Carwardine Parks

is an amusement parks & leisure property company headquartered in , , and founded in 1980 by its CEO Christopher R. Carwardine. It is currently a subsidiary of Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Wágner. It had been owned by from 1998 to 2007 when it was sold to Grupo Wágner as Mills became apart of .
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 after he 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.
In 1995, Jeffery 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.
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.
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, and all floored Enterprises/Rangers (The floorless variants still ban phones, due to a lack of a cage).
In 2020, shortly after becoming CEO, Wayne Carwardine II announced a plan 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.
After the George Floyd riots, the parks policies have been updated once again, with metal detectors added at all parks, and protesting not allowed on all of the parks property and not just Alabama's Backyard.
== Licenses in the parks ==
=== Current ===
* The Andy Griffith Show & Mayberry R.F.D. (since 1993)
* Angelina Ballerina (since 2003)
* Animorphs (since 1998)
* Alvin and the Chipmunks (since 2000; bought the licenses from Premier Parks, since Six Flags won't use the license)
* Barney & Friends (since 1994; license shared with Universal Parks & Resorts)
* Blazing Dragons (since 1997)
* Care Bears (since 1987)
* Devo (since 2005)
* Dragon Tales (since 2003)
* Doctor Who (since 2006)
* Eckhart (since 2003)
* El Chavo (since 2016)
* Franklin (since 2000)
* Garfield (since 1997; license shared with Silverwood Theme Park)
* The Get Along Gang (since 1987)
* Goosebumps (since 1996)
* Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (since 1993)
* Guardians of Ga'Hoole (since 2013)
* Hi-5 (since 2003)
* Hip Hop Harry (since 2006)
* Homestar Runner (since 2017)
* Inspector Gadget (since 1986)
* LazyTown (since 2004)
* Little Bear (since 2000)
* Li'l Abner (since 1994) (Current at Dogpatch USA; Semi-Current at all other parks)
* Matlock (since 1993)
* Mega Man (since 1995)
* Minecraft (since 2012; Licenses bought from Notch himself back in September 2011)
* Mole Miner (since 2003)
* Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend (since 1999)
* NFL (since 2017; US parks only)
* Nickelodeon properties (since 2002; license shared with Triple Five Group, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, Universal Parks & Resorts, Sunway Group, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
* Nintendo (since 1990; licenses now halved by both Carwardine and Universal, meaning that they both have licenses to Nintendo, but can't have the same attractions)
* Pee-wee Herman (since 2011)
* Power Rangers (1994-2002; since 2013)
* The Raccoons (since 2001; license shared with Six Flags for Six Flags Winnipeg)
* The Red Green Show (since 2000)
* Redwall (since 2000; license shared with the following companies: Renald-Zanni Entertainment & The Redwall Abbey Company Ltd. for live shows and character appearances at independent parks such as York's Wild Kingdom and Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Universal Parks & Resorts for Universal Studios Paris, and Latikuu Edacra for Latikuu Park)
* Richard Scarry (since 1990)
* ROBLOX (since 2017)
* Transformers (since 1986; license shared with Universal Parks & Resorts; Carwardine is mostly restricted to using elements from G1 due to Universal using elements from the movies)
* The Rock-afire Explosion (since 1990)
* Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat (since 2003)
* Sailor Moon (since 2018)
* The Secret of NIMH (since 1995; license shared with Disney for Disney's Studio Park in Australia)
* Shining Time Station/Thomas and Friends (1994-2007 in all parks, since 2019 in some parks; license shared with Kennywood Entertainment Company)
* Silverwing (since 2003)
* Sonic the Hedgehog (since 1995)
* Team Fortress 2 (since 2012)
* The Three Stooges (since 1992)
* Toad Patrol (since 2003)
* VeggieTales (since 1998)
* Warrior Cats (since 2004; license shared with Renald-Zanni Entertainment for live shows and character appearances at independent parks such as York's Wild Kingdom and Arnolds Park Amusement Park)
* Watership Down (since 2000)
* Wings of Fire (since 2018)
* The Wiggles (since 2013)
=== Semi-current ===
These licenses don't have their own lands or attractions anymore, but the characters still wander around the park, appear in parades, have stage shows, and have meet & greet areas.
* All Dogs Go to Heaven (since 1995)
* Anatole (since 2000)
* Big Bad Beetleborgs (1997-2002; since 2013)
* Heathcliff & The Catillac Cats (since 1986)
* McDonald's/McDonaldland (since 1989, mostly just the main characters of the franchise, but Mac Tonight did appear as an animatronic in Mayberry USA until a 2002 renovation that made the restaurant more "hometown", Freestyle Adventure City has a Mac Tonight animatronic in their McDonald's, which is a hand me down from a McDonald's in Atlanta licensed out to the Carwardine family)
* Mortal Kombat (since 1996)
* Noddy (since 1998)
* Simsala Grimm (since 2004)
* Strawberry Shortcake (since 1987)
* Wunderkind Little Amadeus (since 2009)
=== Former ===
* American Eagle Outfitters (2006-2011; AEO operated stores in some parks before closing the in park American Eagle and 77 Kids stores due to the stores being under performing and that resulted in American Eagle Outfitters terminating their licensing agreement with Carwardine)
* DreamWorks (1995-2007; lost the rights due to Grupo Wagner buying out the parks)
* LEGO (1995-2005; gradually toned down their usage of the license following Legoland California's opening before losing the licensing rights after bought the Legoland chain)
* Marvel Comics (1993-1998; lost the licensing rights to Universal Studios in 1998)
* Masked Rider (1995-2002)
* Neale Godfrey's Money Town (1996-1999)
* PBS Kids (1999-2007; lost the licensing rights due to various disagreements)
* Sesame Street (1989-2007; license shared with ; lost the licensing rights along with those for PBS Kids due to various disagreements; Carwardine are currently in talks with Sesame Workshop to share the license with SeaWorld Entertainment)
* The Simpsons (1990-2007; licenses lost to Universal Studios)
* Tony Hawk (2000-2006; lost the licensing rights to Six Flags)
* Toys "R" Us (2001-2017; lost the licensing right due to the store chain's bankruptcy.)
* VR Troopers (1995-2002)
=== Canceled ===
* Hard Rock Cafe (was going to be used at Freestyle Adventure City, but the plans ended up being canceled due to a disagreement between Carwardine and the )
==Properties==
===Current theme parks===
Name 	Location 	Year Opened 	Year Acquired	Notes
Action Park & New Jersey's Backyard 	, 	1978 	2016 	Purchase price $17M. Purchased from the Mulvihil Family.
Akron Acres 	, 	1924 	1990 	Often bundled together with Geauga Lake. Purchase Price $6M.
Alabama's Backyard 	, 	1995 	2002 	Purchase price $20M.
Alaska Frontier Park 	, 	1995 	- 	New-build indoor theme park. Formerly known as "Marvel Frontier Park" [1995-1998].
Albuquerque Adventure City 	, 	1998 	- 	New-build theme park.
Andy Griffith's Mayberry U.S.A. 	, 	1993 	- 	New-build theme park
Arizona's Backyard 	, 	1995 	2000 	Bought from TechEruo, formerly TechEruo's Blazing Acres. Purchased for $10M.
AstroWorld 	, , 	1968 	2006 	Purchase price $20M.
Billings' Wild Kingdom 	, 	1940 	1982 	Purchase price $4M.
Brilliance Port 	, 	1972 	1999 	Purchase price $15M.
Boblo Island Amusement Park 	, , 	1898 	1993 	Purchase price $14M.
Boston Funplex 	, , 	1999 	2011 	Purchase price $13M.Indoor theme park similar to the annual I-X Indoor Amusement Park event in Ohio.
Canada's Adventure Acres 	, , 	1964 	1985 	Purchase price approx. $8M.
Canada's Opryland 	, , 	1985 	1996 	Purchase price $5M.
Capital Adventure Acres 	, 	1999 	- 	New-build theme park
Carwardine Colony 	, 	1980 	- 	New-build theme park. Flagship park of the chain.
Carwardine Corners 	, U.S. 	1983 	- 	New-build theme park.
Carwardine's Adventure Acres 	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. 	1988 	 	
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.	 	 	 	
Celebration City 	, 	2003 	2010 	Purchase price $2M.
Carwardine's Dubailand Adventure 	, 	2012 	 	
New-build theme park. 	 	 	 	
Centerpoint Park 	, 	1969 	1993 	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 	, , 	2003 	- 	New-build theme park. Co-owned with the .
Chippewa Lake Park 	, 	1878 	1982 	First park purchased by Carwardine. Purchase price $900,000, only park bought by the company that costed less than a million dollars to buy.
Colorado Canyon 	, 	1999 	- 	New-build theme park. Replacement for the original Colorado Canyon.
Darien Lake 	Darien Center, New York, U.S. 	1981 	2007 	Purchased as part of a package deal with Six Flags.
Disney-Carwardine Studios Minneapolis 	, , 	1991 	- 	New-build theme park. Owned in part with Disney.
Dogpatch USA 	, 	1968 	2019 	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 	, 	2015 	- 	New-build theme park.
Dylan Park & Redwall Abbey 	, 	1918 	1993 	Purchase price $20M.
Entertainment Galaxy 	Euclid Square Mall, , 	2018 	- 	New-build theme park.
Entertainment Park Down Under 	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	1986 	 	
New-build theme park, formerly known as Adventure City Down Under until 2012 when a dispute from Grupo Wagner made the park change name. 	 	 	 	
Freestyle Adventure Acres 	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S.	2008 	2010 	Purchase price $17M.
Geauga Lake 	, 	1887 	2007 	Purchase price $15M.
Great Escape 	Queensbury, New York, U.S. 	1954 	2007 	Purchased as part of a package deal with Six Flags.
Hawaii Luna Park 	, 	1950 	1989 	Purchase price $17M.
Henlopen Playland 	, 	1925 	1998 	Purchase price $19M.
Holy Land Park 	, 	2008 	- 	New-build theme park.Only religious-themed park owned by Carwardine.
Joyland Amusement Park 	, 	1949 	2007 	Purchase price $17M.
Kid's World 	, 	1990 	- 	New-build theme park. Replacement of the original , but is located mostly on the replacement pier to allow space for
La Cité Incroyable 	, 	1979 	2001 	Purchase price $16M.
Louisiana Jazzland 	, , 	2000 (original)2018 (reopening)	2015 	Purchase price $1M. Technically "bought" for $10M, but TechEruo's sponsorship made TechEruo pay $9M of the cost.
Carwardine's Magic Planet 	, , 	2003 	- 	New-build theme park
Maple Leaf Playland 	, 	1985 	2001 	Purchase price $11M.
Mount Amazement 	, 	2003 	- 	New-build theme park
New Mexico's Backyard 	, 	2003 	- 	New-build theme park
New Roseland Park 	Canandaigua, New York U.S. 	2000 	- 	New-build theme park
The Old Village of Providence 	, 	1960 	1998 	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 	, 	1916 	1998 	Purchase price $20M.
Opryland 	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. 	2003 	- 	New-build theme park. Not to be confused with the
Parque Aventura de México 	, , 	1999 	- 	New-build theme park. Called "The Adventure Park of Mexico" on the English Carwardine Parks website.
Phelworth Mining Site USA 	, 	2005 	- 	New-build theme park
Rose Island 	, 	1981 	- 	New-build theme park, situated on the site of on . The site is currenly leased from and is part of .
Rose Park 	, 	1927 	1983 	Purchase price approx. $20M.
Saudi Springs 	 	1984 	2003 	Purchase price $2M.
Screamin' Safari 	Angola, Indiana, U.S. 	1956 	2009 	Purchase price $4M. Formerly known as Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo.
Stoogeland Theem Park 	, 	1992 	- 	New-build theme park.
Super Space Land 	Luna City, Andere 	2008 	- 	New-build theme park.
Tijuana's Adventure Acres - Ciudad de Aventura Tijuana 	, , 	1997 	- 	New-build theme park.
Tokyo Carwardine Colony 	, 	1995 	- 	New-build theme park.
Utah's Backyard 	, , 	2013 	- 	New-build theme park.
Veroland 	, 	2004 	- 	New-build theme park.Formerly known as "PBS Kids Neighborhood" from 2004-2007.
Warriors Woods 	, 	2017 	- 	New-build theme park.
The World of Watership Down 	, 	2005 	- 	New-build theme park.
Whalom Park 	, 	1893 	2001 	Purchase price $8M.
Williams Grove Amusement Park 	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania 	1850 	2007 	Purchase Price $7M.
The World of Redwall 	, 	2004 	- 	New-build theme park.
World of Redwall Europe 	Halsall, Lancashire, England, U.K.	2015 	- 	New-build theme park.First Carwardine park in the United Kingdom.
Zábava Park 	, 	1959 	1990 	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.
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.	 	 	 	
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.
=== Current fairs ===
* FairCon - traveling fair.
=== Current venues ===
* 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).
* Wawa Arena - Arena in Grafton, Virginia near Newport News, opened 2006. Home arena of the Newport News Storm of the National Hockey League.
=== Current other properties ===
* Carwardine Funtown Resorts & Hotels - Chain of resorts, hotels and motels, founded in 2001.
* Jeepers! (Carwardine Parks) - A family entertainment center chain, revived in 2011.
* Star Plaza - Hospitality complex in Merrillville, Indiana - acquired in 2016
=== Upcoming parks ===
* Montreal's Adventure City (, - to open in TBA Summer 2020, originally planned to open May 3rd)
* World of Redwall Australia (, - to open in TBA December 2020, joint-venture with Disney and Great Australian Resorts Pty. Ltd.)
=== Former/upcoming cruise ships ===
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.
* Carwardine Alpha (built in 1990, first cruise ship under by Carwardine Parks) {Carwardine neoAlpha, coming October 2020}
* Carwardine Beta (built in 1991) [sold for scrap] {Carwardine neoBeta, coming December 2020}
* Carwardine Gamma (built in 1992) [sold to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line]
* Carwardine Delta (built in 1993) [scrapped in-house for replacement parts for the Zeta]
* Carwardine Epsilon (built in 1993) [converted into a stationary hotel ala Queen Mary 1]
* Carwardine Zeta (built in 1994)
* Carwardine Eta (built in 1994) [sold to Kadsre Kruise Lines]
* Carwardine Theta (built in 1995)
* Carwardine Iota (built in 1995)
* Carwardine Kappa (built in 1995)
* Carwardine Lambda (built in 1996)
* Carwardine Mu (built in 1996) [scrapped]
* Carwardine Nu (built in 1996) [sold to an unknown buyer]
* Carwardine Xi (built in 1996) [sold to Eruowoodian Transport Boats]
* Carwardine Omicron (built in 1997) [ripped in half as a sinking ship prop for a future Darien Lake nightshow.]
* Carwardine Pi (built in 1998) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Rho (bult in 1999) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Sigma (built in 2000) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Tau (built in 2000) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Upsilon (built in 2001) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Phi (built in 2001) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Chi (built in 2001) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Psi (built in 2001) [up for sale]
* Carwardine Omega (built in 2001)
=== Former theme parks ===
* Canada's Adventure (1983-1985; sold to Funtime Parks, Inc.; now owned by Cedar Fair)
* Colorado Canyon (1985) - 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.
* Kennywood (1990-2006; spun off in 2007)
=== Former other properties===
* Carwardine Mills
== 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)
* Burger King (at Geauga Lake and Screamin' Safari)
** NOTE: Due to exclusivity rights, the Burger King at Geauga Lake is the only known location to serve Pepsi products instead of Coca-Cola. The standard Coca-Cola Freestyle machine is substituted with a Pepsi Spire, 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)
* Cinnabon (at most locations)
* Dairy Queen & Orange Julius (at most locations)
** Dairy Queen Grill & Chill (at some locations)
* Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins (at some locations)
* Insomnia Cookies (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, Freestyle Adventure City, 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 .
* Nestlé Toll House Café (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)
* (at Chippewa Lake Park, Boston Funplex, and Darien Lake)
* Taco Bell (at some locations)
** Taco Bell Express (at some locations)
* Tim Hortons (at some locations)
* Starbucks (at Carwardine Colony, Capital Adventure City, Rose Park, and Geauga Lake)
* Subway (all 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)
Category:Fictional amusement park companies
Category:Amusement park companies
Category:United States
Category:Grupo Wágner
Category:Companies established in 1980
Category:Virginia
Category:Carwardine Parks