Originally Posted By Dabob2 One of the really cool, charming, old-time-feeling, independently owned parks around. It claims at least part of the "first theme park" mantle, as it had a few rides with a Christmas theme way back when it only had the Christmas section (it's located in Santa Claus, Indiana). Now they have Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July, and Thanksgiving sections, along with a good-sized water park. It's really in the middle of nowhere, but within about 3 hours of some pretty good-size cities (Nashville, Louisville, Indianapolis, St. Louis), so it gets decent but not overwhelming crowds. It's spotlessly clean and one of the friendliest parks you'll ever go to. Not only the cm's, but the policies of the park itself. How friendly? Try free parking (!) Free unlimited soda (!!) And free sunblock at the water park, which is totally integrated into the rest of the park and comes with admission. On top of this the FULL price admission for both theme park and water park is only 40 bucks, and discounts abound on every day but Saturday (and even Saturday a Pepsi can will get you 2 bucks off). It's a really charming park. You can tell the Christmas section has been there forever. Now, the themeing is hardly Disney quality, but at least they try. It does not have an "iron" Six Flags-y feel at all. No steel coasters (sort of a point of pride with them, I think) but they have 3 world-class woodies. The Raven, their first, was voted best woodie in the country several years running earlier in the decade. It's terrific, its only flaw being a lack of length. The Legend came next and is much longer, if not quite as well designed. Still lots of fun. Last year they opened (and I just rode for the first time) the Voyage, which is the current "best woodie in the country" winner... and it's easy to see why. WOW this puppy is something. Extraordinarily long, killer first drop, unbelievable curves for a woodie, a great 3-drops-in-a-tunnel section, insane amount of air time... the only thing is, don't ride this if you're a fan only of "smooth as glass" woodies. This is one rough, teeth-rattling, bone-jarring sucker, and since it's so new I can only assume it was designed to be that way. And it's RELENTLESS. Once you're off, you're off, with only the smallest pause for breath ONCE on the way back - other than that it's just relentless speed and adrenaline. I rode it LOTS of times. They also have a couple of new rides I hadn't seen before: Gobbler's Getaway, which is like a poor man's Buzz Lightyear (their first dark ride), and Pilgrim's Plunge, which is like KBF's Perilous Plunge (not as steep, but taller, with a cool elevator platform to get you to the top). What's nice also about that is you can access it from the waterpark section, so you can ride in your swimsuit and not be walking around in soaked clothes all day. Some of the water park rides are pretty cool too, (They were already voted #2 water park, after Schlitterbahn, which is only a water park) and next year they're adding a long "water coaster" that is supposed to be nearly 3 minutes long (I love water slides; the only problem is how short they are). Anybody else ever go here? I'm sometimes in that part of the country in the summer, and I really enjoy it.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox I love Holiday World. I haven't been in years, though. I've been to Stark Raven Mad coaster events in the past, that were truly a blast. One of the best exclusive coaster events I've ever attended. The main hassle for me was location. It's not easy to get to, if you're flying from outside the midwest, even into Indianapolis. It's not as difficult to get to as Indiana Beach, but it's certainly more of a hassle than Lake Compounce in CT or Michigan's Adventure outside Muskegon. Some of the best coasters in the country are in remote areas such as this. Holiday World is a gem of a park. I'd highly recommend it to coaster enthusiasts everywhere.
Originally Posted By aracuanbird Holiday World is amazing. When was the last time you visited a park where the owner/eperator was a PERSON? A person who maybe greeted you outside the gate or who you might have seen roaming the park dealing with some unexpected but typical operational issue. Holiday World isn't going to win any "best theming" awards, or any points for master planning. But the place has heart to spare. Get there. Get the free soda. Park for free. Enjoy what a theme park can be!
