SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — New attractions and a hotel will soon be coming to an entertainment complex near Scottsdale as OdySea in the Desert rebrands itself as Arizona Boardwalk.
The complex announced the name change Thursday but didn’t say what would happen to the now-closed Dolphinaris Arizona space where four dolphins died in just two years.
The aquatic center offered people the chance to swim and play with dolphins behind the backdrop of a desert, but the facility has been vacant since the company that loaned the animals pulled out in February 2019.
OdySea in the Desert opened in 2013 as a 35-acre center for entertainment and restaurants. The company says no changes are coming to OdySea Aquarium.
Besides the name change, groundbreaking for a Hyatt Place hotel was announced along with a Ripley's Believe It or Not, a virtual reality gaming center and a 10,000-square-foot inflatable attraction with mazes and obstacle courses.
Construction of the hotel is slated to begin in May, while some of the other attractions will be coming later this year.
