DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The new Ocean Walk Village, encompassing a
family entertainment park and other entities, is a microcosm of the
larger ambitions of this area.
"There's nothing wrong with our special events like the races
and the London Symphony, but we want to enhance it to make us a
year-round attraction," said Gerry Fincke, a managing partner of
Ocean Walk Properties, Ltd. "We're close to Orlando with millions
of visitors. They spend huge amounts of money. So whenever we can
ride that coattail, it makes sense," said Fincke.
Ocean Walk Village is a $200 million revitalization project on
what has often been called "the World's Most Famous Beach." What
just opened is known as the "dry" portion of the Adventure Landing
Waterpark and Entertainment Center, which includes three miniature
golf courses, a go-kart track and more than 130 arcade games.
The Ocean Walk project itself calls for everything from water
slides to seaside shopping over a four-block beach boardwalk area.
When it is completed in 2000, the area will offer 1,000 rooms all
directly on the Atlantic Ocean and more than 205,000 square feet of
meeting space.
Ocean Walk Village includes Adventure Landing Waterpark and
Entertainment Center, Beach Shoppes Plaza, the Adam's Mark Resort
and the Ocean Center Convention and Civic Complex and Ocean Walk
Resort.
As part of the project, Adam's Mark is adding rooms. "Not only
does that make it by Florida standards an enormous size, but every
aspect of it is top scale," said George Karamitos, a partner in
Ocean Walk Properties, Ltd.
Karamitos said the area will be in a position to go after the
midsize meeting and convention market. "We've already been getting
some upscale visitors, but we expect that to escalate in the
future. That expansion will put us in the midsize convention
market," Karamitos said.
The new water park's "wet" features, which includes an
18,000-square-foot pool that will create four-foot waves, will be
open only during warm months. Nearby Beach Shoppes Plaza will offer
shopping behind the 1936 Coquina Bandshell when it opens in the
spring of 2000. Adam's Mark is located just south of Beach Shoppes
Plaza, near the boardwalk area and the clock tower commemorating
Sir Malcolm Campbell's world land speed record set in 1935.
In addition to adding rooms at Adam's Mark, the project will
include another 299 oceanfront suites ranging from 750 to 1,000
square feet at the Ocean Walk Resort. The 19-story resort will
double as a hotel and residence. When it is completed in the spring
of 2000, the resort will have a golf training center, large private
balconies and a gated parking garage.
Adventure Landing is open from 10 a.m. to midnight every day.
Water park admission is $19.95; go-karts start at $6; and 18 holes
of miniature golf cost $6. Customized group packages for parties of
20 to 5,000 are available.
Adventure Landing, Phone: (877) 845-WALK