HolidayWorldFTW

New Holiblog posted! Reverse POV. Lol. http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/04/12/long-awaited-thunderbird-pov/comment-page-1/#comment-139426

Accidental post

Well, yes, I believe I did: http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/04/11/confessions-screaming-grandma/ I just wanted to say that Paula is probably the most amazingly awesome park rep in the history of parks...like ever!! I read that blog post earlier today and I'm still smiling from it. And that picture? OMG! Hysterical...in a great way! Love ya, Paula! I know right??? She's amazing! I've never seen her level of commitment, expertise, and passion from ANY other COMPANY'S equal. When I talk about the Koch family in general I always assume to myself that I'm also referring to her.

Nashville is lucky in a way.. It's about 3 to 4 hours away from Holiday World, SFOG, Dollywood, Kentucky Kingdom, not to mention Beech Bend is in Bowling Green, which is about an hour or so north of Nashville. Add Lake Winnie 2.5 hours away and Alabama Adventure about 4 hours away. We'll have Guntown Mountain back open this summer too. I'm always a bit surprised though when locals haven't heard of Beech Bend. I went to Guntown Mountain last year and the only thing that was open was the gift shop and the lift up to the Guntown mountain itself... But it was deserted. We were the only ones up there and there was no actors or

Well, yes, I believe I did: http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/04/11/confessions-screaming-grandma/ Great blog post Paula! Lol riding with you would be a blast! I love riding with people who are like that because somehow for me it makes it even more thrilling. Hard to explain lol. That picture though...wow. Are you SURE this is all at Holiday World and not somewhere else? Lol I feel like a moon landing truther or something but so hard to believe this is at Holiday World! So amazing!

What slope are you talking about? I don't see it.. I think he is referring to the overhang above. It looks sloped to me as well. It's in the second picture.

I wonder if Matt has ridden it yet too?

I was thinking that... But I also seem to remember it flashing last night too. Of course as you know the weather here HAS been really active the few days though. Hope the cameras don't blow away!

Ditto here too. I remember when the most exciting rides at the park were the Firecracker and the Banshee lol. And it was still a great park then. My oh my how they have grown! On another note... Anyone notice that the lights on the actual launch/loading building seem to flicker as well? Especially the one right above the thunderbird logo? I wonder if this is to simulate something as well, or if it's really just a steady light that looks to flash through the camera lens? Any ideas or thoughts? Paula anything you can share?

That lightning/fog effect doe! I can only imagine what riding this at night will be like with the fog and lightning and then the LEDs and being back in the woods..... Wow.... This is one big gigantic bottle of awesome sauce!

Not sure how you go about watching this video. Any advice?

I agree it looks super cool! Like roller coaster in outer space!

Yup they are completely family owned and operated!

Yea a bit ago I was watching them out the trains back into storage in the maintenance building. I'm surprised they tested at all not only on a Sunday but in Easter as well. The level of sacrifice they have in order to give us this amazing coaster is phenomenal.

Hey Miss Raven Maven - has Matt gotten a chance to ride yet? I'm curious about his reactions as well, lol.

I was watching for a bit too. Brown for the supports was a perfect choice btw. It really does look like a mysterious and powerful bird sweeping through the woods. Also, I realize there are no humans to load and unload but it seems as if they are able to dispatch a train really quickly. The fact that it's not super long like The Voyage probably helps quite a bit. I don't think this will be bad on wait times at all.

Actually, after the passing of Philip Koch, who had owned Lake Rudolph, his family sold everything to a company out of Michigan last June. http://www.spencercountyjournal.com/content/lake-rudolph-campground-sold-michigan-company Ahhh good info... I wasn't aware it was sold. I wonder who owns the rest of HoHoHoldings then such as the Christmas store and what not?

I totally respect your choice to not go to Indiana, especially if you feel unsafe there, but I'm really not sure the situation requires that. I'd have to agree. Boycotting Holiday World is not going to help in changing this law. All it does it hurts Holiday World. I LIVE in Indiana about 30 min away from the park and I can assure you there is no danger in traveling here. I myself didn't agree with the first go around of the bill but the version we have now is live able. If your reason for boycotting is because the LGBT isn't a "protected class" well that's never been the case here in Indiana and it didn't stop you from visiting before. I also almost bet you'll end up traveling to another state and theme park were they are also not a protected class. I also agree that the original bill really didn't speak for the majority of Hoosiers. It's rare to find anyone that thought it was necessary or worded correctly. Honestly it takes big corporations to help influence change and that's EXACTLY what happened here in Indiana. It wasn't people from out of state declaring a boycott on Indiana, it was big corporations stopping plans of expansion and saying they might move out of state completely. Holiday World is NOT a big corporation nor is it a type of business that can just pick up and move on a whim or just not expand. Holiday World didn't cause this law, Holiday World isn't preventing the LGBT community from becoming a protected class. What they ARE doing is offering an amazing declaration of their values since day one, offering the most amazing theme park value, offering the most amazing park with friendly and kind employees run by one of the most amazing families you will find ANYWHERE. No, boycotting HW will do nothing but hurt HW.

Holy smokes that's an awesomely put together video with the Thunderbird theme music in the background! For some reason I can't see the above mentioned pictures though =( maybe because I'm on an iPad? As far as Santa's Lodge I've heard nothing but positive things about it although I've never stayed there. I do believe they offer discounted tickets. If you go to the following link on the Holiday World website there is a list of nearby places to stay along with links: http://www.holidayworld.com/plan-your-trip/hotels-camping/ I HAVE camped at Lake Rudolph both in one of their RVs and in a tent and I loved it there both times. Also offers discounted tickets, and free shuttle to the park and back. Beautiful and well kept scenery and its own host of activities including mini golf and swimming. It's WELL worth the money and I believe it's still owned by another part of the Koch family although I don't believe the two business are legally related to each other in a business sense.

i believe the past week or so they have been laying a ton of concrete for the paths. I imagine at this point they are working on landscaping, but I doubt we will see the full fruits of the landscaping until next season.... Of course I could be wrong, I'd love to see some pictures as well.

Wow.... That recent Holiblog post and video left me speechless and in goose bumps. Will certainly did leave the legacy he wished and a whole lot more. He would be so incredibly proud of his girls for what they have done. I think we all knew they had incredibly large shoes to fill and boy oh boy are they filling them! I also completely see why he had groomed Matt for this. You could change his last name to Koch and you would never be the wiser. This park is in his blood as well.Wow... My eyes are still watery....I don't even know what else to say... Such a very special place run by very very special people. We need more of this I'm this world. So incredibly blessed to have grown up with this park right in my back yard ran by the most amazing people ever!

Couldn't agree more. Holiday World really seems focused on ensuring all their guests have a great time, which is really the heart of the entertainment industry. You don't take care of your guests by putting up artificial barriers. Just a few simple rules to make sure everyone has fun is all that's needed. I'll be at Holiwood Nights too. Less than two months now! To remind everyone what it's all about: I think the biggest difference between Holiday World and other parks is that it isn't about money to them. I mean sure it's the family's living, but they honestly just enjoy proving fun for families and having fun themselves. The money thing is just icing on the cake for them I feel and a means to an end.

Double post.. For some weird reason.

Has anybody been able to catch Thunderbird in nite time testing? I'd love to be able to, or even seen pics. I bet those LEDs make the trains looks incredible when flying through the trees at nighttime!

Link to a new Holiblog post!!! http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/03/30/know-want-see-pictures/