group . The company

14300-503: The pay-as-you-go format. Initially, guests paid the ride admission fees at the attractions. Within a short time, the problems of handling such large amounts of coins led to the development of a ticket system that, while now out of use, is still part of the amusement-park lexicon. In this new format, guests purchased ticket books that contained a number of tickets, labeled "A", "B" and "C." Rides and attractions using an "A-ticket" were generally simple, with "B-tickets" and "C-tickets" used for

14443-598: The proceeds from this sale would go to Blackstone Group, which would retain a controlling interest in the company. It began trading April 19, 2013, on the New York Stock Exchange with a ticker symbol of SEAS. In September 2013, SeaWorld Kids media unit and Little Airplane Productions agreed to develop a new conservation and animal themed TV show for preschoolers. The property was announced in March 2014 as Billy Green Builds! Following CNN 's broadcast of

14586-556: The public for day-trips or weekend holidays, for example, seaside areas such as Blackpool , United Kingdom and Coney Island , United States. In the United States, some amusement parks grew from picnic groves established along rivers and lakes that provided bathing and water sports, such as Lake Compounce in Connecticut, first established as a picturesque picnic park in 1846, and Riverside Park in Massachusetts, founded in

14729-456: The public on October 1, 1971. Meant to be a larger east coast version of Disneyland, it had copies of most of the attractions from Disneyland (except for Liberty Square and the Hall of Presidents ), yet it was financially the most ambitious project Walt Disney Productions had ever undertaken, and succeeded once the holiday crowds came in during Thanksgiving. In 1982, Walt Disney Productions opened

14872-463: The public. In February 2001, Anheuser-Busch sold the SeaWorld Ohio park to Six Flags , Inc., operators of neighboring Six Flags Ohio (initially Geauga Lake until 2000). Upon completion of the sale, the two parks were combined in spring 2001 as the so-called "mega-park" " Six Flags Worlds of Adventure ", which boasted its "three parks in one" uniqueness: a waterpark, an amusement park, and

15015-407: The purchases was a controlling stake of 34.5%. Seaworld agreed to have three Hill Path director nominees join its board. After seven months in the post, CEO Gus Antorcha resigned on September 16, 2019. That same day, its Orlando call center was laid off and replaced by an outsourcing company. The board hired Sergio D. Rivera, previously president and CEO of ILG Inc. ’s vacation ownership business, as

15158-514: The ride of the same name. SeaWorld and Nelvana Enterprises agreed in December 2012 to include Franklin and Friends with the SeaWorld Kids brand. Two special and co-branded books were planned. On December 27, 2012, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment announced that it had filed for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock, while changing its name to SeaWorld Entertainment at the IPO. Part of

15301-474: The riders. By the end of the First World War, people seemed to want an even more exciting entertainment, a need met by roller coasters. Although the development of the automobile provided people with more options for satisfying their entertainment needs, the amusement parks after the war continued to be successful, while urban amusement parks saw declining attendance. The 1920s is more properly known as

15444-850: The second Six Flags park, Six Flags Over Georgia , opened, and in 1971, Six Flags Over Mid-America (now Six Flags St. Louis ) opened near St. Louis , Missouri. Also in 1971 was the opening of the Walt Disney World resort complex in Florida . In 1991 Warner Bros. in partnership with Village Roadshow, opened their own Warner Bros. Movie World . It is the only Movie-Related theme park in Australia. Warner Bros. continued their theme park ventures and opened Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi in UAE and Parque Warner Madrid in Spain. Amusement parks collect much of their revenue from admission fees paid by guests attending

15587-535: The second Walt Disney World park, EPCOT Center, based on Walt Disney's futurist ideals and World Fairs. Like a World's Fair, the park would display the latest technologies in an area called Future World, and the cultural pavilions in World Showcase. In 1987, Disney announced that it would open its third Disney World park, Disney-MGM Studios in 1989, which would have a working backlot. However, Universal knew that its Californian backlot tour would not work as

15730-577: The sites, expanding them from picnic groves to include regular entertainments, mechanical amusements, dance halls, sports fields, boat rides, restaurants and other resort facilities. Some of these parks were developed in resort locations, such as bathing resorts at the seaside in New Jersey and New York . A premiere example in New Jersey was Atlantic City , a famous vacation resort. Entrepreneurs erected amusement parks on piers that extended from

15873-498: The size of the tanks in San Diego were put on hold in October 2015 after the California Coastal Commission ruled that the work could only go ahead if they banned captive breeding, which would eventually lead to end of killer whale shows at the park. On March 17, 2016, SeaWorld announced the end of their breeding program, which signifies the last generation of orcas in captivity in their care, though Takara

16016-429: The temperature in which these whales live. Some evidence has shown that the condition can manifest in individuals after a month in captivity. Some argue that aggression among captive killer whales is common, whilst others claim that this also occurs in the wild. In August 1989, a dominant female killer whale, Kandu V , attempted to rake a newcomer whale, Corky II, with her mouth during a live show and smashed her head into

16159-551: The theme park, Silver Dollar City . The park is still owned and operated by the Herschends and the family has several other parks including Dollywood , Kentucky Kingdom and Wild Adventures . The first regional amusement park, as well as the first Six Flags park, Six Flags Over Texas was officially opened in 1961 in Arlington, Texas . The first Six Flags amusement park was the vision of Angus Wynne Jr. and helped create

16302-522: The two Busch Gardens parks to keep their current names and promotions, including the "Here's to the Heroes" military appreciation program. In announcing the deal, Busch Entertainment President Jim Atchison said that Blackstone's acquisition brings "an awful lot of strategic vision for us. We're going to continue to grow the business together." The company was also renamed SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The acquisition would be done with no loss of jobs at

16445-412: The underwater restaurant concept was deemed unfeasible, they scrapped those plans and decided to build a park instead, and SeaWorld San Diego was opened on March 21, 1964. With only a few dolphins, sea lions, 6 attractions and 22 acres (89,000 m ), the park proved to be a success and more than 400,000 guests visited in the first 12 months. After considering other locations in the midwest, including

16588-527: The upper classes and the working class at the beach. The first carousel was installed in the 1870s, the first roller coaster , the " Switchback Railway ", in 1884. In England, Blackpool was a popular beachside location beginning in the 1700s. It rose to prominence as a seaside resort with the completion in 1846 of a branch line to Blackpool from Poulton on the main Preston and Wyre Joint Railway line. A sudden influx of visitors, arriving by rail, provided

16731-481: The visitors. American cities and businesses also saw the world's fair as a way of demonstrating economic and industrial success. The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago , Illinois was an early precursor to the modern amusement park. The fair was an enclosed site, that merged entertainment, engineering and education to entertain the masses. It set out to bedazzle the visitors, and successfully did so with

16874-409: The water that is an electric remaster of the original Cirque de la Mer show). SeaWorld Orlando opened on December 15, 1973. One Ocean , a killer whale show that premiered April 22, 2011, was hosted here, before being replaced with "Orca Encounter", along with, Dolphin Days , the park's dolphin show, and, a new show that made its debut on June 14, 2015, Clyde and Seamore's Sea Lion High . This show

17017-460: The world's captive killer whales, is cited for its role. Killer whale captivity is a widely debated topic. Regarding anatomy, captive killer whales can exhibit collapsed dorsal fins. However, this trait has been witnessed in the wild and a prominent theory proposes this phenomenon can occur when any orcas live in relatively warmer conditions. Though, since captive orcas are more likely to breach, rising up to warmer waters, captivity itself can increase

17160-410: The year before. Total income was down 3% from 2014 to 2015. Visitors fell by 100,000, from 6.58 million to 6.48 million. The board of directors appointed Joel Manby as president and chief executive officer starting April 7, 2015. While the fully integrated resorts model, resorts, hotels and retail, has been on the drawing boards for the company at various times, Manby considered it a key to his plans for

17303-674: Was Turtle: The Incredible Journey in June 2011. Helmstadter indicated in September 2011 that the TV and animation divisions had several items on their slate and the three entertainment units would be at MIPCOM and Kidscreen Summit 2012 looking for projects. SeaWorld Entertainment agreed in January 2012 to a multi-year licensing deal with Ruckus Media, a Connecticut-based app developer, for SeaWorld's animal-based digital story books for ages three to eight. Sleepy Giant Entertainment and SeaWorld Parks released Turtle Trek, its first free mobile app based on

17446-575: Was a huge success and by the year 1910 attendance on days could reach a million people. Fueled by the efforts of Frederick Ingersoll who borrowed the name, other " Luna Parks " were quickly erected worldwide and opened to rave reviews. The first amusement park in England was opened in 1896 – the Blackpool Pleasure Beach by W. G. Bean. In 1904, Sir Hiram Maxim 's Captive Flying Machine was introduced; he had designed an early aircraft powered by steam engines that had been unsuccessful and instead opened up

17589-560: Was allegedly designed by former Disney Imagineers who left after the financial disaster of Disneyland Paris. In the late 80s, the Oriental Land Company (the owners and operators of Tokyo Disneyland resort which opened in 1983) wanted a second park. None of the current non-Magic Kingdom parks satisfied the Japanese, but one concept thrown away for Disneyland's second gate inspired a new one: DisneySea . Tokyo DisneySea

17732-440: Was announced later in the same year, that SeaWorld would build their first park without killer whales and outside of the United States in Abu Dhabi . In 2020, SeaWorld Orlando introduced its Orca Encounter presentation to guests. SeaWorld was founded in 1964 by Milton Shedd , Ken Norris , David Demott and George Millay . The four graduates of UCLA originally set out to build an underwater restaurant and marine life show. When

17875-618: Was delayed to March 26, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Manby stepped down in late February 2018 as CEO with John Reilly being appointed as interim CEO. Esparza left as chief creative officer on March 1, 2018. The company appointed Carnival Cruise chief operating officer Gus Antorcha as Seaworld CEO in February 2019 with Reilly stepping down to be COO and eventually leaving the company one month later. The company settled an annual pass class action lawsuit for $ 11.5 million settlement, where

18018-436: Was extended to all its parks. This was followed up in 2001 with a tiered reward card called Passport with four levels named after metals. This program gain additional contact information for its marketing database. The additional marketing the database allowed plus the two program, local pass and reward card, allowed them to stay afloat during the economic downturn that started in 2001 . In 1999, close to 200 acres of rural land

18161-451: Was originally projected. The park shows "Orca Encounter", an educational killer whale show; Ocean Discovery an educational show featuring dolphins and beluga whales ; and Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight , a sea lion show following the sea lions Clyde and Seamore touring a marine conservation center. Parks rides include Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster , a double launch roller coaster, The Great White , an inverted roller coaster, Steel Eel ,

18304-486: Was planned to open in December 2012 was to consist of SeaWorld and Aquatica Dubai. The second phase, consisting of Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove were slated for 2015. However, the Great Recession prompted both Nakheel and Busch Entertainment to suspend development indefinitely in February 2009. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch was acquired by Brazilian-Belgian brewer InBev . Based on its previous acquisitions, it

18447-481: Was purchased by Busch Gardens Tampa so that animals could be relocated during construction of a new hotel, which ended up never being built. In early 2001, the company sold the Aurora SeaWorld to Six Flags, while the first reservations-only park, Discovery Cove , opened next to Orlando SeaWorld. Beginning November 9, 2007, the parks collectively became known as Worlds of Discovery. Prior to the introduction of

18590-462: Was recently changed to Sea Lion & Otter Spotlight in mid 2021. The park contains 3 main roller coasters, with a fourth opening in 2022, joined by one junior coaster. They are Kraken , a floorless coaster based on the mythical sea creature, Manta , a coaster designed to simulate how manta rays move, and Mako, a hyper coaster themed to the fastest shark in the ocean. All 3 are built by the manufacturer B&M , while Super Grover's Box Car Derby,

18733-500: Was reclaimed from the sea front. It was at this period that the park moved to its 44-acre (18 ha) current location above what became Watson Road, which was built under the Pleasure Beach in 1932. During this time Joseph Emberton, an architect famous for his work in the amusement trade was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides, working on the "Grand National" roller coaster, "Noah's Ark" and

18876-425: Was removed in 2008 to make way for Coconut Cove, a refreshment station/observation area. All of these, except for Wildwater Kingdom, closed in 2007. Wildwater Kingdom closed after the 2016 season. SeaWorld's main attraction is its killer whales, several of which are housed in 5.8-million-US-gallon (22,000 m ) tanks (equivalent to nine Olympic sized swimming pools ) that are each known as Shamu Stadium. Shamu

19019-418: Was renamed SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in December 2009. In 2013, Blackstone sold 37% of SEAS in an initial public offering. In 2016, SeaWorld admitted that it had been sending its employees to pose as activists to spy on animal rights organization PETA . Following an investigation by an outside law firm, SeaWorld's Board of Directors directed management to end the practice. SeaWorld San Diego,

19162-562: Was restricted in purchasing additional shares and sale of their shares for two years. They added two additional directors to the board for Zhonghong. SeaWorld agreed to provide advice and support services to Zhonghong Holding, a Zhonghong Group affiliate, in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau for theme parks, water parks and family entertainment centers development. Sesame Workshop and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in May 2017 extended their licensing agreement for Sesame Place with plans to build

19305-545: Was still pregnant at the time. Theatrical orca shows ended at SeaWorld San Diego in 2017 and ended in Orlando and San Antonio in 2019. In November 2014, SeaWorld announced that attendance at the parks had dropped 5.2% from the previous year, profits had fallen 28% over that quarter, and the company's stock was down 50% from the previous year. From 2014 to 2015, net income in the second quarter fell 84% from $ 37.4 million to $ 5.8 million, while revenue fell from $ 405 million to $ 392 million. In February 2020, SeaWorld announced

19448-567: Was the Eldorado Amusement Park that opened in 1891 on the banks of the Hudson River , overlooking New York City . It consisted of 25 acres. The first permanent enclosed entertainment area, regulated by a single company, was founded in Coney Island in 1895: Sea Lion Park at Coney Island in Brooklyn. This park was one of the first to charge admission fee to get into the park in addition to sell tickets for rides within

19591-686: Was the pleasure garden . An example of this is the world's oldest amusement park, Bakken ("The Hill"), which opened in mainland Europe in 1583. It is located north of Copenhagen in Klampenborg, Denmark . Another early garden was the Vauxhall Gardens , founded in 1661 in London. By the late 18th century, the site had an admission fee for its many attractions. It regularly drew enormous crowds, with its paths often noted for romantic assignations; tightrope walkers, hot air balloon ascents, concerts and fireworks providing amusement. Although

19734-479: Was the first true Theme Park despite Knott's history. In the 1950s the Herschend family took over operation of the tourist attraction, Marvel Cave near Branson, Missouri . Over the next decade they modernized the cave, which led to large numbers of people waiting to take the tour. The Herschend family opened a recreation of the old mining town that once existed atop Marvel Cave. The small village eventually became

19877-645: Was the forerunner of the present-day Blackpool Illuminations . By the 1890s, the town had a population of 35,000, and could accommodate 250,000 holidaymakers. The number of annual visitors, many staying for a week, was estimated at three million. In the final decade of the 19th century, electric trolley lines were developed in many large American cities. Companies that established the trolley lines also developed trolley parks as destinations of these lines. Trolley parks such as Atlanta 's Ponce de Leon Park , or Reading's Carsonia Park were initially popular natural leisure spots before local streetcar companies purchased

20020-661: Was the name of the first killer whale brought to SeaWorld San Diego in the 1960s from the Seattle Marine Aquarium . ' Shamu ' is now used as a stage name for killer whales in performances at SeaWorld parks. Currently, SeaWorld houses 18 killer whales in its three parks. Organizations such as World Animal Protection and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society campaign against the captivity of dolphins and killer whales; SeaWorld, which holds most of

20163-493: Was themed to a modern-day movie backlot of modern-day Hollywood), and overemphasis on retail and dining. When John Hench (an original Imagineer who worked with Walt and was a chief creative executive at Imagineering since Imagineering was founded) was asked for his opinion on the park, he reportedly said, "I preferred the parking lot." Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris was the second Disneyland Paris park. Disney had to build

20306-610: Was turned into a park as a "half day" attraction—a complement to the rest of the resort. The rest of the park was themed to 1930s Hollywood and featured lost parts of Hollywood like the Brown Derby. Universal Studios Florida opened on June 7, 1990 (delayed by one year) to great fanfare, but the primary attractions were experiencing severe technical difficulties. All three of the park's major attractions (Jaws, Disaster!, and Kongfrontation) were not working and suffered major technical difficulties. Disaster! and Kongfrontation were fixed by

20449-599: Was widely expected that InBev would later sell off non-core assets in order to pay down the debt created by its purchase of Anheuser-Busch; the theme-park division was considered one of the most likely assets to be sold. In early 2009, InBev began soliciting bids for those assets in advance of an anticipated sale. As part of the plans to shed the division, Busch Entertainment ended the free beer-sampling programs at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and at nine other theme parks which have Anheuser-Busch BrewMaster's Clubs. Similarly, Busch Entertainment broke from its parent company and terminated

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