Adventure Landing

Adventure Landing is a group of amusement parks located in Florida, New York, North Carolina and Texas. The first park was opened in Jacksonville Beach, Florida in 1995 & other Adventure Landing parks opened up in later years.
Adventure Landing also manages and operates several other family entertainment centers throughout the United States. Adventure Landing currently runs 9 amusement parks nationwide.

History

Prior to Adventure Landing's founding; founder Hank Woodburn spent 24 years working with the Putt-Putt Golf Courses of America, specializing in updating the locations, to include new features that Putt-Putt introduced.
In 1994, Woodburn updated the Jacksonville, Fl Putt-Putt locations to include go-karts, batting cages, and arcades.
That same year, Woodburn, alongside Chip Linville, acquired 18 acres of land on Beach Blvd in Jacksonville Beach to open up a new arcade & water park independently from Putt-Putt known as Adventure Landing. The dry portion opened on May 26, 1995, followed by Shipwreck Island waterpark in mid-June by Woodburn's company Adventure Golf & Games.
The initial cost of construction for the first location was $5 million. The central structure contained the video arcade, laser tag, snackbar, prize counter, restrooms and other attractions. It was surrounded by miniature golf, batting cages, go-kart track and the water park.
In 1997, three Putt-Putt locations owned by Adventure Entertainment were converted to Adventure Landing, followed by the Greece location the next year.
In 1998, Adventure Entertainment was sold to a former New York investment banker Randy Levinson; at that time, the company had 5 branded Adventure Landing locations and several Putt-Putt franchised locations. Later that same year, Bob Steele of PepsiCo became CEO of the company, later resigning the next year. The 6th location & 2nd water park of Adventure Landing opened up in Daytona Beach on October 10, 1998.
On December 18, 2002, a management-led buyout was completed by Adventure Landing LLC for the four profitable parks owned by Adventure Entertainment.
In 2004, Hank Woodburn brought back Adventure Landing from Levinson's Adventure Landing LLC via Adventure Holdings, LLC.
In 2010, Adventure Holdings acquired All Star Adventures & All Star Sports in Wichita from Zuma Holdings, LLC.
The five Adventure Landing locations owned by Adventure Holdings, LLC were purchased in April 2011 by National Retail Properties, a Real Estate Investment Trust based in Orlando, Florida. All the locations were sale-leaseback transactions, so Adventure Holdings continued to operate the facilities.
In 2012, Adventure Landing purchased The Beach Waterpark in Mason, OH, which reopened in May 2013 as The Beach at Adventure Landing.
In December 2019, Adventure Holdings & NRP Lease Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the locations were closed for a few months, although have later reopened with safety precautions.
The Blanding Boulevard location in Jacksonville was closed Summer 2021 after 24 years in operation. The property was purchased to build a parking lot for Amazon's new delivery center.
The Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach was sold in 2021 and a 427-unit apartment complex was planned for the site. The parks were slated to close Halloween 2021, but construction was first delayed until end-of-year 2021, then the date was pushed back until August 31, 2022, and ultimately October 15, 2025. Adventure Landing announced that they were searching Jacksonville for a location to rebuild a new, larger facility.

Operation

There is no admission for the amusement parks; all the attractions are pay as you play. The water park at the now closed first location was seasonal and required a fee for admission. Not all features are at all parks. All parks included miniature golf and an arcade. Aside from the park in Buffalo, New York, all locations had go-karts, laser tag, and batting cages. Some parks had unique attractions, such as the Wacky Worm Rollercoaster at the former Jacksonville Beach location. Special accommodations are available for large group events.

Amusement Park Features

Adventure Speedway Go-Karts: a quarter mile track with racing results posted on a finish-line leader board.
Batting Cages: Participants specify hardball, softball, slow pitch or fast pitch with speeds ranging up to 70 mph.
Bumper Boats: Electric powered boats that functioned just like bumper cars, but on a pond. Each boat had a built-in squirt gun. Dallas & Winston-Salem locations have them currently, while the former Jacksonville Beach location removed it in the early 2000s.
Laser Tag: The course varies by location. The game, known as Pirate's Quest in Raleigh & the former Blanding locations, and Area 51 in the former Jacksonville Beach location, was played in twilight with lightning flashes and the sound of weapon fire. Scoring was automatic and participants were given a printout of their results.
Miniature Golf: Two 18-hole miniature golf courses designed to be fun, regardless of skill level.
Teddy Bear Factory: a stuffed animal could be created interactively.
Video Arcade: All locations had this feature, with up to 100 machines. All games used tokens and many games dispensed tickets which could be redeemed for prizes.
Snack Bar: Pizza, drinks and snack food.
Formerly available
Frog Hopper: A safe, bouncing ride designed for young children.
Max Flight: A roller coaster simulator with 360° range of motion. The Jacksonville Beach location had it until closure in 2025, while the St Augustine location had it until 2020.
Sweet Adventures: an old-fashioned candy shop.
Wacky Worm Roller Coaster: The ride was intended for youngsters or small children and their parents.
Wow Factory: A 3-story interactive playland and slide, containing 9,000 foam balls to climb in. Cannons & geysers kept the balls moving.
Shipwreck Island

Shipwreck Island was the waterpark co-located at Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. It was constructed in 1995 but opened a few months after the Amusement Park.

Water Park Features

Typhoon Lagoon: a 500,000 gallon wave pool with 3-4' waves.
Lil’ St. John’s River: a 720' lazy river.
Hydro Halfpipe: a water version of skateboarding half-pipe.
Eye of the Storm: a 40' diameter bowl that flows like a whirlpool.
Splash Cove: a toddler play area.
Rage: an uphill water coaster with speeds up to 18 mph.
Undertow: a 400' double-raft flume ride with speeds up to 23 mph.
Cabana rentals.
Pirate Play: a 62' pirate ship with water cannons, slides & waterfalls.
Jacksonville Beach Location

In June 2021, it was announced that the Jacksonville Beach site would close in October 2021 due to the lease owner's decision to construct an apartment building and parking lot. In October 2022, as the park continued to operate through the past year, it was announced that Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, will stay open until the end of September 2023 after a new agreement with their landlord. Adventure Landing does not plan on ending their stay in Jacksonville Beach once their landlord closes their park, but instead they are exploring other areas of Jacksonville to rebuild another water park.
In October 2025, Adventure Landing announced that their Jacksonville Beach location was closing immediately after 30 years in operation.
Any customers holding Jax Beach gift certificates, tokens or arcade tickets requiring redemption may utilize the St. Augustine location which remains open for now. An application is currently pending with the St. Johns River Water Management District to redevelop the site.