Five Star Parks & Attractions has completed the acquisition of the Craig’s Cruisers locations in Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon, Michigan. Five Star now operates 19 family entertainment centers (FEC’s)* in nine states.

Five Star and its investment partner, Fruition Partners, LLC, have sought out FEC’s that are already are experiencing success within the industry but that have a desire to grow or improve and can, therefore, benefit from the expertise and financial backing offered by Five Star and its leadership team.

Craig’s Cruisers were among the parks that attracted Five Star’s attention because the family-run business, which was established in 1979, has a reputation for building and operating some of the best FEC’s in the country. From their perspective, the team at Craig’s Cruisers was intrigued by Five Star’s ability to provide the people, resources and systems to make a brand even better … at an enviable pace.

“Five Star brings a whole team of experienced professionals from the industry,” said Jeff Gebhart, CEO of Craig’s Cruisers. “They have an appetite for growth, and we’re very excited to see what’s next for Craig’s Cruisers.”

Five Star will continue the legacy established by Craig Cihak and his parents, Ron and Donna Cihak, in the resort town of Silver Lake, Michigan, 43 years ago. What began as a simple track with eight go-karts has evolved into a full-fledged park featuring a variety of activities. The family built a second location in another seasonal, tourism-driven locale, Muskegon, in 1990, then a third in Holland in 1994.  

For the company’s 20^th anniversary in 1999, Cihak decided to modify the formula a bit by adding a Grand Rapids location that was committed to delivering year-round, indoor family fun. That site has evolved into a venue that also offers private party and meeting space, plus a 700-seat pizza restaurant. A 36,000-square-foot addition in 2018 included a trampoline park, ninja warrior course, two-level laser-tag arena, indoor roller coaster, and several large outdoor rides and attractions.

The Grand Rapids location is known within the FEC industry for introducing one of the first indoor electric go-kart tracks in the United States. At that time – 20 years ago – no other American company was running electric go-karts inside.

Craig’s Cruisers is a staple in the communities it serves, welcoming families, schools, corporate groups and other organizations to its parks. “You’d be hard pressed to find someone from our areas who hasn’t hosted or attended a birthday party at one of our locations,” Gebhart said. “We take great pride in creating memorable experiences for our communities.”

“We’re big fans of the Craig’s Cruisers parks and have always been impressed by the quality of their entertainment offering, which we consider best in class,” said John Dunlap, CEO of Five Star Parks & Attractions. “They have a tremendous leadership team with decades of experience in the family entertainment industry, and their focus on clean, safe fun is in perfect alignment with the mission of our company. We look forward to building upon the 40-year legacy that Craig’s Cruisers has established in west Michigan, and we’re excited to evolve the parks in ways that will benefit their guests, employees and communities into the future.”

Other Five Star Parks locations include the three Track Family Fun Parks, Xtreme Racing, and Adventure Zipline in Branson, Missouri; SpeedZone, Lazerport and Xtreme Racing in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; three Malibu Jack’s indoor theme parks in Kentucky; and five locations of Celebration Station, in the prime suburban locations of Clearwater, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Greensboro, North Carolina; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Mesquite, Texas. 

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