Aloha, OKANA: New horizons for enjoyment and growth in OKC
The resort's name is inspired by the Chickasaw words oka, meaning water, and inkana, meaning friend. the name recalls the strong links between the Chickasaw people and the okhina (navigable waterways) in the Homeland, and the friends welcomed into their historic villages.
The OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark is expected to generate more than $1 billion in economic impact for the state over a 10-year period. The 404-room hotel is scheduled to open close to Spring Break 2025, and reservations for April are already open. Driving the economic estimate is the development of an entire district—the newly christened Horizons District—built around the two primary attractions, OKANA and the First Americans Museum.
As Chickasaw Nation Lt. Governor Chris Anoatubby says, “We have an opportunity with the commercial development around OKANA and FAM to keep people in the district, because there is much more to offer. The plan has been for OKANA to work with the cornerstone of FAM to draw people to the district and to the museum.”
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt has been a strong advocate for the project. “We’ve added so many impressive amenities to the city over the last two decades,” he says, “but OKANA is on an entirely different level. There is nothing like this in our state. This will be a regional draw and a game-changer for OKC. But what makes it really special is that it is not just a resort; it is tied to one of the best and most meaningful museums in the world, the First Americans Museum. Visitors to OKANA will have both a fun and an impactful experience.”
The two attractions combined create a massive footprint on the south side of the Oklahoma River, and more than a few people associated with the projects have mentioned that a bridge across the interstate between RIVERSPORT and OKANA would only help drive more traffic to both areas and further increase economic benefits. The indoor and outdoor waterparks have a combined area of roughly 300,000 square feet (nearly 7 acres), and can accommodate roughly 1,500 people each.
“We think it’s the fourth largest waterpark in the country,” says waterpark GM Brian Szydloski. “We know it’s the largest in Oklahoma.”
Also included in the development will be the relocated Exhibit C, a commercial gallery featuring Native and Indigenous art that will be moved from Bricktown to the Horizons District. The new gallery will have a 10,000-square-foot home, and Lt. Governor Anoatubby noted that it will be an important addition to the complex.
“One of the best ways to learn about a people is through their art,” Anoatubby says. “We needed a larger space for the art to be displayed, appreciated and purchased. Exhibit C is part of the larger development, and we expect much more future economic development as the complex grows. The entertainment, dining and shopping will impact the entire state, and we’re excited to see the Chickasaw Nation represented in even more ways—like our art and in the interior and exterior design of the buildings and outlets.”
Projecting the economic effect of dining is difficult. Thirty Nine, the restaurant at FAM, has had some struggles, but the addition of OKANA will likely help the flow of traffic to Thirty Nine, as well as the 12 dining options that will be associated with OKANA. The dining concepts include four signature restaurants: Smokehouse Social, a barbecue joint; Chidos, a Mexican food and agave bar concept; Jack Rabbit Gastropub, which will serve breakfast and dinner; and an as yet unnamed sports bar. The waterpark will have three quick-service restaurants and a 21-only swim-up bar in the outdoor lagoon area.
The Horizons District was conceived as a family-friendly district, and OKANA has that assumption built into most of its offerings. While the lack of a casino seems odd to some locals, it’s worth noting that Remington Park is roughly 15 minutes down the road from OKANA.
“There is nothing like this in our state. This will be a regional draw and a game-changer for OKC.”
Chickasaw Nation Lt. Governor Chris Anoatubby
The price tag on OKANA, including the waterparks and restaurants, is estimated to be $400 million, and Anoatubby says, “We’re on budget and on time. OKANA will add 800 jobs to the local community, and the construction itself has added 1,400 short-term jobs.”
In terms of early economic numbers, the construction process has included $226 million in construction-related expenditures and $80.7 million in payroll. After opening, economic impact has been predicted to be $97.7 million when annualized, and payroll expenditure is expected to be $23.1 million annually. Those numbers are the resort itself, not any other outlets that join the Horizons District.
Tax revenue from OKANA has received less attention, but it seems to be all good news for the state, county and city. If projections are accurate, the state will realize $107 million in annual tax revenue, Oklahoma County $3.2 million and OKC $86.7 million.
Economic projections for Oklahoma City outside the Horizons District estimate that OKC will be the beneficiary of $18.5 million in impact due to the resort’s presence and ability to attract visitors from inside and outside the state.
Some of the overall benefit is expected to come from the 27,000-square-foot conference center that is part of the hotel complex. The largest meeting space can accommodate up to 1,000 people, but can also be scaled down to 500. The largest ballroom is 9,000 square feet, and the complex includes four 1,000-square-foot breakout rooms. The conference center, when combined with the Oklahoma City Convention Center, positions OKC as a destination for annual conferences and conventions in numbers we could never have hosted before.
In terms of how physical and economic development will bind the district with the rest of the city and between the two main attractions, much will be answered after the development finally opens, and certainly after its first full year of operations.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing how the two attractions work together in sync,” Anoatubby says, “and we’re curious and excited to see what develops around them.”