Who is the owner of Great America?

NBC Universal, Inc. Cedar Fair, the owner of Santa Clara amusement park Great America, and theme park giant Six Flags, owner of Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, are merging to create an expansive amusement park operator spread across 17 U.S. states and three countries. Robert Handa reports.



As of 2026, the ownership of California’s Great America (located in Santa Clara) is a bit complex due to a massive real estate deal. The land is owned by Prologis, Inc., a global logistics and real estate investment trust, which purchased the property for $310 million in 2022. However, the park operations and brand are owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (following the 2024 merger between Cedar Fair and Six Flags). Six Flags currently operates the park under a lease agreement with Prologis. In 2026, the park is still open and thriving, but there is a widely publicized "sunset" plan; Prologis intends to eventually redevelop the land into a massive tech and logistics hub. The current lease allows Six Flags to operate the park through approximately 2033, though they have the option to close it sooner or negotiate an extension. For now, guests still enjoy the park's world-class coasters under the Six Flags banner, even though the soil beneath them belongs to a real estate giant.

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The failure to build its largest and greatest theme park, in addition to continually disappointing profit levels from the other two parks, led Marriott to leave the amusement park business entirely in 1984.

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The amusement park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built by the Marriott Corporation. Six Flags acquired the amusement park in 1984 after the theme park division was an earnings disappointment for Marriott.

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In June 2022, Cedar Fair, a regional theme park conglomerate that owns Great America, announced the park was closing forever.

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states all of this is due to bring down the parks debt. The amusement park was sold for a total of 310 million from Bay Area buyer Prologis Inc. Cedat Fair said it first began looking into maximizing the value of its existing properties back in 2021. Thankfully people can still enjoy the park until the year 2033.

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Little Dipper is located in Yukon Territory. Little Dipper was designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck. The ride has a figure-eight layout style. Little Dipper is the oldest ride at Six Flags Great America.

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The Marriott Corporation's food service business switched from Coca-Cola to Pepsi-Cola after Coke rejected the hotel operator's request for a loan of up to $100 million, a Coca-Cola Company memo shows.

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Right now, the idea of Disney being the impetus behind Great America's purchase is merely a rumor, and any association between Prologis and Disney is alleged at best.

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It was August 1999 when O'Leary lost her little brother. The family says 12-year-old Joshua Smurphat was on a drop ride at a California amusement park when slipped out of his seat and fell to his death. His mom saw it all. I was standing five feet from where he fell when he did die, said Tami Smurphat.

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Wynne, Jr. in 1961, upon the opening of Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags Theme Parks is a fully-owned subsidiary of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (formerly Premier Parks), who purchased the company from Time Warner in 1998.

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At California's Great America we are proud to have earned one of the best safety records in the industry. We are committed to providing our guests with a safe environment and we want our guests to have a safe and enjoyable day. We are continually striving to improve our facilities.

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Cedar Fair, the owner and operator of Great America, as well as 11 other parks, including Knott's Berry Farm, sold the amusement park to real estate developer Prologis for $310 million in an effort to reduce its debt. Prologis is a major player in industrial, logistics and manufacturing development.

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Weekdays (Monday-Thursday) are historically least crowded during the summer season in June, July, and August. Weekends, especially Saturdays, attract more tourists and vacationers.

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Cedar Fair, the owner and operator of Great America, as well as 11 other parks, including Knott's Berry Farm, sold the amusement park to real estate developer Prologis for $310 million in an effort to reduce its debt. Prologis is a major player in industrial, logistics and manufacturing development.

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Severe damage from Hurricane Katrina closed the park and it never reopened due to a pump failure after four to seven feet of floodwaters sat on park grounds. The Industrial Development Board took ownership of the property in 2009.

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