If your family loves water parks then start planning a vacation to Virginia. That’s where Kalahari Resorts plans to open a new $200 million African-themed resort and indoor water park. Resort officials made the announcement earlier this week and selected Fredericksburg as the site for the massive undertaking.
City officials say the resort will be built next to the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center at Celebrate Virginia, a 2,400-acre residential and commercial development along Interstate 95, about 55 miles south of the nation’s capital. And don’t worry about missing the new attraction as you drive down the highway—-in all likelihood you will be able to see the monstrous resort from at least a mile away.
According to officials, the resort will include a 125,000 square-foot water park featuring slides and roller coasters, as well as the FlowRider surfing attraction. It will also have entertainment areas, including indoor miniature golf, bowling, go-carts and a game room. Add to that a 700-room hotel and 100,000 square feet of conference and event space.
The new resort is good news for water park fans, but owners of Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg–the area’s other main water park–can’t be that pleased with the news that competition is coming to town. Especially since the planned Kalahari resort nearly doubles the Great Wolf Lodge’s 405-room hotel and 79,000 square-foot indoor entertainment area and water park.
Back in 2000 Kalahari opened a 125,000-square-foot water park and resort in Wisconsin Dells not far from where I live. The place is massive and always crowded. It draws more than 2 million visitors annually and the parking lot is filled with dozens of different out-of-state license plates. People from as far away as Colorado have been known to drive to Wisconsin to visit Kalahari. The company also has an 80,000-square-foot park in Sandusky, Ohio, which opened in 2005. And some good news for you folks who frequent that Kalahari, company officials recently announced it plans to double the size of the Ohio location.
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