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Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's 2017 US Adventures


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It's Phoenix in layout only. As long as you don't go in expecting the same kind of ride, you'll probably come off satisfied like me. The park seems to take really good care of their woodies which is refreshing from a larger corporate park.

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Indiana Beach

 

Indiana Beach has been a park on my bucket list for a long time. I love visiting these smaller parks as a change of pace from larger, corporate-feeling parks and this one was noteworthy for an awesome setting, a big collection of wooden roller coasters highlighted by Cornball Express, and some interesting non-coaster rides such as the haunted house. The park is really an American Grona Land with how well it utilizes space by building rides over the water or on top of each other.

 

Ultimately Indiana Beach was a very mixed bag. On one hand, the park has the potential to be one of the best parks in the country with its great ride lineup and location right on Lake Shafer. On the other hand, the park's operations were among the worst I have seen at any park. I had been warned that rides were prone to opening late or not at all. But the park completely blew away my already dampened expectations.

 

By the end of the night, 5 of the park's 6 coasters were closed. Tig'rr and the kiddie coaster were closed for my entire visit. Steel Hawg stalled on the mid-course brake run and riders were evacuated with a cherry picker, closing the ride for the night. Lost Coaster went down in the last half hour. And Cornball probably ran for a total of 30 minutes in the 3.5 hours. Hoosier Hurricane was the only coaster without any downtime and that crew was doing a really good job sending out trains. The closures weren't limited to the coasters either, as the Den of Lost Thieves dark ride, Double Shot, and Air Crow were all down as well.

 

Cornball Express- Wow! I heard this woodie was really intense despite its small size, but even knowing that, Cornball completely shattered my expectations. The layout is very unique how it intertwines with other attractions and dives over Lake Shafer. With only a seat-belt and buzz-bars, Cornball gave extreme ejector air on 6 different hills, highlighted by the third and fifth hills. This coaster is among the best I've ridden for airtime. Along with air, Cornball has some really strong laterals on that devilishly twisted first drop and helix. The track length is pretty short, but Cornball felt like it gave a really complete ride. The coaster is also pretty smooth as well. I was only able to get two rides, one in the front and one in the back. 10 out of 10

 

Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain- I present to you WTF- the Ride. Lost Coaster is the most random coaster I have ever ridden with the caged cars, elevator lift, and impossibly tight turns. I got one ride facing backwards at night. I didn't notice any theming in the mountain, but I loved the coaster's interaction with it and the surprise elements hidden within. The ride was incredibly aggressive and intense despite only having a top speed of 20 MPH. Thankfully the trains were well padded since the coaster really throws you around (in a good way). The most memorable element was a crazy double down with scary air-time that I couldn't see coming. Only downside with this coaster was the capacity. While everything else in the park was a 5 minute wait tops, Lost Coaster was an hour due to a single 8 car train. 9 out of 10

 

Steel Hawg- I now present WTF- the Ride, the Sequel. Steel Hawg was my first El Loco and delivered a funky and fun ride experience. The drop was different than I expected. I was expecting major air-time like on every other beyond vertical drop I've experienced. Instead this one gave some hang-time because of the brake at the start of the drop and really packs on the positive Gs at the bottom of the drop. The ride's air-time came on the steep climbs before the two mid-course brake runs. The outward banked turns were an odd experience and both inversions provided excellent hang-time. I'd love to see more El Locos pop up since this was a smooth and unique coaster. 8 out of 10

 

Hoosier Hurricane- Indiana Beach's original wood coaster is probably the worst at the park, but it's still a fun coaster. The ride's layout gives an excellent tour of the park and has some good drops over Lake Shafer. While an out-and-back layout, Hoosier Hurricane has 3 or so spots with strong laterals. The front had good air on the return leg while two of the drops on the outward leg provided good air in the back, particularly the drop that dives under the suspension bridge. The coaster shuffles a bit, but it definitely isn't rough. Because of the operational issues of the other coasters, I ended up riding the Hurricane the most of any ride in the park. 7 out of 10

 

I also experienced Dr. Frankenstein's Castle, the haunted walkthrough upcharge, and absolutely loved it. There are no live actors, but this house uses every single gag and cheesy effect in the book that will leave you smiling until the end. The second-to-last gag nearly caused me to poop my pants and that's something most haunted houses cannot do, so I applaud the park there.

 

I heard the park was in a much rougher state during the Morgan days and improved quite a bit last year, but the amount of ride closures on a Saturday night during my visit was definitely disappointing. I'd love to make a return visit to give this park another chance since it has a picturesque setting and I was deprived re-rides on several coasters due to the noted closures.

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Sorry folks the ride's closed, the crow out front should have told you.

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Sorry folks... that was almost true for Cornball. Thank goodness I was able to get 2 rides in the half hour it was open since this was a top 5 wooden coaster for me. The steep drops gave major ejector air, which was augmented by the buzz bars.

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Cornball Express kept closing for issues with the trains. The maintenance guys were there most of the night.

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Sorry folks the ride's closed, the crow out front should have told you.

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Indiana Beach has about 44 rides, a quarter of which were closed for my entire visit.

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Somehow the wood coaster with an elevator lift had the second highest uptime of the park's coasters.

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Don't let the small size and 20 mph max speed fool you, this is an aggressive and awesome coaster.

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The layout seems like something someone would make while drunk in Roller Coaster Tycoon. But it totally works here!

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Lost Coaster should really be named WTF the Ride.

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Greetings from Indiana Beach. The sign captured the overall feel of the park quite well.

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I love how the park had a custom layout for the flume despite being pressed for space.

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You can also get up close and personal with many of the park's rides.

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Several rides are also built over the water.

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Ironically the one that'd be most perfect over the water is smack-dab in the middle of the park.

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Of course the upcharge attractions were running all night.

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If Hoosier Hurricane's high speed tour is too fast, the park also has a Sky Ride. There also is a train, but it was (you guessed it) closed.

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I really liked the coaster. It was smooth, had some great hang-time, and featured several unique elements. I would have loved to ride it more than once but...

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I mean just look at that track.

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Steel Hawg, aka WTF- the Ride the Sequel.

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The coaster stalled about 10-15 minutes after my ride and never reopened.

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The ride's placement in the corner was really odd though.

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Sorry folks the ride's closed, the crow out front should have told you. Ok this is getting old...

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If I had more time I would have loved to try the swings over the water.

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Look at that blur. I promise you the park runs it that fast and it's not just my camera struggling with night lighting.

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I was expecting to see more stars in rural Indiana, but this was the only star I saw.

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Is that Fascination I see?

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Yes it is! This TPR favorite is in really good condition. I love this game even though I'm pretty awful at it.

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I made sure to try this upcharge. This is an amazing walkthrough with every gag you can possibly think of. The second to last one almost scared me as much as this nation's president.

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I didn't go on firework night, but I was able to admire their wheel's fantastic lighting package.

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Hoosier Hurricane was the one coaster that ran all night. I really liked how the layout spanned the length of the park.

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Indiana Beach really is an American Grona Land. Rides are effortlessly woven around and over each other.

Edited by Canobie Coaster
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I've never been to Michigan's Adventure, and I know it doesn't get the best remarks from the enthusiast community, but I do have to say that it looks beautiful! Every pic I've seen of the park the trees and plants in and around the park really seem to give the park a nice scene.

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MI Adventure has a great water park, that is missing a solid drop capsule or better ProSlide. The dry section is 2 or 3 quality thrill rides away and a more quality steel coaster. If those 4-6 attractions are added, this park is worth being visited every year.

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MI Adventure has a great water park, that is missing a solid drop capsule or better ProSlide. The dry section is 2 or 3 quality thrill rides away and a more quality steel coaster. If those 4-6 attractions are added, this park is worth being visited every year.

 

 

A true assessment, but I just don't see it happening. Unfortunately.

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I could very well see Michigan's Adventure getting some kind of drop tower since they're one of the largest parks in the country without one. That would give the park one thrill ride. A good steel coasters seems further out unfortunately based on the rate that Cedar Fair has been adding rides to the park.

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It's Phoenix in layout only. As long as you don't go in expecting the same kind of ride, you'll probably come off satisfied like me. The park seems to take really good care of their woodies which is refreshing from a larger corporate park.

 

Got it, I'll have low expectations...

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I love this game even though I'm pretty awful at it.

 

Wait, is there a strategy for Fascination?

 

Glad that wasn't closed, even if half the rest of the park was. Indiana Beach could be such a great place, but it's got so much work that needs done.

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Haha true. I go with throw balls in as fast as possible and pray. Not sure if people can actually aim them.

 

If Indiana Beach improved their operations, I think they could be a smaller version of Knoebels in terms of their wooden coasters, weird rides, and long flat cycles.

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Better operations would raise Indiana Beach from being just an "oddity" (a "boardwalk" in the wilds of Indiana) to a first-rate park. That being said, you can still have fun there.

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Me and my wife enjoyed our time at Indiana Beach last summer. Sadly Lost coaster was closed. Steel Hawg was a blast and Cornball was not to shabby either. They only have a couple water slides but they are crazy fast and sketchy. The also have a crazy sketchy lazy river that my wife called the crazy river because the currents around those hairpin turns.

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I love Lake Compounce and can't wait to get out and try Wildcat when it opens later. It will definitely take a while before the entire park is connected with a loop but hopefully we get a coaster that utilizes the lake later on.

 

Is there any reason for Down Time's topper to be gone this year? I hope it returns soon.

 

A bit late on this one but the original yellow topper was damaged by a winter storm; it was starting to look pretty faded, anyway. It's been replaced by a new blue topper now that looks quite a bit nicer, IMO. I should have thought to snap a picture, but I'm sure someone will get one soon enough.

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Better operations would raise Indiana Beach from being just an "oddity" (a "boardwalk" in the wilds of Indiana) to a first-rate park. That being said, you can still have fun there.

 

I agree the park was a lot of fun, but it's disappointing knowing they could have been so much better.

 

Me and my wife enjoyed our time at Indiana Beach last summer. Sadly Lost coaster was closed. Steel Hawg was a blast and Cornball was not to shabby either. They only have a couple water slides but they are crazy fast and sketchy. The also have a crazy sketchy lazy river that my wife called the crazy river because the currents around those hairpin turns.

 

Haha the water park sounds about right after experiencing the ride park. I thought the speed slides I saw looked really awkward.

 

I love Lake Compounce and can't wait to get out and try Wildcat when it opens later. It will definitely take a while before the entire park is connected with a loop but hopefully we get a coaster that utilizes the lake later on.

 

Is there any reason for Down Time's topper to be gone this year? I hope it returns soon.

 

A bit late on this one but the original yellow topper was damaged by a winter storm; it was starting to look pretty faded, anyway. It's been replaced by a new blue topper now that looks quite a bit nicer, IMO. I should have thought to snap a picture, but I'm sure someone will get one soon enough.

 

It did look cool being naked for a while but I'm glad they got a new topper.

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I was in the Indiana area last week for work and was tempted to head up to Indiana Beach as, on my last visit (last August), they were having serious operations issues too and I didn't get to ride Cornball or Lost Coaster. The park has a ton of character and I can see why it's so popular with enthusiasts, so, hopefully, they can get it running optimally in the near future. The haunted castle was indeed great (I assume you're talking about the drop platform?), and I fully agree with the description of Steel Hawg's drop; it looks totally gut-wrenching but is surprisingly tame.

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I think the number of rides that went down for maintenance added to how terrifying it is.

 

I was in the Indiana area last week for work and was tempted to head up to Indiana Beach as, on my last visit (last August), they were having serious operations issues too and I didn't get to ride Cornball or Lost Coaster. The park has a ton of character and I can see why it's so popular with enthusiasts, so, hopefully, they can get it running optimally in the near future. The haunted castle was indeed great (I assume you're talking about the drop platform?), and I fully agree with the description of Steel Hawg's drop; it looks totally gut-wrenching but is surprisingly tame.

 

Yes that's the gag I'm referring to. I was purposefully vague so anyone visiting in the first time won't have it spoiled.

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I loved that, and the "room of doors". Been through twice (two separate visits), and once that room was dimmly lit, and the other was brightly lit. Preferred the former, obviously.

 

Also on my first visit to the Castle, an employee got really into the opening elevator scene, moving around in the darkness and popping up in random locations when the light flashed... sometimes very close to us. It was hysterical and unnerving.

 

I do enjoy the park as a whole. I've been fortunate that when I've gone, the operations were relatively decent. It has a very retro, trapped in time vibe. But boy, it sure is in the middle of nowhere. I'm guessing that probably is a primary reason operations aren't better.

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I loved that, and the "room of doors". Been through twice (two separate visits), and once that room was dimmly lit, and the other was brightly lit. Preferred the former, obviously.

I knew about the drop platform already, so it didn't freak me out. I did, however, get stuck in the "room of doors" as I didn't know what to expect and was genuinely confused. It was very dark in there and I ended up having to use the flashlight on my phone to figure out what was going on.

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Holiday World

 

Holiday World is one of the most acclaimed parks in the enthusiast community. Of the parks I visited on my Memorial Day weekend trip, Holiday World was the park I was most anticipating. I'm a sucker for well-run family parks and wooden coasters, so Holiday World was right in my wheelhouse. Holiday World delivered the complete package and is now one of my favorite parks. The park has a little of everything- an outstanding coaster collection, theming, good food, and does so many little things right that distinguishes it from larger corporate parks. The only negative about my visit was the 7 pm closing since it prevented me from getting night rides. Looks like a visit to a future HoliWood Nights is in store.

 

Voyage- If you noticed my signature, you can see I was a fan of the Voyage. I applaud Holiday World's maintenance staff since a wooden coaster this large, sprawling, and ambitious could easily be one of the most uncomfortable and painful rides in the world. Instead, the Voyage is merely one of the most aggressive but I mean that in a good way. The outward leg has colossal hills with some sustained air-time. The twister section is relentless and I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco with all the sudden air-time hills and twists. Then the return leg was particularly noteworthy. Despite being halted by the mid-course brake, the train kept getting faster and faster because of expert use of the terrain. Some of the twists and turns on the return leg were pretty bumpy on wheel seats, but I was able to look past it because of the great air that the Voyage kept providing. Ultimately, the Voyage slots in behind Boulder Dash and Phoenix on my wooden coaster list. This is definitely a 10 out of 10 ride, but it isn't quite as reridable as my top two woodies. 10 out of 10

 

Legend- While Voyage is an airtime buffet, the Legend is a lateral buffet. If there's a wooden coaster with stronger laterals out there, please let me know (and yes I've ridden Kennywood's Thunderbolt). The Legend is relentless and the laterals absolutely pin you to the side of the train, particularly on the double helix. While known primarily for the laterals, the Legend also had really good air-time. The first drop and final few hills were particularly noteworthy. The ride's layout is also very unique and I love how it interacts with the water park. 9 out of 10

 

Raven- I figured the Raven was slightly overrated going into my first ride, but I still came off disappointed. It was a good coaster, but it didn't seem like one that once claimed the spot as the world's best wooden coaster. The first drop had decent air and the legendary fifth drop had excellent ejector air, but the rest of the ride didn't give me the airtime I was expecting. However, the more I rode the Raven later in the day, the more I grew to really appreciate the ride. The ride has impeccable pacing and really builds to a crescendo with the finale. While the final hills don't have air, they have really strong laterals and the whole ride feels out-of-control. The second hill also gave some air later in the day as the ride warmed up. The Raven is the most reridable of the park's wooden coasters and each subsequent ride was better than the last. 9 out of 10

 

Thunderbird- The "worst" of Holiday World's major coasters is still an excellent ride. I wasn't expecting much from the launch based on the specs when the ride was released, but the launch was easily the best part of the ride. It had a lot more kick than I was expecting. The Immelmann was pretty meh, but the next three inversions were all outstanding. I particularly liked the zero-G roll and the near-miss with the barn. Thunderbird's smooth and graceful ride is a nice contrast to the wild and out-of-control rides that the park's wooden coasters provide. 9 out of 10

 

Howler- I fully admit to being a credit whore. I like how Holiday World themed the train to the park mascot, but that's about all the positives I can say about this coaster. 2 out of 10

 

Outside of the coasters, Holiday World has some other really good attractions. Frightful Falls is a nice flume that interacts with the Legend. Liberty Launch is a forceful little S&S tower that has more air-time than towers 2-3 times its size. And the Gobbler Getaway was a quirky and undeniably fun dark ride. I'd love to see the park add another thrilling flat in the near future since I think that would really round out the ride lineup along with a family coaster.

 

The food was excellent as well. Thanks to everyone who recommended the Plymouth Rock Cafe since the turkey dinner was restaurant-quality stuff and surprisingly big for a theme park meal. I also go the Hot Diggity Dog (hot dog wrapped in bacon on a pretzel roll) and really enjoyed it despite the fact that it looked like a dried out turd wrapped in a second turd.

 

No visit to Holiday World would be complete without a trip to their acclaimed water park. With the stormy skies, the water park was deserted (which sounds rarer than finding a unicorn based on other reports I've read) which allowed me to try all the major slides. I plan to write up a separate entry for Splashin' Safari since I feel like tacking it onto this report would be an undersell to the water park. Spoiler alert, it's the best water park I've ever been to.

 

Onto the photos of Holiday World!

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What was once the world's number one wooden coaster was the worst of the park's three woodies. And that's more of a testament to how strong Holiday World's wooden coaster collection is since the Raven was still really good.

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The ride also has an outstanding setting.

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I came off my first ride a underwhelmed, but the more I rode it, the more I loved it. The ride's pacing is impeccable and the layout builds up to the legendary fifth drop and out-of-control finale.

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Bye Santa, I hope to be back soon. Holiday World is now one of my favorite parks and I see why the place is so hyped up.

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The park wouldn't be complete without a carousel.

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Actually Holiday World in general just has a really strange layout.

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I missed the wing-over drop, but the large Immelmann sure was impressive to look at.

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Also as an aside, what on earth is a thunderbird and how does it relate to Thanksgiving?

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I was expecting a dull launch, but Thunderbird's launch had some serious kick to it. Easily the best part of the ride.

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Rounding out Holiday World's major coasters is Thunderbird, a launched prototype coaster whose schedule isn't irregular and subject to periodic closures.

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Compared to the 3 woodies, Thunderbird is a nice contrast with its smooth and graceful ride.

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Zero-G rolls are still my favorite type of inversion.

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The Turkey Whirl has officially surpassed the Turtle Twirl for the best tilt-a-whirl theme.

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Despite having an "out and back" layout, the Voyage kept me on my toes with all the crazy twists and turns along the way.

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I loved the parabolic-shaped first drop, which seems uncommon on most traditional woodies. It gave great air in the back.

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The coaster is an air-time buffet from start to finish.

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Seeing a traditional wooden coaster this large is awe-inspiring.

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All of Holiday World's coasters have amazing settings. It's a shame the park closed at 7 since I would have loved getting night rides.

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But the real star was the Voyage.

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The 4th of July section actually makes America great again.

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The cute little star flyer and Thunderbird are awkwardly all by themselves in the very back of the Thanksgiving section.

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Firecracker was new for 2017 and looked fantastic. A little slower than the other versions I've been on, but still a fun ride.

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Frightful Falls has a really weird location, but it's a nice flume.

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The ride gives some excellent views of the Legend.

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Holiday World even has a cool dark ride.

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Even Grandma owns a gun...err turkey caller. Because that device definitely doesn't look lethal or anything.

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After my tour de France of Holiday World's coasters, I explored their non-coasters.

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After seeing 3.5 hours of corn fields, this was a sight for sore eyes.

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I would say I entered this area just to get that hot dog...

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Mmmm that looks good.

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Ok this may look like a dried-out turd but it actually tasted really good.

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But like many credit whores, I couldn't pass up the allure of a 13ft tall Zamperla.

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I'm glad Thunderbird ended Howler's reign as the park's best steel coaster since that statement sounds so very wrong for such an acclaimed park.

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The ride mixes solid air with some of the strongest laterals around.

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The Legend is the least talked about of Holiday World's woodies, but I enjoyed it more than the Raven.

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If you look up laterals in the dictionary, you'll probably see a picture of the Legend.

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These mini double shot towers are arguably the best drop towers for air time.

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Holiday World was the most anticipated park of the trip and it didn't disappoint!

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Saving turkeys works up quite the appetite, so I decided to eat some afterwards.

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Even the food was outstanding at Holiday World.

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Even when B&Ms are considered "forceless," I still find their vertical loops pack a punch.

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Holiday World

 

Raven- I figured the Raven was slightly overrated going into my first ride, but I still came off disappointed. It was a good coaster, but it didn't seem like one that once claimed the spot as the world's best wooden coaster.

 

I'm sure that title had a lot to do with the 1-click rides they used to allow during Stark Raven Mad, pre-2003.

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I also found Raven to be absurdly overrated. After our one ride I had absolutely no desire to re-ride it. I'm also baffled by the fact that this was ever considered the world's best wooden coaster. Sure, RMC and Intamin had yet to enter the wood coaster scene but Phoenix craps all over Raven and it's not even close. I'm pretty sure it beat Boulder Dash a bunch of times too which is also complete insanity.

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^ I agree Phoenix and Boulder Dash are both far superior rides. I did really like the Raven though since it provided a little of everything. Did you only ride it earlier in the day? My later ride was definitely quite a bit faster than my first.

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Splashin' Safari

 

Holiday World's water park, Splashin' Safari, is considered one of the best in the world. Typically I skip water parks if I'm at a renowned park like Holiday World; however, the allure of two highly regarded water slides was enough for me to break out my bathing suit and show off my amazing sock tan. Having visited Holiday World on a day with storms in the forecast, the water park was amazingly deserted which is something I probably shouldn't expect on a return visit. The longest wait I had was probably 5-10 minutes for the bowl slide.

 

Wildebeast- The ride's awesomeness began with the lift hill. I always wondered why parks didn't use the conveyor belt as a lift hill, but finally Holiday World catered to the lazy. The first 2 drops had small pops of air, which was good for a water slide, but I had gotten better air on the other water coasters I had been on. Was the air on Wildebeast overrated? Well that thought was quickly erased when the raft flew over the massive third drop in the shed. I floated the entire way down which was unbelievably awesome to experience on a water slide. Most coasters don't give air that great. The rest of the layout continued with the smaller pops of air with the exception of a second shorter drop in a shed that gave air comparable to the first. Wildebeast is considerably longer than all the other water coasters (except its big brother next door) and that's the ride's main strength along with the two insane shed drops. 10 out of 10

 

Mammoth- Speaking of that big brother, Mammoth was another great water slide. Also sporting a conveyor belt lift, Mammoth felt longer than Wildebeast. The air wasn't quite as strong, but Mammoth compensated for it with the seating arrangements. The larger rafts would spin during the ride so some drops were experienced backwards which was certainly unique on a ride like this. Of Mammoth and Wildebeast, I preferred the older Wildebeast. I preferred the rafts on Wildebeast and the air on the aforementioned shed drops stood out while Mammoth didn't have any one standout moment. I only rode this one once since the water felt a good 10 degrees cooler than every other slide. 9 out of 10

 

The rest of the slides unfortunately didn't have conveyor belt lifts so I had to get some exercise Don't worry, I made up for it by having a feast at the food stands afterwards. Anyway the rest of the slide lineup was interesting as it lacked a single body slide. I am guessing that is by design. Zinga and Bakuli were two fun slides. The drops on both were great, particularly if you were going in reverse. But the surprise slide for me was Otorongo. That center slide with the massive, pitch-black plunge was fantastic. Zoombabwe was another standout because of the slide's length.

 

The weirdest part of my day was seeing a random cat walking around the water park. I have no idea if it was a stray or not, but it was trotting down the midway like any other guest. If Holiday World has any Chinese food stands, let me know if the meat tasted extra fresh recently.

 

Onto the photos!

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Down the toilet you guys go.

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Of course there are other slides. Though interestingly none of them are body slides.

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It may have been the day of the Indianapolis 500, but this is the real race to be seen in Indiana. Sorry to all racecar fans I may have offended, but I don't consider that a real sport.

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I will note that Mammoth was absolutely frigid on the cooler day. Every other slide seemed to have warmer water.

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Mammoth was also quite good. It was weird and awesome to be able to experience backwards drops on a water coaster.

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I will end with the water park's star attraction (for young kids).

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No clue what an Otorongo is, but that center slide sure had a great drop.

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Usually I skip water parks unless they have a water coaster. Splashin' Safari happened to have two, so I was lured over to the wet side.

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I preferred Wildebeast. Pops of air on most drops with the two drops in the shred giving scary floater air the whole way down. Most coasters wish they had air like that.

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Before Wildebeast was the world's best water slide, the Golden Ticket Awards once gave Zinga that crown.

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For whatever reason, the same slide at other parks didn't seem to crack the top 5. Not saying the awards may be a little biased or anything...

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This slide just wouldn't end. I also found it unique how they had the clover tubes instead of the standard circle rafts.

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The most WTF moment of my visit to Holiday World was seeing this random cat walking around the water park. Wait a minute, that must be who votes for the Golden Ticket Awards.

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