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Construction of the 2.5 billion dollars American Heartland Theme Park and Resort planned for Vinita, Okla., has not moved forward a year after the breakup, according to the Tulsa World. The local news outlet reported that the 2026 opening will likely be delayed by at least three years, but developers say the project is still underway.
Designs for the 1,000-acre development, first announced in July 2023, include roller coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room hotel and an RV park spread over a footprint that would rival Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park size. Their design team includes former Disney park builders and Walt Disney Imagineers.
The project is scheduled in phases, starting with the 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, which opened on Oct. 30, 2023. However, work is currently on hold, and developer Mansion Entertainment Group said which is awaiting permit approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers, according to the Tulsa World.
Little has happened on the site of what would be the largest campground in the central United States with 750 RV spaces and 300 cabins, the Tulsa World reported, but developers said construction is weeks away. In April, American Project Development executive producer Steve Hedrick told members of the Vinita City Council that he was asking Designs of caravan parks to compress to avoid being in a floodplain, the non-profit Oklahoma news outlet NonDoc reported.
Mansion Entertainment Group spokeswoman Kristy Adams declined to answer Construction Dive’s questions, saying in an email, “We will update our official social media pages and websites when we have a more detailed timeline.”
Other project issues
The VR area was originally scheduled to open in the spring of 2025, followed by the theme park and resort in the fall of 2026. The developer used Crossland Construction, based in Columbus, Kansas, to build the phase of the RV park, according to Fox23 News. Oklahoma City-based architecture firm ADG Blatt designed it, according to the developer.
However, others involved in the project say they are owed money. Canadian design firm Forrec filed a lien in May in Craig County District Court against Mansion Entertainment, claiming that owed almost $5.5 million in unpaid bills for both theme park and VR park design and planning work, according to NonDoc.
Crossland filed a similar claim later in May against Mansion Entertainment and property owner OGB Holdings alleging it is owed $352,429 for labor performed and materials supplied in February for the RV park and camps, according to NonDoc. The company is also seeking interest and attorneys’ fees.
The development received another setback in May when lawmakers refused to approve an application $35 million for water and wastewater improvements to fit the project, Yahoo reported.
At least one expert has been skeptical about the likelihood of the project coming to fruition. Robert Niles, who runs Theme Park Insider, wrote this last year Theme park projects are notoriously challenging to build and critical questions remain about the American Heartland in particular. Not only is the price astronomical, but and risingby Tulsa World – but the park’s planned location is far from any major cities or airports, about 170 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
