California Company Acquires Ocala Attraction
SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. (Orlando Sentinel) - Silver Springs, where tourists have viewed the crystal clear Silver River from glass-bottom boats since 1878, was among 17 water parks and entertainment centers acquired Tuesday by Palace Entertainment Inc. of Irvine, Calif. Silver Springs spokesman Steve Specht said Tuesday that he could not say what the change in management might mean for the Ocala park, which underwent a major expansion in 1997 but has struggled to compete with newer attractions in Orlando and Tampa. Wild Waters, an adjacent 9-acre park, was included in the transaction. Price and terms were not disclosed. Palace Entertainment executives said in a statement that the acquisitions make the company the largest operator of water parks and family entertainment centers in the country, with 37 in seven states. The company acquired the lease rights to Silver Springs and Wild Waters from Alfa SmartParks Inc., a Jacksonville-based company that has managed the attractions for the past two years. The Silver Springs' land itself has been owned by the state of Florida since 1993, with lease-management rights sold to private operators. Abe Pizam, a tourism professor at the University of Central Florida, said Silver Springs holds a special place in Florida tourism history but has struggled in recent years. The springs and the surrounding area served as a set for Tarzan and other movies in the 1930s and many episodes of the Sea Hunt TV series in the 1950s and 1960s. But the 350-acre nature park and its namesake spring, which flows at the rate of 550 million gallons per day, have been overshadowed in recent years by Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.
SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. (Orlando Sentinel) - Silver Springs, where tourists have viewed the crystal clear Silver River from glass-bottom boats since 1878, was among 17 water parks and entertainment centers acquired Tuesday by Palace Entertainment Inc. of Irvine, Calif. Silver Springs spokesman Steve Specht said Tuesday that he could not say what the change in management might mean for the Ocala park, which underwent a major expansion in 1997 but has struggled to compete with newer attractions in Orlando and Tampa. Wild Waters, an adjacent 9-acre park, was included in the transaction. Price and terms were not disclosed. Palace Entertainment executives said in a statement that the acquisitions make the company the largest operator of water parks and family entertainment centers in the country, with 37 in seven states. The company acquired the lease rights to Silver Springs and Wild Waters from Alfa SmartParks Inc., a Jacksonville-based company that has managed the attractions for the past two years. The Silver Springs' land itself has been owned by the state of Florida since 1993, with lease-management rights sold to private operators. Abe Pizam, a tourism professor at the University of Central Florida, said Silver Springs holds a special place in Florida tourism history but has struggled in recent years. The springs and the surrounding area served as a set for Tarzan and other movies in the 1930s and many episodes of the Sea Hunt TV series in the 1950s and 1960s. But the 350-acre nature park and its namesake spring, which flows at the rate of 550 million gallons per day, have been overshadowed in recent years by Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.
