The giant Sphinx atop the pyramid-shaped amusement park still beckons motorists along the 10 Freeway. But the water slides, rides, arcade, race-car tracks and miniature-golf course inside Pharaoh's Theme and Water Park are as quiet as a mummy's tomb.... Read More »

This isn't yesterday's Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom, in fact it's not even called that any more. Now known as Pharaoh's Theme and Water Park, a $9-million influx into the 10-year-old park will give visitors a whole lot more than just water slides and a sunburn this summer. Among other things, there's a new concert venue, a fine dining restaurant and even a cocktail lounge.

The new Pharaoh's Theme & Water Park is off in a new direction that could bring real excitement to the East Valley. Developer Shahvand Aryana, a longtime Yucaipa resident, is now the managing partner of the 20 acre theme park, which is celebrating its 10th year of operations. James W. Braswell, the founder and developer of the park when it was known as Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom, praises Aryana, a neighbor of his in Yucaipa, with bringing energy, new ideas -- and money -- into the park that desperately needed upgrading.

Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom Theme and Water Park in Redlands plans to beef up its staff to accommodate summer crowds, a spokesman said. The amusement park is in the middle of a $9-million renovation project and plans to fill about 250 additional seasonal jobs in the coming weeks, said Ken Kowalski, Pharaoh's vice president of advertising. The park also will hire between 15 and 20 full-time positions. "We're hiring everything from entertainers to chefs to ride operators," Kowalski said. The park has already hired about 250 part-time staff members.

A $9 million facelift has Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom Adventure Park roaring again. Backed by a pair of new partners, Aryana Group and Braswells, the amusement park in Redlands off Interstate 10 has banked that its new make-over can attract the interest of youth and adults through its Egyptian-oriented gates.