SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Kalahari Resorts & Conventions celebrated a key construction milestone on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, as CEO Todd Nelson, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R), and state and local leaders gathered at the future site of Virginia’s largest indoor waterpark to tout the project’s progress and economic promise.
Held at the towering 11-story construction site off I-95 in Spotsylvania County, the event marked a symbolic step toward the opening of Kalahari’s fifth and most expansive resort, scheduled for November 12, 2026.
“The Finest Site We’ve Ever Built”
Kalahari CEO and founder Todd Nelson opened the program with remarks about the resort’s family-run legacy. Flanked by his wife, Shari, and several children who help run the company, Nelson underscored that the project—like the rest of their four-resort portfolio—is a fully family-owned and operated venture.
“We don’t have any partners. We don’t even have a board of directors,” Nelson told the crowd, which included state officials, local leaders, construction partners, and members of the media. “This is our fifth resort… and I think this is the finest site that we have of all our resorts.”
The new resort, located just off Interstate 95 near Dominion Raceway, is modeled after Kalahari’s Round Rock, Texas, location but will be even larger. When complete, the Spotsylvania resort will feature:
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175,000-square-foot indoor waterpark (the largest in the state)
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150,000-square-foot convention center
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90,000-square-foot adventure park
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Ten acres of outdoor pools
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907 guest rooms and suites
The development will also bring 1,500 permanent jobs and up to 800 construction jobs at peak, making it a key driver of economic activity in the region.
Visual Showcase and Ceremony
The milestone event featured a steel beam signing ceremony, drone footage of the site, and a striking view of the resort’s rising 11-story structure. Media guests were treated to local cider, a curated music soundtrack, and direct access to Kalahari executives and state officials.
The event served to not only showcase progress but also reaffirm the state’s commitment to fostering large-scale, family-friendly destinations. With over 80,000 group room nights projected in its first year, and growth toward 140,000 annually, the Kalahari resort is expected to become a cornerstone of Virginia’s tourism economy.
“We do it ourselves”
Nelson, who founded the company with his wife Shari, spoke about the family-run nature of the Kalahari brand.
“Sharon and I have been married for 45 years. Five kids, 13 grandbabies. We do it ourselves,” he said. “We don’t have any partners. We don’t do anything. It’s Sharon and I and the five kids. We don’t even have a board of directors. We figure we have a board of directors meeting every day when we’re at work.”
He introduced several family members, including his son Travis, the company president, and daughter Ashley, who works at the Round Rock, Texas, resort and handles corporate matters. Nelson called Shari “the peacekeeper in the family,” adding: “She never tells me what to do in the business. She always says, whatever you do, don’t bankrupt us.”
Reflecting on the property, Nelson said, “I think this is the finest site that we have of all of our resorts. It is. It just is. It could not be any more perfect if we were to try to dump a couple of my bankers out here.”
“When I was pitching all the banks, I would say on a 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, this site is a 12,” he added.
Nelson also praised several people instrumental in bringing the project to Virginia, including:
- Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation: “She’s not only superb at her job, she does anything that you ask, and she’s become a friend.”
- Kevin Marshall, a local project supporter: “Kevin just takes care of it. It’s such a most beautiful thing here… We absolutely love Kevin.”
- Eric Terry, President of the Virginia Restaurant and Lodging Association: “Eric has been a tremendous supporter of ours… We thank you, Eric.”
Nelson highlighted the resort’s expected impact: “We’re going to employ right around 1,500 people here. We’re opening up November 12th of 2026. We’re ahead of schedule. Everything’s just going really, really quite well.”
“The largest store I’ve ever seen in my life”
Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Juan Pablo Segura brought energy to the podium. Noting the scale of construction, he joked, “So did you guys catch what Todd mentioned earlier? He called this whole thing a store. This is the largest store I’ve ever seen in my life.”
He praised the project as emblematic of the business momentum in the Commonwealth: “Great things are happening in Virginia, and business leaders like the Nelson family are doubling down because they believe, they have confidence, that tomorrow will be better than today in the great Commonwealth of Virginia.”
“Those magic words: You are hired”
Governor Glenn Youngkin closed the event by emphasizing the project’s alignment with Virginia’s economic priorities.
“This is a $900 million project that’s going to employ 1,500 people in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Youngkin said. “That to me is the big statement today. Opportunity abounds. Opportunity is everywhere.”
He lauded the Nelson family’s vision: “I’m inspired by the fact that there’s 13 grandchildren. There’s five children. There’s a marriage that is extended through all of that and demonstrates what it means first to put family ahead of everything.”
Youngkin also noted the state’s use of “a very unique financing… that comes through our tourism area,” and celebrated Virginia’s broader economic achievements: “We have well over 220,000 jobs today that are open and ready for people to come to Virginia.”
He concluded with a message about employment: “When we see more Virginians with more opportunities and those Virginians are able to hear those magic words… you are hired. They’re special words. And I have to say the Nelson family is about to utter those words to even more people than they already have. And it matters.”
Residents and commuters who travel in the Thornburg area will see significant changes when the Kalahari waterpark resort opens in 2025.
They also could see significant transformations to the area's road network after the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved several updates to the traffic chapter of the county's comprehensive plan on July 12, the same night it cleared the way for the resort's construction.
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On Tuesday, July 12, the Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning, redesignating 135 acres of rural farmland between Route 1 and Interstate 95 from agricultural land to commercial.
In turn, Kalahari Resorts will build indoor and outdoor waterparks, a convention center, and a 12-story, 900-room hotel on the site, awakening the Thornburg area, referred to by county planners as a "sleeping giant" ripe for tourism.
