Current:Home > InvestNew $2 billion Oklahoma theme park announced, and it's not part of the Magic Kingdom -MarketLink
New $2 billion Oklahoma theme park announced, and it's not part of the Magic Kingdom
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-09 18:41:06
A theme park with an estimated $2 billion price tag is coming to the Midwest — and its location may surprise you.
The 1,000-acre development, named the American Heartland Theme Park and Resort, is scheduled to open in 2026 in the northeastern Oklahoma city of Vinita, according to a news release Thursday from the Missouri-based Mansion Entertainment Group, which is heading up the project.
The amusement park itself will cover 125 acres, which according to developers is comparable in size to Florida's Magic Kingdom and Disneyland in California.
It will have an Americana-themed environment with "a variety of entertaining rides, live shows, family attractions, waterways as well as restaurant-quality food and beverage offerings," Mansion Entertainment said.
It will also include rides and shows in "six distinctly American lands:" the Great Plains, Bayou Bay, Big Timber Falls, Stony Point Harbor, Liberty Village and Electropolis.
In addition to the amusement park, American Heartland will feature a 300-room hotel, indoor water park and an adjacent 320-acre RV park, and a 300-cabin campground named Three Ponies.
The park's design team includes more than 20 Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers, according to the Mansion Entertainment. It also hired design firms that have been used in the past by other major amusement parks, including Six Flags and Universal Studios.
Once open, developers expect the park to attract two million visitors per year, according to Kristy Adams, a sales and marketing executive with the Mansion Entertainment.
Oklahoma state Sen. Micheal Bergstrom said in a statement through Mansion Entertainment that the park will add at least 4,000 jobs provide a boost to the state's tourism economy.
"We are thrilled to make Oklahoma the home of American Heartland Theme Park and Resort," American Heartland CEO Larry Wilhite said in a statement. "At the crossroads of the heartland, Oklahoma is an attractive location for a family entertainment destination."
- In:
- Travel
- Oklahoma
- Economy
- Disneyland
- Disney World
Simrin Singh is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (193)
Related
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Alaska governor’s annual speech to lawmakers delayed as high winds disrupt flights
- Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid Shares How Taylor Swift Teased Travis Kelce When They Met
- Detroit Lions fall one half short of Super Bowl, but that shouldn't spoil this run
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Toyota group plant raided in test cheating probe as automaker says it sold 11.2M vehicles in 2023
- Indiana lawmakers vote to let some state officials carry handguns on Capitol grounds
- Maine lawmakers consider request to give subpoena power to committee investigating mass shooting
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Live updates | UN aid agency serving Palestinians in Gaza faces more funding cuts amid Oct 7 claims
Ranking
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- In an aging nation, these states are home to the oldest residents on average
- Ford, Tesla, Jaguar among nearly 2.2 million vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Back home in Florida after White House bid ends, DeSantis is still focused on Washington’s problems
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- The 10 Best Scalp Massagers of 2024 for Squeaky Clean Hair Wash Days
- China sees two ‘bowls of poison’ in Biden and Trump and ponders who is the lesser of two evils
- South Korean health officials urge against eating fried toothpicks after social media trend goes viral
Recommendation
Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
Kourtney Kardashian posts first look at new baby: See the photo
The dark side of the (shrinking) moon: NASA missions could be at risk
Colombia and the National Liberation Army rebels extend ceasefire for a week as talks continue
Trump's 'stop
South Africa’s ruling ANC suspends former president Zuma for backing a new party in elections
Gambling busts at Iowa State were the result of improper searches, athletes’ attorneys contend
Haiti cracks down on heavily armed environmental agents after clashes with police