 Newtka giving a ride during a show in the mid 1970s | |
| Location | Arlington, Texas, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°45′24″N97°04′54″W / 32.7566748°N 97.0817185°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | March 18, 1972 |
| Closed | 1976 |
| Area | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 1 |
| Roller coasters | 0 |
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Seven Seas Marine Life Park was a marine mammal park, and animal theme park built and owned by the city of Arlington, Texas, United States. It opened in March 1972, but ended up closing in 1976 after losing millions of dollars.
Plans to build the park were made as early as 1971, with costs estimating around $6.7 million. [1] In April 1971, a landscaping project proposal passed, funding a local landscaping company $7,702 to provide 195,000 square feet of Bermuda grass for the park, and $3,121 to prune 1,000 trees growing there. [2] It was 70% complete in early April. [3]
During construction in 1970, several marine life fossils aged at around 100 million years were found at the site. [4]
The park opened on March 18, 1972. [5] The 35 acres (14 ha) site was located in north Arlington off Interstate 30 near Six Flags Over Texas and adjacent to Arlington Stadium.
The park lost almost half a million dollars in 1972, 1973 and 1974 and after the 1975 season, the animals were sold. The park reopened for the 1976 season as Hawaii Kai. The attendance for that season was at an all-time low and the city council of Arlington voted to close the park because it did not generate enough revenue to both pay its operating expenses and pay off the bonded indebtedness. [6] [7]
The property is now the site of the Arlington Sheraton Hotel and has several buildings on the property that date back to the park. In addition, there is a remaining piece from the Japan garden, a very nice, large bridged Pagoda still exists outside the hotels court pool area.
Other animals that resided in the park also include a chimpanzee, three harbor seals, otters, a rescued caiman croc, two Himalayan black bears, at least seven sharks, a sea turtle named Tom, flamingos, macaws, toucans, ducks, geese and thousands of koi and goldfish.
