Kalahari Resorts & Convention Center

Words: Chad CorleyFeaturing a 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark, the Kalahari Resorts & Convention Center is a popular year-round, family-friendly destination in the Pocono Mountains. The $350 million facility has 457 hotel rooms and a 100,000-square-foot convention center. The resort also features a 30,000-sqaure-foot entertainment center, with attractions like the Anaconda, a water coaster, FlowRider, a surfing experience, Wild Wildebeest, a raft ride, and other exciting water adventures that draw guest from across the Northeast. Knowlton Masonry laid more than 210,000 block using QUIKRETE® Mason Mix Type S Mortar and QUIKRETE® Core-Fill Grout Fine to construct the hotel rooms, convention center and various elements in the waterpark. In the next phase of construction, Kalahari Resorts & Convention Center is projected to be the country’s largest indoor waterpark at 200,000-square-feet and nearly 1,000 hotel rooms.

QUIKRETE® Mason Mix is a high strength commercial grade dry pre-blended mixture of sand and cements specially selected for masonry applications. It meets N, S, M requirements as specified in ASTM C 270 and pigments may be added to match any existing or new construction.

QUIKRETE® Core-Fill Grout is a properly proportioned mixture of Portland cement, graded sand, and other ingredients designed to provide a flowable grout requiring only the addition of water. It’s available in coarse or fine versions.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

Keystone Block

MASONRY CONTRACTOR:

Knowlton Masonry

PROJECT START DATE:

January 2015

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE:

December 2015

QUIKRETE® PRODUCTS:

  • 3,000 lb Type M Mortar: 1,100 bulk bags
  • 3,000 lb Core-Fill Grout Coarse: 1,400 bulk bags
Design Choices That Endure: Specification and Installation Go Hand-in-Hand
May 2026

Design decisions don’t live on paper; they live on the wall, the ceiling, the floor, and throughout every space. Today’s projects are driven by highly curated design intent, from layered color palettes to mixed-material façades. But once those decisions

Shaver And Spencer Are 2026's Masonry Hall Of Fame Inductees
May 2026

After a record-breaking 27 nominations, the MCAA is pleased to announce that the selection committee has chosen Ryan Shaver and John Spencer to enter the Masonry Hall Of Fame. They will be formally inducted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 during the MC

Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con