Orlando, FL, Tampa, FL, + San Antonio, TX
United Parks & Resorts Theme Parks
Where Guest Experience Meets Technical Excellence
status
Ongoing
client
United Parks & Resorts
expertise
Hospitality + Entertainment
services
Landscape Architecture Civil Engineering
A Relationship Built on Trust, Creativity, and Delivery
What began as a single project has evolved into a lasting collaboration spanning parks, states, and years—a testament to the shared commitment between United Parks & Resorts and LandDesign to elevate every guest experience.
Across the United Parks & Resorts portfolio of theme parks, every attraction is designed to spark wonder and inspire environmental and wildlife stewardship, while delivering memorable guest experiences. Since 2018, LandDesign has been a trusted partner to United Parks & Resorts to elevate its parks through landscape architecture and civil engineering services. Across SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay as well as the water parks — Aquatica Orlando, Aquatica San Antonio, and Adventure Island Tampa Bay, our collaboration has spanned various major improvement projects, balancing innovative design with technical solutions that bring new and revitalized attractions to life, season after season.
LandDesign has become a consultant-of-choice through our understanding of the nuances of United Parks & Resorts’ design and delivery expectations, experience collaborating with large, complex design teams, and commitment to delivering solutions that minimize up-front and ongoing maintenance costs and support an exceptional park experience. To date, our team has worked on dozens of projects with United Parks & Resorts, ranging from park-wide expansions, waterslide additions, and thrilling rollercoasters.
United Parks & Resorts’ parks are more than entertainment destinations. They are immersive worlds where guests can step outside of everyday life and into environments that foster curiosity and connection. Each park has a distinct theme, and delivering that theme requires every detail to work in harmony, from the attraction design to the landscape. Working closely with United Parks & Resorts’ horticulture team, we ensure our planting palettes reinforce the guest experience, such as tropical vegetation and bold color schemes that reflect a specific environment. Additionally, we often specify larger, more mature plant materials to ensure the landscape looks fully realized on day one.
Reimagining Play at Aquatica Orlando
Turi’s Kid Cove at Aquatica Orlando is the largest children’s water play area in the park. This aging attraction needed a fresh vision to match Aquatica’s guest experience standards. Thematic play elements, an innovative waterslide, and expanded pool areas increase capacity and comfort. To reinforce the tropical atmosphere, we introduced lush, colorful plantings and thematic hardscape details that create a vibrant setting for families.
Behind every attraction is the civil engineer, working as the silent partner to the guest experience and coordinating an intricate network of infrastructure systems. These systems, often invisible to visitors, play a critical role in ensuring utilities, drainage, and stormwater management remain functional. Designing at this level demands granular attention to detail and engineering solutions that perform reliably without drawing attention.
From ADA-compliant pathways that allow guests of all ages and abilities to navigate the park comfortably, to the strategic placement of drains that remain hidden from view, every design decision is intentional. Utility and drainage systems are carefully coordinated to land on paving joint lines, preserving clean visual patterns and preventing cracking and spalling. Grading works with attractions, supporting both the form and function of large-scale water features, slide structures, and landscape zones. This level of technical integration requires a thorough understanding of park operations, guest movement, and the storytelling goals behind every space.
Bringing Infrastructure and Experience Together
At Aquatica Orlando, LandDesign coordinated a multi-disciplinary team of structural, electrical, and aquatic engineering experts to reposition Reef Plunge’s original splash pool into a dynamic slide runout experience. Upgrades to drainage systems were integrated seamlessly into the landscape, supporting both performance and visual continuity. Enhancements, like a new underwater habitat and strategic grading, work together to improve the guest experience.
Physical
Implementing infrastructure improvements that support attractions without disrupting the guest experience
Functional
Curating planting palettes that enhance park experience while minimizing maintenance and operational costs
Social
Integrating vibrant landscapes and thematic hardscapes that reinforce each park's unique identity
Physical
Implementing infrastructure improvements that support attractions without disrupting the guest experience
Functional
Curating planting palettes that enhance park experience while minimizing maintenance and operational costs
Social
Integrating vibrant landscapes and thematic hardscapes that reinforce each park's unique identity
