This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
While Florida and California tend to get more attention for their signature hospitality projects, Oklahoma is a promising destination for resorts and adventure parks. Beyond Frontier City and Quartz Mountain Fun Park in Oklahoma City, contractors are currently building several new developments that promise to draw even more tourists to the Sooner State.
Here are three major tourism projects currently underway in Oklahoma:
Okana Resort & Indoor Waterpark Hotel
Location: Oklahoma City
Cost: 400 million dollars
Status: Almost finished
The Chickasaw Nation Okana Resort & Indoor Waterpark Hotel in Oklahoma City is expected to peak on Nov. 2, according to The Journal Record. The 140-acre project includes a two-story water park, an adventure lagoon, shops, restaurants, a conference center and an 11-story hotel along the Oklahoma River south of downtown. It will also include a First Americans Amphitheater and a retail gallery, where Native artists will be able to display and sell art.
Oklahoma City engineering firm Johnson & Associates assisted with site preparation and civil engineering work while Tulsa, Okla.-based Manhattan Construction Co. is construction of the station, according to the Chickasaw Nation. Aquatic Development Group, based in Cohoes, New York, is building the project’s aquatic facilities and assisted with the design of the complex.
Development began in November 2022 and is expected to open in the spring of 2024. A second phase could include a aquarium in the southeast corner of the station.
Lakecrest Hotel and Casino
Location: Lake Murray
Cost: unknown
Status: More than halfway completed
The Chickasaw Nation Resort on Lake Murray is more than halfway there, according to an October 11 press release. It features a 58,000-square-foot hotel with 89 rooms, a resort-style pool, a business center, and conference space. The development also includes a 70,000-square-foot casino with electronic gaming, table games, a restaurant and a bar.
Plans call for construction to be complete by spring 2024. The developer has not yet announced contractor information.
American Heartland
Location: Vinita
Cost: 2 billion dollars
Status: The first phase began
A $2 billion+ theme park and resort American Heartland is coming to Vinita, Oklahoma, according to developer Mansion Entertainment Group. The 1,000-acre development, first announced in July, will include roller coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room hotel and a 320-acre RV park. The park portion will feature six Americana-themed environments spread across 125 acres that host a variety of attractions, live shows, waterways and concessions.
The first phase of the project, Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, began construction Monday, according to a press release. That $100 million portion will include 300 cabins and 750 RV sites, a clubhouse, general store, pools, multi-use trails and a dog park.
Columbus, Kansas-based Crossland Construction Co. is the contractor for Three Ponies, which is scheduled for completion in 2025. The developer has not yet announced contractor information for other phases.
