Castle Park and Raging Waters have a new corporate parent in the latest ownership shuffle that will move the Riverside amusement park and San Dimas water park under the umbrella of a bowling alley company looking to expand its entertainment offerings.
Lucky Strike Entertainment has acquired Castle Park, Raging Waters, a pair of Boomers in Palm Springs and Vista and a North Carolina water park from Herschend, the parent company of the Dollywood and Silver Dollar City theme parks.
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Herschend announced the acquisition of the five properties in March with the purchase of Palace Entertainment’s U.S. properties from Parques Reunidos.
The biggest additions to the Herschend portfolio from the Palace deal included three historic parks: Kennywood and Idlewild (both in the Pittsburgh area) along with Connecticut’s Lake Compounce (billed as America’s First Amusement Park).
Lucky Strike made the latest acquisitions from Herschend to reinforce its growing presence in the amusement park, water park and family entertainment center industries.
“This acquisition accelerates our vision to build the leading platform of location-based entertainment destinations in North America,” Lucky Strike CEO Thomas Shannon said in a statement. “Each of these properties has deep roots and established guest loyalty in their communities.”
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Castle Park, which attracts more than 250,000 visitors annually, was built by amusement industry pioneer Bud Hurlbut who was instrumental in the development of Knott’s Berry Farm.
Raging Waters, which attracts 450,000 visitors annually, is California’s largest water park.
Lucky Strike Entertainment has more than 360 bowling alleys across North America under the AMF, Bowlero and Lucky Strike brand names. The Virginia-based company acquired the Professional Bowlers Association in 2019.
The sale of Castle Park, Raging Waters and the two Boomers family entertainment centers ends Herschend’s brief expansion into California.