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Carwardine Parks of Virginia, Inc., d/b/a Carwardine Parks, is an entertainment company that operates theme parks and tourist attractions throughout the world. It is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, United States, with additional offices in Los Angeles, New York City, London and Lebanon, Eruowood. It was founded in 1980 by Christopher R. Carwardine; the Carwardine and Fawkes families own a 77.5% ownership interest in the company, the Virginia Retirement System owns 12.5% of the company and Virgin Group and TKO Group Holdings each own a 4.3% stake.

Carwardine, aside from building its own parks such as Carwardine Colony and The World of Redwall, has been known for buying & turning around struggling theme parks. Christopher's 2016 biography reflects this, titled "Resurrecting America's Theme Parks" and featuring anecdotes and other stories regarding the company's projects and acquisitions.

History[]

The first park, Carwardine Colony, was planned in the mid-to-late-1970s by regional real estate mogul Christopher R. Carwardine with assistance from his wife Hiroko and their friend Marv Simpleton after Christopher bought a disused landfill known locally as the "Trash Heap from Hell". During the oil crisis, Christopher decided to add the focus of a large theme park that wasn't far away from the beaches of Virginia.

After the success of the first park, the company was founded in August of 1980, with investors including PepsiCo and CSX Corporation.

In 1985, the chain was deemed the "fastest growing leisure or recreation chain in the history of the United States" by experts.

In 1986, Carwardine began their partnership with the WWE (then the World Wrestling Federation). The partnership has resulted in appearances by WWE talent at Carwardine Parks properties, WWE-themed attractions in the parks and, most famously, an annual visit by The Undertaker to Carwardine Colony during the Halloween season.

In March of 1990, after the success of Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America, Carwardine officially announced their deal with Nintendo.

In the Fall of 1990, CSX's 20% stake in the company was sold to the Japan-based Oriental Land Company (becoming their only international property) while another 20% was sold to Richard Branson's Virgin Group as part of a cost-cutting measure in order to pay down debt. This would later come in handy for international expansion.

In 1991, Carwardine Parks went public on the stock market, also that year, a small company named AlfaSmart Parks (better known as Palace Entertainment) purchased franchising rights to sixteen locations (Akron Acres, Baldwin Village, Billings' Wild Kingdom, Canada's Adventure Acres, Chippewa Lake Park, Colorado Canyon, Coney Island, Hawaii Luna Park, Idlewild Park, Idora Park, Kennywood, Kid's World, Oregon Adventures, Pirates World, Rose Island and Rose Park), instantly becoming Carwardine's largest franchisee.

In 1992, Dept. 2 Productions was founded in order to produce more theming and queue videos/live show videos.

In 1993, due to the sale of DiC to ABC and the foundation of Dept. 2 Productions, Carwardine's near-decade long partnership with DiC ended for domestic production on queue-tapes, being replaced by Texamation, Seattle Ink & Paint, and other smaller companies. The licensing rights for the DiC characters remained, however.

In 1995, Jeffrey Katzenberg, after being fired from Disney, was made Chairman and President to reinvigorate the company. He was resigned in 2002 due to a reorganization in the company. Also in 1995, DreamWorks SKG bought a large operational stake in the company from Carwardine Colony Real Estate, Inc. Immediately, several changes were made to the staff, with several Carwardine staff members, most notably Amaya Carwardine, getting kicked out of many of their roles. Also that year, Tokyo Carwardine Colony opened, marking the company's expansion into East Asia.

After DreamWorks' buyout, in 1996, Oriental Land Company sold their operational stakes to Hoshino Resorts, which didn't last long due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which led to all Japanese operations and 20% of the company being owned by Kintetsu Group Holdings.

In 1998, the company was sold from DreamWorks to The Mills Corporation, after both Chris and Wayne complained about how "corporate" the company got.

During the Mills Corporation's ownership of Carwardine Parks, they added in some parks some non-anchor stores that were normally found inside malls to some of the parks. They also made the PBS Kids Neighborhood brand the kids area of most Carwardine Parks in the United States. Frank Oz was appointed Multimedia Director of Dept. 2 Productions to produce CyberStar-esque videos for the new live shows.

Mobile cameras on rides without a permit from the Carwardine Video Program were banned in 2000, as CVP members (among them: Theme Park Review, The Theme Park Crew, TUBERIDES, CoasterForce, Coaster Studios, Koaster Kids, etc.) have to follow a strict set of rules (1. You must have a wrist attachment. 2. Waterproof cameras required for waterpark use. 3. Camera glasses are allowed in most cases. 4. Spy cameras are banned in most cases. 5. You must pay $10 a year for the Video Program), however, in 2011 the ban was relaxed for people with mobile phones on select attractions (Train rides, Coasters that are below 100ft and don't go upside down, slower-moving flat rides that don’t go very high up, and all floored Enterprises/Rangers (The floorless variants still ban phones, due to a lack of a cage).

In 2001, the Australian parks now became operated by Virgin Group instead of by Carwardine themselves to save money on international operations.

Carwardine Parks, alongside other Carwardine properties, sold LidRock lids throughout the mid-2000’s; from early 2003 to some point in the later mid 2000’s; most likely 2007 (it is believed that LidRock went defunct around then; if so, it might have to do with the Great Recession).

In 2004, Carwardine was starting to have financial issues, which only worsened when they purchased AstroWorld from Six Flags in 2006, leading them into a bunch of debt, looming right before the Great Recession, in 2007, Carwardine underwent Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Simon Property Group bought Mills' shares as part of their acquisition of the company, several licenses were not renewed and forced to be replaced with ones still existing or removed entirely (most of the PBS Kids Neighborhood licenses was set to expire, and Carwardine licensed the Discovery Kids "Real Toons" lineup of shows with intentions of using them to replace most of the PBS Kids Neighborhood licenses), and several parks were split up into the Kennywood Entertainment Company.

In 2009, Simon Property Group bought Kintetsu's shares and nearly all of Virgin's shares, although they would continue to operate the international parks in their respective countries.

On August 11, 2012, the Carwardine and Fawkes families completed a management-led buyout of the company from Simon Property Group. The company was re-incorporated in Delaware, with headquarters remaining in Newport News, Virginia. During the final half of 2012 and early 2013, the new independent Carwardine Parks of Virginia company raised $13 million in series A venture capital funding from PepsiCo, InterMedia Partners, Virgin Group, World Wrestling Entertainment, and venture capital firms New Enterprise Associates, Comcast Ventures and International Entertainment Investments Group.

In 2014, another character in their line of mascot characters, an anthropomorphic cat named Cara (voiced by Suzi Sparks) was introduced.

In 2015, Dept. 2 Productions mostly moved from Virginia Beach into a two floor, 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) facility in the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport industrial park.

In 2016, Christopher R. Carwardine retired, and Wayne Carwardine II left Cedar Fair to return to the company to suceed his father as CEO. That same year, Carwardine Parks of Virginia raised $30 million in series B venture capital funding from 21st Century Fox, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, and venture capital firms RSE Ventures, Raland National Venture Capital Fund and Comcast Ventures. The round was led by 21st Century Fox, with additional funding from Retirement Systems of Alabama.

In 2020, Wayne Carwardine II announced a project entitled Plan 2020 to reinvigorate the company and it's properties again (with The Old Village of Providence and Mount Amazement named as two of the parks to undergo a heavy "reinvention"). This will include the creation of a spinoff real estate investment trust to invest in amusement parks, theaters, ski resorts, sports venues, and charter schools and to sub-contract some properties' operation. The company is set to move from the NYSE to NASDAQ. They currently are "YAH" on NASDAQ and formerly on the NYSE.

After the George Floyd riots, the parks policies have been updated once again, with metal detectors added at all parks to prevent rioting occurring and stronger rules regarding derogatory comments and politics.

Recently, Carwardine has notified the California governor if that their parks aren't able to reopen by January 1, 2021, all the unopened Californian parks will be written as a tax write-off and will not possibly reopen until they get enough demand.

Carwardine has since changed their plans to sue the Californian government if they don't get the parks to open in time for Christmas. They tried to sue them, but they failed.

On May 1, 2021, the mask requirement was removed for the Ohioan and Texan parks.

Starting on June 1, 2021, the mask requirement was removed for vaccinated people in states that are mask-optional.

After the ICON Park Drop Tower incident in March 2022, Carwardine temporarily closed all of their Funtime-built rides, including the Mario's Wingflyer rides that were refurbed by Funtime. They all were reopened by June, as long as operating procedures were followed.

Licenses in the Parks[]

See Carwardine Parks/Licenses in the Parks

Properties[]

Current theme parks[]

Name Location Year Opened Year Acquired Division Park code Notes
Action Park & New Jersey's Backyard Vernon Township, New Jersey, U.S. 1978 2016 7 ACT Purchase price $17M. Purchased from the Mulvihil Family.
Akron Acres Akron, Ohio, U.S. 1924 1990 4 AKR Often bundled together with Geauga Lake. Purchase Price $6M.
Alabama's Backyard Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. 1995 2002 3 ALB Purchase price $20M.
Alaska Frontier Park Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. 1995 - 11 MFP New-build indoor theme park. Formerly known as "Marvel Frontier Park" [1995-1998].
Albuquerque Adventure Acres Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. 1998 - 8 AAA New-build theme park.
Amazin’ Plains Chillicothe, Ohio, U.S. 1984 2007 4 AMP Purchased as part of a package deal with Six Flags.
Americawood Park Henrietta, Texas, U.S. 1972 1989 10 AMR They only operate the park. They won the rights for $2M.
Andy Griffith's Mayberry U.S.A. Warren County, North Carolina, U.S. 1993 - 1 MAY New-build theme park.
Arizona's Backyard Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S. 1995 2000 23 BLA Bought from TechEruo, formerly TechEruo's Blazing Acres. Purchased for $10M.
AstroWorld Houston, Texas, U.S. 1968 2006 10 AST Purchase price $20M.
Bainbridge Island Ventnor City, New Jersey, U.S. 1923 2004 7 BBI Purchase price $17M. Purchased from Tussauds Parks North America. The railway/living village part, Bainbridge Island Historic Railway Village, is run by a non-profity entity, the Friends of the Bainbridge Island Railway, which cooperates with Carwardine in marketing and promotional efforts.
Baldwin Village Theme Park Watertown, Wisconsin, U.S. 1932 1985 5 BVA Carwardine leases the theme park portion, Baldwin Village Theme Park, from the State of Wisconsin, the railway/living village part, Baldwin Village, is leased by the non-profit Baldwin Village Society. Carwardine and the Society cooperate in promotional and marketing efforts.
Billings' Wild Kingdom Billings, Montana, U.S. 1940 1982 6 BIL Purchase price $4M.
Boblo Island Amusement Park Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada 1898 1993 12 BOB Purchase price $14M.
Boston Funplex Boston, Masachusetts, U.S. 1999 2011 7 FUN Purchase price $13M.
Indoor theme park similar to the annual I-X Indoor Amusement Park event in Ohio.
Brilliance Port Beaufort, North Carolina, U.S. 1972 1999 1 BPR Purchase price $15M.
Camp Carwardine Denton, Texas, U.S. 1988 - 10 CMP New-build theme park. First Texan Carwardine Park built from the ground up.
Canada's Adventure Acres Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 1964 1985 12 CND Purchase price approx. $8M.
Canada's Opryland Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada 1985 1996 13 COP Purchase price $5M.
Capital Adventure Acres Fort Washington, Maryland, U.S. 1999 - 1 CAA New-build theme park.
Carwardine Colony Newport News, Virginia, U.S. 1980 - 1 COL New-build theme park. Flagship park of the chain.
Carwardine Corners Yonkers, New York, U.S. 1983 - 25 COR New-build theme park.
Carwardine C-Zone Katy, Texas, U.S. 1990 - 10 CZN New-build theme park.
Carwardine Heights Townsend, Delaware, U.S. 1989 - TBA CHS New-build theme park.
Carwardine's Adventure Acres Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. 1988 - 23 ADV New-build theme park. First park in the chain to use the "Adventure Acres" moniker. Often credited as being America's first indoor amusement park.
Carwardine's Dubailand Adventure Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2012 - 17 DUB New-build theme park.
Carwardine's Great America Leesburg, Virginia, U.S. 1977 1980 1 GRE Formerly the third Marriott's Great America park. First acquired park in the Carwardine chain. Purchase price unknown.
Carwardine's Hollywood Adventure San Diego, California, U.S. 2002 - TBA HWA New-build theme park.
Carwardine's Magic Planet Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 2003 - TBA MAG New-build theme park.
CarwardineSphere Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. 2022 - TBA CWS New-build theme park.
Celebration City Branson, Missouri, U.S. 2003 2010 TBA CEL Purchase price $2M.
Centerpoint Park Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada 1969 1993 TBA CEN Described as "Niagara Falls' Coney Island" and as a New York counterpart to Boblo Island. Often bundled together with Darien Lake. Purchase price $1M.
Cherokee Park Qualla Boundary, Cherokee, North Carolina, U.S. 2003 - 1 EBC New-build theme park. Co-owned with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Chippewa Lake Park Chippewa Lake, Ohio, U.S. 1878 1982 4 CLP Purchase price $900,000.
Colorado Canyon Evergreen, Colorado, U.S. 1999 - TBA CAN New-build theme park. Replacement for the original Colorado Canyon.
Cypress Gardens Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. 1936 2008 TBA CPG Purchase price $3M.
Darien Lake Darien Center, New York, U.S. 1981 2007 25 DAR Purchased as part of a package deal with Six Flags.
Desertworld Theme and Water Park Santa Fe, New Mexico, U. S. 1999 - 8 DSR New-build theme park.
Discovery Kingdom Vallejo, California, U.S. 1968 2021 TBA DKM Purchased on April 2nd, 2021 due to the 2021 bankruptcy of Six Flags.
Disney-Carwardine Studios Minneapolis Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. 1991 - TBA DIS New-build theme park. Owned in part with Disney.
Dogpatch USA Marble Falls, Arkansas, U.S. 1968 2019 TBA DOG Carwardine had previously leased the park from and operated it on behalf of Ford Carr (1994-2005), Pruett Nance (2005-2014), and Bud Pelsor (2014-2019) before buying it outright in 2019. Purchase price $6M.
Durango Park El Paso, Texas, U.S. 2015 - 10 DUR New-build theme park.
Dylan Park & Redwall Abbey Burlington, New Jersey, U.S. 1918 1993 7 DYL Purchase price $20M.
El Kadsreian Adventure Acres Cicmpillici, El Kadsre 1992 - 18 ETV New-build theme park. Co-owned with El TV Kadsre Television Network.
Entertainment Galaxy Euclid Square Mall, Euclid, Ohio, U.S. 2018 - 4 GAL New-build theme park.
Entertainment Park Down Under Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1986 - 16 ADU New-build theme park.
Freestyle Adventure Acres Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. 2008 2010 TBA FAA Purchase price $17M.
Geauga Lake Geauga County, Ohio, U.S. 1887 2007 4 GAU Purchase price $15M.
Goodtimes Amusement Park Parker, Texas, U.S. 1956 1983 10 GAP Purchase price $4M.
Great Escape Queensbury, New York, U.S. 1954 2007 25 ESC Purchased as part of a package deal with Six Flags.
Hawaii Luna Park Wahiawa, Hawaii, U.S. 1950 1989 TBA HLP Purchase price $17M.
Henlopen Playland Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S. 1925 1998 TBA HEN Purchase price $19M.
Joyland Amusement Park Wichita, Kansas, U.S. 1949 2007 TBA JOY Purchase price $17M.
Kid's World Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. 1990 - 7 KID New-build theme park. Replacement of the original Kid's World, but is located mostly on the replacement pier to allow space for Pier Village
La Cité Incroyable Saint-Alban, Quebec, Canada 1979 2001 14 CIT Purchase price $16M.
Louisiana Jazzland New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. 2000 (original)
2010 (reopening)
2008 TBA JZZ Purchase price $1M. Technically "bought" for $10M, but TechEruo's sponsorship made TechEruo pay $9M of the cost.
Lubbock’s Joyland Lubbock, Texas, U.S. 1948 2022 10 LBK Purchase price $3M.
Maple Leaf Playland Surrey, British Columbia, Canada 1985 2001 TBA MAP Purchase price $11M.
Marquette Woods Park Marquette, Michigan, U.S. 1920 1992 TBA WOD Purchase price $400,000.
Memphisworld Germantown, Tennessee, U.S. 1986 2006 TBA MEM Purchased from Six Flags.
Mid-American Adventure Eureka, Missouri. U.S. 1971 2021 TBA EUR Purchased on April 2nd, 2021 due to the 2021 bankruptcy of Six Flags.
Mississippi's Backyard Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. 1997 2000 TBA BAY Bought from TechEruo, formerly TechEruo's Blazing Bayou. Purchased for $10M.
Montreal's Adventure Acres Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, Canada 2020 - 14 MON Soft-opened in 2020 with limited capacity, full opening happened 2021.
Mount Amazement Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S. 2003 - TBA AMA New-build theme park.
Mundo Fantastico San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. 1972 1985 TBA MFT Purchase price $750,000
New Mexico's Backyard Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. 2003 - 8 NMB New-build theme park.
New Roseland Park Canandaigua, New York, U.S. 2000 - 25 ROS New-build theme park.
The Old Village of Providence Scituate, Rhode Island, U.S. 1960 1998 TBA OVP Purchase price $1 million.
Originally just a living museum depiciting life in the 1700s/1800s before Carwardine added some amusement rides and roller coasters to supplement the living museum experience.
Omaha Luna Park Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. 1916 1998 TBA LUN Purchase price $20M.
Opryland Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. 2000 - TBA OLD New-build theme park. Not to be confused with the original park.
Oregon Adventures Burns, Oregon, U.S. 1978 1981 TBA OAD Purchase price $2M.
Pacific Playland Spokane, Washington, U.S. 1981 2003 TBA PAC Purchase price $7M.
Parque Aventura de México Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico 1999 - 19 MNL New-build theme park. Called "The Adventure Park of Mexico" on the English Carwardine Parks website.
Phelworth Mining Site USA Sturbridge, Massachusetts, U.S. 2005 - TBA PMS New-build theme park.
Pirates World Dania, Florida, U.S. 1967 1981 TBA ARR Third park purchased by Carwardine Parks.
Purchase price $1M.
PortAventura Salou, Catalonia, Spain 1995 2004 20 ESP Purchase price $2M.
Rose Island Charlestown, Indiana, U.S. 1981 - TBA RIS New-build theme park, situated on the site of the original Rose Island on Fourteen Mile Creek. The site is currenly leased from Clark County and is part of Charlestown State Park.
Rose Park Thomasville, Georgia, U.S. 1927 1983 2 RPR Purchase price approx. $20M.
Saltair-World West Jordan, Utah, U.S. 1990 1997 TBA SLT Purchase price $15M.
Saudi Springs Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1984 2003 TBA ARB Purchase price $2M.
Scottish Carwardine Colony Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. 1996 - 15 SUK New-build theme park.
Screamin' Safari Angola, Indiana, U.S. 1956 2009 TBA FSP Purchase price $4M. Formerly known as Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo.
Southern Springs Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. 1969 2003 4 WWV Purchase price $5M.
Stoogeland Theem Park Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S. 1992 - TBA TTS New-build theme park.
Tijuana's Adventure Acres - Ciudad de Aventura Tijuana Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico 1997 - TBA BJA New-build theme park.
Tokyo Carwardine Colony Akiruno, Tokyo, Japan 1995 - 21 NPN New-build theme park.
Tucson's Wonderland Tucson, Arizona, U.S. 1977 1996 TBA TAZ Formerly owned by Marriott's.
U.K. Adventure Acres Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, U.K. 1991 - TBA UKA New-build theme park.
Utah's Backyard Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. 2013 - TBA UTH New-build theme park.
Veroland Vero Beach, Florida, U.S. 2004 - TBA PKN New-build theme park.
Formerly known as "PBS Kids Neighborhood" from 2004-2007.
Warriors Woods Rome, Georgia, U.S. 2017 - 2 WAR New-build theme park.
Whalom Park Lunenburg, Massachusetts, U.S. 1893 2001 TBA WPM Purchase price $8M.
Williams Grove Amusement Park Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. 1850 2007 4 WIL Purchase Price $7M. Oldest park in the chain.
The World of Redwall Austin, Texas, U.S. 2004 - 10 RED New-build theme park.
World of Redwall Australia Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia 2020 - TBA RAS New-build theme park.
World of Redwall Europe Halsall, Lancashire, England, U.K. 2015 - TBA REU New-build theme park.
The World of Watership Down Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. 2005 - 4 WSD New-build theme park.
Zábava Park Nitra, Slovakia 1959 1990 22 CZS Purchased for US$5M from the Czechoslovakian government.


Was the last park in what is now Slovakia to be purchased by an American company during the Soviet era.

Current water parks[]

Does not include water parks located in amusement parks.

Name Location Year Opened Year Acquired Notes
Alaska Springs Indoor Waterpark Anchorage, Alaska 2005 - New-build waterpark. Near Alaska Frontier Park.
The Beach Waterpark Mason, Ohio 1985 2019 Reopened in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic. Bought from Adventure Landing.
Blazing Springs Flagstaff, Arizona 1996 2000 Bought from TechEruo in 2000, formerly TechEruo's Blazing Springs.
Carwardine Canyon Tulsa, Oklahoma 1984 - Carwardine's first attempt at a waterpark, often considered the "Disneyland of Waterparks" for it's outrageous theming.
Discovery Waterpark Newberry Springs, California 1962 2004 Bought from S.L. Investment Group LLC.
Fallsview Indoor Waterpark Niagara Falls, Ontario 2006 2020 Bought for only $250,000 due to COVID having an economic impact on the resort.

Connected into a Carwardine Funtown Resorts & Hotels resort that will open in 2022.

Hawaiian Falls Ames Ames, Iowa 2020 - New-build waterpark.
Hawaiian Falls The Colony The Colony, Texas 2004 2020 Bought from ProParks.
Hawaiian Falls Garland Garland, Texas 2003 2020 Bought from ProParks.
Hawaiian Falls Jasper Jasper, Arkansas 2020 - New-build waterpark.
Hawaiian Falls Mansfield Mansfield, Texas 2008 2020 Bought from ProParks.
Hawaiian Falls Roanoke Roanoke, Texas 2011 2020 Bought from ProParks.
Hawaiian Falls Sebastopol Sebastopol, California 2021 - New-build waterpark.
Hawaiian Falls Waco Waco, Texas 2012 2020 Bought from ProParks.
Hawaiian Falls Weiser Weiser, Idaho 2020 - New-build waterpark.
Hawaiian Falls Woodbury Woodbury, Connecticut 2020 - New-build waterpark.
Oakwood Lake Resort Manteca, California 1974 2004 Was derelict and abandoned for the entire 2003 season.
Raging Waters Sacramento Sacramento, California 1980 2022 Bought from Parques Reunidos.
Raging Waters San Jose San Jose, California 1985 2023 Bought from Parques Reunidos.
Schlitterbahn Arlington Heights Arlington Heights, Illinois 2020 - New-build waterpark.
Schlitterbahn Canton Canton, Ohio 2021 - New-build waterpark.
Schlitterbahn Cedar Park Cedar Park, Texas 2012 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, Texas 2015 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2019 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn Galveston Galveston, Texas 2006 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri 2009 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn New Braunfels New Braunfels, Texas 1979 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Schlitterbahn Rolling Hills Rolling Hills, California 2021 - New-build waterpark.
Schlitterbahn South Padre Island South Padre Island, Texas 2001 2019 Bought from the Henry family.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Draper Draper, Utah 2022 - New-build waterpark.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Midvale Midvale, Utah 2022 - New-build waterpark.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Provo Provo, Utah 1990 2018 Bought from Park Provo LLC.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Riverton Riverton, Utah 2022 - New-build waterpark.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, Utah 1979 2018 Bought from Park Provo LLC, has shuttle tram/bus rides to Utah's Backyard on some days.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Sandy Sandy, Utah 2022 - New-build waterpark.
Seven Peaks Waterpark Taylorsville Taylorsville, Utah 2022 - New-build waterpark.
Splash Down Dunes Water Park Porter, Indiana 1994 2009 Purchase price $2M, built on the former site of the Enchanted Forest amusement park that operated from 1957-1991.
Stoogeland Nitwit Springs Nashua, New Hampshire 2008 - New-build water park. Located on the same property as Stoogeland Theem Park.
Water Country Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1984 2010 Bought in 2010, has shuttle tram/bus rides to Stoogeland Theem Park on some days.
Wet 'n Wild Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada 1985 2004 Bought from Palace Entertainment. Not to be confused with the nearby Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas in Spring Valley.
Wet 'n Wild Orlando Orlando, Florida 1977 2016 Bought from Universal Parks & Resorts.
Wet 'n Wild Palm Springs Palm Springs, California 1986 2019 Bought from CNL Lifestyle Properties.
Wet 'n Wild Salvador Salvador, Bahia 1996 1997 Bought from the Wet 'n Wild chain. Carwardine's first and currently only non-North American international dedicated waterpark.
Wild Rivers Irvine, California 1986 2011 Bought from Mike Riedel.
Wild Waters Ocala, Florida 1978 2016 Bought from the State of Florida.

Current fairs[]

Current venues[]

  • Carwardine Parks Coliseum - Arena in Owings Mills, Maryland near Baltimore, opened 2000. Home arena of the Baltimore Samurai of the United Handball Association and the Baltimore Bullets of the National Basketball Association.
  • Food Lion Arena - Arena in Grafton, Virginia near Newport News, opened 2006. Home arena of the Newport News Storm of the National Hockey League. (Formerly known as Wawa Arena from its opening in 2006 until 2021, when Carwardine lost the license, with the areana briefly being named Grafton Arena afterwards; since Carwardine struck a deal with Ahold Delhaize, it has been named Food Lion Arena since late 2022)
  • Maestro Stadium - Stadium in Newport News, opened 1991. Home stadium of the Carwardine family-owned Virginia Maestros of Major League Baseball.
  • Newport News Civic Center - Arena in Newport News, opened 1995. Was the first indoor Little League venue at the time. Was the first home venue of the Newport News Storm of the National Hockey League from 2001-2003 (the team did not play during the 2004–05 NHL lockout).

Current other properties[]

Former/Current/Upcoming cruise ships[]

History[]

Carwardine pitched partnering up with several cruise lines to use the characters they had the license to on sea, including Carnival, Royal Carribbean, Norwegian, and Cunard, the latter laughed Chris out of the deal, suggesting they make their own line of ships, Carwardine went forward and spent $15 million to build the Alpha, with the ship being built in Germany.

The cruise line was "put on hold" in 2020 due to Coronavirus concerns. Carwardine has a master plan for restarting cruise line operations once the pandemic has passed, including debuting entirely new ships called "neo *greek letter*" (ex. Carwardine neoAlpha) to accompany the existing fleet.

Fleet[]

  • Carwardine Alpha (built in 1990, first cruise ship under by Carwardine Parks) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines] {Carwardine neoAlpha, launched December 2021}
  • Carwardine Beta (built in 1991) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines] {Carwardine neoBeta, launched July 2022}
  • Carwardine Gamma (built in 1992) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines] {Carwardine neoGamma, coming December 2022}
  • Carwardine Delta (built in 1993) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines] {Carwardine neoDelta, coming August 2023}
  • Carwardine Epsilon (built in 1993) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Zeta (built in 1994) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Eta (built in 1994) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Theta (built in 1995) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Iota (built in 1995) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Kappa (built in 1995) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Lambda (built in 1996) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Mu (built in 1996) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Nu (built in 1996) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Xi (built in 1996) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Omicron (built in 1997) [laid up in Newport, Rhode Island, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Pi (built in 1998) [spared for Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Rho (bult in 1999) [laid up in Aliağa, Turkey, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Sigma (built in 2000) [laid up in Aliağa, Turkey, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Tau (built in 2000) [laid up in Aliağa, Turkey, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Upsilon (built in 2001) [laid up in Aliağa, Turkey, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Phi (built in 2001) [laid up in Newport News, Virginia, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Chi (built in 2001) [laid up in Newport News, Virginia, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Psi (built in 2001) [laid up in Newport News, Virginia, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]
  • Carwardine Omega (built in 2001) [laid up in Newport News, Virginia, might become part of Carwardine Legacy Lines]

Former theme parks[]

  • Adventureland (1993-2007; Carwardine held operating rights from 1993-2007 when the owners, the Gentile family and Peter Amoruso, took operations in-house)
  • Canada's Adventure (1983-1985; sold to Funtime Parks, Inc.; now owned by Cedar Fair)
  • Colorado Canyon (1985) (1985-1998; Destroyed in a landslide in 1998, replaced with a new park with the same name in 2000 after 1 and a half years of construction.)
  • Coney Island (1991-2007; spun off in 2007)
  • Holy Land Park (2008-2021; closed due to low attendance)
  • Idlewild and Soak Zone (1991-2007; spun off in 2007)
  • Idora Park (1984-2007; spun off in 2007)
  • Kennywood (1990-2007; spun off in 2007)
  • Lake Compounce (1995-2007; spun off in 2007)
  • Playland (1993-2007; Carwardine held operating rights from 1993-2007 when the owners, the Westchester County Government, took operations in-house)
  • Montana's Fantasyworld (2001-2007; spun off in 2007)
  • Schuyler Lake (2011-2015; sold back to to Six Flags in 2016)
  • Splish Splash (1993-2007; Carwardine held operating rights from 1993-2007 when the owners, the Gentile family and Peter Amoruso, took operations in-house)

Former other properties[]

Cancelled parks[]

  • Atlantis: The Water Kingdom (Carwardine failed to purchase the park, originally, Carwardine were going to purchase all of the slides at the park to be moved across several of their parks and then use the land for a Circus Playhouse, but that was also haulted, this time due to Hurricane Andrew, the land was later sold off back to Six Flags in 1993, the park is now Six Flags Over Miami.)
  • Medievale Carwardine (a cancelled park themed to the Middle ages)
  • SeaCarwardine (a cancelled park in Seattle themed to marine animals)

Restaurant franchises in the parks[]

Most of the parks have one of these restaurant franchises. The soft drink brand who's products are served depends on the park (most Carwardine Parks serve Pepsi, others serve Coca-Cola: this is because Carwardine's soda contract is with Pepsi, however some of their acquired parks still serve Coca-Cola and run under their contract).

  • A&W (American chain at some locations, Canadian chain at Boblo Island and Centerpoint Park)
  • Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon (at most locations; there were only Cinnabons at such parks before Focus Brands bought Auntie Anne’s, then starting in 2011, Auntie Anne’s locations connected to the Cinnabons began opening)
  • Bojangles (at some locations)
  • Burger King (at Geauga Lake, Opryland and Screamin' Safari)
    • NOTE: Due to exclusivity rights, the Burger King locations at Geauga Lake and Opryland are the only known locations to serve Pepsi products instead of Coca-Cola. The standard Coca-Cola Freestyle machine was at first substituted with a Pepsi Spire, then a Cornelius IDC Pro a few years later, and the only drink from other locations that is kept is ICEE.
  • Carvel Ice Cream (at Carwardine Colony and AstroWorld)
  • Chick-Fil-A (at Whalom Park and Alabama's Backyard)
  • Dairy Queen & Orange Julius (at most locations)
    • Dairy Queen Grill & Chill (at some locations)
  • Dippin’ Dots (all locations)
    • Dippin Dots/Doc Popcorn (at some locations)
    • NOTE: Some parks also offer 40 Below Joe, The Fruity Whey, and Island Rox from certain Dippin’ Dots stands. (All three brands are from Curt Jones, the man responsible for the invention of Dippin’ Dots.)
  • Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins (at some locations)
  • ICEE Mix It Up (all locations)
  • Insomnia Cookies (at some locations)
  • Jack in the Box (American chain at Carwardine's Hollywood Adventure, Canadian chain at Canada's Adventure Acres and La Cité Incroyable)
  • Jollibee (at some locations)
  • Krispy Kreme (at some locations)
  • KFC (at some locations)
  • Lee's Sandwiches (at AstroWorld and The World of Redwall)
  • Long John Silver's (at AstroWorld, Phelworth Mining Site USA and Geauga Lake)
  • McDonald's (at some locations)
    • NOTE: Due to exclusivity rights, the McDonald's branches at Carwardine Colony, Carwardine Heights, Pirates World, Camp Carwardine, Freestyle Adventure City, Boblo Island, Andy Griffith's Mayberry U.S.A. and Omaha Luna Park are among the few to serve Pepsi products instead of Coca-Cola, the others being in airports and formerly at the Mall of America.
  • Mrs. Fields (at some locations)
  • Mounty's (at some locations)
  • Nestlé Toll House Café (at some locations)
  • Pizza Hut (at some locations)
    • Pizza Hut Express (at most locations)
  • Popeye's (at Louisiana Jazzland)
  • Pollo Campero (at Andy Griffith's Mayberry U.S.A. and Omaha Luna Park)
  • Rally's/Checkers (at some locations)
    • NOTE: The Rally's location at Marquette Woods Park and the Checkers locations at Henlopen Playland and Dylan Park & Redwall Abbey serve Pepsi products instead of Coca-Cola products
  • Roy Rogers (at Chippewa Lake Park, Boston Funplex, and Darien Lake)
  • Sweet Frog (at some locations)
  • Taco Bell (at some locations)
    • Taco Bell Express (at some locations)
  • Taco John's (at Geauga Lake)
  • Tim Hortons (at some locations)
  • Starbucks (at Carwardine Colony, Capital Adventure City, Rose Park, and Geauga Lake)
  • Subway (all locations)
  • Taco Bell
  • Wendy’s (at Akron Acres; serves Pepsi, unlike most other locations)

Passports[]

  • S-P Passport (Season Passes)
  • Q-X Passport (Fast Passes)
  • P-T Passport (Photo Passes)
  • D-N Passport (Dining Passes)
  • V-I Passport (VIP Passes)
  • L-T Passport (Lifetime Passes; only given out occasionally, once in a Nintendo Power contest in 1993, second time given to "Lasso Jockey" Louie Manson for riding Lasso at Carwardine Colony 10,000 times in 2000, the third time in 2005 for the 25th anniversary contest, the fourth time was given to Patty Rappach (formerly known as Richard Sal Rappach) in 2008 for riding Special Delivery at Omaha Luna Park 5,000 times, and the fifth time given in 2013 to Troy A. Vincent for riding Bobsled Run at Akron Acres 12,000 times)
  • M-B Passport (Membership Passes)

Trivia[]

  • Employees are called "Carnies", similar to Disney's "Cast Members" term.
  • This chain has an exclusivity deal with Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, this is in contrast with most chains, who are sided with Coca-Cola instead.
    • Some acquired parks still have Coca-Cola, due to the licensing deals they used to have.
  • The company is a contributor to the charity Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Florida.

See Also[]

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