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Aquatica in Chula Vista to become Sesame Place San Diego

Officials with SeaWorld Entertainment and Sesame Workshop announced Monday that they are opening the country's second Sesame Place park in San Diego in spring 2021.

SAN DIEGO — Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Place? 

There are plenty of sunny days to sweep the clouds away where SeaWorld is opening its next theme park.

Officials with SeaWorld Entertainment and Sesame Workshop announced Monday that they are opening the country's second Sesame Place park in San Diego in spring 2021. The first Sesame Place theme park opened almost 40 years ago outside Philadelphia.

The announcement continues a pivot by Orlando-based SeaWorld away from live animal shows.

The new 17-acre Sesame Place will be located south of SeaWorld San Diego. The space is currently occupied by the water park, Aquatica San Diego, which will have its final season next year opening in May. 

Monday's announcement is part of an expanding partnership between SeaWorld and Sesame Street, which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. SeaWorld's Orlando park opened a Sesame Street section earlier this year. Officials wouldn't disclose the cost of the park.

"You'll be able to walk down Sesame Street, interact with all the characters, [go on] exciting family rides that don't exist today like a roller coaster and a carousel," said Marilyn Hannes, president of SeaWorld San Diego.

Credit: Artist Rendering 2019© SeaWorld Parks
Artist rendering of Sesame Place San Diego entrance

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For those that enjoyed the water slides at Aquatica, Hannes said not to worry, the park will only be removing one of the current slides to make way for new attractions. 

"We will still have 11 slides, lots of water attractions through the park," said Hannes. 

As "Sesame Street" has been an iconic show for five decades, Hannes said she believe the park will be fun for all ages as older attendees can tap into their childhood nostalgia for all the beloved characters. 

Steve Youngwood, president of media and education and chief operating officer of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, said the two brands have common objectives.

"We want to engage and educate families. We mutually respect each side's expertise and we collaborate together to make it work," Youngwood said.

SeaWorld announced the end of its breeding program in March 2016, after years of pressure from animal rights advocates and shifting public opinion about orcas being held in captivity.

The protests intensified after the release of the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which focused on the life of Tilikum, a killer whale responsible for killing a trainer when he dragged her into a pool in front of shocked visitors in 2010.

The company in the past year, though, has seen a reversal of fortune. Attendance was up 8.6% during the 2018 fiscal year, as was revenue. For the first half of this year, attendance was up 1.7%.

In the past year, SeaWorld also has been offering specialized services at its parks for visitors with autism, and Sesame Place San Diego will also offer those services.

The San Diego park will be slightly larger than the Sesame Street park outside Philadelphia. Construction will start in Aquatica's offseason and resume after Aquatica closes for the season next year.

The park's opening in San Diego will open the Sesame Street experience to the western U.S., as well as to visitors from south of the border, said Hannes.

"I think we will pull a more international audience," Hannes said.

Back to those sunny days sweeping the clouds away, per Sesame Street's theme song, it is sunny in San Diego more than two-thirds of the time, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Editor's note:  This story has been edited to correct that Sesame Place will be located south of SeaWorld San Diego, not adjacent to it.

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