Walking through the former main entrance of Towne Square Mall on Frederica Street now leads directly into what will soon be Maui’s Indoor Theme Park — a reimagined entertainment space filled with arcades, rides, go-karts, and attractions stretching across what was once the mall’s central corridor.
Owensboro Times was recently given an exclusive walkthrough of the space, which will be the largest indoor theme park the Hatton family has developed to date. For now, guests will enter only through the former main entrance, moving down the old mall hallway toward a centralized check-in area as construction continues.
(Check out some photos from our tour here.)
Crews are currently constructing temporary walls along both sides of the corridor. When Towne Square Mall operated as a retail center, individual tenant spaces opened directly into that hallway. Under the new layout, those openings are being concealed behind removable wall sections — a flexible design that allows portions of the wall to be taken down in the future if new tenants or attractions are added.
“We want to kind of hide those currently empty spaces, but not do so much work that we lose flexibility,” said Steve Hatton, vice president of Jester FEC, the family entertainment company behind Maui’s and Malibu Jack’s. “If something changes down the road, we can adapt.”
Just before reaching the heart of the building, guests will encounter the check-in area, with ticket redemption located immediately behind it. From there, the space opens dramatically into what was once the mall’s central hub — now reimagined as an expansive arcade zone stretching across the middle of the facility.
From the arcade area, the park branches in multiple directions.
To the right, the Twist-n-Shout roller coaster curves through the space, followed by what Hatton called the largest go-kart track the company has ever built. Across from those attractions are cabana-style party spaces and a large corporate and banquet room designed to host meetings, events, and group gatherings.
To the left of the arcade zone, guests will find a laser tag arena, a nine-hole tropical mini golf course, a swinging ship ride, and a large children’s play area designed for kids 10 and under. The kids zone includes a climbing structure, inflatables, a toddler area for children 3 and under, and a pedal cart track for younger guests not yet tall enough to drive go-karts.
On the back side of the arcades, the pathway leads to bumper cars, a nine-hole glow-in-the-dark mini golf course, a virtual reality 4D motion theater ride, and duckpin bowling featuring 12 lanes. Duckpin bowling uses a smaller ball and shorter lane format designed to be more accessible and competitive for children.
“It’s more family-friendly,” Hatton said. “All of a sudden, your 5-year-old can beat you.”
A concession stand offering pizza, burgers, hot dogs, and other casual fare will sit between the arcade and the traditional mini golf course, serving as a central food hub inside the facility.
Much of the existing mall flooring along the main corridor will remain in place, with repairs made where needed. Other areas will receive new flooring as attractions are installed. Structurally, the transformation has required fewer major changes than one might expect, Hatton said.
“We demoed the old store walls. Once we got it down to the bare structure, it comes back together fairly quickly,” Hatton said. “We don’t need many walls. We want it as open as possible.”
The Owensboro location marks a significant milestone for the Hatton family, who founded Malibu Jack’s in Lexington in 2013 and now operate 10 indoor theme park locations. While many of the attractions will be familiar to Malibu Jack’s guests, the Owensboro project pushed the company toward a broader vision — and ultimately, a rebrand.
“This future we envisioned with this whole property was bigger than just Malibu Jack’s. We really felt it was the time for us give it a rebranding for something newer and bigger, because that’s what we would like to grow into even more,” Hatton said. “While Malibu Jack’s is a great, big, large building location, in our mind, Maui’s is even a bigger project.”
The new name reflects a shift toward a more immersive, resort-style atmosphere, inspired by destinations like Pigeon Forge and designed with long-term expansion in mind. The Owensboro facility will serve as the flagship for the Maui’s brand.
“We want this to be more than just an indoor theme park,” Hatton said. “We hope there may be an outdoor aspect at some point. Right now, those ideas are mostly in our heads.”
Hatton said the company was drawn to Owensboro through conversations with Gulfstream Commercial Services, the property owner, and by the opportunity to be part of a broader effort to redefine underutilized mall spaces.
“Malls are looking to redefine themselves,” he said. “We bring a family-friendly crowd, we need a lot of parking, and it’s typically a win-win.”
While no official opening date has been announced, Hatton said construction is moving quickly, and the goal is to open in the spring.
More announcements regarding opening timelines and future expansion plans are expected in the coming weeks.
“At the end of the day, we’re just bringing fun to town,” Hatton said. “We want families to come in, turn their phones off for a bit, and just create moments together.”
