Adventure Landing

Adventure Landing is a group of amusement parks located in Florida, New York, North Carolina and Texas. The first park was opened in Jacksonville Beach, Florida in 1995 by Adventure Entertainment Company. It was a success and nine other Adventure Landing parks were constructed.[1]

Adventure Landing
Location1944 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Coordinates30.286955°N 81.412369°W / 30.286955; -81.412369
Opened1995
SloganAdventure Landing—come play with us
Operating seasonYear round
Area4 acres (16,000 m2)
Attractions
Total15
WebsiteAdventure Landing website

Adventure Landing also manages and operates several other family entertainment centers throughout the United States. Adventure Landing runs 13 amusement parks nationwide.

History

Prior to Adventure Landing's founding; founder Hank Woodburn spent 24 years working with the Putt-Putt Golf Courses of America, specializing in updating the locations, to include new features that Putt-Putt introduced. In 1994, Woodburn updated the two Jacksonville, Fl, Putt-Putt locations to include go-karts, batting cages, and arcades. That same year, Woodburn acquired land at Beach Blvd in Jacksonville Beach to open up a new park known as Adventure Landing. The first Adventure Landing opened in 1995 by Woodburn's company Adventure Entertainment Company.[2]

The first Adventure Landing was constructed on 18 acres in Jacksonville Beach. Initial cost was $5 million, which included a waterpark. The central structure contained the video arcade, laser tag, snackbar, prize counter, restrooms and other attractions. It was surrounded by miniature golf, batting cages, go-kart track and the water park.[3]

On December 18, 2002, a management-led buyout was completed by Adventure Landing LLC for the four profitable parks owned by Adventure Entertainment.[4]

The five Adventure Landing locations owned by Adventure Landing LLC were purchased in April 2011 by National Retail Properties (NRP), a Real Estate Investment Trust based in Orlando, Florida. All the locations were sale-leaseback transactions, so Adventure Landing LLC continued to operate the facilities.[5]

In 2012, Adventure Landing purchased The Beach Waterpark in Mason, OH, which reopened in May 2013 as The Beach at Adventure Landing.

In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the locations were closed for a few months, although have later reopened with safety precautions (such as sanitization of high touch points & six feet marks).[6][7]

The Blanding Boulevard location in Jacksonville was closed Summer 2021 after 24 years in operation. The property was purchased to build a parking lot for Amazon's new delivery center.[8]

The Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach was sold in 2021 and a 427-unit apartment complex was planned for the site. The parks were slated to close Halloween 2021, but construction was first delayed until end-of-year 2021, then the date was pushed back until August 31, 2022, possibly longer. Former owner NRP announced that they were searching Jacksonville for a location to rebuild a new, larger facility.[8]

Operation

There is no admission for the amusement parks; all the attractions are pay as you play. The water park is seasonal and requires a fee for admission. Not all features are at all parks.[4] All parks included miniature golf and an arcade. Aside from the park in Buffalo, New York, all locations had go-karts, laser tag, and batting cages. Some parks had unique attractions, such as the Wacky Worm Rollercoaster at the Jacksonville Beach location.[3] Special accommodations are available for large group events.[1]

Amusement Park Features
  • Adventure Speedway Go-Karts: a quarter mile track with racing results posted on a finish-line leader board.[3]
  • Batting Cages: Participants specify hardball, softball, slow pitch or fast pitch with speeds ranging up to 70 mph.[3]
  • Frog Hopper: A safe, bouncing ride designed for young children.[3]
  • Laser Tag: The course, named, Area 51, included two levels and a maze. The game was played in twilight with lightning flashes and the sound of weapon fire. Scoring was automatic and participants were given a printout of their results.[3][1]
  • Max Flight: A roller coaster simulator with 360° range of motion.[3]
  • Miniature Golf: Two 18-hole miniature golf courses designed to be fun, regardless of skill level.[3][1]
  • Sweet Adventures: an old-fashioned candy shop.[3]
  • Teddy Bear Factory: a stuffed animal could be created interactively.[3][1]
  • Wacky Worm Roller Coaster: The ride was intended for youngsters or small children and their parents.[3]
  • Video Arcade: All locations had this feature, with up to 100 machines. All games used tokens and many games dispensed tickets which could be redeemed for prizes.[3][1]
  • Snack Bar: Pizza, drinks and snack food.[1]

Formerly available
  • Bumper Boats: Electric powered boats that functioned just like bumper cars, but on a pond. Each boat had a built-in squirt gun.[3][1]
  • Wow Factory: A 3-story interactive playland and slide, containing 9,000 foam balls to climb in. Cannons & geysers kept the balls moving.[3]

Shipwreck Island

Shipwreck Island is the waterpark co-located at Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. It was constructed in 1995 but opened a few months after the Amusement Park.

Water Park Features

Formerly available
  • Pirate Play: a 62' pirate ship with water cannons, slides & waterfalls.[3]

Adventure Landing Locations

Other Locations
  • Ohio: The Beach at Adventure Landing located in Mason[1] and two Magic Mountain Fun Centers located in Columbus[10]
  • Missouri: Cool Crest Family Fun Center located in Independence[11]
  • Kansas: All Star Sports Entertainment & All Star Adventures located in Wichita[12]

Former Locations

References
  1. "Dallas Observer". Dallasobserver.com. Dallas Observer. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. Delaney, Article by Bill. "The last days of Adventure Landing". www.thejaxsonmag.com. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  3. Crownover, Catherine (May 5, 1995). "Adventure Landing Water Park to Open in Jacksonville". Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  4. "Florida Times-Union: January 16, 2003-New owner for Adventure Landing by Gregory Richards". Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  5. Gurbal, Ashley (April 20, 2011). "Adventure Landing sold for $9.5 million". Jacksonville Business Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  6. "Re-Opening FAQ's". Jacksonville Beach. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  7. "Reopening Jacksonville: Adventure Landing set to reopen in Jacksonville Beach". firstcoastnews.com. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  8. Soergel, Matt (October 28, 2021). "Not gone yet: Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach open until at least end of the year". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. "Waterpark attractions". jacksonville-beach.adventurelanding.com. Adventure Landing LLC. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  10. "Magic Mountain Fun Center". Magicmountainfuncenter.com. Magic Mountain Fun Center. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  11. "Cool Crest Family Fun Center". Coolcrest.com. Cool Crest Family Fun Center. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  12. "All Star Wichita Adventures & Sports". Allstarwichita.com. All Star Wichita Adventures & Sports. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  13. "Amazing Jakes Food & Fun". Amazingjakesplano.com. Amazing Jakes Food & Fun. Retrieved 31 March 2022.


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