American Heartland: a gigantic theme park in the center of the USA
American Heartland will be a 1,000-acre development and 50-acre theme park, comparable to the size of Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. It will include a 300-room hotel and a modern indoor water park.
The announcement is causing a stir in the United States and promises to move the hornet's nest in the world of the brands that lead the theme park industry in the country and in the world. American Heartland will be built in Oklahoma and will be comparable in size to the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
It will be a 400-hectare development and a 50-hectare theme park. It will include a 300-room hotel and a modern indoor water park. According to the announcement, it will be inaugurated in stages, in 2025 and 2026.
Oklahoma is a state located in the south central United States. It borders Colorado and Kansas to the north, Missouri and Arkansas to the east, Texas to the south, and New Mexico to the west. Its capital is Oklahoma City, which is also the largest city in the state.
American Heartland Theme Park and Resort
The American Heartland Theme Park and Resort is a development that will be built in phases, with the first phase opening in mid-2025 and the second beginning in 2026. With an investment of more than 2 billion dollars, it will be located in the Northeast of Oklahoma, just west of Grand Lake on Route 66. The exact location is near Vinita, approximately 65 miles northeast of Tulsa.
Vinita is a city located in the northeast of the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It is located in Craig County, approximately 21 miles (about 34 kilometers) north of the city of Claremore.
According to the announcement, American Heartland will offer a unique experience for visitors and will seek to compete with the best tourist destinations in the world. "We are thrilled to make Oklahoma the home of American Heartland Theme Park and Resort," according to a press release from Mansion Entertainment Group, which is leading the project.
"It will be a family park, with timeless fun and unlimited adventure. The theme park will feature a collection of six distinctly American lands to welcome guests on a journey through the best of American history," they added.
Employees who worked at the Disneyland and Disney World theme parks involved in the construction of American Heartland in Oklahoma
The team behind the development is made up of the world's top theme park designers, including more than 20 former Disney park builders. Among them is Steve Hedrick, who has spent half of his 40-year career in the industry working with Disney. He will lead a top notch design team.
The park will feature a variety of rides, live shows and family attractions, as well as restaurant-quality food and beverage offerings.
First level hotel and camping sector
The development will also include a 300-room upscale hotel and a state-of-the-art indoor water park. Meanwhile, there will be a 130-hectare camping sector, which will become the largest camp in the central United States, with spaces for 750 mobile homes and 300 cabins.
In the spring of 2025, with an RV park and campground, a space called "Three Ponies" will open, intended for travelers and naturists looking to reconnect with nature.
The idea is that American Heartland will become a key tourist destination on the famous Route 66 and that it will attract more than two million visitors per year.
What will American Heartland be like?
Along with family-friendly rides and attractions, the destination will feature live entertainment and waterways, as well as restaurant-quality food and beverage offerings. With six "distinctively American lands": the Great Plains, Bayou Bay, Big Timber Falls, Stony Point Harbor, Liberty Village and Electropolis, the park will welcome visitors "on a journey through the best of American history," according to the group.
Visitors will be able to stay at the adjacent Three Ponies Camp, which will consist of an estimated 750 RV spaces and 300 cabins, making it the largest campground in the central United States.
Construction will take place in phases, with the RV park and cabins scheduled to open in spring 2025 as part of the first phase.
Including a 300-room hotel and a modern indoor water park, the theme park won't open until next year. Once construction is complete, the destination estimates it will draw more than 2 million out-of-state visitors to Oklahoma each year, according to the news release.
“American Heartland will be a place where families can come together to make lasting memories, experience joy, laughter, imagination and wonder,” American Heartland founder and creative director Gene Bicknell said in the statement. “There is much to celebrate about our country: its landscapes, its cultures and, most importantly, its people. No matter where you're from, you'll feel right at home at American Heartland."
Those behind the project insist it will elevate Oklahoma in terms of tourism, specifically by creating more than 4,000 jobs and attracting new businesses to and around the state.
Kristy Adams, senior executive vice president of sales and marketing for Mansion Entertainment Group, said the theme park and resort will, in part, be an anchor tourist destination on Route 66. "The scale and quality of the development will be unique in the region. , which will make Vinita, Oklahoma, a must-see destination for families around the world," he added.
