City Announces Groundbreaking Ceremony for Bellevue Bay Water Park

This week, the City of Bellevue announced that it will hold an official groundbreaking ceremony for the Bellevue Bay regional water park on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 2:00pm. The public is invited to attend the event along with city officials and community leaders.

The water park was publicly announced just over a year ago. The city has spent the past year making necessary preparations to start building.

When construction is finished, Bellevue Bay will stand as the fourth largest indoor water park in the country.

City officials refer to Bellevue Bay as ‘The crown jewel of the Bellevue Good Life District’, set to attract travelers from all over the Midwest. According to a city press release, the facility will feature state-of-the-art water slides, a sprawling lazy river, and an interactive splash zone, ensuring an unforgettable experience for visitors of all ages.

The attraction will also bring hundreds of new jobs to Nebraska including opportunities in construction, operations, hospitality, and retail. Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike said the city expects the project to boost local employment and create new business opportunities. “This is more than just a water park—it’s a symbol of growth, opportunity, and the bright future ahead for Bellevue,” said Mayor Hike. “With this groundbreaking, we are setting Bellevue on a new path toward prosperity, attracting visitors, boosting our economy, and enhancing the quality of life for our residents.”

Bellevue Bay is expected to open to the public by 2027. Bellevue residents will receive a discount on passes. How large of a discount is something that will be discussed this year.

There are some skeptics in the community who have voiced concerns that the project will not happen. The Bellevue Times interviewed Mayor Hike last year and it was the first question asked:

Bellevue Times: “I’ll believe it when I see it” has been heard a bit in relation to this project. This sentiment comes from decades of other proposed ‘Big Ideas’ coming to our town that never came to be. Although nothing is 100% positive, how sure of a thing is this?’

Mayor Hike: It’s 99% for sure. The council approved the bond and construction of the water park is funded. I don’t know what could happen to stop it now. We have good working relationships with the waterpark management team down in Texas and a good working relationship with the land owner. He owns 70 acres on the northwest corner of Highway 75 and Highway 34. We would need 30 acres for this project and we have some verbal agreements in place.”

During the interview, Mayor Hike cited lack of funding as why many past projects never came to be. You can read our full water park Q&A with Mayor Hike here.

The groundbreaking will be at the site of the water park – near the northwest corner of Hwy 34 and Hwy 75. Refer to the map below for more details on the location.

For more information on the Bellevue Bay Indoor Water Park and updates on its progress contact Harrison Johnson at Harrison.johnson@bellevue.net.

| Images Provided by City of Bellevue |