Bowling and family entertainment centres, golf courses, marinas, and campgrounds or RV parks make up Ontario's recreation-and-entertainment resale family. These businesses tend to read more like income real estate than a typical operating business, with cap-rate and net-operating-income analysis, along with prepaid membership or deposit liabilities, often driving the deal as much as goodwill does.
These deals often read like real estate first — Because so much of the value sits in a large leasehold improvement, a golf course's acreage, a marina's waterfront position or a campground's land base, buyers typically approach diligence the way they would for income-producing real estate, reviewing net operating income and cap rate, alongside, not instead of, the operating business itself.
Prepaid memberships and deposits are liabilities that carry forward — Golf club initiation fees and member deposits, campground seasonal-site arrangements, and forward-booked events at an entertainment centre all represent liabilities and obligations that typically transfer with the business rather than staying with the seller, and reconciling them is usually a distinct, documented step before closing.
A liquor licence often sits on top of the core business — Where the venue has a bar or clubhouse restaurant, common at bowling centres, golf courses and some campgrounds, an AGCO liquor licence transfer runs alongside the purchase agreement, similar to how it works in the food-and-hospitality family, and is worth starting early.
Marinas carry a real-property layer most businesses don't — Crown or municipal water-lot leases and riparian or shoreline rights are specific to marinas within this family and need their own assignment or consent process, separate from the rest of the sale, a legal layer that doesn't come up anywhere else in the recreation-and-entertainment group.
Browse the specific recreation and entertainment business types below for the property and liability details particular to each.
A large leasehold-improvement/equipment base plus a liquor licence (many hold one) make lease assignment and licence transfer the core mechanics; typically $500K–$5M.
Often a real-estate-plus-membership-liability sale (prepaid memberships, club by-laws) rather than a pure operating-business sale; typically $1.5M–$15M+, usually bundling substantial real property.
Often bundles Crown/municipal water-lot leases or riparian rights — a real-property-law layer most business sales don't carry; typically $1M–$10M+.
Seasonal-site-lease/membership arrangements with returning campers are the recurring legal issue — a mini land-lease portfolio in practice; typically $750K–$8M, usually bundling substantial real property.
†Typical patterns across Canadian deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A family-run campground or entertainment centre selling to a hands-on buyer, with standard lease and equipment review.
Start my file →A golf course or marina sale involving prepaid membership liabilities, water-lot lease assignment, or substantial real property changing hands.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
Because the underlying land or leasehold, a golf course's acreage, a marina's waterfront, a campground's site base, is usually a larger driver of value than in most operating businesses, buyers typically evaluate net operating income and cap rate alongside the operating business, more the way they would for an income property.
These are typically treated as liabilities and obligations that carry forward with the business, so reconciling exactly what's owed or promised to existing members or seasonal tenants is usually handled as its own specific step in the purchase agreement, not assumed away.
Where the venue has a bar or clubhouse restaurant, yes, an AGCO liquor licence transfer generally runs alongside the sale, similar to how it works for a licensed restaurant or bar, and is worth starting as early as possible given typical approval timelines.
A marina typically carries a Crown or municipal water-lot lease, or riparian and shoreline rights, that need their own assignment or consent process, a real-property layer specific to marinas that doesn't generally apply to a golf course, campground or entertainment centre.
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