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Construction of the $2.5 billion American Heartland theme park and resort slated for Vinita, Oklahoma, has not progressed one year after groundbreaking, according to Tulsa World. The local news outlet reported the 2026 opening will likely be pushed back at least three years, but developers say the project is still on.
Designs for the 1,000-acre development, first announced in July 2023, include roller coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-room hotel and an RV park sprawled over a footprint that would rival Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park in size. Its design team includes former Disney Parks builders and Walt Disney Imagineers.
The project is scheduled in phases, starting with the 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground, which broke ground on Oct. 30, 2023. However, work is currently on hold and developer Mansion Entertainment Group said it is awaiting permit approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to Tulsa World.
Little has happened on the site of what would be the largest campground in the central U.S. with 750 RV spaces and 300 cabins, Tulsa World reported, but developers said they are weeks away from construction starting. In April, Steve Hedrick, American Heartland executive producer of project development, told Vinita City Council members he was asking for RV park designs to be compressed to avoid being in a floodplain, nonprofit Oklahoma news outlet NonDoc reported.
Mansion Entertainment Group spokesperson Kristy Adams declined to answer Construction Dive’s questions, saying in an email, “We will update our official social media pages and websites when we have a more detailed timeline.”
Other project troubles
The RV area was originally scheduled to open in spring 2025, followed by the theme park and resort in fall 2026. The developer tapped Columbus, Kansas-based Crossland Construction to build the RV park phase, according to Fox23 News. Oklahoma City-based architecture firm ADG Blatt designed it, per the developer.
However, others involved in the project say they are owed money. Canadian design firm Forrec filed a lien in May in Craig County District Court against Mansion Entertainment, claiming it is owed nearly $5.5 million from unpaid invoices for design and planning work for both the theme park and RV park, according to NonDoc.
Crossland filed a similar claim later in May against Mansion Entertainment and property owner OGB Holdings that alleges it is owed $352,429 for labor performed and materials furnished in February for the RV park and campground, per NonDoc. The company is also seeking interest and attorneys’ fees.
The development received another setback in May when legislators declined to approve a requested $35 million for water and wastewater improvements to accommodate the project, Yahoo reported.
At least one expert has expressed skepticism on the project’s likelihood to come to fruition. Robert Niles, who runs Theme Park Insider, wrote last year that theme park projects are notoriously challenging to build and critical questions remain about American Heartland in particular. Not only is the price tag astronomical — and rising, per Tulsa World — but the park’s planned location is far from any major city or airport, about 170 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.