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Morgan's Wonderland

Non-profit theme park in Texas

Non-profit theme park in Texas

FieldValue
nameMorgan's Wonderland
logoMorgan's_Wonderland_Logo.jpg
logo_size250px
imageMorgans Wounderland Entrance.jpg
image_size250px
captionEntrance of Morgan's Wonderland
locationSan Antonio
location2Texas
location3United States
coordinates
homepage
opening_date
seasonMarch - December
area25 acre
sloganWhere everyone can play!
statusoperating

Morgan's Wonderland is an accessibility-focused theme park in San Antonio, Texas founded in 2010. The park was developed by Gordon Hartman, a former homebuilder from San Antonio. Morgan's Wonderland has had over a net million guests since its opening in 2010. The park features several attractions including rides, playgrounds, gardens, a catch-and-release fishing lake, a special-event center, and 575-seat amphitheater. The park's focus on accessibility makes it free for disabled individuals to attend the park.

History

In 2005, Hartman sold his homebuilding business to establish The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation so he and his wife, Maggie, could aid children and adults with special needs. During a family vacation, their disabled daughter Morgan wanted to play with kids tossing a ball in a hotel swimming pool, but when she approached them, they abruptly took their ball and vanished. "I'll never forget the look of anguish and dismay on Morgan's face, so I decided there had to be a way to bridge the gap of misunderstanding about people with special needs. That incident was the tipping point for Morgan's Wonderland and ultimately Morgan's Inspiration Island," Hartman said.

On March 3, 2010, Morgan's Wonderland opened, with NBA legend David Robinson and actress Eva Longoria as special guests.

Starting in 2012, Toyota partnered with the park as a long-term sponsor.

On June 17, 2017, Morgan's Wonderland unveiled a major addition: the Morgan's Inspiration Island splash park.

In 2020 the park closed after only 11 days into the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The park reopened for the 2021 season at limited capacity.

In 2022 the park hosted the Special Olympics Texas Summer Games.

Events

The park holds a Snowball Run annually in December, which involves both 5K and 1K walking/running events. The events are open to all ages and abilities.

Awards and recognition

Morgan's Wonderland and Morgan's Inspiration Island have been acclaimed for their emphases on inclusion and accessible design.

YearAward
2017World Waterpark Association – Leading Edge Award
2017Paralyzed Veterans of America – Barrier-Free America
2017Amusement Today – Park of the Year
2018TIME – World's Greatest Places
2018USA Today – Best New Attraction (Runner-up to Wonders of Wildlife)

References

References

  1. Bates, Claire. (4 August 2017). "How one man built a $51m theme park for his daughter". BBC News.
  2. (December 28, 2011). "You Only Are Disabled in an Environment that Makes You That Way". TEDx Talks.
  3. Chen, Eve. (2024-05-12). "See inside the first ultra-accessible theme park 'for everybody': Morgan's Wonderland".
  4. Hartman, Gordon. (2018-06-02). "Morgan's Inspiration Island: Promoting Inclusiveness, Understanding, and Soaring Spirits".
  5. "American Heart: Creating a Theme Park for Those With Special Needs".
  6. (2019-07-11). "Morgan's Inspiration Island is First-Ever Water Park Designed for Disabled Kids".
  7. Merlin, Lalla. (2021-09-15). "Accessibility for all at Morgan's Wonderland".
  8. Salinas, Rebecca. (2021-01-15). "Morgan's Wonderland announces 2021 opening dates for theme park, sports complex".
  9. Bird, Tyson. (2022-04-28). "San Antonio's Morgan's Wonderland Caters to Kids with Disabilities".
  10. Santana, Steven. (2022-05-09). "Special Olympics Texas returns to San Antonio after 2-year hiatus".
  11. Ramirez, Emily. (2022-11-30). "Morgan's Wonderland to host annual Snowball Run in December".
  12. (May 14, 2020). "Everyone Is Welcome at the World's First Accessible Water Park".
  13. (2019-07-11). "Morgan's Inspiration Island is First-Ever Water Park Designed for Disabled Kids".
  14. Mendoza, Madalyn. (2021-06-29). "$4{{nbsp}}million sports complex by Morgan's Wonderland now open in San Antonio".
  15. Foster, Jordan. (12 October 2021). "Morgan's Wonderland opens all-inclusive camp; summer camp slated for 2022".
  16. "Welcome To Morgan's Wonderland".
  17. (22 September 2022). "Multi-Assistance Center at Morgan's Wonderland offers one-stop approach to caring for special needs community".
  18. (2017-10-19). "Multiple Leading Edge Awards for WhiteWater at the 2017 World Waterpark Association Show".
  19. Deakin, Liz. (May 3, 2018). "Paralyzed Veterans of America Honors San Antonio-based Luna Middleman Architects with 2018 Barrier-Free America Award".
  20. (2017-09-09). "The Golden Ticket Awards {{!}} Presented by Amusement Today".
  21. "The World's 100 Greatest Places of 2018".
  22. "Best New Attraction Winners (2017) {{!}} USA TODAY 10Best".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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