Is a new water park coming to the Gulf Coast? Here’s what a developer is planning
A new water park could be on the way to the Gulf Coast in a few years.
Leisure Sports and Recreation LLC, the owner of Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, pitched officials in Mobile, Alabama, this week on a $60 million water park, sports and entertainment complex there.
The Louisiana-based company is hopeful to sign a formal letter of intent with Mobile County in the near future.
The project is called “Jubilee Park,” and Leisure Sports CEO Glenn Haggerty told the Sun Herald on Friday that, so far, the project is only a “vision” that includes an indoor and outdoor water park, zip lines, sports fields, an athlete-performance center and restaurants. There also would be an RV park, a children’s playground and walking trails.
“We’re truly in the beginning stages,” he said, “and once we get the letter of intent we can get into the details.”
The park would be adjacent to an existing soccer complex and an upcoming natatorium on Halls Mill Road in Mobile, not far from where Interstates 10 and 65 merge. It could possibly open in stages between 2027 and 2029.
According to a story AL.com posted this week, Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson said she’s been in contact with Haggerty’s company for four years.
“The group became interested in developing in Mobile because of the growth in the city’s tourism industry,” the story said, and the site’s proximity to Interstate 10 and Interstate 65 was also attractive to the developers.
In a presentation Haggerty made this week, AL.com reported the water park could receive 400,000-500,000 visitors annually, with hopes of attracting visitors throughout the region, from Texas to Florida and Georgia.
Haggerty told the Sun Herald on Friday it was too early to say how much the project might mirror the attractions and layout of Gulf Islands Waterpark. He said he also didn’t think a Mobile waterpark would hurt attendance at Gulf Islands, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this summer.
Besides Gulf Islands, a full-size water park also currently operates on the Gulf Coast in Foley, Alabama.