United Parks & Resorts Inc.

What does United Parks & Resorts own?

United Parks & Resorts owns 12 theme parks across the United States operating under five brand families: SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Sesame Place, and specialty properties including Discovery Cove, Water Country USA, and Adventure Island. It also licenses the SeaWorld brand to Miral's park in Abu Dhabi.

Is United Parks & Resorts publicly traded?

Yes. United Parks & Resorts trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker PRKS. The company previously traded under ticker SEAS as SeaWorld Entertainment before its February 2024 name change. It has been publicly listed since a 2013 IPO.

Who founded United Parks & Resorts?

The corporate predecessor traces to the SeaWorld parks founded in 1964 by Milton Shedd, Ken Norris, David DeMott, and George Millay. The current company formed through Anheuser-Busch's 1989 acquisition and the 2009 Blackstone purchase that took it private before the 2013 IPO.

Where is United Parks & Resorts headquartered?

United Parks & Resorts is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, placing corporate management in the market that generates the largest share of its attendance and revenue. The Orlando cluster includes SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove.

How many parks does United Parks & Resorts operate?

The company operates 12 theme parks in the United States across its five brand families, plus the licensed SeaWorld Abu Dhabi operated under agreement with Miral. The three SeaWorld parks and two Busch Gardens parks anchor the portfolio.

Who owns United Parks & Resorts?

United Parks & Resorts is a public company with no controlling shareholder. Hill Path Capital, founded by chairman Scott Ross, is among the largest institutional investors. Ownership is otherwise distributed among institutional and retail shareholders.

The corporate history runs through the SeaWorld parks that four UCLA fraternity brothers founded in San Diego in 1964. Publishing company Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bought the parks in 1976 and sold them to Anheuser-Busch in 1989, which folded them into its Busch Entertainment division alongside the Busch Gardens parks it already owned.

The Anheuser-Busch era built the portfolio's foundation, investing heavily in the parks and the Budweiser-associated brand identity. The 2008 InBev acquisition of Anheuser-Busch changed the picture: the parks became non-core assets for the beer company, and private equity firm Blackstone Group purchased the entire Busch Entertainment operation in 2009 for approximately $2.3 billion.

Blackstone renamed the company SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and returned it to public markets with an April 2013 IPO on the NYSE under ticker SEAS. Months later, the documentary Blackfish premiered, examining orca captivity and the 2010 death of trainer Dawn Brancheau, and triggered a crisis that depressed attendance and revenue for years. The company ended orca breeding in 2016 and phased out theatrical orca shows.

Leadership churned through the late 2010s before Marc Swanson, a company veteran who began as an aquarium attendant in 1999, became CEO in 2019 and stabilized the business. Chinese conglomerate Zhonghong Zhuoye acquired a 21 percent stake in 2017 that was later restructured following Zhonghong's own financial collapse. The company renamed itself United Parks & Resorts in February 2024, switched its ticker to PRKS, and in 2025 announced a $50 million cost-efficiency program as attendance softened in the post-pandemic normalization.

United Parks operates one of the largest zoological organizations in the world, and its sustainability posture centers on animal care, rescue operations, and conservation rather than environmental metrics. The company's rescue and rehabilitation programs have assisted more than 40,000 animals across its history, and its parks hold accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums.

The company publishes environmental reporting covering energy, water, and waste across its parks, though its footprint is modest compared to industrial companies. Conservation funding flows through the SeaWorld Conservation Fund, which has distributed more than $20 million to wildlife research and rescue organizations.

The orca captivity legacy remains the central ethical issue. The company ended breeding and theatrical shows but continues to house its existing orcas, a position that draws ongoing criticism from animal welfare groups even as it satisfies regulators and most guests.

United Parks' properties have earned substantial industry recognition. SeaWorld Orlando was voted the third-best amusement park in the nation by USA Today readers and received a Golden Ticket Awards Legend designation for a 17-year streak as Best Marine Life/Wildlife Park. Discovery Cove earned the 2025 Best Family Travel Award from Good Housekeeping and top rankings in animal encounter categories.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg was named World's Most Beautiful Theme Park for the 35th consecutive year by the National Amusement Park Historical Association, and the company's new ride additions have collected Golden Ticket and industry awards across categories. The parks' conservation programs earned recognition from zoological and wildlife organizations for the rescue operation's scale.

The Blackfish legacy dominates the company's controversy record. The 2013 documentary's examination of orca captivity triggered attendance declines, partnership losses, and a regulatory response including California's effective ban on orca breeding, which the company adopted nationwide in 2016.

In 2018, the company and its former CEO paid a combined $5 million SEC settlement over allegations they misled investors about Blackfish's impact on attendance, settling without admitting or denying the findings. Animal welfare groups including PETA continue to target the company over dolphin and whale captivity, and a 2024 shareholder proposal on animal welfare transparency drew minority support.

The company has also faced OSHA scrutiny over trainer safety following Dawn Brancheau's 2010 death, litigation over its killer whale collection, and periodic protests at park entrances. The controversies have moderated since the orca breeding ended but remain a persistent reputational factor that resurfaces with each animal welfare news cycle.