BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — It's official! Bell's Amusement Park is coming back.
After Broken Arrow officials confirmed a local family bought a section of land in eastern Broken Arrow, Bell's Facebook page confirmed the park returning to the area.
During a press conference on Thursday, Robbie Bell, the son of Robert Bell who started Bell's, gave some details about the future of the amusement park.
Bell says in fall 2017, he asked a friend where they thought the new park should be relocated. They discussed many locations throughout Green Country, they both landed on Broken Arrow as the best option. In the following spring, Bell made moves to meet with BA officials to discuss bringing Bell's to the city.
READ MORE: A look back at Bell's
"I asked my father to go out on the hunt and find locations on where we can be," says Bell. "I said 'Daddy, don't worry if it's not for sale. Just pretend like it's all for sale.'"
The search was successful and six locations all throughout Broken Arrow were possibilities. After discussions, the favorite location was bought and the place where the announcement took place on Thursday. The site of the new Bell's is located off the Creek Turnpike and East Kenosha Street.
"This site here is very unique. No utilities. It's basically untouched," Bell comments. "It was actually used for strip mining and has since grown wild."
At this time, Bell said they'd like to keep a lot of the land's natural topography. This includes a creek that runs through the land with ideas to beautify it along with the City of Broken Arrow.
"My friend was right. Broken Arrow is the community to be," says Bell. "We are very excited to be positioned where we are."
The area totals 102 acres which Bell mentions is "ten times" the size of where Bell's originally was at the Fairgrounds. With so much new space, the new Bell's will feature a thrill park. This will include old Bell's attractions like Zingo, Phantasmagoria, and the log ride, as well as new ones.
Bell's also plans to add a secondary park specifically geared towards small children and safe, fun attractions for them. Bell mentions how the amusement park used to have a kiddie park, but this new space will provide all the fun for young families.
About 24 of the 102 acres will be dedicated to a new water park. There are also talks of adding an indoor facility filled with Virtual Reality games and even electric go-karts.
Another positive, Bell mentions, is that Bell's Amusement Park now can be open longer. Typically, Bell's would open in March or April depending on the weather and last through the Tulsa State Fair. Now, they will be open with longer hours for 10 months of the year. They plan on being closed for January and February to do heavy maintenance.
No word on opening date or when construction could begin.
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