SeaWorld Sesame Street

New attraction to open in Orlando by 2022.

SeaWorld visitors could be strolling through a realistic version of “Sesame Street” in a few years.

SeaWorld Entertainment on Thursday announced a new Sesame Street land will open at its Orlando theme park by fall 2022. Also, plans are in the works for a second Sesame Place theme park, in a yet-undecided location in the United States.

The new land at Orlando’s SeaWorld will be an overhaul of the Shamu’s Happy Harbor play area, which has children’s rides and a net climb. Though SeaWorld hasn’t designed the project yet, executives plan an attraction that’s more immersive than the Sesame Street Bay of Play kiddie areas in its San Diego and San Antonio theme parks or its Safari of Fun at Busch Gardens Tampa.

“‘Sesame Street’ as it exists today only exists on television,” SeaWorld Entertainment CEO Joel Manby said. “We’d like to build the actual ‘Sesame Street’ that kids can be on and walk down. We will have hopefully a Sesame parade, rides, show where they can see and meet the Sesame characters.”

Building themed lands based on wellknown franchises is an industry trend. Universal Orlando’s Harry Potter lands were a game-changer for that resort. Walt Disney World opens its Avatar land on Saturday. Toy Story and Star Warsthemed lands are also underway at Disney.

Dennis Speigel, president of consulting firm International Theme Park Services, thinks an entire Sesame Street theme park would make sense in Orlando. SeaWorld needs a second traditional park to compete with resorts such as Universal and Disney, he said.

But Manby said other parts of the country might make more sense. The 37-year-old Sesame Place theme park that SeaWorld operates is set on 14 acres in Langhorne, Pa., less than an hour from Philadelphia.

“There’s other markets where really quality preschool entertainment doesn’t exist,” he said. “We could maybe make an easier go of it in some other markets. … It would also be a much larger investment in Orlando probably than doing it elsewhere, but it’s one of those things we’re modeling out and looking at.”

SeaWorld will have the option to build even more Sesame Place theme parks.

“I think there’s a lot of potential,” Manby said. “I think we’ll take one at a time and we’ll see.”

AP/FILE The Grover Coaster at the 37-year-old Sesame Place theme park that SeaWorld operates in Langhorne, Pa., less than an hour from Philadelphia.