Kalahari Resort and Convention Center
Encyclopedia
The Kalahari Resort and Convention Center is a waterpark resort
chain with locations in Wisconsin Dells
, Wisconsin
and Sandusky
, Ohio
, and a third resort opening in 2012 in Fredericksburg
, Virginia
. At 173,000 square feet, the indoor waterpark
at Kalahari's Ohio resort is the largest in the United States.
in southern Africa, hence the African theme at all the resorts. The lobbies have artificial fountain
s, tree
s, and animal
s. Special African-themed events, such as getting photographed with baby tigers, are also held. Most of the water slides in the water parks are named after African animal
s, such as the "Rippling Rhino
" and the "Wild Wildebeest
". Other services at the Kalahari include restaurants, gift shops, and sweet shops. Both existing Kalahari Resorts include a 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) convention center
where groups can hold meetings, parties, and banquets. The Kalahari Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, and the Nia Center in Sandusky have both won awards.
, and Kahunaville, with many other eateries in the waterpark, lobby, and theme park. Other activities include a spa
and golfing at the Trappers Turn Golf Club on the north side of Wisconsin Dells.
The resort's signs along I-90
/94
at Highway 12 and on Wisconsin Dells Parkway
South (Highway 12) and Gasser Road have large, Vegas-style LED
screens.
The indoor waterpark
at the Wisconsin Dells location is the largest indoor water park in Wisconsin (125,000 square feet). Until December 2007, it was also America's largest indoor waterpark. At that time, its sister hotel, Kalahari in Sandusky, finished its indoor waterpark expansion, making it America's largest at 173000 square feet (16,072.2 m²). The Dells Kalahari Indoor Waterpark has the first indoor "Master Blaster", an uphill water coaster. The Wisconsin Dells Kalahari also has a 77000 square feet (7,153.5 m²) outdoor waterpark.
The resort contains a 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) indoor theme park with a six-story ferris wheel, a two-floored laser tag arena, go-kart tracks, an 18-hole golf course, a 24-lane bowling alley, rock climbing walls, carousel, sports bar, and a ropes course, and an arcade spread throughout the complex.
location is "America's Largest Indoor Waterpark", at 173000 square feet (16,072.2 m²). It is located about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Cedar Point Amusement Park on Milan Road (US Route 250) in Huron Township. The waterpark contains a unique FoilTec roof system which lets in the most natural light, allowing people to receive a suntan at any time of year. The location also features two "Flow Rider" surfing simulators, a basketball pool, a children's play area, an indoor/outdoor hot tub and a swim-up bar. The Sandusky Kalahari also has condominiums and a spa. In addition, Kalahari offers a number of thrill rides, such as the Tanzanian Twister, where riders lie on their back and whirl around in a vortex before falling into the water. Other thrill rides include Victoria Falls, Rippling Rhino, and Swahili Swirl, where riders move through tunnels and vortexes on a raft (and is commonly known as the toilet bowl). Kalahari also has a wave pool whose strong waves create an ocean-like atmosphere.
Kalahari Recently redesigned their website. On the old site, Kalahari featured a "Coming Soon" page for the new planned resort. That page was removed and now only features the two open resorts. There is currently no clear opening date for the Fredericksburg resort.
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
chain with locations in Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Dells is a city in south-central Wisconsin, with a population of 2,418 as of the 2000 census. It straddles four counties: Adams, Columbia, Juneau, and Sauk. The city takes its name from the dells of the Wisconsin River, a scenic, glacially formed gorge that features striking sandstone...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and a third resort opening in 2012 in Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. At 173,000 square feet, the indoor waterpark
Indoor waterpark
An indoor waterpark is a type of waterpark that is located inside a building. An indoor waterpark has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions.-History:...
at Kalahari's Ohio resort is the largest in the United States.
Overview
The Kalahari Resort is named after the Kalahari DesertKalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa extending , covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa, as semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari supports more animals and plants than a true desert...
in southern Africa, hence the African theme at all the resorts. The lobbies have artificial fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
s, tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s. Special African-themed events, such as getting photographed with baby tigers, are also held. Most of the water slides in the water parks are named after African animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, such as the "Rippling Rhino
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
" and the "Wild Wildebeest
Wildebeest
The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
". Other services at the Kalahari include restaurants, gift shops, and sweet shops. Both existing Kalahari Resorts include a 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) convention center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
where groups can hold meetings, parties, and banquets. The Kalahari Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, and the Nia Center in Sandusky have both won awards.
Wisconsin Dells
43.570178°N 89.772184°W The Wisconsin Dells location of Kalahari is its first location, which opened in 2000. The resort has 756 guest rooms, suites, condos, and five-bedroom condos, making it the second largest resort in the state of Wisconsin. It has four main restaurants: The Great Karoo, Ivory Coast Lounge, Damon's GrillDamon's Grill
Damon's Grill & Sports Bar was founded in 1979 by Irv Rossman, Jerry Rossman, Sam Massara, Joe Mazzola, and Joe Nader and is currently headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Restaurants are usually sectioned into two separate parts: The dining room, and the clubhouse with bar...
, and Kahunaville, with many other eateries in the waterpark, lobby, and theme park. Other activities include a spa
Destination spa
A destination spa is a short term residential/lodging facility with the primary purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or sources of mineral waters...
and golfing at the Trappers Turn Golf Club on the north side of Wisconsin Dells.
The resort's signs along I-90
Interstate 90 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, Interstate 90 runs east–west through the western, central and southern portions of the state. A total of of Interstate 90 lie in Wisconsin.-Route description:...
/94
Interstate 94 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, Interstate 94 runs east–west through the western, central and southeastern portions of the state.-Route description:A total of of Interstate 94 lie in Wisconsin....
at Highway 12 and on Wisconsin Dells Parkway
Wisconsin Dells Parkway
The Wisconsin Dells Parkway is a 4.5 mile section of road that runs from Interstate 90/Interstate 94 in Lake Delton, Wisconsin to the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 13 and Wisconsin Highway 16 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 12 the entire time, picking up...
South (Highway 12) and Gasser Road have large, Vegas-style LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
screens.
The indoor waterpark
Indoor waterpark
An indoor waterpark is a type of waterpark that is located inside a building. An indoor waterpark has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions.-History:...
at the Wisconsin Dells location is the largest indoor water park in Wisconsin (125,000 square feet). Until December 2007, it was also America's largest indoor waterpark. At that time, its sister hotel, Kalahari in Sandusky, finished its indoor waterpark expansion, making it America's largest at 173000 square feet (16,072.2 m²). The Dells Kalahari Indoor Waterpark has the first indoor "Master Blaster", an uphill water coaster. The Wisconsin Dells Kalahari also has a 77000 square feet (7,153.5 m²) outdoor waterpark.
The resort contains a 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) indoor theme park with a six-story ferris wheel, a two-floored laser tag arena, go-kart tracks, an 18-hole golf course, a 24-lane bowling alley, rock climbing walls, carousel, sports bar, and a ropes course, and an arcade spread throughout the complex.
Sandusky
41.382750°N 82.643977°W The Sandusky, OhioSandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
location is "America's Largest Indoor Waterpark", at 173000 square feet (16,072.2 m²). It is located about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Cedar Point Amusement Park on Milan Road (US Route 250) in Huron Township. The waterpark contains a unique FoilTec roof system which lets in the most natural light, allowing people to receive a suntan at any time of year. The location also features two "Flow Rider" surfing simulators, a basketball pool, a children's play area, an indoor/outdoor hot tub and a swim-up bar. The Sandusky Kalahari also has condominiums and a spa. In addition, Kalahari offers a number of thrill rides, such as the Tanzanian Twister, where riders lie on their back and whirl around in a vortex before falling into the water. Other thrill rides include Victoria Falls, Rippling Rhino, and Swahili Swirl, where riders move through tunnels and vortexes on a raft (and is commonly known as the toilet bowl). Kalahari also has a wave pool whose strong waves create an ocean-like atmosphere.
Planned Fredericksburg location
38.316929°N 77.50965°W announced in November 2007 that its next resort location would be in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with a target opening date of December 2009, but due to a weakened economy, Kalahari did not have a planned opening date set as of August 2009. Now, Kalahari is expected to open in March 2012. The project was approved by the city council on April 22, 2008. The indoor waterpark alone will be 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²), making it the largest in the United States when opened. The resort, like the Wisconsin Dells location, will have an indoor theme park. The resort will also feature a convention center. An outdoor waterpark will come in a later phase of the project.Kalahari Recently redesigned their website. On the old site, Kalahari featured a "Coming Soon" page for the new planned resort. That page was removed and now only features the two open resorts. There is currently no clear opening date for the Fredericksburg resort.