‘Excited to keep on the legacy’: Papio Fun Park gets upgrades before summer 2027

PAPILLION, Neb. —

Jessica Whirrett has a lot of fond memories of Papio Fun Park. She spent birthday parties here playing skee-ball or competing against her siblings in mini golf.

“Coming here was like a really special treat for us because there was five of us, so it didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was a lot of fun,” Whirrett said.

The park, off Washington and Lincoln streets in Papillion, closed in 2025. It proved too much for founder Margaret White to handle on her own, but now Whirrett is playing a key role in bringing it back. Whirrett and her husband own Omaha Sports & Games, a gaming and sporting event venue in Elkhorn, and they’re bringing it to Papillion.

“The city is excited about it. We’re excited about it, and I think the community will love it,” Whirrett said.

First, everything must go. Papillion City Council declared the land blighted, and the entire building will be demolished.

“It was hard to adapt that building to a new use because the building had to get brough up to current floodplain standards,” Mark Sturmsa, Papillion deputy city administrator, said.

“We are going to have to start fresh,” Whirrett said. “It’ll look a lot different, but we’re hoping to keep the same spirit of what Papio Fun Park is.”

Sturmsa said, with the declaration, the land now qualifies for TIF funding, a tool that has only been used once before in Papillion.

“You can use some of those TIF funds for driveway access, for the infrastructure, for grading the site to bring the property out of the floodplain,” Sturmsa said.

The footprint will remain the same, but the building will be lifted three feet off the ground. The plan is to open an event venue for graduation parties, corporate retreats and even weddings.

Whirrett’s plans have a lot of components, including a catering kitchen, bridal and groom’s suites, arcade games, golf simulator, pool tables and shuffleboard, and the renovations don’t end at the door. Garage doors will be installed on the back side to open onto pickleball courts (replacing the batting cages), and the shed in the back will be turned into a grand bridal entrance with a 15-foot arch.

“Garden builders in Valley designed a beautiful garden oasis for us, so we’re going to start on that pretty soon,” Whirrett said.

The garden will be called Papio Gardens, an homage to the land’s original name Papio Fun Park. It’ll be where the mini golf course wrapped through. The gazebo will stay while the go-kart track is removed and turned into a parking lot.

Whirrett said construction will start at the end of August. She hopes to open in time for summer 2027.

“We’re excited to keep on the legacy that Margaret and Paul White started,” Whirrett said. “We’re honored to do that.”

Whirrett said Omaha Sports & Games is selling some of the materials from Papio Fun Park, like the go-karts, picnic tables and possibly some games. Reach out to Omaha Sports & Games at sean.h@extramile.com if you are interested in purchasing anything.

You can stay updated with the construction process on social media for Omaha Sports & Games and Papio Gardens or visit PapioFunPark.com.

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.

NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |