After COTALAND officials debuted more than 30 rides and attractions for people of all ages during events Sept. 26-27, they are looking ahead to a planned water park and on-site resort as part of Circuit of the Americas' push to grow its year-round offerings.
Zooming in
To fund the next phase, COTA officials entered into a partnership with investment firm Carlyle, according to an Aug. 24 announcement.
The financing amount was not disclosed; however, officials noted in the release that the partnership will not change COTA’s ownership structure and the venue will remain locally owned and operated.
The background
The water park idea has been floated before, with COTA Chairman Bobby Epstein telling Community Impact in 2025 that it could follow COTALAND if demand supported further expansion.
“I think that’s two or three years down the line—one year to prove that people want to experience things like what we’re building with the amusement park, and then a year or so to build the water park,” Epstein said at the time.
The Carlyle agreement now brings financial backing to that plan.
Why it matters
The projects are part of a broader effort to draw visitors to COTA beyond major race weekends.
COTA currently draws about 1 million guests annually, but officials said they hope to grow annual visitation to as many as 3 million by 2030, emphasizing that growth will also support job creation and nearby infrastructure investment.
