Themeparks LLC

Last updated
Themeparks LLC
Company type LLC
Industry Amusement park owner and operator
FounderEd Hart
Headquarters
1401 Bardstown Road,
Louisville, Kentucky
,
U.S.
Number of locations
2
Area served
United States
Key people
Ed Hart Chairman & CEO

Themeparks LLC, later known as Kentucky Kingdom LLLP, was an American company that operated two amusement parks. The company was originally formed as "227 Plus One" in the late 1980s by Ed Hart and is based in Louisville, Kentucky. Themeparks' first park was Kentucky Kingdom, which it bought in 1989 and sold to Premier Parks (now Six Flags) in 1997. [1] Themeparks subsequently operated Magic Springs Theme Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas from 2000 to 2008 before selling it to PARC Management. Themeparks LLC repurchased Kentucky Kingdom in 2013 and operated the amusement park from 2014 to 2020. In February 2021, Kentucky Kingdom was sold to Herschend Family Entertainment. [2]

Contents

History

The first decade (1989–2008)

In early April 1989, businessman Ed Hart bought the then-bankrupt Kentucky Kingdom amusement park's operating rights in a contract with the Kentucky State Fair Board. [3] Hart then turned the park around and reopened it for the 1990 season. During this time, Hart founded Themeparks LLC specifically for the project.

On September 26, 1997, Themeparks LLC announced that Kentucky Kingdom would be sold to Premier Parks for $64 million, the deal was finalized on November 7. [4] In 1998, Premier Parks purchased Six Flags Theme Parks from Time Warner, Kentucky Kingdom became Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on June 21, 1998. [5]

In the late 1990s, Hart was approached by Fitraco, a Belgian company, to reopen Magic Springs amusement park in Arkansas. Hart then reassembled and restarted Themeparks LLC, only one year after it dissolved after the sale of Kentucky Kingdom to Premier Parks (now Six Flags). Hart and Themeparks LLC then reopened the park on May 27, 2000, after five years being closed. [6] [7] During Themeparks LLC's operations at Magic Springs, attendance grew to new highs, after the additions of Crystal Falls Water Park and the Timberwood Amphitheater.

In October 2002, the company made a bid for VisionLand, a theme park in Bessemer, Alabama, but the price was too high. [8]

Themeparks LLC sold Magic Springs and Crystal Falls to PARC Management in June 2008. [9] Themeparks LLC then dissolved for a second time afterwards.

Return to Kentucky Kingdom (2010–2021)

In 2010, Themeparks LLC temporarily renamed itself to KK Redevelopment LLC to buy back Kentucky Kingdom from the state of Kentucky. In late 2011, The Kentucky State Fair Board ended their plans with KK Redevelopment LLC to reopen Kentucky Kingdom, after they failed to reach a lease agreement by a September 30 deadline. [10] On October 19, 2012, KK Redevelopment LLC submitted a new proposal to reopen the park, the proposal included $50 million in startup funding and $70 million over the term of a lease with the state. [11]

On January 24, 2013, The Fair Board approved the proposal from KK Redevelopment LLC and Ed Hart to reopen Kentucky Kingdom. [12] The park (along with Hurricane Bay) was set to reopen on May 24, 2014, with new thrill rides and a bigger water park. Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay is now open with Themeparks LLC as the new operators. They spent over 50 million dollars to bring back Kentucky Kingdom and during the first year of operation. Theme Park LLC added a $7 million roller coaster named Lightning Run and doubled the size of the water park. [13] Though Themeparks LLC does operate Kentucky Kingdom, the company was commonly referred to as Kentucky Kingdom LLLP when relating to Kentucky Kingdom.

On February 23, 2021, at a press conference attended by Kentucky governor Andy Beshear and Louisville mayor Greg Fischer, it was announced that the operating rights to Kentucky Kingdom had been sold to Herschend Family Entertainment, a Georgia-based company that operated three theme parks. [14]

Proposed amusement parks

After selling Kentucky Kingdom to Premier Parks in 1997, Hart began planning to build a brand new amusement park near Seattle, Washington, which was to be called "The Great Northwest Theme Park". [15] The park was to be 100 acres and be located in the town of Lakewood. It was planned to open in the Spring of 2002. However, the project was scrapped for unknown reasons.

In the early 2000s, Hart and Themeparks LLC began developing a new theme and water park, which was to be called Thrillopolis, and to be located in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's only amusement park, Opryland USA, had previously closed permanently several years prior in 1997 and was replaced by a shopping mall in 2000. The closest amusement park to Nashville at this time was Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. On June 17, 2002, Hart announced that Thrillopolis would not be built in Nashville, due to funding issues with the local government. [16] In late 2002, Themeparks LLC did try to find property for Thrillopolis in Wilson County, Tennessee, even signing an exclusivity agreement with Wilson County on October 15, 2002. [17] However, by the mid-2000s, plans to open Thrillopolis had been canceled.

Properties

Former
Proposed

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags</span> American entertainment company based in Arlington, Texas

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, formerly Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc., is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amusement-park company and has the seventh highest attendance in the world. The company operates 27 properties throughout North America, including theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, and a family entertainment center. In 2019, Six Flags properties hosted 32.8 million guests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dollywood</span> Theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Dollywood is a theme park that is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton through her entertainment company, Dolly Parton Productions. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly 3 million guests in a typical season from mid-March to the Christmas holidays, Dollywood is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee. It has won many international awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opryland USA</span> Theme park in Nashville, Tennessee (1972–1997)

Opryland USA was a theme park in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally from 1972 to 1997, and for a special Christmas-themed engagement every December from 1993 to 1997. During the late 1980s, nearly 2.5 million people visited the park annually. Billed as the "Home of American Music," Opryland USA featured a large number of musical shows along with typical amusement park rides, such as roller coasters.

Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure is a water park and amusement park in Bessemer, Alabama. It is owned by Koch Family Parks, which consists of members of the family who formerly had minority ownership in Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Magic Mountain</span> Theme park in Valencia, California

Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known and colloquially referred to as simply Magic Mountain, is a 209-acre (85 ha) amusement park located in Valencia, California, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newhall Land and Farming Company and Sea World Inc. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added "Six Flags" to the park's name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Kingdom</span> Amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky

Kentucky Kingdom, formerly known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, is an amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The 67-acre (27 ha) park includes a collection of amusement rides and the Hurricane Bay water park. Kentucky Kingdom is located at the intersection of Interstate 65 and Interstate 264, sharing a parking lot with the Kentucky Exposition Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enchanted Kingdom</span> Theme park in the Philippines

Enchanted Kingdom, is a theme park in the Philippines. It is located in Santa Rosa, Laguna. It has a land area of 25 hectares. The park is managed and operated by Enchanted Kingdom Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Springs</span> Amusement park in Arkansas

Magic Springs Theme and Water Park, known as Magic Springs, is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about 50 mi (80 km) from Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides and attractions in both parks. The park is open weekends from April through October and daily late-May through mid-August. Magic Springs Theme and Water Park was opened in 1978, closed in 1995, and reopened in 2000. Magic Springs Theme and Water Park is owned by EPR Properties and operated by Premier Parks, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flashback (Six Flags New England)</span> Steel roller coaster

Flashback is a steel roller coaster of shuttle design currently operating at Six Flags New England. The ride has one train with a capacity of twenty-eight riders, two across in each row. When the coaster starts, the train is pulled backwards up the lift hill, then dropped through the loading gate into a cobra roll and then one loop. At the end of this cycle, the train is pulled up the lift hill at the end of the track. It is then released, allowing the train to traverse the track in the opposite direction. The ride is an off-the-shelf Vekoma Boomerang design common in many amusement parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T3 (roller coaster)</span> Defunct roller coaster

T3 (stylized as T3; pronounced "T-three", "T-cubed", or "Terror to the third power") was an inverted roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. The Suspended Looping Coaster model manufactured by Vekoma originally opened as T2 on April 8, 1995. Following the amusement park's closure in 2009 due to financial difficulties, the ride sat idle for several years. Under new park ownership, the roller coaster was refurbished and renamed T3, which reopened to the public as T3 on July 3, 2015. The ride closed permanently following the 2022 season.

Thunder Run (Kentucky Kingdom) Wooden roller coaster

Thunder Run is a wooden roller coaster at the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park in Louisville, Kentucky. The ride originally operated from August 1990 through to October 2009, when then-operators Six Flags abandoned the park. After remaining closed since 2009, Thunder Run reopened in May 2014 when Kentucky Kingdom reopened under new operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storm Chaser (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster in Kentucky

Storm Chaser is a steel roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Designed by Alan Schilke and manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) at an estimated cost of $10 million, the ride opened to the public on April 30, 2016. It features three inversions, a 78-degree drop, and a maximum speed of 52 mph (84 km/h) utilizing RMC's patented I-Box track technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Twister</span> Wooden roller coaster

Arkansas Twister is a wooden roller coaster at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls amusement park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Originally opening in 1978 as The Roaring Tiger at Circus World theme park, the roller coaster was purchased in 1991 by Magic Springs, where it reopened as Arkansas Twister on May 30, 1992. It features a 92-foot drop (28 m) and reaches speeds of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) as it travels through the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. The ride was also known as "Florida Hurricane" and "Michael Jackson's Thrill Coaster" over the years. Magic Springs purchased the ride from Boardwalk and Baseball for $10,000, and relocation costs brought the total investment to roughly $900,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin & Vleminckx</span> Roller coaster manufacturer

Martin & Vleminckx is a roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with an affiliated office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a manufacturing facility in Haines City, Florida, United States, and two subsidiaries, including a warehouse, in China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightning Run</span> Roller coaster

Lightning Run is a custom Hyper GT-X steel roller coaster, created and manufactured by Chance Rides, located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. Since its opening on May 24, 2014, Lightning Run is, to-date, the only operating Hyper GT-X model roller coaster in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightning Rod (roller coaster)</span> Launched roller coaster at Dollywood

Lightning Rod is a steel roller coaster located at Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the ride is themed to hot rod cars from the 1950s and opened to the public on June 13, 2016. Initially marketed as the first launched wooden roller coaster of its kind, Lightning Rod was later modified for the 2021 season, with over half of its wooden Topper Track getting replaced with RMC's steel I-Box track. Prior to the conversion, Lightning Rod was considered the fastest wooden coaster in the world reaching a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h). On September 12, 2023, Dollywood announced that the last day Lightning Rod will be a launched wooden coaster will be on October 30, 2023, after which the launch will be replaced with a high speed lift hill, which the ride will use upon reopening in Spring 2024.

Thrillopolis was a planned amusement park that was to have been built by Themeparks LLC in the early 2000s. The park was announced in 2002, and was projected to open in 2005. Thrillopolis was originally planned to be located at an 82-acre site near Adelphia Coliseum, but after conflicts with the local government, Themeparks LLC planned to build the park in Wilson County. The project was scrapped around 2004–05.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gauntlet (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster

The Gauntlet is an inverted roller coaster located at Magic Springs amusement park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) model was manufactured by Vekoma and opened at the park for the 2004 season.

This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2021. These various lists are not exhaustive.

References

  1. ↑ Kleber, John E. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 32. ISBN   0-8131-2100-0.
  2. ↑ Hayden, Courtney (February 23, 2021). "Kentucky Kingdom to be operated by owner of Dollywood, Newport Aquarium". WHAS11. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  3. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon (April 14, 1989). "Amusement park's rides destined for auction block". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Whew! What a wild ride for Kentucky Kingdom". Louisville Business Journal. November 24, 1997. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  5. ↑ "The New Monster Of The Midway; Premier Parks Thrives by Not Being Disney". The New York Times. June 21, 1998. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Magic Springs celebrates 40th anniversary with new ride". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 8 April 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Hot Springs, Arkansas' Attractions". hsnp.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Themeparks LLC signs exclusive with Wilson County". NashvillePost.com. October 15, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Thrills 'n' spills in the hills". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 13 June 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom reopening a distant dream as State Fair Board ends talks". Theme Park Tourist. October 4, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Hart pledges $120M investment to reopen Kentucky Kingdom". Louisville Business First. October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Kentucky Kingdom To Re-Open In 2014 With New Attractions!". Behind The Thrills. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  13. ↑ "The New Kentucky Kingdom Announces Lightning Run". ThrillGeek. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  14. ↑ Aulbach, Lucas (February 23, 2021). "'An international destination': Hopes high as Dollywood owner takes over Kentucky Kingdom". The Courier-Journal . Gannett . Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Lakewood's coaster ride". Puget Sound Business Journal. November 28, 1999. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Steiner Liff site for theme park scrapped". NashvillePost.com. June 17, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Themeparks LLC signs exclusive with Wilson County". NashvillePost.com. October 15, 2002. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.