Please view our 100+ photos of Kalahari Resort at
PointPics.com
Our first water park tour takes us to the other side of the
world to Africa. The Kalahari is a desert region in southern
Africa that receives seasonal rains. However, the climate
of the Kalahari also appears in Sandusky, Ohio, at The
Kalahari Resort.
The
Kalahari Resort is located on Highway 250 in between Route 2
and Interstate 80. Kalahari is about a 15-minute drive to
Cedar Point.
Kalahari features America's largest indoor waterpark as it
is 173,000 square feet. It has 884 guest rooms and suites.
This give Kalahari Resort a square footage per room ratio of 195
square feet in the indoor waterpark.
There is a lot more to Kalahari than the hotel and water park
though. The Kalahari Resort includes restaurants, lounges,
concessions, arcade, mini golf, playground, and tons of
activities. The two restaurants in Kalahari are Kahunaville and
Great Karoo, both are right off the main lobby. Kahunaville has
windows looking out over the water park, has a stage and a bar.
The bartenders do tricks with the drinks and it is fun for the
kids to watch, and the servers will occasionally dance and
invite the kids to help. There are four concessions at Kalahari;
Safari Snacks, Café Mirage, Candy Hut, and Java Manjaro. Safari
Snacks is located inside of the water park, so you can eat a
meal without leaving.
The
lounges consist of Ivory Coast, Monsoon Salon, and Cracked
Coconut. Both Monsoon Salon and Mud Hut are located inside the
waterpark and Monsoon Salon over looks the FlowRider, which
offers some fun sights while you have a drink.
Kalahari has a lot more than just food and drinks though!
Kalahari offers tons of activities and fun things for the kids
too. The four major activities are Tree Top Play, Madagascar
Mini Golf, Pottery Pizzazz, and the Big Game Room. All are
located on the same level, so you can enjoy them all at once.
Tree Top Play is a playground for kids to play in and it has a
lot of the air power ball launching guns in it. Kids can play
with hundreds of soft colorful balls that can be used with many
different interactive objects. Pottery Pizzazz is a nice shop
where kids and parents can select a piece of pottery and paint
it themselves. The Big Game Room and Madagascar Mini Golf are,
well, a big game room and mini golf course.
The
Great Kalahari Water Park is a pretty big water park. The water
park is a giant “L” shape, with the FlowRider, Zip Coaster, and
slides in the bottom part of the “L”, while more of the kid’s
areas are at the top. Inside of the water park is a lot of
stuff, therefore it is leveled higher up than other areas. This
allows pools, slides, and the lazy river to go either over or
below something, without causing problems. To get to the water
park, one must go down a stairway from the Main Lobby to the
lower level, go through the Big Game Room, pass through a long
hallway, and you are in.
When you first enter, there are locker rooms on either side of
you along with lockers. There are tables and lawn chairs all
around for you to settle at. The first major thing you see upon
entering is Wild Kingdom, a play structure that is common at
many water parks now-a-days. It consists of a play structure
with nets, water guns, buckets, and many other water toys.
Sitting at the top is a giant bucket, dumping water down every
couple of minutes.
The
main kids area is called Crocodile Cove, which consists of three
different pools: Kiddie Pool, Basketball Pool, and Lily Pad
Pool. All of which are right next to each other, allowing for
kids to easily go from one location to another. Also in this
area is the Indoor/Outdoor Hot Tub. You get in the water inside
of this hot tub, but then you can easily swim outside. It is
especially fun for the kids to go outside when it is snowing or
cold, as it is quite a sensation.
Over
on the other side of the water park are more adventurous water
activities. The infamous Zip Coaster calls itself home here. The
Zip Coaster is the only one of its type at an indoor water park.
It reaches speeds of up to 20mph over 500 feet of slide for over
30 seconds. The Zip Coaster can send either one or two
passengers in a tube over the course of the ride. The ride uses
fast moving conveyor belts to propel the tube. These conveyor
belts are used three times throughout the ride, giving the
riders airtime as they ascend over hills. It also sprays water
and uses lighting effects to enhance the ride in the tunnels.
The Zip Coaster uses similar technology to a roller coaster, as
the control panels used to operate the rides are very similar.
If
you are not up to the Zip Coaster, then you can go on Wild
Wildebeest or Swahili Swirl, two different tube slides offering
excitement for riders. The Zimbabwe Zipper is a speed slide
sending riders down reaching speeds up to 40mph. If you are
looking for something to do with the whole family, then Victoria
Falls is for you. This slide can fit up to four people in a tube
sending them down into a black slide. Victoria Falls is an
especially fun slide offering airtime and excitement for
everyone who rides.
If
you need some time to relax, then you might want to try the Lazy
River. Just watch out, there are some portions of this river
that are not so lazy. The best part about the Lazy River is that
is goes around nearly half of the waterpark, which offers a
unique view to the water park. Along with many waterfalls and
geysers, the Lazy River provides a fun time for the family to
spend together.
The Indoor Hot Tub might be needed after the Lazy River, as a
long period of time in any body of water can chill the body off.
The Indoor Hot Tub sits in a corner of the water park and offers
hot water falls to massage backs. It is especially nice for kids
who are still too young to go in the Indoor/Outdoor Hot Tub.
Finally,
the attraction that everyone talks about at Kalahari is the
FlowRider. The FlowRider is a giant wave that lets you boogie
board or surf. Surfing is only after 7p.m. Kids and adults alike
have tons of fun on the FlowRider. Even though some may only
last a few seconds on the wave, everyone comes off with a happy
face. When you do fall, there is foam and soft padding to
comfort your fall so you will not get injured. It is an
incredible experience for everyone to participate in and to
watch.
There is a lot to do at Kalahari. There is even more to do than
what I have mentioned here. Thank you for taking the time to
read this summary of Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. The
Point Online hopes we have helped you become an informed
traveler. If you have any other questions about Kalahari, please
contact either myself or Kalahari. For more information about
Kalahari Resort, please visit
www.KalahariResorts.com.
Also be sure to check out our 140+ photos of Kalahari Resort at
PointPics.com.