Hall of Fame Village water park to feature high-thrill rides, lazy river, football theme

CANTON ? Construction has started on a 147,000-square-foot indoor water park at the Hall of Fame Village that will feature high-thrill rides, football-themed decor, swim-up bars and giant television screens.

The water park will be next to a 180-room Hilton Tapestry hotel that will be separate but connected so guests won't have to go outside to walk back and forth, said Michael Crawford, president and CEO of the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Co.

Crawford revealed the details and timeline of the roughly $117 million water park project at a groundbreaking Monday on the Hall of Fame Village campus, which wraps around the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

"This is really the tentpole for our company, this is the iconic thing that we knew we had to build and create when we started," he told those gathered, including Stark County commissioners and some Canton City Council members. "Rightfully so, there was a little bit of skepticism with this ever actually being completed.

"We knew we needed year-round capacity," Crawford said of making Hall of Fame Village a tourist destination. "We knew we needed entertainment, and this represents both."

Also attending was a representative of Welty Building Co., the Village project's general contractor.

Other water park features will include a wave pool, lazy river, water slide tower, cabanas, children's area, and outdoor patio and entertainment area. Other rides include "sport racer tube rides" where riders are timed, Crawford said.

All water park rides will be indoors, although some of the enclosed tube slides will extend outside the building, he said.

"There will be things for all ages, different levels of slides, different levels of thrill," Crawford said during an interview following the groundbreaking ceremony.

The water park and hotel are the primary remaining components to be completed in the second phase of the Hall of Fame Village project, he said. Future additions are possible at the water park, Crawford said.

The water park does not yet have a name or sponsor, said John Lytell, the Hall of Fame Village's director of public affairs.

HOFV Football Themed Waterpark InteriorRenderings by Lauren Young on Scribd

The water park will feature "the ability ... when you're in a pool to have football-themed activities and maybe other sports activities as well," Crawford said.

The water park will be open to both hotel guests and the general public.

"The water park really caps off phase two," Crawford said. "... It gives that big anchor tenant at the north end of the property that will entertain guests for multiple hours.

More:Event revenue spikes for Hall of Fame Resort as water park construction starts

"And so you can come to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, you can watch your kids play in the state high school (football) championship, then you can spend a day at the water park," he said. "And I think increasing the length of stay is really something that the water park can do.

"These things can do up to over a million in attendance a year."

Crawford said the water park will be of the caliber of those in Sandusky, including Kalahari Resorts, Great Wolf Lodge and Castaway Bay, each located about an hour and 40 minute drive from downtown Canton.

Canton's water park will attract visitors from up to two to three hours away, said Crawford, who noted it will be the only football-themed water park in the country.

"I think we'll have the latest, greatest ride technology; I think we'll have the latest, greatest safety technology, " he said. "The theming will be very immersive, theming being sports themes, and so I think we will be very competitive, very complementary (to other Northeast Ohio water parks), but we'll have a big draw for ourselves as well."

Water park part of $600 million overall project

Crawford said during a recent conference call with fellow executives and investors that the construction of a hotel is being paused until late spring, citing inflation and supply chain constraints. Both the hotel and water park should be open in 2024, he said.

Crawford said he's hopeful the water park can be finished in less than two years. Plans call for completing work on the hotel and water park at the same time.

Hall of Fame Resort is developing the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, a more than $600 million project to create a football-themed campus and attractions around the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Crawford said Monday the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Co. has raised $180 million in new financing this year in addition to $130 million previously raised.

"We're not going to start building something unless we have the financing in place to build it," he said following the groundbreaking event. "We got the financing closed in early November. We're now standing here in early December breaking ground, so we're excited about that."

The village's second phase also includes the Play-Action Plaza, which provides space for outdoor events. The space features a zipline called "The Forward Pass," as well as a Ferris wheel-style ride, which is expected to be operational in the coming weeks following testing, Crawford said.

A phase three is also being planned, he said.

Don Shula restaurant and The Brew Kettle opening early next year

Other facets of the Village campus include a Don Shula restaurant and The Brew Kettle, a Northeast Ohio craft brewery. Both establishments, as well as a TopGolf suite, are expected to be open in January, Crawford said.

Still under construction is the Fan Engagement Zone, a retail promenade. The area also will include BetRivers, a retail sports betting site featuring food and beverages. The food provider will be announced soon, Crawford said.

More:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament set for Hall of Fame Village

The in-person sports betting facility coincides with the legalization of sports wagering in Ohio beginning Jan. 1. The Hall of Fame Village also will host an online sports micro-betting app through Betr, which is expected to be operational on Jan. 1.

BetRivers is expected to be open this summer, according to Hall of Fame Village officials

A football-themed Build-A-Bear Workshop store opened earlier this year; a Starbucks shop is also on site. Future tenants of the Fan Engagement Zone include a Helix eSports complex operated by Esports Entertainment Group.

A Pizza Oven football-themed eatery also will open in the spring in the Fan Engagement Zone, located across the courtyard from Smoosh Cookies, the Hall of Fame Village announced recently.

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and [email protected]

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Construction starts on Hall of Fame Village indoor water park