- January 27th, 2006, 9:54 am
#16084
Instead of posting a link that you have to register for to read, I will just paste the article for those interested. Article from the Charlotte Observer, Jan 27, 2006:
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Carowinds for sale, CBS says
CBS Corp., the owner of Paramount's Carowinds and four other North American parks, plans to sell off its theme park business, the company announced Thursday.
The parks will operate normally while the sale is negotiated, company officials said.
CBS said in a statement it expects to sell the unit, Paramount Parks, in the second half of this year and that "numerous parties" have expressed interest in acquiring it. The division no longer fits the company's core content-oriented strategy, CBS spokesman Dana McClintock told the Observer.
It's possible that the names of some properties and attractions could change after the sale, but it's too soon to give details, McClintock added. "These are questions to be answered in the months to come," he said.
At Carowinds, on the Carolinas' border, park officials learned of the sale late Thursday afternoon. A spokesman said the park will be open for business as usual in March, and that it was unclear what changes could occur. Carowinds has 120 full-time workers and 2,000 seasonal employees at the peak of the summer.
Paramount Parks had more than 12 million visitors last year to its properties, which also include Paramount's Kings Dominion outside Richmond.
The Charlotte-area park opened in 1973. At the time, founding businessman Pat Hall of Charlotte said the name Carowinds derived from the two states it straddled and the winds that blew across them, according to the park's Web site. After several changes in ownership that culminated in the sale to Paramount in 1992, it added Paramount's name to its own.
The park has grown from its original 73 acres to 105, and notable attractions include Top Gun: the Jet Coaster, the Borg Assimilator and Nickelodeon Central. Last year, the park set a single-season attendance record of 2.13 million visitors, a 6 percent increase over the year before, and was ranked the 29th-most-attended theme park in North America.
In September, the park announced it will expand its water park 25 percent and rename it Boomerang Bay.
Paramount Parks
Properties of the division CBS Corp. announced Thursday it intends to sell:
• Paramount's Carowinds
• Paramount Canada's Wonderland (Toronto, Ontario)
• Paramount's Great America (Santa Clara, Calif.)
• Paramount's Kings Dominion (Richmond, Va.)
• Paramount's Kings Island (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Also:
• Developed and manages STAR TREK: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton (Las Vegas, Nev.)
• Manages Bonfante Gardens horticultural theme park (Gilroy, Calif.)
• Manages CBS Television City at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.)
_____________________________________
Carowinds for sale, CBS says
CBS Corp., the owner of Paramount's Carowinds and four other North American parks, plans to sell off its theme park business, the company announced Thursday.
The parks will operate normally while the sale is negotiated, company officials said.
CBS said in a statement it expects to sell the unit, Paramount Parks, in the second half of this year and that "numerous parties" have expressed interest in acquiring it. The division no longer fits the company's core content-oriented strategy, CBS spokesman Dana McClintock told the Observer.
It's possible that the names of some properties and attractions could change after the sale, but it's too soon to give details, McClintock added. "These are questions to be answered in the months to come," he said.
At Carowinds, on the Carolinas' border, park officials learned of the sale late Thursday afternoon. A spokesman said the park will be open for business as usual in March, and that it was unclear what changes could occur. Carowinds has 120 full-time workers and 2,000 seasonal employees at the peak of the summer.
Paramount Parks had more than 12 million visitors last year to its properties, which also include Paramount's Kings Dominion outside Richmond.
The Charlotte-area park opened in 1973. At the time, founding businessman Pat Hall of Charlotte said the name Carowinds derived from the two states it straddled and the winds that blew across them, according to the park's Web site. After several changes in ownership that culminated in the sale to Paramount in 1992, it added Paramount's name to its own.
The park has grown from its original 73 acres to 105, and notable attractions include Top Gun: the Jet Coaster, the Borg Assimilator and Nickelodeon Central. Last year, the park set a single-season attendance record of 2.13 million visitors, a 6 percent increase over the year before, and was ranked the 29th-most-attended theme park in North America.
In September, the park announced it will expand its water park 25 percent and rename it Boomerang Bay.
Paramount Parks
Properties of the division CBS Corp. announced Thursday it intends to sell:
• Paramount's Carowinds
• Paramount Canada's Wonderland (Toronto, Ontario)
• Paramount's Great America (Santa Clara, Calif.)
• Paramount's Kings Dominion (Richmond, Va.)
• Paramount's Kings Island (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Also:
• Developed and manages STAR TREK: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton (Las Vegas, Nev.)
• Manages Bonfante Gardens horticultural theme park (Gilroy, Calif.)
• Manages CBS Television City at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Carowinds: The Early Years
Updated March 2016. More great old photos!
Lakewood Park
Charlotte's first amusement park in 1910.
Updated March 2016. More great old photos!
Lakewood Park
Charlotte's first amusement park in 1910.
