Dollywood owner Herschend acquires Palace Entertainment’s U.S. theme parks
Theme park operator Herschend will acquire Palace Entertainment’s parks and attractions in the U.S. from Parques Reunidos, including Kennywood and Lake Compounce.
Theme parks in business
The companies announced the acquisition on March 18, 2025. Parques Reunidos will continue to own and operate attractions outside the U.S.
The deal broadens Herschend’s portfolio which already included Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, and Kentucky Kingdom, among others to now also encompass the likes of Kennywood and Lake Compounce.
The acquisition helps in “supporting Herschend’s strategic expansion in family entertainment and hospitality while allowing Parques Reunidos to reinforce its strategic focus on its core European market,” as stated in a press release.
List of Herschend theme parks and attractions following Palace acquisition
The Herschend portfolio includes the following list of attractions; items highlighted in blue indicate a property formerly belonging to Parques Reunidos:
- Adventure Aquarium (Camden, N.J.)
- Adventureland (Altoona, Iowa)
- Adventureland Campground (Altoona, Iowa)
- Adventureland Inn (Altoona, Iowa)
- Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, Ga.)
- Callaway Lodge, Cottages, and Villas (Pine Mountain, Ga.)
- Castle Park (Riverside, Calif.)
- Comedy Barn Theater (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.)
- Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Attraction
- Dollywood Theme Park (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.)
- Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.)
- Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.)
- Dollywood’s Splash Country (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.)
- Dutch Wonderland (Lancaster, Penn.)
- Harlem Globetrotters
- Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud
- Idlewild (Ligonier, Penn.)
- Kennywood (near Pittsburgh, Penn.)
- Kentucky Kingdom Theme Park (Louisville, Ky.)
- Kentucky Kingdom Water Park (Louisville, Ky.)
- Lake Compounce (Bristol, Conn.)
- Living Shores Aquarium (Glen, N.H.)
- Newport Aquarium (Newport, Ky.)
- Noah’s Ark Waterpark [sic] (Lake Delton, Wis.)
- Pink Adventure Tours
- Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
- Raging Waters (San Dimas, Calif.)
- Sandcastle (Pittsburgh, Penn.)
- Sea Life Park (Oahu, Hawaii)
- Showboat Branson Belle (Branson, Mo.)
- Silver Dollar City Campground (Branson, Mo.)
- Silver Dollar City Theme Park (Branson, Mo.)
- Silver Dollar City’s White Water (Branson, Mo.)
- SoakZone (Ligonier, Penn.)
- Splash Island Water Park (Valdosta, Ga.)
- Splish Splash (Calverton, N.Y.)
- Story Land (Glen, N.H.)
- Vancouver Aquarium (Vancouver, British Columbia)
- Water Country (Portsmouth, NH.)
- Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe (Greensboro, N.C.)
- Wild Adventures Campground (Valdosta, Ga.)
- Wild Adventures Theme Park (Valdosta, Ga.)
Elsewhere in the industry, last year Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags to form a combined portfolio of 42 parks.
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