SPOTSYLVANIA, VA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, home to America’s Largest Indoor Waterparks, announced today that bookings for Kalahari Spotsylvania are officially open. The resort, currently under development in Spotsylvania, will bring Kalahari’s signature “Beyond Expectations” experience to the Commonwealth, featuring an expansive indoor and outdoor waterpark, family entertainment, dining, and meeting and convention spaces - all under one roof.
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Beginning Jan. 12, guests can book overnight stays at Kalahari Spotsylvania for arrivals beginning December 18, 2026 at www.kalahariresorts.com/virginia.
“Opening bookings is a major milestone for Kalahari Spotsylvania and a meaningful moment for our family and our entire team,” said Todd Nelson, CEO and Founder of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. “We’re excited to welcome families to Spotsylvania beginning in late 2026 and to bring the full Kalahari experience to Virginia. We can’t wait for guests to start planning their getaway and be part of what’s coming next.”
At the heart of Kalahari Spotsylvania will be a next-level indoor waterpark experience designed for every age and thrill level - from towering slide complexes to family-friendly attractions and dedicated kids’ areas.
Among the resort’s 50+ waterslide lineup are standout attractions with names like:
Younger waterpark adventurers will also have dedicated splash and play areas including:
To celebrate bookings opening, Kalahari is launching a new contest inviting fans to help name one of the signature waterslides at Kalahari Spotsylvania - giving one winner the chance to see their chosen name installed at the resort when it opens in late 2026.
Beginning today, Jan. 12, guests can submit their most creative name idea at KalahariResorts.com/Slide, where the contest entry form is available. The featured attraction is a record-breaking ride described as the longest water coaster in North America, with launch speeds up to 20 feet per second, up to 60 seconds of ride time, and more than 10 powerful blasts featuring drops and gravity-defying lifts.
There will be three winners. One grand prize winner will receive an overnight stay at a Kalahari location of their choice, along with a $100 food & beverage credit and $100 in arcade credits. Two runner-up winners will each receive four waterpark day passes to the location of their choice, plus a $50 food & beverage credit.
The contest closes Jan. 31, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Participants must be 18 years or older to enter, and limit one entry per person. Full terms and conditions are available on the contest landing page.
Kalahari Spotsylvania is expected to open late 2026. The $900 million resort will span 1.38 million square feet and feature approximately 900 guest suites, Virginia’s largest indoor waterpark at more than 175,000 square feet, and an expansive convention center - along with additional all-under-one-roof family dining, entertainment, and resort experiences.
The resort is being built on a 135-acre site located just off I-95 near Dominion Raceway & Entertainment in Spotsylvania - conveniently positioned for families traveling from the greater DC-Maryland-Virginia region, Richmond, and beyond.
An overnight stay at Kalahari Spotsylvania includes complimentary access to the resort’s indoor waterpark, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy two days of waterpark fun - with access on the day of check-in and continuing through waterpark closing on check-out day. Complimentary parking and Wi-Fi are also included when visiting Kalahari.
For updates and behind-the-scenes progress, follow Kalahari on social media @kalahariresorts and visit kalahariresorts.com/virginia.
ABOUT KALAHARI RESORTS & CONVENTIONS
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, founded by Todd and Shari Nelson, is home to America’s Largest Indoor Waterparks, and offers an unmatched mix of all-under-one-roof experiences for families, vacationers, and meeting attendees. With locations in Wisconsin Dells, WI; Sandusky, OH; Pocono Mountains, PA; Round Rock, TX; and a new resort opening in 2026 in Spotsylvania, VA, each property draws inspiration from the rich culture and vibrant landscapes of Africa. Recognized by USA Today’s 10Best for Best Indoor Water Park and Best VR Water Slide, Kalahari continues to set the standard for family entertainment and hospitality. Across its growing collection of resorts, guests can expect well-appointed accommodations, signature dining, unique retail, expansive indoor and outdoor waterparks, immersive adventure parks, and state-of-the-art convention centers. Coming in 2026, Kalahari is introducing its Adventure Collection, a suite of premium lodging options. Select locations also feature full-service spas and wellness destinations, creating the ultimate all-in-one getaway. For the latest news and media resources, visit kalaharimedia.com.
Courtesy of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions.
Courtesy of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has moved forward with a vast overhaul of its migration policy, aiming to ramp up deportations and ink controversial deals to build detention centers abroad, in what rights groups compare to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies.
“The new regulation will speed up the return process and increase returns of persons who have no legal right to stay in the EU,” said Nicholas Ioannides, deputy migration minister for Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc.
The deal was struck between the EU's three main institutions — the European Commission, the European Council and European Parliament — during a so-called “trilogue” Monday evening.
“Europe cannot afford another period of standstill,” said Dutch lawmaker Malik Azmani, who shepherded the regulation through the European Parliament.
“There is an urgent need for an effective return policy with higher return rates," he said, adding that only 28% of rejected asylum seekers return to their country of origin, with the majority staying put in the EU. “This situation is deeply concerning. It undermines public confidence in our common migration policies.”
Critics compared the regulation to the immigration policies of the Trump administration, which has struck a series of secretive agreements with nations around the world to deport thousands of people to countries that are not their own. The United Kingdom also planned to deport migrants to Rwanda, but the plan was bogged down in legal red tape and was dropped when a new government came to power in July 2024.
“Across the Atlantic, we see the violence and fear created by ICE’s brutal immigration enforcement," said Silvia Carter, spokesperson for the Brussels-based Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Europe should be learning from the harms of that model, not building its own version of it.”
Law enforcement officers across the bloc no longer need warrants from judges to raid private residences or public institutions like hospitals, she said. “The regulation is going to create a draconian detention and deportation machine."
The provisional agreement will now head to the EU lawmakers and governments, where approval will likely be swift.
“These new rules will ensure swifter, simpler, and more effective procedures across the European Union for returning non-EU nationals who have no right to stay, in full respect of international law and fundamental rights,” said Henna Virkkunen, EU commissioner for technology.
EU member nations will soon be able to set up bilateral deals with countries outside the bloc to build deportation centers. At least five EU nations — Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece — are already in talks with third countries, mostly in Africa, to host “return hubs” on the model of Italy's detention deal with Albania.
“We are delivering the member states tools in their hands to make those agreements and arrangements with third countries,” Azmani said.
Mélissa Camara, a lawmaker from the French Green party, said the deal was “a historic setback” for human rights in the bloc.
“The legalization of return hubs outside the European Union, the green light for the detention of minors, home visits inspired by ICE practices: the legal arsenal serving a xenophobic ideology is now complete,” she said.
The EU has continually tightened migration policies after right-wing parties secured the majority of votes in some countries in the 2024 elections to the European Parliament. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, from the center-right European People’s Party coalition, has said that the new measures will prevent a repeat of the 2015 crisis caused by Syria’s civil war, when about 1 million people arrived to seek asylum.
Fueled by people fleeing conflict and poverty across Africa and the Middle East, the 2015 refugee crisis and successive years of irregular migration to Europe drove a rightward shift in the bloc's politics not unlike the anti-immigrant sentiment that buoyed a “ red wave ” in the 2024 election in the United States.
After successfully campaigning on tougher migration policies, the winners of that election, the European People’s Party, the largest political group in the EU, began negotiating migration reform with centrist and left parties only to eventually sidestep them by allying instead with the far right, said Carter, the asylum rights activist. “There was quite an unprecedented shift in the European Parliament."
Advocacy groups warned the regulation would cut deep into the protections granted by the EU fundamental charter on human rights and expose people to risks outside the bloc.
“This deal will give governments much broader powers to detain and deport people," said Marta Welander, a spokesperson for the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian organization. "It looks set to normalize immigration raids, expand the use of detention in prison-like facilities outside EU territory that are essentially legal black holes, and increase the risk of people being deported to countries where they could face persecution, torture or worse.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Police conduct a search operation at a makeshift camp of migrants who want to cross the English Channel to Britain near Dunkirk, northern France, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
