Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Founders of National Waterpark Day, Celebrates Ninth Annual Holiday July 28 Across All U.S. Locations
'When we started National Waterpark Day, our goal was simple: inspire families to come together, unplug and enjoy some uninterrupted fun,' said Travis Nelson, President of Kalahari Resorts. 'Watching our guests embrace that spirit year after year reminds us why we created this celebration in the first place.'
On July 28, Kalahari resort locations in Wisconsin Dells, WI, Sandusky, Ohio, Pocono Mountains, PA and Round Rock, Texas will have on-site foam parties and live DJs spinning poolside tracks, exciting games and giveaways, foodie pop-ups, family poolside activities, meet-and-greets with everyone's favorite Kalahari characters, and more.
On July 28 only, guests can also dive into a 24-hour flash sale offering up to 30% off overnight stays, $10 off waterpark day passes, 10% off cabana and bungalow rentals, and 30% off fall 2025 season passes when they use the promo code WATERPARK.
'Whether it's our flagship Wisconsin Dells location or our newest resort in Texas, National Waterpark Day is the perfect time for families to dive into summer,' added Nelson. 'From the sun-drenched outdoor pools that lets guests soak up every ray to the mega slides in our indoor waterpark that keep the excitement flowing, Kalahari gives families the flexibility to craft their ultimate waterpark getaway.'
For more information on National Waterpark Day activities or to book your stay, please visit kalahariresorts.com.
About Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Wisconsin Dells, WI, Sandusky, Ohio, the Pocono Mountains, PA, Round Rock, Texas, and opening soon in Spotsylvania, VA, deliver a beyond-expectations waterpark resort and conference experience all under one roof. The African-inspired Kalahari Resorts, privately owned by the Nelson family, are home to America's Largest Indoor Waterparks. Todd and Shari Nelson, the founders of Kalahari Resorts, were honored with an induction into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame in 2023. All Kalahari Resorts feature well-appointed guest rooms and suites, the full-service Spa Kalahari, a fun-filled family entertainment center, on-site signature restaurants, unique retail shops and a state-of-the-art convention center. For more information, members of the media are encouraged to visit kalaharimedia.com.
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National Geographic
an hour ago
- National Geographic
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Here's why under-the-radar Galveston should be your next family getaway. Moody Gardens Pyramids are impossible to miss on the approach to Galveston. Photograph by Moody Gardens 1. Learn about animals at the Moody Gardens Pyramids The three pyramids rising high from the coastline, their glass exteriors glistening in the sun, are impossible not to notice upon your approach to Galveston — and yet even more eye-catching exhibits await inside. The pyramids are at the heart of Moody Gardens, a wildlife, education and nature centre with a focus on rescue and rehabilitation and programmes to save endangered species from extinction. The Aquarium and Rainforest Pyramids offer a chance to learn about animals and their habitats, and feature exhibits to help kids (and adults) connect the dots between marine biology, animal conservation and human activity. In the Rainforest Pyramid, animals such as sloths and saki monkeys roam free, and tropical birds flit through the canopy; the Aquarium Pyramid's Coral Reef Lab is dedicated to researching and helping to protect Florida's coral reefs, which are facing a severe bleaching crisis. The third — Discovery Pyramid — features travelling exhibitions and immersive motion-simulator experiences. Friendly sloths are just some of the animals roaming free in the Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid. Photograph by Visit Galveston 2. Tour the historic harbour Galveston's maritime heritage takes centre stage at the Texas Seaport Museum and the tall ship Elissa. Visitors can climb aboard the fully restored 1877 vessel and imagine life at sea during the Age of Sail, plying gruelling trade routes around the world. 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Washington Post
2 hours ago
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The environment, all the lights, all the open space, I think it's helping people to feel good. So it's nice to have the chance to work in an open-space environment like this.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Churches in once Catholic-dominated Quebec get new secular roles as restaurants, gyms and theaters
MONTREAL (AP) — On a Friday night, families danced under pink and purple neon lights to the beat of an African band playing where the altar used to stand at a Catholic church in Montreal. Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours, built between 1914-1920, was renovated and repurposed in 2014, becoming Theatre Paradox. The concert hall has hosted meditation, Zumba lessons, even a fetish party that organizers touted as 'Montreal's most kinky, freaky and sexy Halloween event.' In the once Catholic-dominated province of Quebec, it's just one of many churches that have been deconsecrated and transformed into everything from gyms, restaurants and museums to luxury apartments, auction houses and a university reading room. For most of Quebec's history, the Catholic Church was the most powerful force in the French-speaking province, with a firm grip over schools, health care and politics. But its influence faded during the so-called Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, when the provincial government took control as part of a campaign to reduce the church's power. The rate of regular church attendance among Quebec's Catholics plunged from one of the highest in Canada to the one of the lowest. That happened to Notre-Dame-du-Perpetuel-Secours. Over the course of a century, thousands of worshippers filled its pews. But attendance had dwindled to a few when the event management company Groupe Paradoxe bought it in 2010, said its director, Gérald St-Georges. He believes that even in a deconsecrated secular setting, the former church continues what he describes as a sacred mission. Today, it offers training and paid work for young adults, including those with prior addiction issues and juvenile records, in theater and stage management to help them land jobs in the entertainment industry. 'When I started the project, I said to myself, 'That's the kind of work the church should do, not only Mass,'' said St-Georges, who is a Catholic. 'I practice my faith with what I do every day, helping people.' Wood from the pews was used to build a bar. On a recent summer day, concertgoers ordered cold beers in front of stained glass illuminated by neon lights under a silver disco ball that hung from its soaring ceilings. An opportunity to gather for believers and non-believers In the historic neighborhood of Old Montreal, tourists formed a snaking line outside the Gothic-style Notre-Dame Basilica — Montreal's still-active mother church that also hosts secular events — to attend a popular show that uses projectors and lasers to illuminate the building. Mateus Vassalo, a Brazilian tourist who visited the show with his family, said it's an incredible opportunity for believers and nonbelievers to gather in such a setting outside of worship services. 'You see people from other religions, Muslims, people who sometimes don't even believe in God, coming here to the church,' he said in Portuguese. 'Even if they come specifically for the show, they end up having a contact, and who knows, maybe there's a door for God to enter. There's curiosity. There's questioning.' Following Catholic values in a church turned restaurant Just a few miles north, in the neighborhood of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, the sky is dotted with crosses atop church steeples, many of them unused or repurposed. For decades, factory and port workers worshipped at Saint-Mathias-Apotre Church. Today it's a restaurant that serves affordable meals daily for up to 600 residents. The manager of Le Chic Resto Pop also grew up Catholic and, like many of his staff, now identifies as religiously unaffiliated. But he still feels close to core values of Catholicism that he tries to extol at the nonprofit restaurant that keeps the original wooden doors and even the confessional booths. 'There's less faith, but the values are really much the same: It's values of respect, values of well-being, of wanting to help each other,' Marc-André Simard said during a lunch break, sitting near what used to be the altar. 'There's still space to be together, to have some sort of communion, but it's around food, not around faith.' 'I vote for you!' Marie-Frédérik Gagnon, one of the restaurant employees, said laughingly next to him. She also grew up Catholic but is now part of the so-called 'nones' — people who are religiously unaffiliated. Today, she values how Quebec grants people the right to live free from religious impositions, while protecting the right to religious freedom. 'In the restaurant, we have a bunch of people that are Spanish-speakers, that come from African countries, and they're still big believers, and everybody sits at the same tables. There's a big acceptance of all.' 'It's such a beautiful place,' she said. 'People are very calm and quiet when they come here. The environment, all the lights, all the open space, I think it's helping people to feel good. So it's nice to have the chance to work in an open-space environment like this.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
