| |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters |  |
| Founded | January 4, 1979 |
| Key people | John Arie Jr. (CEO)
John Arie Sr. (Founder) |
| Previous names | Fun 'N Wheels Family Fun Parks (1979 to 1988)
Fun Spot (1990 to 2009) Fun Spot Attractions (2009 to 2014) |
| Website | https://fun-spot.com/ |
| Amusement parks | 3 |
Fun Spot America Theme Parks is an American operator of amusement parks based in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Its corporate offices are located on the second floor of the Arcade at Fun Spot America Orlando.
History
Fun 'N Wheels
Fun 'N Wheels Family Fun Parks was founded by John Arie Sr., who had been operating go-kart tracks for many years, the first park would open in 1979, being Fun 'N Wheels Orlando, which featured go-karts and various amusement rides, including a roller coaster,[1][2] a second Fun 'N Wheels opened in Kissimmee 9 years later.[2][3]
Both Fun 'N Wheels parks were sold in 1988, but John continued to manage them until 1991.[2]
Fun Spot Action Parks
After selling Fun 'N Wheels, a non-compete agreement in the sale contract barred John from building a new park in Florida, so he decided to purchase a park in another resort city.[4]
In 1990, John purchased Fun Spot Action Park near Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,[5] he would later trademark the name of that park and the company still uses it to this day.[2][4][6]
The company expanded to two parks with the purchase of a second go-kart center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with Fun Spot Action Park opening in 1992.[2][4][7]
By 1996, John Arie Sr.'s non-compete agreement had expired, so he decided to expand the Fun Spot Action Park brand back to Orlando, with the purchase of a 5-acre plot of land near International Drive.[6]
Fun Spot Action Park Orlando had its soft opening on December 27, 1997 as the 3rd Fun Spot Action Park,[2] however, the park was unfinished, and it had mainly opened to raise funds to finish the construction.[8] The park's Grand Opening was on June 6, 1998.[6]
Shortly after Orlando park opened, the Myrtle Beach and Virginia Beach parks were sold.[2]
Kissimmee Skycoaster & Fun Spot USA
On April 28, 2004, Fun Spot purchased the Skycoaster & G-Force Dragsters in Kissimmee, Florida, from Bill Kitchen, with the intention of building a second Fun Spot park on the land,[9] and 3 years later, Fun Spot would start the construction of their second park, Fun Spot USA.
Fun Spot USA opened on June 2, 2007, utilizing the existing Skycoaster & G-Force Dragsters.[10]
Fun Spot Attractions
In 2009, Fun Spot rebranded to Fun Spot Attractions, making a clear divide between the parks and the company.[11]
Fun Spot Action Park was rebranded to Fun Spot America after its 2013 expansion, and the Kissimme park was given the same name in 2014.[11]
Fun Spot America Theme Parks
In 2014, Fun Spot Attractions became Fun Spot America Theme Parks.[11]
Fun Junction USA was purchased by the company in July 2017, and rebranded to Fun Spot America Atlanta in 2018.[12]
John Arie Jr., the COO of the company, and Son of John Arie Sr., was appointed to Co-CEO in 2017.[13]
In 2019, John Arie Sr. retired, making John Arie Jr. the sole CEO of the company.[14] Arie Sr. transferred ownership of the company to Jr. in 2021.[15]
Amusement parks
Current
| Park | Location | Opened | Acquired | Previously | Coasters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fun Spot America | |
December 27, 1997 | December 27, 1997 | N/A | 3 |
| Fun Spot America | |
November 22, 1997 | 2004 | Kissimmee Skycoaster | 4 |
| Fun Spot America Atlanta | |
1990 | 2017 | Fun Junction USA | 3 |
Former
| Park | Location | Opened | Acquired | Previously | Coasters | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fun 'N Wheels | |
1979 | 1979 | N/A | 1 | Sold to Pleasurama PLC in 1988 |
| Fun 'N Wheels | |
1988 | 1988 | N/A | 0 | Sold to Pleasurama PLC in 1988 |
| Fun Spot Action Park | |
1983 or earlier | 1990 | Unknown | 0 | Sold to Family Kingdom Amusement Park in 1998 |
| Fun Spot Action Park | |
1963 or earlier | 1992 | Unknown | 0 | Sold in 1998 |
References
- ↑ "Florida Profit Corporation FUN WHEELS, INC". Sunbiz.org. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "About Fun Spot". Fun Spot America Website. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Florida Profit Corporation FUN WHEELS KISSIMMEE, INC". Sunbiz.org. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Spitz, Jill Jordan (July 14, 1997). "Tourist corridor amusement park aims to be a Fun Spot for families". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Fun Spot History". YouTube. April 22, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Fun Spot Attractions". YouTube. November 1, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ↑ Lamanna, Dean (July 2013). "Fun Spot Attractions is a happy medium for owner John Arie, Sr" (PDF). Amusement Today. p. 6. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ↑ "John Arie, Jr.: CEO of Fun Spot America". iHeart. July 30, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ "FUN SPOT BUYS KISSIMMEE RIDE, PLANS 2ND PARK". Orlando Sentinel. April 29, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Fun Spot USA". Fun Spot USA Website. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Various logo & name changes on websites & social media pages.
- ↑ "Today we would like to welcome Fun Junction USA to our Fun Spot family!". Facebook. July 1, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Our Leadership Team (2017)". Fun Spot America Website. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Our Leadership Team (2019)". Fun Spot America Website. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Our Leadership Team (2021)". Fun Spot America Website. Retrieved December 31, 2023.