After a few months of negotiations between InBev and Blackstone, they have finally come to an agreement to sell the Busch Parks which include Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Busch Gardens Tampa, SeaWorld Parks and Sesame Place.
Blackstone has agreed to pay $2.3 billion in cash and get an investment of up to $400 million in its initial returns via InBev. Blackstone will now own 100% of the Busch properties.
Today Busch Gardens announced that after 25 years of traveling at the speed of fright, The Big Bad Wolf, the iconic steel suspended coaster, will take its last cycles through Busch Gardens’ Bavarian village on September 7, 2009. The Park had rendered the ride simply reached the end of its service life. The announcement was made at this time to allow fans some time to ride the “Wolf” one last time before the attraction closes. Busch Gardens is acknowledging they are reviewing several design concepts at this time for a new park attraction to replace The Big Bad Wolf, but currently do not have an announcement. The Big Bad Wolf celebrates its 25th anniversary this season.