Family-friendly Ohio conference center expands
Sunday, 01 Mar, 2012
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The Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio, used to be best-known for being the site of the largest indoor water park in the country. But it may find more fame as a convention center after a 10-month, $22 million expansion that included:
—More than doubling the size of its existing convention center from 120,000 to 215,000 square feet.
—The addition of a 38,000-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate 2,200 guests banquet-style or 3,800 theatre style.
—Another six new private entertainment villas, each of them 4,100 square feet villas that can sleep up to 22 in five bedrooms. They also have fully equipped kitchens and comfortable living space.
—More than 30,000 square feet in pre-function space, with four junior ballrooms and four African-themed huts for social events.
Team building options include climbing walls, interactive cooking demonstrations, indoor theme park Olympic Games and laser tag.
The 890-room Sandusky Kalahari has a signature 137,000-square-foot indoor waterpark as well as a smaller outdoor water park.
For smaller family-oriented water theme parks, Wilderness at the Smokies in Sevierville, Tenn., started a multi-million dollar expansion to double its indoor space. The seven-acre Wild WaterDome indoor park will add several new rides including a three-story ropes course, bowling and mini-golf. The resort itself has 254 rooms and 472 suites.
By David Wilkening
David
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