One of the largest waterparks in the world is set to open in Round Rock, Texas this November. Kalahari Resorts and Conventions are ready to open, what they refer to as “America’s largest indoor waterpark”, on November 12. The 350-acre resort complex is expected to have a space of 223,000 reserved for the waterpark itself, putting it in second place size-wise behind DreamWorks Water Park in New Jersey.
The Kalahari Round Rock resort is expected to have around 975 guest rooms, five restaurants, 10,000 square feet of retail space and 200,000 square feet of flexible meeting space for conventions and events. The waterpark itself will contain 20 pools and whirlpools, along with 30 waterslides. Guests will also be able to enjoy attractions such as FlowRider, rock climbing, swim-up bar, cabanas, waterfalls, and a 23-foot-wide LED projection screen.
The new park will also have a Tom Foolery’s indoor basement park to match the Kalahari Dells resort, but there are a few attractions at Dells that Texas Kalahari lacks. Firstly, the new park will not have a Ferris wheel, because there wasn’t enough room, despite the park’s huge size.
The new park also won’t have go-karts, but there are plans to install an outdoor go-kart track in the future. Nelson reportedly said “We have a really cool, large, older kids/adult roller coaster indoors. We have a small kids coaster in the Dells, but this one in Texas is going to be really cool. Your car actually spins a 360 as you go up and down. It’s a really cool indoor roller coaster that we don’t have in the Dells.”
The founders, Todd and Shari Nelson were inspired to build indoor waterparks following a trip to Africa in 2000. Their inspiration can be seen throughout their latest resort, with 22 life-size sculptures dotted around the park, including 12 elephants, seven zebras, a mother and baby rhino, and a cape buffalo. Each sculpture weights up to 10,000 pounds, with some measuring up to 10 feet in height.
The new resort is set to create around 700 jobs this year, with virtual career expos taking place every Wednesday. The latest open positions include lifeguards, managerial staff, culinary staff, and information technology roles. Construction for the new project in Texas began in May 2018 and is set to cost in excess of $350 million dollars.
