Carowinds parent company the subject of $3.4 billion SeaWorld takeover offer

Carowinds could have a new owner if the amusement park’s parent company accepts a buyout bid from SeaWorld Entertainment.

Cedar Fair, parent company of Carowinds, confirmed to the Observer Thursday that it had received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Orlando-based SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment to purchase all of its parks for $3.4 billion.

“The Cedar Fair Board of Directors will carefully review and consider the proposal to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the company and its unitholders,” Cedar Fair said in a statement to the Observer.

Along with Carowinds, Cedar Fair owns 16 other theme parks and water parks in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 11 hotels and resorts, according to the entertainment company’s website.

SeaWorld operates eight theme parks and four water parks in the U.S., according to its website.

Officials with Cedar Fair declined to comment further on Thursday. Bloomberg first reported the offer.

All about Carowinds

Cedar Fair, based in Sandusky, Ohio, purchased Carowinds in 2006 from Paramount for $1.24 billion.

Carowinds is a 400-acre amusement park that straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina border in Charlotte and Fort Mill, S.C., respectively.

The park missed its summer season in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened in May last year with increased hourly pay and bonuses, an extended season and new attractions. Those new features included the Boogie Board Racer water slide, a six-lane mat racing slide, touted as the longest mat racing slide in the Southeast.

Carowinds fans react on social media

Carowinds fans took to social media to express their opinions of SeaWorld’s offer.

While some say a sale would be inconsequential, others are strongly against it.

Some people said they would be hesitant to support Carowinds because of SeaWorld’s practices at its marine parks. SeaWorld’s marine parks were at the center of a PETA campaign to “save the dolphins and whales,” and has been criticized in documentaries such as 2013’s “Blackfish.”

In a 2013 statement, SeaWorld defended its practices: “SeaWorld is one of the world’s most respected zoological institutions, that SeaWorld rescues, rehabilitates and returns to the wild hundreds of wild animals every year, and that SeaWorld commits millions of dollars annually to conservation and scientific research.”

Amanda Sims, who is a season pass holder at Carowinds, said on Facebook, “I won’t be giving SeaWorld a dollar of my money.”

Others were concerned about ticket prices.

“Carowinds is not a bad price for season passes. SeaWorld buying it would most definitely change that,” Megan Sprinkle, also a season pass holder, told the Herald.

However, some people told the Herald they had enjoyed visiting parks owned by SeaWorld, especially Busch Gardens and would be excited to see what changes SeaWorld might bring.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Carowinds parent company the subject of $3.4 billion SeaWorld takeover offer."