Emerald Pointe sold to nation's largest water park operator

North Carolina's largest water park has been bought by the nation's largest water park operator. Palace Entertainment of Irvine, Calif., announced Tuesday it has purchased Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro from Alfa Smartparks Inc. of Jacksonville, Fla., as part of a six-property deal. Financial terms were not disclosed. Palace also announced the purchase of 11 family entertainment parks, giving it 28 entertainment parks and nine water parks. Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe has more than 30 rides and attractions, and the state Department of Commerce listed it as North Carolina's 22nd-largest tourist attraction during 2001. Palace Entertainment has parks in California, Florida, New Hampshire and New York. It will acquire properties in Georgia, Nevada and New Jersey as well as North Carolina with its most recent deals. Most of Palace's theme or water parks are linked to the Boomers brand name, but the six water parks being purchased will keep their current names. Chip Cleary, vice president of Palace's water park operations, said his company doesn't plan to make any significant changes to Wet 'n Wild. "Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe was a great acquisition on its own because it is a wonderful Southern water park with a solid management team in place," Cleary said. "What we will do is add stories and themes to the rides and add the cherry topping and ice cream sprinkles to the park."