/ The biggest indoor waterpark in the USA opens at the new Kalahari Resort & Convention in Texas /

“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Texas anymore.” A modern-day Texan Dorothy would be well justified to talk like that when she steps into the new Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Round Rock, where the wide expanses of Texas leave room to the magic and the spirit of Africa. Opening at the end of this year 2020, the new resort is the fourth for the Kalahari chain (after Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania) and hosts the largest indoor waterpark in the United States.

For anyone interested in Africa, Kalahari resorts are as close to the real deal as you can get without leaving the States. They are the creation of Wisconsin entrepreneur Todd Nelson: when he visited Africa for the first time in the mid-1990s, the culture, spirit, craft and artistry he saw there struck a chord and inspired him to design a waterpark that reflected the beauty of African cultures. He was able to open his first Kalahari resort in 2000, and 20 years later they are going stronger and stronger. Each year, his family travels in search of African art, ideas and experiences to bring back to the resorts, with the goal of transforming them into true oasis for spending time with those you care about most. All Kalahari resorts feature a big waterpark, a full-service spa, a theme park or family entertainment center, a state-of-the-art convention center, as well as a choice of restaurants and numerous well-appointed guest rooms.

Together with the African flair, their waterparks are the big selling point of the Kalahari resorts, and in their newest location the group has pulled out all stops. With an area of over 2ha, the new indoor water park features 20 pools and whirlpools, 30 waterslides, a rock-climbing wall, a 7-meter LED projection screen, the Flowrider wave simulator, a swim-up bar, a lazy river and a lagoon with cabanas and waterfalls. Most rides reflect the African theme in their names, such as the Cheetah Race, the Kenya Korkscrew, the Rippling Rhino and the Serengeti Spinner, but there is also a zero-depth water play area for younger kids called the Coral Cove.

And the waterpark just one of the resort’s features. “Everything is bigger in Texas, so it was the perfect place for our largest and most luxurious resort yet,” said Todd Nelson. Indeed the 140ha Round Rock complex also boasts 12,000sqms of outdoor pools, 18,000sqm of flexible meeting space for conventions and events, 20…

Continue reading Games&Parks Industry November 2020, page 66

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