Dollywood’s Parent Company Expands Its Theme Park Empire Into the Northwest With Major Acquisition

Herschend, the parent company of Dollywood, has been on a buying streak this year, and that continued this week as it purchased the largest theme park in the Northwest to add to its portfolio.

This week, Herschend purchased Silverwood Theme Park and Boulder Beach Water Park in Athol, Idaho, from Silverwood, Inc. Silverwood has been open since 1988, and now expands the Herschend Theme Park Empire nearly coast-to-coast. This latest acquisition brings the total number of theme parks, aquariums, and attractions owned by Herschend to nearly 50.

Earlier this year, Herschend agreed to buy Palace Entertainment and its 20 U.S. parks across 10 states from European theme park company Parques Reunidos. While Herschend may not be a household name, many theme park enthusiasts know some of its biggest assets, including Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Kentucky Kingdom.

The acquisition gave Herschend some of the country’s best-known theme parks, including Kennywood and Dutch Wonderland in Pennsylvania, and Lake Compounce in Connecticut, America’s first theme park. Herschend Parks averages around 20 million visitors annually, putting it on par with United Parks and Resorts, owners of Busch Gardens and SeaWorld, who average around 21 million visitors annually.

Despite the popularity of Dollywood, the merger between Herschend and Palace Entertainment has not been entirely rosy. Earlier this year, Herschend sold three of the 20 properties it had acquired to Lucky Strike Entertainment, which is mostly known for its bowling alleys. The three properties were Raging Waters Los Angeles in San Dimas, Calif., Castle Park in Riverside, Calif., and Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In September and early October, Herschend shut down two smaller theme parks in Georgia. Both of those parks were acquired as part of the merger with Palace Entertainment.

Silverwood was a family-owned theme park for nearly three decades, and now the Norton Family has turned over its operation to Dollywood’s parent company.

“Silverwood has been our family’s life’s work for more than three decades,” said Paul Norton, COO of Silverwood. “When the time came to pass the torch, Herschend was the only choice. They share our values, our long-term approach, and our belief that parks like this are built by people with heart.”  

While this acquisition brings Herschend nearly across the country, it still does not own any parks on the West Coast. However, with Six Flags looking to unload some of its parks, it’s possible that Herschend’s expansion is not over yet.

What do you think of Herschend buying up more theme parks across the country? Let us know in the comments.