SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. The parks' icon is Shamu, the Orca. There are operations in Orlando, Florida; San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; and previously Aurora, Ohio. On March 5 , 2007, SeaWorld Orlando announced addition of the Aquatica water park to its adventure park family, which already includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. On February 28, 2008, Busch Entertainment announced plans to open a fourth SeaWorld park in Dubai, UAE, but these plans have been shelved for now due to the international credit freeze.
SeaWorld parks also feature a variety of thrill rides, including roller coasters like Kraken and Manta at SeaWorld Orlando and Steel Eel and The Great White at SeaWorld San Antonio. Journey to Atlantis, a combination roller coaster and splashdown ride, can be found at all three US parks. The parks were owned by Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch, which is best known for brewing beer. In November, 2009, Busch Entertainment was sold to the Blackstone Group and subsequently renamed SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Some of the Budweiser Clydesdales are also kept at each park as an additional non-marine-oriented attraction.
One of the biggest attractions is the Shark Encounter, in which guests are carried through a submerged acrylic tube into the sharks' tank. Another famous ride is Wild Arctic, simulating a helicopter ride to the Arctic. After the ride, the guests arrive at a simulated base station, where they can observe polar bears, Pacific walruses, and beluga whales. During the Christmas holiday season, Wild Arctic is transformed into the Polar Express Experience which offers the park's guests the opportunity to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and meet Santa Claus in addition to the polar bears, Pacific walruses, and beluga whales that are at the Wild Arctic exhibit year round. Another attraction is the Penguin Encounter, showcasing a variety of penguins. In addition, an attraction features endangered Florida manatees. The park has an extensive playground for children, named Shamu’s Happy Harbor. It used to have a different playground named Cap'n Kids World.
SeaWorld has made many contributions to wildlife conservation. SeaWorld scientists, zoologists, trainers and rescue teams participate in research and wildlife preservation. SeaWorld teams have helped save stranded whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions and helped raise the awareness of endangered manatees. SeaWorld's commitment to conservation, research and animal rescue was recently formalized with the creation of the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. Sea World is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meaning they have met and exceeded the standards in Education, Conservation and Research.
Southwest Airlines is the "Official Airline of SeaWorld" and has three Boeing 737 aircraft painted to look like Shamu as an advertisement for SeaWorld.
History
Milton C. Shedd, Ken Norris, David Demott, and George Millay brought SeaWorld to life, yet that was not the initial idea. The four graduates of UCLA originally set out to build an underwater restaurant and marine life show. When the underwater restaurant concept was deemed unfeasible, they scrapped those plans and decided to build a park instead, and SeaWorld San Diego was opened on March 21 , 1964 . With only a few dolphins, sea lions, 6 attractions and 22 acres, the park proved to be a success and more than 400,000 guests visited there in just the first 12 months.
After considering other locations in the midwest, including the Lake Milton/Newton Falls area west of Youngstown, Ohio, it was decided that Aurora, Ohio would be the new home of a SeaWorld. The Aurora site was approximately 15 miles northwest of the Lake Milton site, and 30 miles southeast of Cleveland. By this time the founders of the company had captured a few more species of animals including an Orca that would call the new facility home. The Ohio site would prove to be difficult to maintain. The harsh winter climate permitted the park to be open only from mid-May until mid-September. However, the vast population of the Midwest and Northeastern states lived within a day's drive of the park, which would eventually add to the success of SeaWorld of Ohio.
The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida opened near the end of the second operating season of SeaWorld of Ohio. The success of Disney in Orlando provided another ideal spot to capitalize on the mass number of tourists that would make their way to central Florida for vacations. Since opening day in 1973, SeaWorld Orlando has thrived in a place known as 'the theme park mecca of the world'.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. (HBJ) purchased the company in 1976 and 12 years later they ventured deep into the heart of Texas. In 1988, SeaWorld San Antonio opened just a few miles outside of San Antonio. Growth has pushed the city outwards, and now SeaWorld San Antonio lies in the Westover Hills community in West San Antonio. The park was open year-round like its sister parks in California and Florida in 1988 and 1989, then went to a seasonal schedule. The stress and financial resources it took to build and maintain a state-of-the-art marine mammal facility in the late '80s eventually took its toll on the company. HBJ, whose primary focus was producing school books, needed to reduce its assets in order to avoid a bankruptcy.
The Anheuser-Busch Company made an offer to purchase the SeaWorld parks. However, HBJ also owned and operated two other parks, Cypress Gardens and Boardwalk and Baseball, and out of fear of not being able to find a buyer for the two other parks, HBJ refused to sell the parks individually. Despite a long negotiation, Anheuser-Busch bought all six parks in 1989: SeaWorld in San Diego, Aurora, Orlando and San Antonio as well as Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven and Boardwalk and Baseball in Haines City. Soon after the sale was final, Busch sold Cypress Gardens to the park's management and closed Boardwalk and Baseball. Anheuser-Busch put millions of dollars back into the parks to revive and to prolong their longevity.
Locations
SeaWorld San Diego
Main article: SeaWorld San DiegoSeaWorld San Diego opened on March 21, 1964 with much success. It was the first SeaWorld park to ever open. The park features shows such as Believe , the current Shamu show and Clyde and Seamore's Risky Rescue , a comedic show with sea lions and otters. Rides include Journey to Atlantis, a splashdown ride that also has characteristics of a roller coaster. The Summer Nights program changes some shows and adds others. Two shows featuring Shamu are available during the night-- Shamu Rocks , a rock concert choreographed to Shamu, and the fireworks show Shamu's Skysplash .
SeaWorld Orlando
Main article: SeaWorld OrlandoSeaWorld Orlando opened on December 15, 1973, and had crowds topping 5,300 on its opening day. Believe , a Shamu show, is hosted here, along with Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island , an adventure with two sea lions, and Blue Horizons , the park's dolphin show. The park contains three rollercoasters: Kraken, a floorless coaster based on the mythical sea creature, Manta, a coaster designed to simulate how manta rays move, and the Shamu Express, a coaster oriented to kids located in Shamu's Happy Harbor. It is also home to the original Journey to Atlantis watercoaster. SeaWorld After Dark is SeaWorld Orlando's night program, featuring the fireworks show Reflections ,a sea lions show Sea Lions Tonite and Shamu show Shamu Rocks .
SeaWorld San Antonio
Main article: SeaWorld San AntonioSeaWorld San Antonio opened on May 27, 1988. Its formal opening over Memorial Day Weekend 1988 held about 75,000 people. 3.3 million people visited SeaWorld San Antonio during its first year, 10% more than what was originally projected. The park shows Believe , a Shamu show; Viva! , a one-of-a-kind show combining diving, syncronized swimming, dolphins and beluga whales; and The Cannery Row Caper , a sea lion show following the sea lions Clyde and Seamore solving a mystery. Parks rides include The Great White, an inverted roller coaster, Steel Eel, a roller coaster reaching a height of 150 feet, and Journey to Atlantis, a water roller coaster into the mythical land of Atlantis.
SeaWorld Ohio sale, re-birth, and eventual transition
In February 2001, Anheuser-Busch sold the Ohio park to Six Flags, Inc., operators of neighboring Six Flags Ohio (Geauga Lake until the end of 1999, reverting to the Geauga Lake Name in 2004). Upon completion of the sale, the two parks were combined in spring 2001 as the so-called "mega-park" "Six Flags Worlds Of Adventure", which boasted its "Three parks in one" uniqueness: a waterpark, an amusement park, and a wildlife anim
SeaWorld - Orlando - Park Map
You need to upgrade your Flash Player This is replaced by the Flash content. You may bypass the detection if you wish.
Aquatica
Interactive Park Map ... Orlando Visitor Tickets ... ©2009 Busch Entertainment Corporation. All Rights ...
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - HOME
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS - Explore the wild world of animals. Discover opportunities ... CONTACT US: PRIVACY POLICY: ABOUT US: SITE MAP
Sea World Travel Guide and Vacation Tips - Get the Greatest Discount ...
At Discount tickets sea world orlando website you can find a lot of great stuff for your sea world vacation. ... Site Map
Orlando Attractions, Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World, Orlando ...
Find Orlando Attractions, Orlando Theme Parks, and information for Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and more at Orlandoinfo.com. ... Terms of Service | Contact Us | Site Map ...
Park Information Home
A world of fascinating days, captivating nights, and ... Once you’ve been here, you’ll never look at the sea and ... Interactive park map ; Park hours and Show schedules
Sea World Travel Guide and Vacation Tips - Site Map
At Discount tickets sea world orlando website you can find a lot of great stuff for your sea world vacation. It also contains endless water parks, and huge resort hotels that offer ...
Get Coupons for Cheaper Florida Vacation Deals - Sea World Orlando ...
How to Plan Your Sea World Orlando Aquatic Adventure with Coupons. Though SeaWorld has various ... Site Map
MapQuest: Driving Directions: North America
Sea World Orlando ... Mobile International Toolbar MapQuest API Business Solutions Advertise Site Map Help Link ...
Map of Orlando, FL by MapQuest
Ramada-Suites By Sea World. 6800 Villa De Costa Dr Orlando, FL 32821 (407) 239-1664