Current:Home > InvestNew $2 billion Oklahoma theme park announced, and it's not part of the Magic Kingdom -Core Financial Strategies
New $2 billion Oklahoma theme park announced, and it's not part of the Magic Kingdom
Indexbit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-11 01:50:43
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! (587)
Related
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- USPS unveils a new stamp: See the latest design featuring former First Lady Betty Ford
- Camila Cabello opens up about reconciling with ex-boyfriend Shawn Mendes: 'It was a fun moment'
- Movie Review: John Cena gets the laughs in middling comedy ‘Ricky Stanicky’
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Law-abiding adults can now carry guns openly in South Carolina after governor approves new law
- A small earthquake and ‘Moodus Noises’ are nothing new for one Connecticut town
- Canadian town mourns ‘devastating loss’ of family killed in Nashville plane crash
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Baldwin touts buy-American legislation in first Senate re-election campaign TV ad
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- The Daily Money: Why are companies wary of hiring?
- Cannabis sales in Minnesota are likely to start later than expected. How much later isn’t clear
- Crew of the giant Icon of the Seas cruise ship rescues 14 people adrift in the sea
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Lululemon's We Made Too Much Section Seems Almost Too Good to be True: $118 Bottoms for Just $49 & More
- Alabama lawmakers have approved a school choice program
- Houston police chief apologizes for department not investigating 264K cases due to staffing issues
Recommendation
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
Looking for a deal? Aldi to add 800 more stores in US by 2028
NFL mock draft: Broncos, Eagles aim to fill holes left by Russell Wilson, Jason Kelce
Trump ordered to pay legal fees after failed lawsuit over ‘shocking and scandalous’ Steele dossier
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
Tennessee lawmakers advance bill to undo Memphis’ traffic stop reforms after Tyre Nichols death
Jake Paul fight against Mike Tyson is announced for July 20 and will be streamed live on Netflix
'The shooter didn't snap': Prosecutors say Michigan dad could have prevented mass killing