ROUND ROCK, Texas – One of “America’s largest indoor waterparks” is opening Thursday in Round Rock, just north of Austin.
Going to a waterpark in November might not sound like a great idea, although who really knows with Texas weather, but an indoor waterpark makes year-round visits possible no matter what it looks like outside.
The 350-acre resort complex will include 223,000 square feet of waterpark, which would put it at No. 2 in size behind DreamWorks Water Park in New Jersey, a 370,260-square-foot waterpark.
That ranking is according to Trip Savvy, a website that lists America’s second-largest indoor water park as Kalahari Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, which is around 220,000 square feet.
The Kalahari Round Rock Resort is expected to have 975 guest rooms, five restaurants, 10,000 square feet of retail space and 200,000 square feet of flexible meeting space for conventions and events.
Twenty pools and whirlpools along with 30 waterslides will be located throughout Kalahari Round Rock Resort and attractions will include FlowRider, a rock-climbing wall, a 23-foot LED projection TV screen, adult grotto swim-up bar, cabanas and waterfalls.
“We have 1.5 million square feet of space to play and room to roam. It’s been a challenging year, and what better way to get away from the worry and enjoy time having fun together as a family and community," said Kalahari owner Todd Nelson.
According to a press release from Kalahari, 22 life-size sculptures will be located throughout the property, including 12 elephants, seven zebras, a mother and baby rhinoceros and a cape buffalo. Each sculpture weighs up to 10,000 pounds and some measure up to 10 feet high.
The African-themed resort and water park will be located on U.S. 79 near Old Settlers Park.
For more information on park passes, click here.