New American Heartland Theme Park in Oklahoma

[scottieRoss]

Hard No Here. But it will never happen. Silver Dollar City tried to open another theme park in Branson and it went belly up. OZ in Kansas is a ghost town. Frontier City in OKC can't even get the Six Flags name on the park it is so deserted. How bad does a park have to be for Six Flags to not own up to owning it?
This will never go anywhere in the location and with the backing it has. The company owns the failed theater that used to be the Wayne Newton Theater and has no headline act. They have an animation studio with 1 short and they think that they have a TV & motion picture studio that they think is on the verge of becoming the preeminent family studio.
Seems like nothing but a bunch of wannabes.

 

[mkt]

If it’s a theme park sure. Would love to hear about it.

It's not a Disney theme park.

And neither is "American Heartland"

Maybe I should start posting about Universal's new offerings in the WDW News and Rumors, since plenty of former Imagineers have been poached or jumped ship to Universal Creative.

 

[mkt]

It's 10AM, have a beer. I'm on number 3.

Edibles, I'm doing an alcohol detox.

 

[Prince-1]

I hope this gets built (more competition is good for all theme park fans), but northern Oklahoma strikes me as a strange spot for a vacation resort.

I agree with you, but at one time it was strange thinking people would go to the swamps of Central Florida to vacation.

 

[Smugpugmug]

The concept is looking to be an amped up "Six-Flags" type park. You're not going to spend a week or more here, it's a 1-3 day thing that is meant to be a regional attraction. Looking at the initial focus for local accommodations, they're not looking to get people coming in on planes, but rather those in RVs and on road trips. It's a totally different focus demographic than with WDW.

Well, we'll see if this actually happens. This looks very ambitious. A little too ambitious.

 

[monothingie]

It's not a Disney theme park.

And neither is "American Heartland"

Maybe I should start posting about Universal's new offerings in the WDW News and Rumors, since plenty of former Imagineers have been poached or jumped ship to Universal Creative.

It will get moved. Have faith in the system. It's Friday...relax.

 

[larryz]

$2 Billion American Heartland Theme Park designed by former Disney Imagineers to be built on Route 66 in Oklahoma​

A new Americana-themed amusement park and resort complex — with amenities comparable to Disney World — is coming to Oklahoma.

The $2 billion theme park destination, American Heartland Theme Park and Resort, is proposed to be a 1,000-acre resort destination that is expected to attract around 5 million guests per year, the park said in a press release shared on Wednesday. The project’s design team is made up of over 20 former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers.

American Heartland will be located outside Vinita on the historic Route 66 and will feature a large-scale RV park, world-class theme park, 300-room hotel, and modern indoor water park.

COURTESY OF AMERICAN HEARTLAND THEME PARK AND RESORT

The anchor of the proposed destination will be American Heartland Theme Park, which will feature an Americana-themed environment with a variety of entertaining rides, live shows, family attractions, waterways as well as restaurant-quality food and beverage offerings."

“Thrilling rides and heartwarming shows” will be spread across six distinctly American themed lands: Great Plains, Bayou Bay, Big Timber Falls, Stony Point Harbor, Liberty Village and Electropolis.

At 125-acres, it will be comparable in size to Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World.

COURTESY OF AMERICAN HEARTLAND THEME PARK AND RESORT

“We are thrilled to make Oklahoma the home of American Heartland Theme Park and Resort,” American Heartland CEO Larry Wilhite said in the press release. “At the crossroads of the heartland, Oklahoma is an attractive location for a family entertainment destination. The state’s business-friendly approach and innovative partnership efforts have helped make this possible. We look forward to bringing unforgettable generational experiences to Oklahoma.”

Adjacent to the theme park will be the 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, anticipated to be the largest campground in the Central United States. The RV resort will feature 300 cabins, 750 RV spaces, and on-site amenities.

“There’s no better place to represent the heart of America than northeast Oklahoma,” said Oklahoma State Sen. Micheal Bergstrom in the press release. “This $2 billion investment in our state will create more than 4,000 jobs and introduce a new category of entertainment to the region, and its long-term economic impact will be transformative.”

American Heartland is set to be built in phases with the RV park expected to be complete in spring 2025 followed by the theme park in 2026. The project is being developed by American Heartland, an affiliate of Manson Entertainment Group, a leading Branson, Missouri-based company.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...-and-Resort-Development-in-Northeast-Oklahoma

I know where they can get a slightly used B&M hypercoaster real cheap...

 

[monothingie]

So this thing will cost $2B? They could get 2 Star Wars Hotels for the price of a new park in OK?

 

[dreday3]

View attachment 731673

Excellent movie.

 

[mkt]

So this thing will cost $2B? They could get 2 Star Wars Hotels for the price of a new park in OK?

It'll cost $1B, and they'll grift another billion into their pockets.
Because that's what this red v blue division is all about: getting rich while people argue at each other over things that aren't real issues.

 

[el_super]

It looks like DCA.

Why would anyone in America want to go to a theme park based on America?

 

[drizgirl]

Regional parks try to attract people from ..... their region. Are the people in fly over country not supposed to have anything?

 

[drizgirl]

Damn. That's all. Things are even worse than I feared.

 

[mkt]

And? Regional parks try to attract people from ..... their region. Are the people in fly over country not supposed to have anything?

Those people have money to spend and like to travel.

Plenty of cool things to do in "flyover country", as well as excellent BBQ, and some great breweries.

 

[mkt]

It looks like DCA.

Why would anyone in America want to go to a theme park based on America?

BBQ and beer.

 

[Drdcm]

It looks like DCA.

Why would anyone in America want to go to a theme park based on America?

Idk I think a park based on different regions of the USA could be cool. We have a lot of distinct geographical environments and cultures that could easily fill out an amusement park cohesively.

 

[The Mom]

I agree with you, but at one time it was strange thinking people would go to the swamps of Central Florida to vacation.

Florida was a vacation spot before WDW. Winter Park, Ocala, Cypress Gardens, and both coasts had vacationers. Riverboats traveled the St John's River in the 19th century, and Flagler built a railroad so people could get to St Augustine, The Breakers in Palm Beach, and resorts in Miami. The same with resorts in Sarasota, etc.

The wealthy would winter in Florida, and in the 1950s, with better roads, the middle class began vacationing and traveling the state to visit places like Silver Springs, Weekie Watchie Springs, Marineland, etc.

Florida tourism didn't begin in 1971, but the addition of WDW, along with affordable flights, A/C etc certainly made it boom in Orlando, while the attractions elsewhere faded, if not outright disappeared.

 

[The Mom]

Please keep politics out of this thread. Thank you.

 

[ChrisFL]

Florida was a vacation spot before WDW. Winter Park, Ocala, Cypress Gardens, and both coasts had vacationers. Riverboats traveled the St John's River in the 19th century, and Flagler built a railroad so people could get to St Augustine, The Breakers in Palm Beach, and resorts in Miami. The same with resorts in Sarasota, etc.

The wealthy would winter in Florida, and in the 1950s, with better roads, the middle class began vacationing and traveling the state to visit places like Silver Springs, Weekie Watchie Springs, Marineland, etc.

Florida tourism didn't begin in 1971, but the addition of WDW, along with affordable flights, A/C etc certainly made it boom in Orlando, while the attractions elsewhere faded, if not outright disappeared.

Busch Gardens Tampa was open as well before WDW

 

[Drdcm]

My post was deleted because it was likely determined to be political.

Rephrased, just would say that I don’t like the name and would have gone with something a little more broad like “America the beautiful” if it’s going to feature different regions of the US outside the Midwest and agriculture