Herschend expands Dollywood brand into Southern California

Herschend, the company that owns Dollywood and Silver Dollar City, is making a big move into Southern California. They have signed a deal to buy Palace Entertainment's properties in the U.S. This will make Herschend one of the largest family-run theme park companies in the world. With this acquisition, Herschend will now have 21 parks and water parks. This puts them in direct competition with Six Flags, which has 42 parks. Together, Herschend and Palace will attract more than 20 million visitors each year, while Six Flags and Cedar Fair welcome about 48.9 million. This purchase brings Herschend to California for the first time. They will operate four smaller parks: Castle Park in Riverside, Raging Waters in San Dimas, and Boomers in Palm Springs and Vista. However, these parks will face tough competition from bigger names like Disneyland and Universal Studios. The deal includes three historic parks located in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Parques Reunidos, the company selling the properties, will maintain its key theme parks in Europe. Experts believe that this merger will strengthen Herschend's position in the market, making it a stronger competitor against Six Flags and other regional parks. It may also lead to more mergers and acquisitions in the theme park sector as companies reassess their strategies. In the grand scheme of things, Disney, Universal, and Six Flags lead the attendance rankings in the U.S. Herschend, now expanded, will look to improve its standing among major players including SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.