Indiana Beach Trip Report:
My cousin and I went to Indiana Beach on Thursday July 3rd, 2014 and Friday July 4th, 2014. We rented a motel in Lafayette, which is about 10 miles from Indiana Beach for both nights. It only cost $120.94 for both nights. We didn't go on July 3rd as we got their late.
The next day we got up early to enter Indiana Beach at opening time. Arriving to Indiana Beach was an awesome experience. I felt as if I was taken back several decades. Many people have described the surrounding living accomidations to be trailer trash like, but I found it to be very interesting and nostaligic. Being that this was our first time there the parking situation was confusing. I don't remember seeing any signs saying free parking. We decided to park by the free parking lot closest to the front gate (not the one by the bridge).
I thought it was awesome to see the Indiana Beach workers getting out of their cars and walking up to the main entrance. We followed them. The ticket sale area is understaffed. There was a nice elderly lady working there, but she seemed overwhelmed. It took us about 15 minutes to pay for our tickets. Later in the day we saw long lines by the suspended bridge entrance point. I feel that is something they really need to work on. My home park Six Flags Great America has about the same lines, but theirs go by significantly faster and they have significantly more traffic in their park. Getting a braclet put on us added to the whole local carinval feel that I experienced by the traveling carnivals that came through my area as a kid.
So we enter the park and the first thing we saw was The Hawg. It's position in the park isn't ideal in my opinion. It would be nice if they were to put up some shade for those waiting in line. The ride was awesome and a very unique expeirence. I think we rode this about four times.
Before we got any rides we walked around the entire park. It has tons of rides for little kids. It has an arcade room. A boat that gives you a tour of the surrounding area. Just tons of carnival rides. Their ski-line takes you from one end of the park to the other. I'm afraid of stationary heights, so when the ski line stopped for a few minutes a feeling of sheer terror almost overcame my cousin and I. Weird as being up 200 feet on a coaster doesn't really phase us.
We rode Cornball Express ( 7 ) times and Hurricane Hoosier ( 5 ) times. After I rode the Cornball Express I told my cousin, "That was awesome, but I think Hellcat (at TimberFalls Adventure Park) is better". Cornball Express was a great ride, but I don't understand how it was ever ranked the # 1 wooden roller coaster by this site in 2002. Maybe the ride experience was different or newer back then.
The first two times I rode the Hurricane Hoosier it was rough. I was on the right side both times. It wasn't until I rode on the left side that the entire riding experience changed. It was then that I thought to myself Hurricane Hoosier is at the very least as good of a coaster as Cornball Express if not better.
One would expect since it was the 4th of July the park would be packed. It wasn't when it opened. Slowly people began to come in the park. By night there were thousands of people in the park standing on the boardwalk enjoying the fireworks. Even when all these people came in the lines for the Cornball Express and Hurricane Hoosier were nearly non-existent. The longest we had to wait was ( 3 ) rides to get on either coaster. Most of the time it was just get off and wait ( 1 ) time to get back on.
Riding Hurrican Hoosier at night with thousands of people below us with fireworks going off was an awesome experience I will never forget. I am a huge wooden roller coaster fan and both of their wooden roller coasters are great. I have never seen such a beautiful set up with wooden roller coasters that go through each other and are on a beach like this before.
I hear Hurricane Hoosier is down. I would like to go again, but if this ride is down for the rest of the year I will probably wait until next year.
Overall I think the value you receive at Indiana Beach is excellent. I would highly recommend others go to check out this park.