Building of the $2.5 billion American Heartland theme park and resort slated for Vinita, Oklahoma, has not progressed one 12 months after groundbreaking, based on Tulsa World. The native information outlet reported the 2026 opening will doubtless be pushed again no less than three years, however builders say the challenge remains to be on.
Designs for the 1,000-acre growth, first introduced in July 2023, embody curler coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room resort and an RV park sprawled over a footprint that will rival Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in dimension. Its design workforce contains former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers.
The challenge is scheduled in phases, beginning with the 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, which broke floor on Oct. 30, 2023. Nonetheless, work is at the moment on maintain and developer Mansion Leisure Group stated it’s awaiting allow approvals from the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, based on Tulsa World.
Little has occurred on the location of what can be the most important campground within the central U.S. with 750 RV areas and 300 cabins, Tulsa World reported, however builders stated they’re weeks away from development beginning. In April, Steve Hedrick, American Heartland govt producer of challenge growth, informed Vinita Metropolis Council members he was asking for RV park designs to be compressed to keep away from being in a floodplain, nonprofit Oklahoma information outlet NonDoc reported.
Mansion Leisure Group spokesperson Kristy Adams declined to reply Building Dive’s questions, saying in an e-mail, “We’ll replace our official social media pages and web sites when we have now a extra detailed timeline.”
Different challenge troubles
The RV space was initially scheduled to open in spring 2025, adopted by the theme park and resort in fall 2026. The developer tapped Columbus, Kansas-based Crossland Building to construct the RV park part, based on Fox23 Information. Oklahoma Metropolis-based structure agency ADG Blatt designed it, per the developer.
Nonetheless, others concerned within the challenge say they’re owed cash. Canadian design agency Forrec filed a lien in Might in Craig County District Court docket towards Mansion Leisure, claiming it’s owed practically $5.5 million from unpaid invoices for design and planning work for each the theme park and RV park, based on NonDoc.
Crossland filed an analogous declare later in Might towards Mansion Leisure and property proprietor OGB Holdings that alleges it’s owed $352,429 for labor carried out and supplies furnished in February for the RV park and campground, per NonDoc. The corporate can be in search of curiosity and attorneys’ charges.
The event acquired one other setback in Might when legislators declined to approve a requested $35 million for water and wastewater enhancements to accommodate the challenge, Yahoo reported.
No less than one professional has expressed skepticism on the challenge’s chance to come back to fruition. Robert Niles, who runs Theme Park Insider, wrote final 12 months that theme park initiatives are notoriously difficult to construct and significant questions stay about American Heartland specifically. Not solely is the worth tag astronomical — and rising, per Tulsa World — however the park’s deliberate location is way from any main metropolis or airport, about 170 miles northeast of Oklahoma Metropolis.
