United Parks & Resorts Inc.

United Parks & Resorts Inc. is the current parent-company name for the business formerly known as SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker PRKS and describes itself as a global theme-park and entertainment company.^[1][9]

The current corporate portfolio uses seven consumer-facing brands: SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove, Sesame Place, Aquatica, Adventure Island and Water Country USA. United Parks says those brands span 13 parks in seven markets across the United States and Abu Dhabi.^[1][2]

For financial-reporting purposes, United Parks' SEC filing uses “theme parks” as an umbrella term for all of its owned and separately gated U.S. parks, even though several of those properties are conventionally understood as waterparks or other specialized park formats. The same filing separately identifies its water-park attractions, Discovery Cove and Sesame Place operations.^[10][14]

Official website: United Parks & Resorts.

The seven brands are useful to TWS because they represent several different operating models inside one company:

• SeaWorld — marine-life zoological theme parks combining rides, presentations, aquariums, animal habitats and educational experiences.
• Busch Gardens — destination theme parks combining rides, themed environments and, especially at Tampa Bay, a major land-animal zoological collection.
• Discovery Cove — a reservations-only, all-inclusive interactive marine-life park in Orlando.
• Sesame Place — family theme parks combining dry rides, shows, parades, play areas and water attractions.
• Aquatica — separately gated waterparks in Orlando and San Antonio.
• Adventure Island — the companion waterpark across from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
• Water Country USA — the companion waterpark near Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

United Parks' own current brand index identifies these seven brands and twelve U.S. park locations, plus SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.^[2]

The dry/theme-park side of the company is not one uniform product. SeaWorld combines major rides with marine-life habitats and presentations. Busch Gardens combines destination-scale rides and themed environments with zoological elements. Sesame Place is centered on a licensed children's property and combines dry rides with water attractions. Discovery Cove is a highly controlled, reservations-only marine-life experience rather than a conventional ride-heavy theme park.^[4][5][6][7]

Current U.S. properties in these categories are SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Sesame Place Philadelphia, Sesame Place San Diego and Discovery Cove.^[2][14]

This mixed portfolio is valuable to TWS because it demonstrates that “theme park company” can encompass zoological institutions, character-driven family parks, marine-life encounters and traditional thrill attractions rather than describing one standardized operating format.

The four separately gated U.S. waterparks are Aquatica Orlando, Aquatica San Antonio, Adventure Island Tampa Bay and Water Country USA.^[3][14]

Aquatica Orlando combines slides, wave pools, rivers, lagoons and beach environments. Aquatica San Antonio adds especially direct animal integration: United Parks describes up-close animal experiences and Stingray Falls, whose raft route reaches an underwater grotto surrounded by stingrays and tropical fish.^[3]

Adventure Island operates directly across from Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, while Water Country USA serves the Williamsburg market near Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Those pairings are particularly relevant to The Waterpark Store because they demonstrate how a waterpark can operate as a companion destination to a major dry theme park rather than having to stand alone.^[3][6]

Sesame Place also contains water attractions, but TWS should distinguish those integrated wet attractions from the company's four separately gated waterparks.^[7][14]

United Parks is unusually important to the Aquatic Life Centers branch because several of its properties are simultaneously entertainment destinations and substantial zoological/marine-life facilities.

The three U.S. SeaWorld parks combine coasters and family attractions with marine-animal habitats, presentations, aquariums, behind-the-scenes care, animal encounters and rescue/rehabilitation work. SeaWorld San Diego, for example, includes aquariums and opportunities to see or interact with marine species; SeaWorld Orlando includes a manatee rehabilitation facility among its public experiences.^[4]

Discovery Cove is an even clearer hybrid. United Parks describes it as a reservations-only interactive marine-life park where guests can participate in dolphin interactions, snorkel with tropical fish and rays, visit freshwater animal habitats, feed birds and swim a tropical river.^[5]

Aquatica San Antonio also demonstrates a waterpark / aquatic-life crossover through documented animal experiences and a stingray/tropical-fish component. TWS should record these overlaps park by park rather than labeling every property in the corporate portfolio an Aquatic Life Center.^[3]

Zoos & Land Animal Theme Parks is a separate but closely related TWS research area. The strongest United Parks example is Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, which combines a major ride park with a large zoological collection.

United Parks currently says Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has nearly 3,000 animals representing more than 300 species. Its attractions include animal habitats and an Animal Care Center where guests can observe veterinary care and treatment, alongside major roller coasters and entertainment.^[6]

That makes Busch Gardens useful for studying how a land-animal zoological institution and a thrill-oriented theme park can share one destination. It also creates comparison opportunities with conventional zoos, safari parks, aquariums, marine-life parks and future mixed recreation/conservation concepts.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg belongs primarily in Theme Parks research; TWS should not automatically assign every Busch Gardens property the same zoological classification without park-specific evidence.

Orlando: SeaWorld Orlando + Aquatica Orlando + Discovery Cove. This is the fullest company example: a marine-life/theme park, a conventional separately gated waterpark and a reservations-only interactive marine-life park operating in one destination market.^[2][3][5]

Tampa Bay: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay + Adventure Island. The waterpark sits directly across from the theme park.^[3][6]

Williamsburg: Busch Gardens Williamsburg + Water Country USA. The two parks provide a dry theme-park / waterpark pairing in the same visitor market.^[3][6]

San Antonio: SeaWorld San Antonio + Aquatica San Antonio. This pairing is additionally notable because Aquatica San Antonio itself includes documented animal experiences.^[3][4]

For TWS business research, these clusters raise questions about shared marketing, multi-park tickets, season-pass strategy, hotels and tourism, staffing, capital allocation, food/retail purchasing, maintenance expertise, cross-selling and the ability to provide both wet and dry experiences during one trip.

United Parks describes Sesame Place as a pair of Sesame Street-based family theme parks with rides, shows, parades and water attractions. The Philadelphia location, for example, combines dry rides and interactive play areas with water attractions.^[7]

That gives TWS a third operating model alongside the separate waterpark and the marine-life hybrid: water attractions integrated into a broader family theme park. It can be compared with parks that have a separately gated companion waterpark and with resorts where wet and dry attractions share one admission product.

1959: the roots of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay began as a bird sanctuary and garden next to an Anheuser-Busch brewery.^[8]

1964: SeaWorld opened in San Diego. United Parks' history says the original concept evolved from an underwater-restaurant idea into a marine zoological park with dolphins, sea lions and saltwater aquariums.^[8]

1975: Busch Gardens Williamsburg opened.^[8]

1980: Sesame Place began as a small Sesame Street-based theme park.^[8]

2009: the present corporate business acquired the Busch Entertainment operations and affiliates from Anheuser-Busch interests.^[10]

2013: the company completed its initial public offering.^[10]

2023: SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi opened as the first SeaWorld park outside the United States and the portfolio's 13th park.^[15]

2024: SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. changed its parent-company name to United Parks & Resorts Inc. The NYSE ticker changed from SEAS to PRKS.^[9]

United Parks reported approximately 21.2 million guests in fiscal 2025. Its 2025 Form 10-K reports total revenue of about $1.663 billion: approximately $883.4 million from admissions and $779.2 million from food, merchandise and other revenue.^[10][11]

The near balance between admissions revenue and food/merchandise/other revenue is highly relevant to TWS. A large park company is not merely selling access through the front gate; it is also operating restaurants, retail, upgrades, experiences and other forms of guest spending across a day or trip.

The company's fiscal 2025 results also reported in-park per-capita spending of $36.81. TWS can use these public-company figures as a case study in revenue architecture while avoiding the assumption that the same economics transfer directly to a new independent park.^[11]

The corporate names need to be kept distinct in TWS search and research. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. was the former name of the public parent and became United Parks & Resorts Inc. in February 2024.^[9][10]

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc., however, is not merely an obsolete alias. The company's 2025 Form 10-K identifies it as a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parks & Resorts Inc.^[10] The Theme Parks search therefore explains that relationship when a visitor searches that name.

As of December 31, 2025, Hill Path Capital LP owned approximately 53.2% of the company's outstanding common stock.^[10]

Animal operations are a major part of the company and one reason United Parks belongs in more than Theme Parks research. United Parks describes itself as one of the world's foremost zoological organizations, with animal-care, veterinary, husbandry, rescue, rehabilitation, research and education programs.^[1][12]

The company says SeaWorld rescue teams have helped more than 43,000 animals and describes partnerships with government agencies, stranding networks, zoos and aquariums. Its animal-care page also states that SeaWorld is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and lists other certifications.^[12]

United Parks also reports that the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund has donated more than $16.5 million to more than 1,200 conservation projects on all seven continents.^[13]

TWS should attribute these figures and descriptions to the company and, when deeper conservation or animal-welfare research is undertaken, compare them with independent regulatory, scientific and accreditation sources rather than treating corporate descriptions as the only evidence.

SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi opened in May 2023. United Parks described it as the first SeaWorld location outside the United States and the first new SeaWorld park in more than 30 years.^[15]

The current corporate website counts Abu Dhabi together with the twelve U.S. locations when describing the seven-brand, 13-park portfolio.^[1][2] SEC filings distinguish the company's twelve owned and operated U.S. parks while describing SeaWorld properties as operated and/or licensed in Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego and Abu Dhabi.^[10][14]

That distinction matters for future international TWS research: a brand can expand through ownership, operation, licensing or partnership structures that are not economically identical.

Several business lessons stand out for TWS research:

• Companion parks: a dedicated waterpark can sit beside or near a major theme park and share the same tourism market.
• Multiple visit reasons: rides, water recreation, animals, seasonal events, food and retail can broaden the reasons a household returns.
• Portfolio differentiation: Aquatica, Discovery Cove, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens are not identical products even when they serve overlapping markets.
• Revenue beyond admission: public filings show substantial food, merchandise and other revenue alongside admissions.^[10]
• Wet + dry integration: Sesame Place demonstrates that water attractions can be integrated into a broader theme park without requiring a separate gate.^[7]
• Operational specialization: zoological care, water treatment, ride maintenance, food service, retail and seasonal entertainment require very different expertise inside one organization.

The purpose of this section is not to imply that a new TWS project should copy United Parks. It is to identify operating patterns that can be studied, recombined or scaled differently.

Waterparks connects through Aquatica Orlando, Aquatica San Antonio, Adventure Island and Water Country USA, plus water attractions inside Sesame Place.^[3][7]

Theme Parks connects through SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place, as well as the company's broader destination and ride operations.^[2]

Aquatic Life Centers connects especially strongly through SeaWorld and Discovery Cove, where marine-life habitats, aquariums, snorkeling, animal care, rescue and education are core operating elements.^[4][5][12]

Zoos & Land Animal Theme Parks connects most clearly through Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and its large zoological collection.^[6]

Botanical Gardens is a related research branch rather than a blanket classification. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay itself began in 1959 as a bird sanctuary and garden beside the Anheuser-Busch brewery, making horticultural display and landscape history relevant to understanding the evolution of the brand.^[8]