NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — According to Arkansas Business, Arkansas's largest former water park will soon be under construction for a new venue.
Dr. James Thomas, a Conway cardiologist, intends to close on the purchase of the Wild River Country property within the next 60 days and start site work to prepare for new construction in 2023.
"It's mostly oriented towards kids, and all age groups have something to do there," said Thomas.
The new high-tech entertainment venue is sitting at a price point of $28 million, Arkansas Business said. There are plans to transform the previous home of the 30-acre Wild River Country into Malys Entertainment Center.
The redevelopment will be overseen by his Maly Construction LLC.
Reports say the biggest attraction is T-Time — a driving range with electronically tracked golf balls.
“We wanted to do something like this in Little Rock,” Thomas told Arkansas Business. “Now, we’ve found the place. When we saw this location, it wasn’t a difficult decision after that.”
In addition to T-Time, the project will feature an arcade menu with traditional electronic games and laser tag to the latest in virtual reality games.
Twenty-four lanes of HyperBowling, described as a blend of bowling and gaming with colored targets, is also on the list, along with an atrium that will house a restaurant and bar area for food and refreshments.
Wild River Country has been closed since 2019, and now awaits the bulldozer blade and dump truck. The first order of business will be to clean up the derelict water park and raze its vandalized facilities.
The Maly Group is also building a similar attraction in Conway off Dave Ward Drive. Construction will start in a couple months.