Wunderland brings a whole new world of fun to Salem
Wunderland’s move to the old Costco building opens up a whole new world of entertainment opportunities for Salem residents, including a multilevel, high-paced go-kart track. Wunderland hopes to open the doors to this new location in December.
As entertainment facilities become more prevalent, Wunderland recognized the need to expand the variety of entertainment options it provides. The operation began as solely nickel-based arcade games, providing hours of entertainment for children and adults alike. In order to meet the needs of a larger customer base, Wunderland widely expanded its offerings.
Needing a larger space to expand the services they provide, the hunt for a new building in Salem lasted nearly 10 years. The COVID-19 pandemic set them back significantly; all five locations shut down for nearly a year. They began looking again in 2022 and placed an offer on the old Costco building in September 2023. With the lease signed in January 2024, the design process began. Dalke Construction broke ground in March to transform the cold steel and concrete warehouse into a world of fun.
Wunderland’s current location on Market Street sits at around 5,000 square feet. This new location is almost six times as large—29,000 square feet. They capitalized on the building’s tall ceiling by offering two stories of laser tag and an arcade space that features a large mezzanine.
The crown jewel of their new entertainment opportunities is a multilevel go-kart track equipped with LED-lined turns, speedy straightaways, and peppy all-electric karts. 360 Karting, a Slovenia-based developer, impressed Wunderland with the innovative multilevel design and premiere safety and performance features they offer. The track is nearly complete.
Wunderland purchased their all-electric karts from SODIKART, a France-based producer. Karts feature a built-in gaming system where drivers can collect power-ups as they race, allowing them to strategically speed up their own kart or slow down their competitors.
The track accommodates all levels of racers, from 12-year-old children to thrill-seeking adults. Wunderland plans to host different types of races for different age groups, providing slower strategy-oriented races for younger drivers, while still offering fast-paced sprints for more experienced drivers.
Go-karts proved to be a popular addition at Wunderland’s Tigard location. Its implementation in Tigard came on the heels of a string of expansions to their five locations as they began broadening their offerings in 2010, evolving beyond the nickel-based arcades.
Their first laser tag facility opened in Beaverton in 2013. Shortly after, they expanded their Gresham game room and added laser tag and a full movie theater in 2014. Over the past decade, they improved various locations to include party areas, mini golf, virtual reality, escape rooms, and a range of snacks and hot foods.
Gresham recently underwent another expansion, ticking up to 38,000 square feet—including their first go-kart track. Salem stands as Wunderland’s first project developed from the ground up and offers the full range of their best experiences.
At one point, Wunderland was composed of around 20 nickel-based arcades across Oregon, Washington and California. After adapting to a whole new world of entertainment, Wunderland focused on these five locations, greatly expanding their offerings to better serve their client base. Their continued expansion—now seen in the Salem location—reflects a significant success in evolving alongside their customers.