Todd nelson kalahari biography

The Story of America’s Largest Indoor Waterparks

Todd Nelson grew up on a farm in Wisconsin Dells and began working a wide range of jobs at the age of 15. From an auctioneer to a railroad company to driving a beer truck, nothing was out of the question to help support his family.

A year out of high school, he married his wife, Shari, and at the age of 20 purchased a bar with his brother-in-law.

Two years later, he bought the building across the parking lot, turning it into Pizza Pub, a still-popular Wisconsin Dells restaurant.

In the mid-1990s, Nelson visited Africa for the first time — the culture, spirit, craft and artistry he saw there struck a chord in the young entrepreneur and inspired him to design a waterpark that reflected the beauty of African cultures.

As the Wisconsin Dells began to develop into today’s “Waterpark Capital of the World,” Nelson built the first Kalahari Resort in 2000 and the rest is history.

May 2000 – Kalahari opens its first property in Wiscons