ORLANDO, FLA. — The owners of Mango’s Tropical Café Orlando and Mango’s Tropical Café South Beach, David and Joshua Wallack, plan to develop the world’s tallest roller coaster, The Skyscraper, and the SKYPLEX indoor entertainment complex at International Drive and Sand Lake Road in Orlando. The $200 million SKYPLEX will comprise approximately 495,000 square feet located on 12 acres. The development will break ground in 2015 and is expected to open in 2016.
The Skyscraper at SKYPLEX, to be built near the soon-to-open Orlando Eye 425-foot Ferris wheel, will be a unique addition to Orlando’s skyline.
“Next to our theme parks, International Drive is one of the most recognized icons of Orlando,” says George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. “It’s exciting for our tourism community to see this type of investment being made to continuously raise the bar on the dining and entertainment experiences we offer across our destination.”
The Skyscraper at SKYPLEX is 570 feet tall and will feature the first “Polercoaster” built. The structure is a vertical roller coaster created with coaster-length tracks featuring “all the other thrilling mayhem” but “in a very small footprint,” according to Michael Kitchen, president of US Thrill Rides, the Orlando-based company that created the ride.
“Not only will the ‘Skyscraper’ coaster be the world’s tallest, we believe it will be the most thrilling,” says Bill Kitchen, founder of US Thrill Rides and creator of the Polercoaster. “There will be incredible heart-pounding inside and outside loops, dives, spirals and inversions like the world has never seen.”
The property’s observation deck will offer views 535 feet from the ground. To get there, visitors will ride in the region’s tallest glass elevators.
“We’re extremely excited about creating a record-breaking, must-try attraction on International Drive,” says Joshua Wallack, chief operating officer of Mango’s Tropical Café, which will plans to open a Mango’s Orlando next year across International Drive from SKYPLEX. “This will be an incredible opportunity for International Drive.”
The mixed-use development will feature additional attractions, entertainment venues, restaurants and retail space, including a two-story retail space on International Drive.
“It’s a true meeting of engineering, technology and art that is making this dream happen for us. We plan to bring Ocean Drive to I-Drive with a new dining and nightlife district that locals and Orlando visitors won’t want to miss,” says David Wallack.
SKYPLEX will include a 1,500-car parking garage with a valet parking option.
The new Mango’s Tropical Café in Orlando, opening in 2015, will have 55,000 square feet of entertainment space, live bands, shows and dancing, plus gourmet dining and event packages.
Orlando-based HHCP designed the indoor entertainment complex, and Euforria, a construction management division of Winter Park, Fla.-based Winter Park Construction, will be the property’s general contractor.
— John Nelson