New Location Being Built Where Famous Orlando Theme Park Was Demolished To Offer a Very Different Experience

A new location is taking shape in Orlando following the demolition of a decades-old popular theme park in early 2023.

Construction of a new location in the Orlando area is progressing nicely, following the demolition of a theme park experience that first opened in the area in February 2001. The current scenario is quite different from the scene in early 2023 when only rocks and mounds of rubble remained where once a lively Orlando theme park once stood.

Credit: HLE/Canva

A Very Different Kind of Theme Park Experience

Unlike its competitors, which offer visitors countless combinations of minions, mayhem, movies, magic, and merriment, Orlando’s Holy Land Experience offered visitors a message of hope.

Located just off I-4 at Conroy and Vineland Roads in Orlando, the Holy Land Experience welcomed visitors to walk through various themed lands and exhibits that brought various events from the Bible to dazzling life, including Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, Golgotha, or Calvary, where he was crucified on the cross, and the empty tomb, where he was resurrected three days after his death.

The park, which could be seen from Interstate 4, was an established member of the bustling theme park district in Central Florida, but rather than focusing on heart-pounding rides and attractions, like Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando, the Holy Land Experience focused on a heart-changing message of goodness and hope with more than 40 different exhibits or attractions.

Credit: The Holy Land Experience

The park could be seen from the interstate and was an established member of Central Florida’s bustling massive theme park district. But while Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld Orlando, and others offered visitors interactive attractions and heart-pounding rides, The Holy Land Experience offered guests a heart-changing message of hope and peace.

As part of the guest experience, the Bible-themed family park featured reenactments of Jesus’s resurrection, the Scriptorium Museum, which showcased the Van Kampen Collection of Biblical artifacts, including ancient Bible scrolls, manuscripts, and early printed editions of the Bible, a replica of a Gutenberg printing press, a scale miniature model of the city of Jerusalem in the first century, and various themed areas that served to tell stories from the Bible.

Credit: Flickr/David Joyce

In 2007, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) acquired The Holy Land Experience and began working to renovate the park. Renovations would include the construction of the Church of All Nations auditorium, the creation of a state-of-the-art theater in which live theatrical and musical performances took place, the development of the Smile of a Child Adventure Land area, and the construction of numerous restaurants, shops, and other locations.

Credit: Flickr/Alicia Rosello Gene

TBN announced the sale of the land, stating:

“After fourteen years of operation and millions of visitors to the park, TBN sold the property in 2021 during the COVID pandemic to Advent Health Services, whose mission is ‘To extend the healing ministry of Christ’ in order to better serve the greater Orlando area with healthcare.”

The Holy Land Experience Demolition Begins

Then, in April 2023, crews arrived to begin dismantling the remaining structures on the property to make room for a new facility to be built by AdventHealth.

One of the last major structures to be demolished was the coliseum. The photo below, dated May 31, 2023, shows the structure after demolition had already begun.

Credit: X/bioreconstruct

Construction Progress on AdventHealth’s New Location

The construction of AdventHealth’s new location, called AdventHealth Millenia, is described as follows:

The project will be constructed in two (2) phases. The Phase 1 improvements will consist of a 4-story, 80,000 square foot building with associated parking, helipad, and the master infrastructure to serve future phases of the hospital.

The proposed uses per floor are as follows: first floor will consist of a 2,000 square foot generator building and a 20,000 square foot Offsite Emergency Department (OSED), second floor a 20,000 square foot Medical Office, and a third and fourth floor at 19,000 square feet each consisting of either medical office or ambulatory surgical center.

The existing stormwater management system will remain and is proposed to be used for the Phase 1 improvements. The future Phase 2 development is anticipated to contain a 5-story, 261,500 square foot hospital use.”

Credit: AdventHealth

The new $26-million project will serve as a 19,000-square-foot emergency room, complete with 24 patient bays. The facility will have on-site medical labs and imaging technology, as well as a pond with an outdoor walking path, and the second floor of the facility will serve as medical offices. The third and fourth floors will feature 19,000 square feet of medical office space or surgery center space, each.

Credit: AdventHealth

Construction on the new AdventHealth project began in September 2023 and is currently underway.