Adventure Landing facts for kids
Adventure Landing is a fun place with amusement parks and family entertainment centers. You can find them in Florida, New York, North Carolina, and Texas. The very first Adventure Landing park opened in Jacksonville Beach, Florida in 1995. It was a big hit, and soon, many more parks were built! Today, Adventure Landing runs 11 parks across the United States.
Adventure Landing - Come play with us!
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| Industry | Amusement |
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| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Hank Woodburn |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville Beach, Florida |
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Number of locations
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11 |
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Key people
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Hank Woodburn (founder & president) |
| Parent | Adventure Entertainment Company (1995-2002) Adventure Landing LLC (2002-2004) Adventure Holdings, LLC (2004-present) |
Contents
History of Adventure Landing
Before starting Adventure Landing, Hank Woodburn worked for 24 years with Putt-Putt Golf Courses of America. He was good at adding new and exciting features to their locations.
In 1994, Hank Woodburn updated two Putt-Putt locations in Jacksonville, Florida. He added cool things like go-karts, batting cages, and arcades. That same year, he bought land in Jacksonville Beach to open a brand new park.
The first Adventure Landing park opened in 1995. It was built on 18 acres of land in Jacksonville Beach. It cost about $5 million to build, and it even included a waterpark. The main building had a video arcade, laser tag, a snack bar, and a prize counter. Outside, there was miniature golf, batting cages, a go-kart track, and the water park.
Over the years, the ownership of Adventure Landing changed a few times. In 2004, Hank Woodburn bought Adventure Landing back. In 2010, Adventure Holdings, his company, bought more parks in Wichita, Kansas.
In 2012, Adventure Landing bought The Beach Waterpark in Mason, Ohio. It reopened in May 2013 as The Beach at Adventure Landing.
Around December 2019, the company faced some financial challenges. Then, in March 2020, many locations had to close for a few months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They later reopened with new safety rules, like more cleaning and social distancing.
Sadly, the Blanding Boulevard location in Jacksonville closed in Summer 2021 after 24 years. The land was bought to build a parking lot for an Amazon delivery center. The Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach was also sold in 2021. Plans were made to build apartments there. The park was supposed to close in 2021, but its closing date has been pushed back several times. The former owners are looking for a new place in Jacksonville to build a bigger park.
How Adventure Landing Works
You don't need to pay to enter Adventure Landing parks. Instead, you pay for each attraction you want to try. The water park is open only during certain seasons and requires a separate ticket. Not all parks have every feature. However, all Adventure Landing parks have miniature golf and a video arcade. Most locations also have go-karts, laser tag, and batting cages. Some parks even have special rides, like the Wacky Worm Rollercoaster at the Jacksonville Beach location. You can also book special events for large groups.
Fun Park Attractions
- Adventure Speedway Go-Karts: Race on a quarter-mile track! Your race results are shown on a big scoreboard at the finish line.
- Batting Cages: Practice your swing! You can choose between hardball, softball, or different speeds up to 70 mph.
- Bumper Boats: These electric boats are like bumper cars, but on water! Each boat has a squirt gun for extra fun. You can find them at the Dallas and Winston-Salem locations.
- Frog Hopper: A safe and bouncy ride that's perfect for younger kids.
- Laser Tag: Play in "Area 51," a two-level maze with flashing lights and sound effects. Your score is tracked automatically, and you get a printout of your results. Some locations had a "Pirate's Quest" theme.
- Max Flight: This ride is a roller coaster simulator. It can move 360 degrees, making you feel like you're really on a wild ride!
- Miniature Golf: Enjoy two 18-hole mini-golf courses. They are designed to be fun for everyone, no matter your skill level.
- Sweet Adventures: An old-fashioned candy shop where you can find all your favorite treats.
- Teddy Bear Factory: Create your very own stuffed animal! You can choose your animal and help stuff it.
- Wacky Worm Roller Coaster: This roller coaster is designed for younger children and their parents to enjoy together.
- Video Arcade: All locations have a huge arcade with up to 100 different games. You use tokens to play, and many games give out tickets. You can trade these tickets for cool prizes!
- Snack Bar: Grab a bite to eat with pizza, drinks, and other yummy snacks.
Past Attractions
- Wow Factory: This was a three-story play area with 9,000 foam balls! It had cannons and geysers that kept the balls moving.
Shipwreck Island Waterpark
Shipwreck Island is the waterpark located at Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. It was built in 1995 and opened a few months after the main amusement park.
Water Park Features
- Typhoon Lagoon: A huge 500,000-gallon wave pool with waves that can reach 3-4 feet high!
- Lil’ St. John’s River: Float along a relaxing 720-foot lazy river.
- Hydro Halfpipe: A water ride that's like a skateboarding half-pipe, but with water!
- Eye of the Storm: A 40-foot wide bowl that spins you around like a whirlpool.
- Splash Cove: A special play area designed for toddlers.
- Rage: An uphill water coaster that sends you speeding up to 18 mph!
- Undertow: A 400-foot long double-raft flume ride where you can reach speeds of up to 23 mph.
- Cabana rentals: You can rent private cabanas for a relaxing day.
Formerly available
- Pirate Play: This was a 62-foot pirate ship with water cannons, slides, and waterfalls.
Jacksonville Beach Location
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| Location | 1944 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, Florida |
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| Coordinates | 30°17′13″N 81°24′45″W / 30.286955°N 81.412369°W |
| Opened | 1995 |
| Slogan | Adventure Landing - Come play with us! |
| Operating season | Year round |
| Area | 4 acres (16,000 m2) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 15 |
| Website | Adventure Landing Jacksonville Beach website |
In June 2021, it was announced that the Jacksonville Beach park would close. This was because the land owner decided to build apartments and a parking lot there. The park was supposed to close in October 2021. However, in October 2022, a new agreement was made, and the park will now stay open until at least the end of September 2023. Adventure Landing plans to find another spot in Jacksonville to build a new, bigger water park.
Adventure Landing Locations
- Florida: Jacksonville Beach, St. Augustine
- New York: Buffalo, Tonawanda
- North Carolina: Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Gastonia
- Texas: Dallas
Other Fun Centers
Adventure Landing also runs other family fun centers:
- Ohio: Magic Mountain Fun Center East in Columbus
- Missouri: Cool Crest Family Fun Center in Independence
- Kansas: All Star Sports Entertainment & All Star Adventures in Wichita (These were bought in 2010.)
Former Locations
Some Adventure Landing parks and centers have closed or changed names:
- Florida: Jacksonville (Blanding Boulevard location), Daytona Beach (closed in 2002, now called Daytona Lagoon)
- North Carolina: Charlotte (was Zuma Fun Center, then Celebration Station, then Funtasticks, closed in 2020)
- New York: Greece, Wheatfield (was Adventure Speedway, formerly The Track)
- Ohio: The Beach at Adventure Landing in Mason, Magic Mountain Fun Center in Columbus
- Texas: Amazing Jake's Food & Fun in Plano
