Kalahari Spotsylvania opens Thursday, Nov. 12, with a 175,000-square-foot indoor water park and a water coaster the company calls the longest in North America. That's about five weeks earlier than the first overnight date Kalahari gave in January.
Virginia's biggest indoor water park opens Thursday, Nov. 12, and it's showing up early.
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions opens its $900 million Spotsylvania County resort this week, Amusements & Attractions reported Monday. When bookings opened in January, Kalahari's own release said overnight arrivals would start Dec. 18. By April, the company had moved opening day up to Nov. 12. That's 36 days sooner. Somebody's contractor deserves a cookie.
The resort sits just off Interstate 95, roughly halfway between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, FXBG Advance reported. Alexandria Living puts it within an hour's drive of Alexandria. RVA Mag clocks it at just over an hour north of Richmond.
It's Kalahari's fifth resort, after Wisconsin Dells, Sandusky, Ohio, the Pocono Mountains and Round Rock, Texas. The whole thing covers 1.38 million square feet under one roof.
What's inside the Kalahari Virginia water park?
The headliner is a 175,000-square-foot indoor water park that Kalahari calls Virginia's largest. The company's January release promised more than 50 waterslides. Some recent coverage counts 40-plus attractions, so bring a clipboard if the number matters to you.
Named slides: Dawn Breaker, Zambezi River Rapids, Zig Zag Zebra, Kalahari Curl, Viper Venom and Safari Speedway.
The water coaster: Kalahari bills it as the longest in North America, with launches up to 20 feet per second, rides up to 60 seconds and more than 10 blasts.
Little-kid zones: Tiko's Watering Hole, Coral Cove and Bugs Burrow.
Everything else: A wave pool, a lazy river and a surfing attraction, Amusements & Attractions reported.
There's also a 10-acre outdoor water park. It's seasonal and weather-dependent, so don't pack for it in November.
What else is at Kalahari Spotsylvania?
Plenty of dry stuff, too. Tom Foolerys Adventure Park covers 90,000 square feet with go-karts, climbing walls, an indoor zip line, bowling, laser tag and more than 250 arcade games. You don't have to stay overnight to play, Alexandria Living reported.
Rooms: 907 rooms and suites.
Food: About a dozen places to eat, including Double Cut Steak House, Sortino's Italian Kitchen, Cinco Ninos and B-Lux Grill & Bar. The restaurants are open to the public.
Shopping: More than 10,000 square feet of shops, including a Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Meetings: A 150,000-square-foot convention center. Virginia Business reported that the anime convention Colossalcon has booked it for May 2027.
Kalahari is also serving a Thanksgiving buffet on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are required.
How much does Kalahari Virginia cost?
Overnight stays include water park access from check-in day through closing on checkout day, plus free parking and Wi-Fi, according to Kalahari's January release.
The Richmonder reported in July that one night for two adults and two kids started at $415, water park included. It also listed day passes at $70 to $95 for the water park, $45 to $50 for the adventure park and $105 to $135 for a combo. Kalahari prices by date, so check before you click buy.
Water park day passes are on sale now, and Tom Foolerys day passes are coming soon, Alexandria Living reported. A few deals are running, too:
Opening Celebration Offer: A $50 nightly dining credit, daily water park admission and parking for new bookings with stays Nov. 15, 2026, through March 31, 2027. Blackout dates apply.
Black Friday: Deals on pass packs and combo passes run all month.
Gift cards: A 10% bonus on $250 to $999, or 20% back on $1,000 or more.
Why did Kalahari take so long to get to Virginia?
Kalahari first announced a $200 million Fredericksburg resort in 2007, The Richmonder reported. The recession killed it. The company tried another Spotsylvania site, then came back to this one.
Rezoning paperwork went in during July 2022, and crews broke ground in October 2023. Spotsylvania County expects $6.8 million in tax revenue in the first year. Kalahari told The Richmonder it expected more than 1,000 local hires by opening day.
The address is 5500 Destination Drive in Woodford, Va. If the I-95 traffic cooperates, the hardest part of the trip will be getting the kids out of the wave pool.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Amusements & Attractions (Nov. 9, 2026), the opening date, size, attraction counts and Tom Foolerys details
Alexandria Living Magazine (Nov. 5, 2026), the outdoor park, dining, shops, Opening Celebration Offer, gift cards and Thanksgiving buffet
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions via Business Wire (Jan. 12, 2026), the original Dec. 18 arrival date, slide names, water coaster specs and what's included with a stay
The MoCo Show (April 13, 2026), the Nov. 12 opening date announcement
The Richmonder (July 19, 2026), prices, history, hiring and tax figures
FXBG Advance (May 13, 2025), location between D.C. and Richmond, room count and restaurants
RVA Mag (July 30, 2026), drive time from Richmond
Virginia Business (Feb. 28, 2024), the Colossalcon booking
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