Dwight Anderson’s Fun-Plex

June 3, 2024

It was after Dwight Anderson embarked on a tour of the southwestern United States with friends that he noticed the prevalence of go-kart tracks. From this trip he would open a go-kart track that would grow to become Omaha’s largest amusement park.

Art Ingels, a mechanic from California, built the first go-kart in 1956 using a two-stroke engine, a small wooden frame and four wheels. The popularity of go-karting continued to rise into the 1970s and it eventually got the attention of Anderson.

1979 aerial photo of Fun-Plex when it was still the Kart Ranch.

Anderson started working in amusement parks at the age of 19 and took the first steps toward 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.

1983 advertisement for The Kart Ranch before it became Fun-Plex.

With the help of a business partner, he opened The Kart Ranch on 3½ acres of land on 70th and Q Street. 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 Anderson wanted to add amusement rides, his partner was content to continue operating a go-kart park. As a part of their agreement, Anderson retained the original location on Q Street while his partner operated the location in West Omaha.

In 1987 Anderson 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 became the largest water park in the state.

Photo of the Motion ocean wave pool at Fun-Plex. Photo courtesy of Fun-Plex.

The addition of the wave pool in 1989 nearly caused Fun-Plex to close as its owner overestimated the draw of the attraction while also underestimating the weather. At that point Anderson 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. To that end, he added water slides to complement the wave pool while converting a former farmhouse into a short order grill and beer garden. He didn’t stop there and added a picnic area, volleyball courts and a pavilion so that it could host corporate picnics and parties. By 1992 Fun-Plex was drawing 100,000 visitors per year.

Photo of the roller coaster and go-kart track at Fun-Plex.

After Peony Park closed in 1994, Fun-Plex became the largest amusement park in the state. That led to another round of renovations and a slew of new attractions to attract even more visitors. They included a lazy river, expanded arcade, restaurant, larger picnic area, and more kiddie rides.

Anderson nearly sold the business in 2000 to a buyer that originally intended to open a new amusement park in West Omaha that was similar to Peony Park. After that plan failed, he pivoted to purchasing Fun-Plex but that plan too died when he couldn’t come up with the cash.

South Shore Cabanas next to the Lazy River at Fun-Plex.

After the sale fell through, Anderson traveled the country to find a roller coaster to complement the park. He found it at Scandia Amusement Park in Ontario, California. The Big Ohhhhhh!!! roller coaster made its debut in 2007 as part of another expansion that included a larger go-kart track, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a 40-foot tall water playground with a 317-gallon splash bucket, private cabanas, swim-up bar, and two tube slides that, at one point, were the largest and longest slides in the country. To top it off, he further diversified with the addition of live music during summer nights.

2026 OE photo of the Mammoth Roller Coaster being built at Fun-Plex.

In 2026, Fun-Plex announced that it will be replacing its old roller coaster, which was closed in 2018 due to maintenance costs. The new roller coaster named Mammoth will be the largest ever in the state of Nebraska and will have more than 2,000 feet of track and rise more than 70 feet. Already a popular summertime destination, the Mammoth is sure to bring plenty more people to an area that is starved of roller coasters.

Aerial shot of Fun-Plex courtesy of Visit Omaha.

The family-owned park, now operated by Dwight and Katie Anderson, attributes its longevity and success to its ability to grow and continually add new features. While that is true, the lack of competition doesn’t hurt either. Nor will its new coaster.

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