OKALOOSA ISLAND—Visitors hoping to brave the ropes course at Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone this summer will have to wait until next spring.
Kono Concepts, the Destin firm developing the amusement park, has delayed its opening until February 2014.
Crews have been working at the park, which was previously scheduled to open by the start of this year’s summer tourist season.
“Throughout the course of development we decided to incorporate a number of additional improvements to the old Lost Lagoon property, resulting in a later opening date,” said Blake Rogers, director of business development.
He said the company has incorporated a greater number of special effects, “making the miniature golf (course) more interactive.”
“Customers will be excited once they see some of the new state-of-the-art effects we will be implementing,” he said.
Rogers said the company “did not want to sacrifice quality in an effort” to rush an opening this season.
“Ultimately, the long-term benefit will outweigh the loss of this season and we feel customers will appreciate it more,” he said.
Wild Willy’s should open to the public in mid-February 2014 followed by a grand opening celebration in March to kick off the spring break season.
Wild Willy’s sits on a 2.8-acre lot within the old Island Golf Center property, now a 35-acre county-owned park that sits between Santa Rosa Sound and U.S. Highway 98. The Gulf Coast Marine Life Center, a fish hatchery and educational facility backed by the Destin-based nonprofit AquaGreen, will be built on 4.5 acres adjacent to Wild Willy’s.
Okaloosa County has leased the property to AquaGreen and Dominion Capital to generate revenue that will be used to maintain the park, which has been left primarily natural.
Under the leases, Wild Willy’s must open the park by August 2014.
“We have hired a few full-time employees to assist with development,” Rogers said. “We will be hiring around 70 to 80 employees in February to kick (off) the spring.”
Okaloosa County Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert said he understands the delay.
“Of course, we’d like to see them open as soon as they can, but that’s their business plan,” he said. “I know they’ve got stuff they’ve got to take care of. We’ll work with them.”
Wild Willy’s will feature a 3,980-square-foot restaurant and a yogurt kiosk and a wide range of attractions including a ropes course, laser maze and shooting gallery, a fossil mining area, dinosaur park and a bungee trampoline.
“Stay tuned for more updates as we unveil our state-of-the-art effects,” Rogers said. “People are sure to see them rolling into town in the next few months.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.