SeaWorld Entertainment has offered to buy theme park operator Cedar Fair Entertainment for $3.4 billion, Bloomberg News reports.
Sandusky, Ohio-based Cedar Fair owns 15 amusement parks and water parks, including Kings Dominion near Richmond. Orlando-based SeaWorld already owns Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.
Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the offer, said both companies are working with advisers on the proposed acquisition.
The reported SeaWorld offer would top Cedar Fair’s current market value of $3.1 billion.
Busch Gardens, which opened its Williamsburg location in 1975, is one of two. The original Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay opened in 1959.
Kings Dominion, in Doswell, Virginia, opened in 1975.
SeaWorld, which operates 12 destinations, has bounced back after temporarily closing its attractions after the start of the pandemic in 2020. In the third quarter, which covered the busy summer season, SeaWorld parks attracted 7.2 million guests, 5.7 million more than the third quarter of 2020.
