What would it take for austin to get an amusement park? (Houston: how much, houses)

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by Jimmyp25

Ive been to the one in Wisconsin Dells. Its pretty fun ... especially when its cold and theres nothing to do....you have a indoor water park

Sure, it makes sense in the Wisconsin Dells, but Austin? Not so much. We go kayaking all year around, and live blocks from a city pool that is also open all year. If anything, winter months are when it is easier to be active outdoors. No way would my kids set foot in an indoor water park, they didn't even like the Schlitterbahn at SPI for that reason.

[Antny12]

Yeah I’ll take the indoor water park over the above. Water slides, wave pools, surfing thing, and so on are all more fun to me.. plus it’s indoors and away from the brutal heat win/win. We’re excited.

[mark311]

Originally Posted by Antny12

Yeah I’ll take the indoor water park over the above. Water slides, wave pools, surfing thing, and so on are all more fun to me.. plus it’s indoors and away from the brutal heat win/win. We’re excited.

Agreed. My kids both under the age of 10 would love to be at that indoor water park place in December and January. July and August would work as well to escape the heat, sunburns, etc.

This looks pretty cool: https://www.greatwolf.com/grapevine/...ver-canyon-run

[austinnerd]

First and foremost, it is NOT a Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari is a different company.

Originally Posted by Soccernerd

Kalahari's current locations are in the Poconos, Sandusky, OH, and the Wisconsin Dells. None of those places are remotely similar to Austin/Round Rock.

I guess it’s the conference center and large hotel that sold the project.

There is a Great Wolf Lodge up in Grapevine, so they do have a pretty reasonable comparison point.

Sure, it makes sense in the Wisconsin Dells, but Austin? Not so much. We go kayaking all year around, and live blocks from a city pool that is also open all year. If anything, winter months are when it is easier to be active outdoors. No way would my kids set foot in an indoor water park, they didn't even like the Schlitterbahn at SPI for that reason.

Nothing wrong with that, but just because it doesn't fit your lifestyle doesn't mean it it won't fit others. Plus if the quantity of families that go to places like Great Wolf were to start going instead to local creeks, rivers and lakes, I don't think most folks who currently frequent those areas would consider that a good thing.

I would agree with some of the commenters though that places like Great Wolf are geared towards the pre/early teen set, but given the growth rate here in Austin, I would think that they have a pretty reasonable shot at success.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Antny12

Yeah I’ll take the indoor water park over the above. Water slides, wave pools, surfing thing, and so on are all more fun to me.. plus it’s indoors and away from the brutal heat win/win. We’re excited.

The Schlitterbahn in Galveston is convertible, so in the winter it is closed and heated with warm water and in the summer opens up. I've heard that on a cold day like 20 degrees, the heating is not adequate though. They are supposed to keep the air temp at 84 and the water temp at 80 but it's very hard to do that when a blue norther comes in, mainly because the facility isn't "air tight". Mainly people have said the covered facility only works from like 50+ degrees. I imagine that WI Dells because they are used to the winter weather there, have designed it better.

You can swim year round in Barton Springs. The way it works, Barton Springs is like 70-72 degrees from September to about March and then 68 from April until August. It's because the ground is delayed, it takes a long time for the ground to heat up and by then the outside weather is cold. It takes a long time for the ground to cool off and by that time the outside air is hot.

Because of that, Barton Springs on a very cold day feels like bath water. On a very hot day it feels like ice water. I much prefer that to some indoor water park.

If I live up north, I would love an indoor water park, but only one like the one in Edmonton, where it has a skylight and it feels like you're at a tropical paradise because the sun is beating in. Great Wolf is indoors and dark.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Sure, it makes sense in the Wisconsin Dells, but Austin? Not so much. We go kayaking all year around, and live blocks from a city pool that is also open all year. If anything, winter months are when it is easier to be active outdoors. No way would my kids set foot in an indoor water park, they didn't even like the Schlitterbahn at SPI for that reason.

The Schlitterbahn in SPI has both an indoor and and an outdoor component, so you could go to the outdoor component. At Great Wolf it only has indoor components.

Also at SPI the facility is "convertible" although they keep a tinted roof. The sides open up in the summer for an open air experience.

[Jimmyp25]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

Sure, it makes sense in the Wisconsin Dells, but Austin? Not so much. We go kayaking all year around, and live blocks from a city pool that is also open all year. If anything, winter months are when it is easier to be active outdoors. No way would my kids set foot in an indoor water park, they didn't even like the Schlitterbahn at SPI for that reason.

They also have a outdoor water park. Its indoor and outdoor. Both are open in the summer then the outdoor closes in winter.

[riaelise]

My part of town is getting Kalahari, which is the equivalent of a Great Wolf Lodge. That's enough for me really. I just wouldn't spend the money at an amusement park, not when there's so much other stuff to do that's cheaper.

[RoamingTX]

Originally Posted by riaelise

My part of town is getting Kalahari, which is the equivalent of a Great Wolf Lodge. That's enough for me really. I just wouldn't spend the money at an amusement park, not when there's so much other stuff to do that's cheaper.

You’ll spend just as much there as any amusement park

[cBach]

I went to Hawaiin Falls once and it was "cheaper" than Schlitterbahn but then you had to add on parking costs, they didn't let you bring food in, etc...

It was actually cheaper to go to Schlitterbahn because I usually bring a large ice chest full of sandwiches, chips, soda, etc... and parking is free there.

Also the quality of the rides is so much better in Schlitterbahn...

I'm assuming it's the same with Kalahari.