Holiday World Trip Help!

[PaulZ]

Hey guys I'm expecting some of you to have been to the park Holiday World. I'm going next Sunday and I have no idea what to expect. Will it be crowded, where's the best place to sit for the best rides, best place to eat, will I be able to do the park in a day?

[spaceace12]

It can possibly be crowded, but not early in the morning. As for best seats, it depends on what you like. Raven, back seat provides nice air and front has nice views. Legend, it can be rough, depending on what you consider rough. On the air hill after the turn around, the back seat rocks. Voyage, you have to ride both front and back. Front has an awesome, smooth ride. Back seat has nice ejector air, but can be a bit rough depending on your definition of rough. I personally can ride all the coasters there without calling it rough, but I don't consider Voyage being able to re ride more than twice without a break. Others have done it 20 times in a row. If you just do things in the dry park, def. do able in a day. If you do the water park, it can be done in a day without re riding the coasters.

[DBru]

YES! Finally there is a use for "Daniel's Guide to Holiday World!"

 

Before posting my guide, let me simply answer your questions first. Sunday will most likely be crowded (depending on the weather), but you will easily be able to do everything in HW and SS in a day, including re-rides on most everything you'd like. Ride in the back seats on all of the coasters, plus the front on The Voyage. The best places to eat in Holiday World are Kringle's Kafe (located near the front of the park in the Christmas section) for some of the most delicious pizza and cheese fries ever, and The Alimo (located in the 4th of July section of the park) if you like Mexican food.

 

Below is a detailed description of the best way to plan your day at the park.

 

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Holiday World is a medium-sized park in the quaint little town of Santa Claus, IN. Besides a small memorial for Abraham Lincoln and a new Candy Shop, the park is pretty much the only thing around. The Koch's own most of the land around there, meaning plenty of room for park expansion.

 

When arriving at the park you will be directed Left or Right, into the Legend or Raven parking lots. First awesome thing you will notice; free parking!

 

After walking past the Raven, which should be testing around that time (assuming you get to the park at least 10 minutes before opening; which I'd suggest trying to do), you will find yourself at the ticket booths. General admission is around $40. Steep for this size of a park, but may I remind you, this price includes FREE admission to the waterpark, FREE parking, FREE sunscreen, FREE inner-tubes, and FREE unlimited soft drinks!

 

Enter the park and stand in line at the entrance to the Halloween section. When the ribbon is cut, walk at a swift pace all the way down to Thanksgiving and the Voyage. Make sure the hit the very front seat first, for that line gets to be much longer than any other seat as the day goes on. After your awesome ride, circle back down and around and get in line again for the very back seat. After almost 100 rides on this TGG masterpiece, I can assure you that the back seat will give you one of the most INSANE, force-filled journeys of your entire life! I won't go into detail, but the first drop and triple-down are two of the best elements found on a wooden coaster anywhere.

 

After a few more trips on the Voyage, grab a ride on Gobbler Getaway. This line gets longer at the end of the day, and while it's a fun little dark ride, it's not worth a long wait. Now head a bit farther up the hill to Pilgrims Plunge. Ride this a couple times, as you never know when it will go down...

 

Around this time, Splashin' Safari, one of the best water parks in the country, will open. Run down there (using the new pathway under the Voyage) to get a locker, change, and make your way to all of the major slides, starting with Bakuli. Lines shouldn't build up just yet, but prepare yourself, they will come. After a lap on Bakuli, Zinga, and Zoombabwe, do what you please in the giant waterpark until around 1:15. Get changed and exit the waterpark by 1:30, heading up to Kringle's Kafe. As everyone piles into Splashin' Safari, Holiday World slowly begins to empty. The Kafe serves some of the best pizza and cheese fries I've ever eaten, at incredibly reasonable prices. The amount you pay for one meal at Six Flags will feed a whole family here. Grab a free soft drink, and relax for a bit. There's no rush; lines should be shortening right now.

 

After finishing your food, exit towards the entrance to the park, and veer off for a quick stop in Santa Claus Land (kiddie area). Back in the far corner is a Moser Spring Ride called Reindeer Games. Though small, looks can be deceiving. This is an incredibly fun ride for the whole family. You are never too old to have fun!

 

Next up is Raven. By now the wait should be no longer than 10 minutes with one train, or a walk-on if running two trains. Don't waste your time in the front seat. Plant yourself in the back seat, and get ready for one wild ride. While Raven isn't very long, it's very smooth, and the layout seems to get better and better every time you ride it! The notorious 'fifth drop' into the ravine is incredible, and is definitely a major reason that this CCI woodie held a #1 spot for many years.

 

After a few rides on Raven, head farther down into Halloween for The Legend. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Legend. If you sit in the back seat, there are a few pops of airtime, but the insane lateral forces make you forget about those. I don't understand it...did CCI just forget to bank the track? I can understand that woodies are supposed to give you an 'out-of-control' sensation, but this is pretty ridiculous. Painfully ridiculous. Luckily, the Legend received a good amount of trackwork done to the double-helix over the off season, so it is running smoother than it has in the past.

 

Exit the Legend and turn right, making your way down to Frightful Falls, a nice log flume with a concrete trough. Nothing too special, but the tunnel at the beginning is unique, and the final drop gets my stomach every time. Make sure to strike a pose for the camera on the way down!

 

From here on out, the order of rides to reach doesn't really matter. Lines are consistently pretty low for the other rides. Don't miss Raging Rapids, Liberty Launch, or the Turkey Whirl. Liberty Launch is running a pretty tame program this year, but it's still pretty fun. Oh, and there is another credit back in Hol-i-Dog Town if you feel like shamelessly increasing your coaster count (like I am ). Yes, Holiday World DOES have a steel coaster.

 

Make sure to stay at the park till closing, and try to get a dark ride at the end of the night on The Voyage. While rare (because the park tends to close early), these are truly amazing experiences, and well worth waiting the entire afternoon for!

 

Holiday World is a very fun amusement park, and is definitely one of the most 'family-friendly' parks you can find. The staff is nice, and I doubt you'll find a single piece of litter on the midways. This place really is fun, so I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself. Have a great trip!

[FeelTheFORCE]

^ That's an awesome guide! I'm planning on going to HW a week from today and that helps a LOT! Thanks!

 

I'm hoping the weather holds up. *knocks on wood*

[Emiroo]

^^ Excellent guide. Though you really need to mention the Plymouth Rock Cafe in there. It's a toss up between that and Kringle's as the best place to eat. (Though I would send first-timers to Kringles first.) A shout-out to the fudge shop would also be great.

 

But again, a spot-on analysis.