Omaha Exploration

Art Ingels, a mechanic from California, built the first go-kart in 1956 using a two-stroke engine, small wooden frame and four wheels. The popularity of go-karting continued to rise into the 1970’s. Later that decade, Dwight Anderson embarked on a tour of the southwest United States with friends. It was at that time that he noticed the prevalence of go-kart tracks. 

Dwight started working in amusement parks at the age of 19 and took the first steps at opening his own just three years later in 1979. At that point he bought nine go-karts from a business that closed in Council Bluffs. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he needed to move his park across the river to Omaha in order to capitalize on its larger market. 

With the help of a partner he opened the The Kart Ranch on 3 ½ acres of land on 70th and Q. Soon after they added a miniature golf course and a few pinball machines. Two years later they opened a second location at 144th and Industrial Road. By 1985, however, the partners went their separate ways. While Dwight wanted to add amusement rides, his partner was content to continue operating a go-kart park. As a part of their agreement, Dwight retained the original location on Q while his partner operated the location in West Omaha.

In 1987 Dwight changed the name of his park to Fun-Plex in order to reflect the number of rides and games that he had since added to the park. Early attractions included the first outdoor roller skate park in the Midwest. He also added rides including the slick track, bumper cars and bumper boats. As he continued to add rides, he expanded the size of the park to 15 acres. With the addition of the Motion Ocean wave pool and two 5-story Typhoon water slides, it was the largest water park in the state. 

The addition of the wave pool in 1989 nearly caused Fun-Plex to close. Its owner said he overestimated the draw of the attraction while also underestimating the weather. At that point he realized he needed to add additional water attractions to draw-in customers, particularly in a park that is not in a residential area and that does not draw tourists. He added water slides to complement the wave pool in addition to converting a former farmhouse into a short order grill and beer garden. He also added a picnic area, volleyball courts and a pavilion so that it could host corporate picnics and parties. By 1992 the park was drawing 100,000 visitors per year. 

After Peony Park closed in 1993, Fun-Plex became the largest amusement park in the state. That led to a renovation of the park as well as the addition of a lazy river, expansion of the arcade, a new pizza restaurant, more kiddie rides and a larger picnic area. He nearly sold the business in 2000 to someone that wanted to create a new amusement park in West Omaha similar to Peony Park. When that plan failed, he pivoted to purchasing Fun-Plex but couldn’t come up with the money. 

Still maintaining ownership of the park, Dwight traveled the country to find the perfect roller coaster and found it at Scandia Amusement Park in Ontario, CA. He hired a company to build a similar coaster in 2005. The coaster opened in 2007 as part of an expansion that also included a larger go-kart track and a brand-new 18-hole miniature golf course. He invested even more into the park in subsequent years which included Makana Splash, a 40-foot tall water playground which included a 317-gallon bucket that drops water on guests, deck space, private cabanas, swim-up bar, Breakers Bay which offered live music during summer nights and Rockin’ Rapids. It features two tube slides which at one point were the largest and longest slides in the country. The roller coaster was later retired due to increasing maintenance costs. 

Fun-Plex remains a popular destination during the summer as it approaches its 45th birthday. The family owned park attributes its longevity and success to its ability to grow and continually add new features. Despite only being open for about 90 days per year, the job of maintaining the park and to keep it current is year-round. 

Content written by Omaha Exploration. Feel free to leave a comment or a suggestion. Until then, keep exploring!

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