Sesame Street leaving SeaWorld San Antonio, Rescue Jr. opening in 2025
SeaWorld San Antonio will replace Sesame Street Bay of Play with Rescue Jr., a children’s area themed to animal science.
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The new Rescue Jr. area will open in 2025 at SeaWorld San Antonio in Texas, the park announced Sept. 30, 2024. Geared toward young guests, Rescue Jr. will spotlight animal rescue initiatives through play areas and attractions, including a new roller coaster.
Based on the current park map, Rescue Jr. will replace Sesame Street Bay of Play, the park’s resident “Sesame Street” land, which is already closed.
Rescue Jr. opens in 2025
Upon the former real estate of Sesame Street Bay of Play, SeaWorld San Antonio’s Rescue Jr. will be comprised of the Beach Rescue Racer “all-family” roller coaster, the Ocean Quest Express train ride, the Seabird Swing ride, the Sea Splash play area, and a ride of unspecified type called Tide Pool Tumble.
When the tide is low, the stakes are high on this all-family coaster: Beach Rescue Racer. Race to the aid of stranded beach creatures in this rescue jeep coaster as you race down 1,300 feet of tracks to bring animals to safety!
SeaWorld San Antonio
Notably, Beach Rescue Racer appears to be a newly built coaster rather than a re-theme of the existing Super Grover’s Box Car Derby.
“Rescue Jr. will be an exciting addition to our park and put marine animal rescue at the forefront with our guests,” said Jeff Davis, park president of SeaWorld San Antonio. “The new play area will be a fun and exciting way for our guests to learn about the animal rescues that our dedicated teams do every day, 365 days a year. We know that Rescue Jr., along with all of our animal habitats and presentations, will ignite a passion in young hearts, inspiring them to become future animal rescuers, scientists, veterinarians, or conservationists.”
A different Rescue Jr. area opened in 2023 at SeaWorld San Diego in California, likewise replacing that park’s Sesame Street Bay of Play.
Looking back on Sesame Street Bay of Play
Sesame Street Bay of play opened in 2011 at SeaWorld San Antonio. The land featured the Elmo’s Dolphin Dive mini drop tower, Big Bird’s Spinning Reef Ferris wheel, the Grover’s Round-Up carousel, the Abby Cadabby’s Rocking Wave mini half-pipe ride, character greetings, live shows, and various water play areas. In 2019, the kiddie coaster formerly known as Shamu Express became Super Grover’s Box Car Derby.
Replying to an inquiry on Instagram following the annuncement of Rescue Jr., SeaWorld wrote, “Guests can still see their Sesame Street friends during the Spooktacular and Christmas parades.”
SeaWorld and “Sesame Street” aren’t part of the same corporate umbrella, unlike, say, Disney and “Star Wars.” Instead, SeaWorld’s parent company, United Parks & Resorts, licenses the “Sesame Street” brand from Sesame Workshop. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that SeaWorld owes Sesame Workshop over $11 million in overdue licensing fees that the theme park company didn’t pay during the pandemic, according to Florida Politics.
United Parks & Resorts continues to operate two full-fledged “Sesame Street” parks: Sesame Place San Diego in California and Sesame Place Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Additionally, “Sesame Street” attractions or lands exist at United-operated SeaWorld Orlando in Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia.
SeaWorld San Antonio 2025 annual passes
2025 season passes for SeaWorld San Antonio are now available. For a limited time, guests who purchase a 2025 season pass will also receive a season pass for Aquatica, SeaWorld’s adjacent water park, for free.
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