Misplaced Pages

#510489

19-674: Chula Vista has been in existence since the late 19th century, when there was only one vacation home on the Wisconsin River. In the 1920s, the Berry Family purchased the home and built Berry's Coldwater Canyon Hotel and Berry's Dells Golf Course. Joe and Vera Kaminski became innkeepers at the hotel in 1952, and later purchased the entire complex from the Berry Family. Chula Vista is currently owned and operated by Jeff Kaminski and Krissy Kaminski-Sigmund, children of Mike and Ann Kaminski. Previously owned and operated by Mike and Tim Kaminski, who are

38-580: A new sports dome just south of the resort complex. It is home to many sports finals and events in Wisconsin and the Midwest. Also, concerts, indoor football, and trade shows take place at the Wisconsin Dells Center. 43°39′52″N 89°47′04″W  /  43.66444°N 89.78444°W  / 43.66444; -89.78444 Indoor waterpark An indoor water park is a type of water park that

57-604: A rare public bidding war. After Apollo upped its offer again to $ 7.85 a share on April 20, 2012, KSL Capital Partners later announced it would not be making additional offers. The company's shares traded as low as $ 2.18 in October 2011, but climbed above $ 5 following the announcement in March 2012 and reached a 52-week high of $ 7.50 during trading in April 2012. On March 24, 2015, Centerbridge Partners reached an agreement with Apollo to acquire

76-522: Is currently the largest indoor water park in the world. Most major indoor water parks have: Great Wolf Lodge Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge ) is a chain of resort hotels and indoor water parks . The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades , spas , and children's activities. Great Wolf Resorts

95-513: Is headquartered in Chicago , Illinois . Great Wolf Lodge began as a small indoor water park resort called Black Wolf Lodge which was founded in 1997 by brothers Jack and Andrew "Turk" Waterman, the original owners of Noah's Ark Water Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin . Black Wolf Lodge was purchased by The Great Lakes Companies Inc. in 1999. In 2000, president and founder, Craig A. Stark , and

114-502: Is located inside a building. An indoor water park has the ability to stay open year-round, as it is not affected by weather conditions. Some of the first indoor water parks are Tikibad at Duinrell (The Netherlands, 1984), Nautiland located at Haguenau (France, 1984), the Aqua Mundo at Center Parc De Eemhof located at Zeewolde (The Netherlands, 1980) and Alpamare (Pfäffikon) (Switzerland, 1977). In 1985 an indoor water park

133-536: The Hotel Rome at Mt. Olympus . Wisconsin has the most indoor water parks in one state. Other states in the U.S., especially in the midwest, are building more indoor water parks separate or to existing hotels so they can become a year-round destination. More water parks are also being built in Canada, Europe and Asia . Tropical Islands Resort ( Krausnick-Groß Wasserburg , Germany ) with an area of 66,000 m² (710,000 sq feet)

152-560: The "Great Wolf Den," is in 350 North Orleans , in River North, in the Near North Side, Chicago . The facility, the "Great Wolf Den," began operations in 2017. Previously, the headquarters were in Madison, Wisconsin . According to the company, the headquarters move occurred so the company could be closer to various sites of business operation. Rahm Emanuel , Mayor of Chicago , attended

171-399: The "Theme" from its name, becoming just Chula Vista Resort. Also, Chula Vista completed a $ 200 million expansion of the entire resort, including a new 80,000 sq ft. multilevel indoor waterpark , a redesigned 18 hole Coldwater Canyon Golf Course, a condominium wing added onto the existing resort, golf villas along the fairways, an outdoor wave pool along the Wisconsin River, a riverwalk spanning

190-568: The Great Wolf chain for $ 1.35 billion. The acquisition was finalized on May 12, 2015. In September 2019, Blackstone Group made a deal to purchase 65% controlling interest in Great Wolf Resorts from Centerbridge Partners. The two firms agreed to form a $ 2.9 billion joint venture to own the company. Great Wolf Lodge locations: Previous locations: Locations under construction: Locations under consideration: The corporate headquarters,

209-665: The United States known as the Polynesian Resort Hotel and Suites in the small tourist town of Wisconsin Dells, WI. The hotel opened in 1989 and the water park in 1994. It was built in an effort to make the Dells a year-round tourist destination, rather than just a summer one. Since then, the Great Wolf Lodge brand has expanded, with multiple locations in the U.S. and a single venue in Canada, at Niagara Falls . The DreamWorks Water Park , originally slated to open in late 2019, will be

SECTION 10

#1732873395511

228-660: The United States' largest water park upon opening. Since the opening of the first park, the indoor water park business has become increasingly popular, especially for Edmonton in Canada, and Wisconsin Dells in the U.S., which proclaims itself as the "Water Park Capital of the World". The Dells has five water park resorts that have at least one water park bigger than 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m ). This includes Great Wolf Lodge , Kalahari (Wisconsin's Largest Indoor Water Park), Chula Vista Resort (Lost Rios), Wilderness Territory (Wild West, Klondike Kavern, Wild WaterDome), and

247-490: The company for $ 703 million. Following the announcement, an investor group filed a complaint in Delaware Chancery Court stating that the deal, in which Apollo would pay $ 5 a share, undervalued the company. On April 12, 2012, KSL Capital Partners made an unsolicited offer of $ 6.25 a share, and Apollo followed suit raising its bid to $ 6.75 a share. KSL then raised its cash offer to $ 7 a share on April 8, 2012, beginning

266-574: The entire property, sand volleyball courts, a kiddie lazy river, a new steakhouse, and 26,000 square feet (2,400 m) of convention space. This expansion turned Chula Vista into one of the premier waterpark resorts in the Wisconsin Dells and became one of the largest resorts in the Dells at 620 rooms. Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark Adventure Lagoon Outdoor Waterpark Coyote Mountain Indoor Waterpark In 2007, Chula Vista constructed

285-487: The grandsons of Joe and Vera. The resort was renamed to Chula Vista Theme Resort, and a new main hotel building was constructed, along with a new outdoor pool area. In the 1990s, Chula Vista added a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m) outdoor waterpark and a 30,000 indoor waterpark (which has been closed since 2008 due to the opening of the Lost Rios Indoor Waterpark). In 2006, Chula Vista Theme Resort dropped

304-660: The ribbon cutting of the facility. Great Wolf Lodge also owns MagiQuest . Great Wolf's previous CEO Kim Schaefer was featured in the U.S. version of TV's Undercover Boss , which included visits to several lodges where she worked alongside a lifeguard supervisor, front desk clerk, and restaurant waitstaff as well as participated in the children's program. Great Wolf Entertainment and 6 Point Harness produced an animated film, called The Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure , which premiered at Great Wolf Resorts on Labor Day , September 5, 2022. The film, directed by former Disney animator Chris Bailey ( Runaway Brain ), follows

323-642: The team changed the name to Great Wolf Lodge and the company headquarters were established in Madison, Wisconsin . In 2001, the company built a second location in Sandusky, Ohio, and named it Great Bear Lodge. When a third location opened in 2003, the decision was made to place all future parks under the Great Wolf Lodge banner. The name of the Ohio location was changed to Great Wolf Lodge in 2004. The chain has since added sixteen additional locations and has one under construction. On May 1, 2012, Great Wolf Resorts announced it

342-554: Was adding a new amenity or attraction to each of the resorts in time for the summer season. In addition, the company spent more than $ 4 million renovating the company's first two locations – Wisconsin Dells and Sandusky. In April 2017, Great Wolf Resorts relocated its corporate headquarters to Chicago, Illinois. In June 2023, Great Wolf Resorts opened its twentieth and largest resort in Perryville, Maryland . On March 13, 2012, Apollo Global Management announced an agreement to acquire

361-820: Was open in Edmonton , Alberta, Canada at the West Edmonton Mall . It is called the World Waterpark and is over 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m ). It was a success for the mall and remains as one of the largest indoor water parks in the world. In 1985 Aqualud opened in France. Another indoor water park in Europe was built in Blackpool in 1986. It is called the Sandcastle Water Park . The first indoor water park in

#510489