Sesame Place San Diego
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Amusement park, Water park |
| Predecessor | White Water Canyon, Knott's Soak City U.S.A., Aquatica San Diego |
| Founded | May 31, 1997 (as White Water Canyon) |
| Headquarters | Chula Vista , United States |
Area served | Southern California |
| Owner | United Parks & Resorts (operates under license from Sesame Workshop) |
| Website | sesameplace |
Sesame Place San Diego is a children's theme park and water park situated in Chula Vista, California. It operates under the ownership and management of United Parks & Resorts through an exclusive licensing agreement with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street. The park is designed to offer family-oriented entertainment with a strong emphasis on accessibility.
It holds certification as an autism center from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), following in the footsteps of its counterpart, Sesame Place Philadelphia, which was the first theme park worldwide to receive this distinction.
Water Park Era
The facility originally opened as White Water Canyon on May 31, 1997. It was an independently managed water park featuring 16 slides and a wave pool, all within a western-themed environment. However, operational difficulties and insufficient visitor numbers resulted in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by June 1998.
In December 1999, Cedar Fair purchased the property for $11.5 million and rebranded it as Knott's Soak City U.S.A., adopting a beach theme. The park reopened on May 27, 2000.
On November 20, 2012, Cedar Fair sold the site to SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Under new ownership, it was transformed into Aquatica San Diego, a water park that launched on June 1, 2013. This iteration introduced various attractions suitable for all ages, including a flamingo habitat. The park also gained media attention through its feature in the "Appalachian Splashin" episode of Xtreme Waterparks.
Transition to Sesame Place San Diego
In 2017, Sesame Workshop announced plans for a new Sesame Place location set to open by mid-2021. Two years later, SeaWorld disclosed that Aquatica San Diego would be converted into Sesame Place San Diego for the 2021 season. This Sesame Street-themed destination offers family-friendly experiences such as gentle roller coasters, carousels, live performances, and opportunities to meet characters. Most water attractions from Aquatica were retained except for "HooRoo Run," which was removed due to its intensity.
The redevelopment was executed in stages to allow Aquatica to operate until its final season concluded on September 12, 2021. Due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the grand opening was postponed until March 2022. Sesame Place San Diego officially welcomed guests on March 26, 2022.
Attractions
Having evolved from a water park, Sesame Place San Diego now offers a blend of aquatic features alongside newly introduced dry rides as part of its rebranding.
Dry Attractions
| Name | Opened | Description | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abby's Fairy Flight | 2022 | A chair swing ride. | Zamperla |
| Cookie Climb | 2022 | Two small climbing towers inspired by Cookie Monster and cookies; visitors ascend using chairs that descend slowly. | Sunkid |
| Elmo's Rockin' Rockets | 2022 | An aerial carousel attraction. | Zamperla |
| Rosita's Harmony Hills | 2022 | Interactive play area. | |
| Rub-A-Dub Sub | 2022 | A Crazy Bus ride themed as a submarine. | Zamperla |
| Sesame Street Soar and Spin | 2022 | Samba balloon-style ride. | Zamperla |
| Sunny Day Carousel | 2022 | Traditional carousel ride. | Chance Rides |
| Super Grover's Box Car Derby | 2022 | Junior coaster themed around Super Grover; identical to Air Grover at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. | Zierer |
Additionally, visitors can explore a recreated "Sesame Street Neighborhood" and enjoy photo sessions with beloved Sesame Street characters.
Water Attractions
| Name | Opened | Description | Previous names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bert's Topsy Turvy Tunnels | TBC | Features three double-inner-tube slides, each standing 60 feet tall: two enclosed and one exposed to open air. | Kiwi Curl (Aquatica) Palisades Plunge (Soak City) |
| Big Bird's Beach | 1997 | A wave pool holding 550,000 gallons of water. | Big Surf Shores (Aquatica) Balboa Bay (Soak City) |
| Big Bird's Rambling River | 1997 | A lazy river extending 1,250 feet in length. | Loggerhead Lane (Aquatica) Sunset River (Soak City) |
| Cookie's Monster Mixer | 2005 | A ProSlide Tornado slide rising 75 feet and descending 60 feet into a funnel equivalent to six stories. | Tassie's Twister (Aquatica) Pacific Spin (Soak City) |
| Elmo's Silly Sand Slides | 1997 | A children's play zone featuring smaller slides designed for young guests. | Slippity Dippity (Aquatica) Tykes Trough (Soak City) |
| Ernie's Twisty Turny Tunnels | 1997 | Comprises three single-inner-tube slides, each 60 feet tall: two are enclosed while one is open-air. | Woohoo Falls (Aquatica) Solana Storm Watch Tower (Soak City) |
| Honker Dinger Dash | 2014 | Six-lane mat-racing slide combining enclosed and open sections for competitive fun. | Taumata Racer (Aquatica) |
| Oscar's Rotten Rafts | 2000 | Family raft slide designed for four riders, standing at 78 feet tall. | Walhalla Wave (Aquatica) Coronado Express (Soak City) |
| Snuffy's Spaghetti Slides | 1997 | A complex of six body slides reaching 60 feet in height: four enclosed and two open-air. | Whanau Way (Aquatica) Imperial Run (Soak City) |
| The Count's Splash Castle | 2023 | A ProSlide RideHOUSE featuring four water slides, 111 interactive play elements, and three massive tipping buckets that release over 1,300 gallons collectively. This attraction replaced the earlier version. |
Former Attractions
| Name | Opened | Removed | Description | Previous names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Count's Splash Castle | 1997 | 2023 | A four-story interactive play structure with two slides, water hoses, jets, geysers, and a tipping bucket holding 500 gallons that emptied every five minutes. This was dismantled and succeeded by an expanded version in 2023. | Walkabout Waters and Kata's Kookaburra Cove (Aquatica) Dick's Beach House and Gremmie Lagoon (Soak City) |
| HooRoo Run | 1997 | 2019 | An 80-foot-high speed slide consisting of two open-air and two enclosed chutes. It was removed after the 2019 season due to concerns about excessive speed and maintenance challenges during Aquatica’s later years. | La Jolla Falls (Soak City) |