Kalahari Resorts & Conventions celebrated its official opening Nov. 12 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the welcoming of its first guests.

Located in Round Rock, Kalahari is home to the largest indoor water park in the country as well as to a 975-room resort; and adventure park; 20 different food and beverage eateries, including four full-service restaurants; a spa and salon; a convention center and more.

There is even a water grotto and pool area for adults over the age 21.

While there is much to do at Kalahari, nearly all of it will be open to locals for day use, except for the resort pools, for which access will only be granted to resort guests.

“This is a place where dreams are going to come true families,” Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell told Community Impact Newspaper. “What Kalahari has done in Round Rock is going to be the gold standard for the rest of the world, and it's really quite amazing.”


Kalahari, which features an African theme, broke ground May 15, 2018, and even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it continued to be built with safety precautions in place, owner Todd Nelson said.

“We really never ever stopped construction,” Nelson said. “We pushed and we pushed and we pushed, and we never waffled. Like I said, nobody took the easy way off.”

He added that the opening date of Nov. 12 was selected three and a half years ago.

The $550 million investment is located on previously agricultural exempt land that will now generate tax revenue on its approximately $600 million appraised value, Gravell said.


Kalahari will host a grand opening ceremony on Saturday with a firework display and live music. This is the fourth Kalahari resort in the country.