Sesame Place San Diego Expanding with Two New Attractions in 2023

© Sesame Place San Diego

Having just opened in March of 2022, Sesame Place San Diego is already on a path to growth with the announcement of two new attractions for the park's 2023 season.  The park has already made improvements and changes to the park since its opening, but these are the first two major expansions that guests will have to look forward to.

The biggest addition is The Count's Splash Castle, a massive multi-level water play structure that features a drenching good time with 111 interactive play elements on it.  The structure will have not one but two giant tipping buckets that dump over 1,300 gallons of water combined.  The structure will contain "three exciting water slides, plus soakers, flow pipes, hose jets, spray jets, water shooters, water curtains, tipping troughs, spinning and sliding buckets, and much more" for families to explore.  The addition will replace the park's former splash area and is more than double the size of the previous attraction. 

 

© Sesame Place San Diego

All the fun to be had on The Count's Splash Castle is sure to make families hungry and this year they can dine in the all-new Sunny Day Cafe, a brand new indoor and air conditioned 5,000 square foot location.  The establishment will serve buffet style offerings that will have something for everyone in the family.  There will be seating for up to 160 guests at each meal and the Sesame Street characters will join diners for "an immersive experience with singing, dancing and photo opportunities."   

Elsewhere in the park there will also be a brand new Big Bird's Beach Bites locations with snacks and beverages, to be located near Big Bird's Beach.  The park is also adding mobile ordering for select restaurants within the park.

 

“Going into the new year, we’re very excited to offer our guests and Season Pass Members more reasons to visit the park throughout the year.  Between our new attractions, increased dining options and 2023 event lineup that will be all-new to our guests, we look forward to an amazing year,” said Jim Lake, Sesame Place Park President. “We’re constantly adding new activities and events to enhance the guest experience. We’re increasing the number of opportunities to interact with their favorite characters and with the expansion of our dining options, plus our mobile ordering, our guests will be able to enjoy more convenience throughout their days at the park.”

Sesame Place San Diego to Hold Grand Opening March 26th 2022

© Sesame Place San Diego

The newest, and only second of its kind in the U.S., Sesame Place theme park will open in San Diego on March 26th, the park has announced.  Sesame Place San Diego will be the West coast's first Sesame themed park, joining Sesame Place Philadelphia which has been operating since 1980.  The new park is aimed at visitors of all ages, but with a decidedly kid-friendly atmosphere.  The park is a transformation of Aquatica San Diego, which operated as a water park only by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.

Sesame Place San Diego will be previewed first by season pass holders, and those grand opening events will offer fun "filled with character meet-and-greets, photo opportunities, collector items and more."  The park is now selling season passes ahead of their grand opening at a special discounted rate.

© Sesame Place San Diego

The new park will retain most of the previous property's water attractions, including an interactive play area, giant wave pool, family water slides and more.  There will also be a selection of new rides and attractions that have been added for the park's debut as well.  Visitors will find a recreation of the Sesame Street Neighborhood, complete with interactive elements that are sure to amaze young guests.  A festive parade and other live entertainment will also be offered.  The park will open as a Certified Autism Center, with team members receiving special training to ensure a comfortable visit for all guests.

© Sesame Place San Diego

There will be plenty of rides and slides that families can enjoy while at the park.  There will be a new family friendly roller coaster named Super Grover's Box Car Derby.  Other new rides added include the Sunny Day Carousel, Rub-A-Dub Sub, Abby's Fairy Flight, Cookie Climb, and Elmo's Rockin' Rockets.  Rethemed water attractions include Big Bird's Beach, Cookie's Monster Mixer, Oscar's Rotten Rafts, Bert's Topsy Turvy Tunnels, Big Bird's Rambling River and Snuffy's Spaghetti Slides.

Sesame Place San Diego is already planning on holding two large special events in the 2022 season.  These include The Count's Halloween Spooktacular and A Very Furry Christmas.  For more information on the park, check out the official website.

Sesame Place San Diego to Open March 2022

© Sesame Place San Diego

Sesame Place San Diego has announced that it will be opening to guests in March of 2022, bringing the fun of the Sesame Place characters to the West coast in their own dedicated theme park.  The property is a conversion of Aquatica San Diego, which had its last season as a water park-only property this year.  The crews are now out in full force adding rides and attractions to round out the offerings of the new park.

© Bing Maps

You can actually see that a lot of work was started already for the new rides, as I believe the park was originally intended to open this year... but the pandemic pushed that back.  This aerial shows a lot of ground clearing taking place at the park, and there are even a couple ride foundations already in place.  Fun fact - this park used to be one of Knott's Soak City properties before Cedar Fair sold it to SeaWorld Entertainment.

© Sesame Place San Diego

Sesame Place San Diego will feature many of the park's existing water attractions but also a brand new Sesame Street neighborhood area near the park's entrance.  There will also be rides added, including Super Grover's Box Car Derby, a family roller coaster.  Other listed attractions on the still-under-development website for the park include Abby's Fairy Flight (a Wave Swinger), Elmo's Rockin' Rockets (circular ride), the Sunny Day Carousel and the Rub-A-Dub Sub (a camp bus style ride).

The park will also feature a full parade and other live entertainment, along with new food and beverage and retail options as well.  With work in full gear and an opening date announced, watch for more updates on the new park soon.

Sesame Place San Diego Announced For Spring 2021 Opening

SeaWorld Entertainment has finally named the second location for a Sesame Place theme park, and much to the surprise of many it will be located in San Diego, California.

The 17 acre Sesame Place San Diego will be a theme and water park opening in 2021, and will be a new park built off the bones of the current Aquatica San Diego, also one of SeaWorld Entertainment's parks.  The location is in Chula Vista, California, and currently serves as a secondary park to SeaWorld San Diego.

© Sesame Place San Diego

Work on the new park will commence this off season, and Aquatica San Diego is scheduled to operate for one final season in 2020.  More work will continue after it closes in the fall of 2020, and then Sesame Place San Diego will open in 2021.

When complete visitors will find a property that offers both mechanical and water rides, starting from the entrance area that is seen in the above concept art.  The design is somewhat similar to the Sesame Place park that has operated outside Philadelphia, but will use many of the existing parks facilities.

© Sesame Place San Diego

Visitors will also find a full replica of Sesame Street once inside the park, and it's said to have interactive features like those added at SeaWorld Orlando and Sesame Place Philadelphia this past season.  There will also be live shows featuring the Sesame Street gang, and a daily parade which has proven a huge hit at the existing Sesame Place park for decades.

Sesame Place San Diego will also open its doors as a Certified Autism Center, providing "staff-wide autism sensitivity and awareness training that will be completed prior to the park’s debut, and robust pre-visit planning resources, including a park-specific sensory guide will be featured on its website, making it easier for parents to plan activities that satisfy their child’s specific needs and accommodations.  Designated quiet spaces with adjustable lighting and comfortable seating will be incorporated into the park’s design."

© Sesame Place San Diego

While Aquatica San Diego was purely a water park experience, there will be seven mechanical rides added to the park when it reopens as Sesame Place San Diego.  Located throughout the park, it appears from the concept art that there will be a family swing ride, swirling submarine ride, balloon tower, carousel, an Elmo themed spinner, kid-powered climb tower and a family roller coaster, which looks like it will be themed to Super Grover.

© Sesame Place San Diego

If you click this image you can see more details of this great aerial concept art of Sesame Place San Diego.  The park's press materials state that it will have 11 water slides and attraction, and judging off of the current Aquatica map it looks like only one slide tower will be removed.  That is the tower with the tall high speed body slides, which indeed do not fit in a Sesame Place, and the concept art shows a new amphitheater in its place.  You can get an idea how the rides will be spread out around the property, and the Sesame Street neighborhood will go up in the corner of the park bordering the entrance area with the parking lot to its back.

The Sesame Place San Diego website is already live, offering more details on what will be offered when it opens in spring 2021.  Check it out at this link.