For years, Disney followers have clamored for a 3rd U.S. complicated in Texas, and we’ve defined why that received’t occur. The excellent news is that there’s a brand new $2 billion theme park comparable in measurement and scope to Disneyland or Magic Kingdom has been introduced for Oklahoma. This put up shares particulars and commentary in regards to the potential competitors for Disney and Common. (Up to date November 4, 2024.)
The mission known as American Heartland Theme Park and Resort, a greater than $2 billion leisure vacation spot improvement in northeast Oklahoma, simply west of Grand Lake on Route 66. American Heartland will probably be a 1,000-acre improvement with a 125-acre theme park, which is slated to open in 2026 the long run.
American Heartland Theme Park and Resort will probably be in-built phases beginning with a large-scale RV park with cabins scheduled to open section one in spring 2025, a movie and tv studio, and a world-class theme park and resort after that. The American Heartland Theme Park and Resort will supply a novel customer expertise rivaling the world’s prime resort locations.
November 4, 2024 Replace: One yr after the October 30 groundbreaking ceremony for the primary section of a deliberate $2 billion journey vacation spot in northeast Oklahoma, development hasn’t begun. The initially deliberate 2026 opening of a Disneyland-like theme park in Vinita seemingly will probably be pushed again a minimum of three years, and the finances has ballooned to $2.5 billion, however builders insist the large mission remains to be a go.
“We’re persevering with to maneuver ahead. We now have had some short-term challenges to beat however we’re assured that we’ll be again on monitor quickly,” Gene Bicknell, the mission’s monetary backer, stated in a press release to the Tulsa World, the first newspaper for northeastern and japanese Oklahoma.
Builders spoke with the newspaper in an unique interview, and cited allowing points with the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers. Ex-Imagineer Steve Hedrick informed the paper that the mission had just lately acquired some permits, have been nonetheless awaiting others, and have inspections that also must be performed. “We’re inside weeks of preparing,” he added.
The positioning of the deliberate RV park is usually undisturbed, apart from plastic fencing and a gravel staging space, in response to Tulsa World. Builders indicated that transferring grime on the RV park will occur first, and it’ll take a few years to finish as soon as began. There are additionally extra hurdles for the theme park website, and after the primary yr of development on the campground, work is deliberate to start on the theme park.
The builders now anticipate the theme park to take one other three years to construct as soon as work will get begin. Which means even when the RV/cabins space development begins originally of subsequent yr, the American Heartland theme park itself wouldn’t be accomplished till a minimum of 2029. This additionally assumes no additional delays or impediments, which is a daring assumption on condition that there have already been delays on the RV park. On the danger of stating the apparent, that’s rather a lot less complicated mission than a brand-new, Disneyland-like theme park. And also you thought the timeline for Villains Land was too lengthy!
In actuality, the operative query isn’t “when” however “if” development will get began. American Heartland has suffered a number of setbacks past the allowing points, together with two liens filed in opposition to Mansion Leisure for almost $6 million in unpaid claims for work carried out. The third setback occurred when legislators declined to approve a requested $35 million appropriation earmarked for water and wastewater enhancements.
Editorializing a bit, my expectation is that the RV park will occur however the American Heartland theme park is not going to. This isn’t a brand new prediction–if you happen to learn our commentary under, which is from when the mission was initially introduced, that’s kind of what we anticipated then. The variety of setbacks the mission has already confronted solely additional reaffirms this.
We’d like to be incorrect, however in all chance, the campground manages to open a couple of years from now and the theme park is quietly cancelled. And a campground in Oklahoma is hardly big information that DTB must be reporting, so in all chance, this will probably be our final replace on American Heartland.
In any case, right here’s the unique announcement adopted by our intensive commentary detailing why you shouldn’t get prematurely excited for this mission…
“We’re thrilled to make Oklahoma the house of American Heartland Theme Park and Resort,” American Heartland CEO Larry Wilhite stated. “On the crossroads of the heartland, Oklahoma is a beautiful location for a household leisure vacation spot. The state’s business-friendly strategy and progressive partnership efforts have helped make this attainable. We stay up for bringing unforgettable generational experiences to Oklahoma.”
As famous above, American Heartland Theme Park and Resort will probably be akin to the scale of Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. The park will function an Americana-themed surroundings with a wide range of entertaining rides, dwell exhibits, household points of interest, waterways in addition to restaurant-quality meals and beverage choices.
“Oklahoma is worked up to welcome American Heartland Theme Park and Resort,” Oklahoma State Rep. Rusty Cornwell stated. “Positioned on historic Route 66 simply west of Grand Lake, the event will appeal to guests from all over the world to expertise and have fun the wealthy cultures and hometown values America has to supply.”
The adjoining 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground is designed by Oklahoma architects ADG Blatt. This complicated would be the largest campground within the central U.S. with 750 RV areas and 300 cabins plus facilities. When accomplished, American Heartland Theme Park and Resort will even embrace a top-tier 300-room resort and trendy indoor water park.
“There’s no higher place to symbolize the center of America than northeast Oklahoma,” stated Oklahoma State Sen. Micheal Bergstrom. “This $2 billion funding in our state will create greater than 4,000 jobs and introduce a brand new class of leisure to the area, and its long-term financial influence will probably be transformative.”
“Tourism is already one in every of Oklahoma’s prime industries and this mission will elevate our state even additional. Since tourism is a doorway to financial improvement, American Heartland Theme Park and Resort will draw new companies not solely to the encircling space but in addition all through the area and state,” Bergstrom continued.
The developer of American Heartland Theme Park and Resort has management with deep Oklahoma roots. American Heartland is an affiliate of Mansion Leisure Group, LLC, Branson’s main performing arts, animation and studio model.
In keeping with its mission assertion, “Mansion Leisure Group is on the verge of changing into essentially the most highly effective entity in household leisure, with its unparalleled experience throughout movie, tv, animation, music, theatre, and household immersive leisure experiences.”
(Editor’s notice: The one accomplished productions of Mansion Leisure Group that I may monitor down have been for the Rose Parade finale float and a symphony on PBS.)
Mansion purports to have a “dedication to producing high-quality, healthful content material that your entire household can take pleasure in.” It has carved a distinct segment for itself within the leisure trade with a powerful roster of abilities, cutting-edge expertise, and progressive storytelling methods.
As Mansion Leisure Group continues to increase its attain and diversify its choices, the corporate claims it’s “poised to develop into the go-to vacation spot for households looking for participating and significant leisure that conjures up, educates, and entertains.”
Led by Govt Producer Steve Hedrick, the design crew of American Heartland Theme Park is made up of the world’s greatest theme park designers together with 20+ former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers. Design companies embrace THG, FORREC and Cuningham, whose portfolios function the world’s foremost theme park manufacturers together with Six Flags, Disney Parks and Common Studios.
American Heartland Theme Park’s artistic crew is comprised of over 500 years of Disney and Leisure expertise. This award profitable crew spans generations of manufacturing, dwell leisure, studio work, tv, and theme park improvement.
- Steve Hedrick – WDE Disney Govt 22 yrs (TP Business 40 yrs)
- John Sorenson – Walt Disney Imagineering Land Planner 30 yrs
- Tom Turley – DLI Ops Planning & Growth 45 yrs
- Don Hilsen – Walt Disney Imagineering Journey Engineer – 30 yrs
- John Polk – Walt Disney Imagineering Particular Results 20 yrs
- Tim Kirk – Walt Disney Imagineering Idea Artist 35 yrs
- Annette Crump – Walt Disney Imagineering Planner/Scheduler 11 yrs
- Andy Burden – WDE/DLI Technical Design 12 yrs
- Rick Allen – WDW Operations 24 yrs
- Craig Hodges – WDW Operations – 42 yrs
- Dave Vermeulen – Disneyland Worldwide 40 yrs
- Ted Carlsson – Disneyland/WDI VP of Technical Design – 35 yrs
- Scott Sinclair – Disneyland & WDI Theme Park Designer – 20 yrs
- Ronnie Rodriquez – Disney Inventive Leisure – 35 yrs
- Reggie Jarrett – Disney Leisure – 35 yrs
“We’re happy that American Heartland Theme Park and Resort has taken step one and chosen Oklahoma to construct a world-class leisure vacation spot,” stated Hopper Smith, interim director of the Oklahoma Division of Commerce. “We stay up for aiding with this mission because it develops.”
American Heartland Theme Park and Resort is a family-friendly park promising timeless enjoyable and boundless journey. The 125-acre theme park will function a set of six distinctly American lands to welcome company on a journey via the most effective of the American story. Households will discover thrilling rides and heartwarming exhibits as they uncover Nice Plains, Bayou Bay, Massive Timber Falls, Stony Level Harbor, Liberty Village and Electropolis.
“American Heartland will probably be a spot households can come collectively to create lasting reminiscences, expertise pleasure, laughter, creativeness and surprise,” American Heartland Founder and Chief Inventive Officer Gene Bicknell stated. “There may be a lot to have fun about our nation: its landscapes, its cultures and most significantly, its individuals. Regardless of the place you’re from, you’ll really feel proper at residence at American Heartland.”
“American Heartland will probably be an anchor vacationer vacation spot on Route 66 set to draw greater than two million out-of-state guests to Oklahoma annually,” Kristy Adams, senior government vp of gross sales and advertising and marketing for Mansion Leisure Group, American Heartland and Three Ponies, stated. “The size and high quality of the event will probably be not like the rest within the area, making Vinita, Oklahoma a can’t-miss vacation spot for households all over the world.”
Turning to commentary, there’s good and dangerous to debate with causes for optimism and pessimism about this mission. Let’s begin with the optimistic. There are a number of high-profile former Imagineers who’re engaged on this mission, together with a number of in senior design and different roles on Tokyo DisneySea.
Furthermore, the founder Gene Bicknell is a Pizza Hut magnate and franchising these eating places, apparently, pays higher than I ever would’ve guessed. Based mostly on the verbiage of the press launch and the accompanying web site, I get the impression that this can be a pet mission and pushed by the values and beliefs of the homeowners.
Given each of these variables, the most effective case state of affairs is that American Heartland Theme Park turns into the Disney’s America that by no means was, and clearly minus the Disney branding and characters. If the idea artwork is correct, it received’t have design and a spotlight to element on par with Tokyo DisneySea, nevertheless it nonetheless seems to be very nice–there are lands on par with the American Waterfront port. (The truth is, Stony Level Harbor seems to be rather a lot like Cape Cod at TDS–examine the idea artwork above to the photograph under.)
As a fan primarily of themed design and never Disney IP, that is one thing that will be proper up my alley. The truth is, I actually like quite a lot of what I see within the idea artwork and described within the overview of every land. There are quite a lot of good concepts and potential within the mission.
Nonetheless, my pleasure stage is minimal for American Heartland Theme Park. Before everything, I’ve seen quite a lot of bulletins like this through the years from new entrants into the theme park house, and only a few truly find yourself being constructed. And that’s even when they’re hooked up to main studios or manufacturers, and American Heartland Theme Park isn’t.
It’s very simple to check a state of affairs the place the one factor that occurs right here is the campground and RV park. The truth is, that’s most likely essentially the most believable consequence. There’s seemingly no scarcity of demand for Three Ponies, and it’s actually simpler to get a campground off the bottom than it’s a brand-new, large-scale theme park.
I additionally would warning in opposition to assuming that the theme park is more likely to occur as a result of a number of ex-Imagineers are hooked up to this. It’s additionally true that WDI purged a lot of the crew behind Tokyo DisneySea after that mission was accomplished. There’s a veritable graveyard of announced-but-unbuilt theme parks all over the world which have equally spectacular design groups. All people’s gotsta receives a commission.
There may be additionally the fact that, spectacular as it might appear, $2 billion isn’t rather a lot in 2023 {dollars} to construct an entire theme park and resort complicated together with a movie and tv studio. Sure, I notice the acknowledged finances for Common’s Epic Universe is just round $1 billion, however the closing quantity will find yourself being considerably increased. I additionally notice that Disney can’t do something cheaply or effectively, so its budgets are principally in Monopoly cash as in comparison with the opposite parks.
Regardless, the purpose stands: this is not going to be Disney’s America or Tokyo DisneySea caliber on $2 billion. Extra like Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Knott’s Berry Farm, that are two superior regional parks in their very own proper. Nonetheless, they’re not world class vacationer attracts or what you’d anticipate from the corporate that “is on the verge of changing into essentially the most highly effective entity in household leisure.”
Simply as this being a pet mission seemingly being pushed by the proprietor’s values and beliefs is an asset, so too is it a legal responsibility. Bicknell desires to will an leisure empire based mostly on healthful and family-friendly content material into existence…however might quickly be confronted with the laborious realities of making such content material and the precise marketplace for it.
Nevermind the 100-year first-mover benefit of Disney, and the huge libraries of characters managed by Disney, Common, and many others. (Even Skydance Animation is having a troublesome time gaining traction, regardless of the formidable expertise, funding, and studio help!) There’s completely a marketplace for Americana and nostalgia, nevertheless it’s exceedingly tough to construct a theme park that’ll appeal to hundreds of thousands of tourists per yr on that alone. There must be one other hook.
Then there’s the situation. I’m removed from an skilled on this area or Oklahoma, however Vinita looks as if it’s sort of in the midst of nowhere with no inherent tourism enchantment like Florida or California. Touting a location alongside Route 66 caught my consideration, and never in a great way; that is 2023, not 1963. (It’s about 60 miles from Tulsa Worldwide Airport, which isn’t horrible.)
I imply no disrespect to the individuals of Vinita, but when I have been scouting spots for essentially the most highly effective entity’s first theme park presence, I’m most likely taking a look at plots close to main cities in Texas, Atlanta, Charlotte, or a couple of different cities within the Midwest or East Coast. For a viable large-scale theme park, you’d ideally need quick access to hundreds of thousands of higher center class locals inside an hour from the park and a spot with vacationer enchantment and comparatively handy entry.
In the end, it’ll be fascinating to see whether or not American Heartland Theme Park ever opens. It does appear extra credible than different bulletins from the final decade that haven’t come to fruition. And on the plus aspect, a minimum of it’s most likely not a rip-off not like a few of these previous initiatives. It appears extra like one enterprise tycoon’s ardour mission, and perhaps he’ll will it into being.
If it in some way does occur, I’d advocate visiting American Heartland Theme Park early in its existence. Enterprise acumen within the Pizza Hut area doesn’t translate to the identical in theme parks–the official web site and press launch suggests quite a lot of hubris and little or no information of what makes for a profitable theme park. Mainly, there’s little or no to recommend that this park has any type of monetary viability within the long-term even when is constructed. However what do I do know, Mansion Leisure does have a full three years to construct their model and develop into essentially the most highly effective entity in household leisure. Maybe it’ll occur.
Want journey planning suggestions and complete recommendation to your go to to Central Florida? Make certain to learn our Common Orlando Planning Information for every little thing about Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida. Additionally try our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Information for every little thing about these parks, resorts, eating places, and a lot extra. For normal updates, information & rumors, a heads up when reductions are launched, and rather more, join our FREE e-mail e-newsletter!
