Nate Bargatze’s theme park desires are inching nearer to actuality.
On Tuesday, on the Worldwide Affiliation of Amusement Parks and Sights’ preeminent trade convention, the IAAPA Expo, Bargatze introduced that his firm is partnering with Storyland Studios, a Southern California-based themed leisure structure and design agency. Collectively, they’ll discover each the idea and the feasibility of a theme park in Bargatze’s native Nashville, which he and his Nateland Leisure CEO Felix Verdigets teased extensively in The Hollywood Reporter’s early September cowl story.
On the time, Bargatze mentioned that the admittedly lofty mission, which many had already written off as some sort of joke, was shifting alongside properly — in actual fact, they’d already accomplished a market research and, now, the feasibility research is about to be accomplished within the first quarter of 2026. If the whole lot continues to go nicely, Verdigets has mentioned they’ll have a shovel within the floor in 5 to 6 years. To tug all of it off, Bargatze, essentially the most profitable touring comic on this planet, and his CEO have been assembly with state and native officers, as they assessment potential websites within the better Nashville space, in addition to with potential buyers.
The plan, because it stands now, is to construct a 100+ acre amusement park, with different facilities like retail, eating and even a lodge being thought-about. Bringing in Storyland Studios was a important subsequent step in that course of. “Our purpose is to create a very premium themed leisure expertise proper in Music Metropolis that displays the distinctive humor and coronary heart of Nateland, whereas additionally delivering a world-class vacation spot for households,” mentioned Storyland’s founder and chief inventive officer Mel McGowan in an announcement asserting the partnership.
At Nateland, the mission is being dealt with by the “Experiences” division, which can be chargeable for things like a Nateland themed cruise setting sail through Norwegian Cruise Line early subsequent yr. Different divisions on the quickly increasing, family-friendly firm are centered on stand-up, motion pictures and TV, merchandise and an incubation lab for brand spanking new expertise. “Nate and Nateland are dedicated to good, clear, family-friendly leisure,” famous Verdigets, including of the most recent enterprise: “We dwell in center Tennessee and acknowledge the necessity for a significant attraction for individuals of all ages within the Nashville space.”