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.
|
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[]
- FairCon - traveling fair.
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[]
- Carwardine Funtown Resorts & Hotels - Chain of resorts, hotels and motels, founded in 2001.
- Circus Playhouse & Food Emporium - A family entertainment center chain, acquired in 1984.
- Fantastic Tom's Pizza - A family entertainment center chain, founded in 1980. Initially a regional chain in Virginia and North Carolina before expanding nationwide in the 90s.
- Jeepers! (Carwardine Parks) - A family entertainment center chain, revived in 2011.
- Mount Tom Ski Area - Ski resort in Holyoke, Massachusetts - acquired in 2000.
- Star Plaza - Hospitality complex in Merrillville, Indiana - acquired in 2016.
- Tex Critter's Pizza Jamboree - A family entertainment center chain, acquired in 1984.
- Tokens 'n Pizza - Family entertainment center in Bedford, New Hampshire, acquired in 2002.
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[]
- Carwardine Mills - spun off in 2007, but the name remains
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.