See inside OKANA’s ‘slice of paradise’ indoor water park
The OKANA resort, nestled by the First Americans Museum, is set to officially open on Friday, Feb. 21, with a year-round heated indoor water park.
- The $400 million OKANA Resort opened Friday in Oklahoma City with a sold-out 404-room hotel tower.
- The resort was built by the Chickasaw Nation on the Oklahoma River.
- Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt called the resort a “major step” forward for the city becoming a national showcase for Native and indigenous peoples.
- The resort is adjacent to the First Americans Museum, which opened in 2021 and tells the story of the state’s 39 tribes.
- Holt predicts OKANA will be a major tourism draw for the city, which has seen a surge in visitors in recent years.
With outside temperatures below freezing, the full outdoor experience of OKANA was not yet on display Friday, but inside, the $400 million resort enjoyed a grand opening attended by hundreds followed by the arrival of excited guests eager to check out the waterpark, hotel, entertainment, restaurants and retail.
In welcoming dignitaries at the resort’s conference center, Chickasaw Nation Commerce Secretary Dan Boren announced the resort is set for a busy season ahead, following years of planning and work leading to creating a tourist attraction along the south shore of the Oklahoma River facing the busy national junction of Interstate 35 and Interstate 40.
“We have 100% occupancy tonight and for a while,” Boren said. “The successful completion of this project, the magnitude of OKANA, is a testament to the extensive collaboration, unwavering dedication and meticulous attention to detail of numerous individuals and partners.”
Chickasaw Gov. Bill Anoatubby told visitors the resort is a result of a tribal legislature and leadership that when it engages in name-calling, it involves calling each other “friends.”
“A lot of governments have a tendency to be at odds with each other,” Anoatubby said. “We have a good working relationship. It’s not to say we don’t disagree at times. We typically don’t fight about it. We come to a resolution. And it’s the work of the Chickasaw government that helps us be where we are today.”
Where there was once an abandoned former oilfield is now a resort featuring an 11-story, 404-room hotel, within walking distance to downtown, Bricktown and the Boathouse District, a conference center, 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, a family entertainment center, two amphitheaters and event lawn, retail shops and multiple dining establishments.
The outdoor waterpark and lagoon, along with more restaurants and shops, is expected to open on Memorial Day weekend.
A ‘major step’ forward for Oklahoma City
Mayor David Holt, himself a member of the Osage Nation, called OKANA a “major step” forward for Oklahoma City realizing its aspirations for becoming a national capital for native and Indigenous peoples.
“This is the most expensive commercial leap forward in Oklahoma City history,” Holt said. “It is now our second-largest hotel and obviously there’s nothing even remotely like this waterpark for 200 miles in any direction.”
While OKANA is an endeavor of the Chickasaw Nation, it adjoins the First Americans Museum, the 175,000-square-foot museum that tells the story of all of the state’s 39 tribes. The museum and resort are envisioned as setting Oklahoma City up as a showcase of the country’s Native American people, culture and heritage.
“If you are a national association of Native American people, why would you meet anywhere else but here at this beautiful resort with a nearby airport that has two dozen nonstop destinations?” Holt said. “Another major symbol of Oklahoma City’s status as a capital for native Indigenous people is our longtime hosting of the sovereignty symposium, which will be held here in June.”
Holt predicted OKANA will build upon the ongoing transformation of Oklahoma City into a regional tourist draw, a transformation that is built atop the city’s MAPS investments.
“Visiting Oklahoma City was once a thing you only did if you happened to be passing through on the highway,” Holt said. “But for three decades we have methodically built ourselves into a destination. Twenty-four million visitors a year are creating a $4.5 billion annual economic impact. OKANA represents a tipping point for our city’s visitor economy.”
He described the opening of OKANA as a “wedding” between Oklahoma City and the Chickasaw Nation following their efforts to complete the museum nine years ago when state funding and support fell short.
“The Chickasaw Nation stepped in to finish FAM (the museum) and this is a part of that journey,” Holt said. “OKANA is not the first partnership, and it won’t be the last, but it is the most significant.to date. I can no longer imagine Oklahoma City without the Chickasaw Nation.”
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