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 also manages and operates several other family entertainment centers throughout the United States. Adventure Landing runs 11 amusement parks nationwide.
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.[2]
In 1994, Woodburn updated the Jacksonville, Fl Putt-Putt (Blanding & Beach Blvd) locations to include go-karts, batting cages, and arcades.[2]
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 Golf & Games (which later became 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]
In 1998, Adventure Entertainment was sold to a former New York investment banker Randy Levinson, who eventually became the president and CEO of the company, overseeing the locations owned by Adventure Entertainment (including Adventure Landing branded locations and certain Putt-Putt franchised locations).
On December 18, 2002, a management-led buyout was completed by Adventure Landing LLC for the four profitable parks owned by Adventure Entertainment.[4]
In 2004, Hank Woodburn brought back Adventure Landing from Levinson's Adventure Landing LLC via Adventure Holdings, LLC.
In 2010, Adventure Holdings acquired All Star Adventures & All Star Sports in Wichita from Zuma Holdings, LLC.[5]
The five Adventure Landing locations owned by Adventure Holdings, 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 Holdings continued to operate the facilities.[6]
In 2012, Adventure Landing purchased The Beach Waterpark in Mason, OH, which reopened in May 2013 as The Beach at Adventure Landing.
In December 2019, Adventure Holdings & NRP Lease Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[7]
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).[8][9]
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.[10]
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.[10]
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]
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]
Bumper Boats: Electric powered boats that functioned just like bumper cars, but on a pond. Each boat had a built-in squirt gun. Dallas & Winston-Salem locations have them currently, while the Jacksonville Beach location removed it in the early 2000s.[3][1]
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] The Raleigh & the former Blanding laser tag arenas were named Pirate's Quest.
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]
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]
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.
In June 2021, it was announced that the Jacksonville Beach site would close in October 2021 due to the lease owner's decision to construct an apartment building and parking lot.[12] In October of 2022, as the park continued to operate through the past year, it was announced that Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, will stay open until the end of September 2023 after a new agreement with their landlord.[13] Adventure Landing does not plan on ending their stay in Jacksonville Beach once their landlord closes their park, but instead they are exploring other areas of Jacksonville to rebuild another water park.[14]
^"Adventure Landing set to close their Westside location". Action News Jax. 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2023-03-31. Court documents obtained by Action News Jax show the parent company, NRP Lease Holdings, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2019. At the time court documents show Adventure Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of NRP, was in debt over $500,000.
