The new year brings new thrills as Kalahari Resorts unveils the nation's largest indoor waterpark - 173,000 square feet - at its Sandusky, OH property. Innovative new features including a special "intelligent" roof system, a wave pool with eight ocean-like wave settings, the world's largest behemoth bowl, extreme mat racers with a 55-foot decline and more are expected to draw visitors from across the U.S.
According to Kalahari Resorts president and owner, Todd Nelson, the indoor waterpark industry has seen a 283 percent increase over the past five years. "We're bringing the best of the outdoors inside where it's always 86 degrees and tropical," says Nelson, who recently announced plans to build the company's third Kalahari property, in Fredericksburg, VA. "As the indoor waterpark resort concept continues to gain momentum among vacationers, Kalahari is not only the largest but we are also leading the industry in innovation with one-of-a-kind thrills." As of July 2007, there were 3,643,100 aquatic square feet and 27,230 hotel rooms associated with indoor waterparks in the U.S.
In 2002, Kalahari unveiled its first magnum indoor waterpark at its Wisconsin Dells, WI property. Since then, the park has remained America's largest -- at 125,000 square feet. To create the new record-breaking park in Sandusky, OH, Kalahari added a 93,000-square-foot indoor waterpark expansion to its existing 80,000-square-foot waterpark.
"The family-oriented indoor waterpark resort segment has established itself as a viable segment of the travel industry and has expanded well beyond its original Wisconsin base," said David Sangree, president of Hotel & Leisure Advisors, a national hospitality consulting firm. "Kalahari Resorts has certainly proved to be a trendsetting developer, creating exciting concepts in indoor waterpark resort properties."
Showcasing 173,000 square feet of indoor waterpark action, Kalahari Resort-Sandusky features:
-- Texlon transparent roof system
-- 12,000-square-foot wave pool
-- Swahili Swirl -- Behemoth Bowl which rotates 2 to 4 people through its 60-foot diameter bowl
-- Cheetah Race -- Four land mat racers on a 55-foot decline
-- Rippling Rhino -- Kalahari's longest tube slide at 400 feet
-- Tanzanian Twister -- Pipe-style, spiral flume ride
-- Shooting Star -- 3,700-square-foot. basketball pool
-- Kids Safari -- 2,500-sqaure-foot children's play area
-- Indoor/outdoor spas with swim up bar
The Texlon roof system, a transparent roof that wraps over and around the indoor waterpark to create a comfortable, ideal holiday environment, offers year-round tropical getaway. In addition, the roof allows natural light in, enables real foliage to grow, and softens acoustic conditions, allowing the reverberations of active play to escape for quieter, more relaxing surroundings. Due to the popularity of indoor surfing, Kalahari's new waterpark also features a second FlowRider surfing and bodyboarding rides to accommodate guests. The park's new capacity is 4,000 guests.
"This time of year people can start realizing the effects of limited sun -- a feeling well beyond cabin fever. We're hoping the soothing natural light of our indoor waterpark, as well as a wide variety of new and exciting attractions, can provide a great remedy to help guests get through the long Midwestern winters," adds Nelson.
About Kalahari Resort
Kalahari Resort-Sandusky, located on Highway 250 just north of exit 118 of the Ohio Turnpike, debuted in May 2005. In addition to its 173,000-square-foot indoor and 77,000-square-foot outdoor waterparks, Kalahari features 884 guest rooms and suites, the full-service Spa Kalahari, a collection of unique retail shops, an indoor miniature golf course, a children's dry play adventure, one of the largest game arcades in the Midwest, a fully-equipped fitness center, eight dining options, shopping and more. In addition to its Sandusky location, Kalahari Resorts has a location in the popular "Waterpark Capital of the World," Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. For reservations and guest information, call (877) 525-2427 or visit http://www.kalahariresorts.com/.