New indoor waterpark with 500-room hotel and entertainment centre to open in UK following US success
A HUGE new indoor waterpark could soon open in the UK - and it will be the second of it's kind.
Great Wolf Lodge first opened in the US in 1997, with around 20 resorts now in both America and Canada.
And back in 2021, it was announced that the first UK branch would open in Oxfordshire, expected to open later this year.
But now a second resort is hoping to open nearby in Basingstoke.
The indoor waterpark could have wave pools and water slides, although more is yet to be revealed.
Images showing the expected attraction include a number of indoor rides.
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Along with the pools, there will also be a 500-room hotel, as well as indoor entertainments such as mini-golf, bowling, arcades and rope courses.
Restaurants, cafes and bars would also be on-site.
While official ticket prices haven't been revealed, day passes would be available for anyone wanting to visit the indoor waterpark and restaurants, along with discounts for locals.
Guests will also be able to book overnight stays at the resort too, similar to Butlin's and Center Parcs.
A one-night stay for a family of four at a Great Wolf Resort in the US starts from $199 (£157) a night.
The UK resort also hopes to bring as many as 600,000 visitors to the area a year.
The proposed site for the attraction is the Basingstoke Golf Centre, with the 27-acres land now being given an agreement between the council and Great Wolf Resorts, until planning permission is given.
Basingstoke counciller Gavin James said: "One of our key priorities as a Cabinet is delivering a leisure park that is fit for the 21st century and a place that our residents can be proud of and we are really pleased to have signed this initial deal to move forward to bring Great Wolf to Basingstoke.
“It is an important first step in developing plans for this exciting new attraction that would provide amazing new facilities that local residents can enjoy, lots of new opportunities and attract thousands of visitors to the borough in a boost to our local economy.
"Alongside this, the deal and sale of the land will see the council receive significant funding which will be reinvested in the regeneration of the leisure park."
Until then, construction is going ahead on the UK's first Great Wolf Lodge, in Chesterton near Bicester.
The £200million project will include a 500 -room hotel along with the indoor waterpark and attractions.
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Other new Great Wolf Lodge resorts hoping to open include in Orlando and Tennessee.
Here are some other waterparks set to open too.
Five new water attractions opening in the UK next year
- Therme Manchester will have 25 swimming pools, 25 water slides and an indoor beach.
- Modern Surf Manchester will be a surfing lagoon offering lessons to both beginners and experts.
- Chessington World of Adventures waterpark is set to have wave, infinity and spa pools as well as waterslides and cabanas.
- The Cove Resort, Southport is likely to have a water lagoon and a thermal spa with steam rooms and saunas.
- The Seahive, Deal plans to be the "surfing wellness resort" in the UK.