Last summer I took the short drive just 5 hours from Memphis, Tennessee to visit Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana for the first time ever! It was a short, easy drive, and I took Leighton, 9, and Grayson, 3, with me. Not only idd I have a blast, but the kids did too. They have raved nonstop about Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari ever since getting back, and I have too! The amusement park is HUGE and has so much to offer no matter you’re age. And if that wasn’t enough, they even have a waterpark inside the amusement park too! You can learn more about HolidayWorld here, and make sure you check out the HoliBlog here.
We spent 2 full days at the park, and we still could have spent even more time. There was just SO much fun to be had! We spent the first half of the first day exploring all that the amusement park had to offer, grabbed iced coffees, lunch and some sweet treats and then even did a fun little shopping at the gift shops. The second half of the day, we cooled down at the water park! And the second day we went back to the amusement park to ride even more roller coasters. We got our coaster fix in, and now I’m going to share some of our favorite rides and slides throughout the park that you’ll want to make sure to add to your list too!
Doggone Trail – Hop aboard the Jeep ride and take a couple of laps around the Doggone Trail. It weaves through the woods and is a nice way to cool off on a warm afternoon too! We all loved this ride, and it is definitely great for people of all ages.
Reindeer Games – This fun ride lifts up to the rop and then quickly drops down! It repeats over and over, and you just never know when or how much it will drop. Both of my kids loved this one a lot!
Tippecanoes – Sit in your canoe and enjoy this relaxing, gentle ride along the water. Grayson loved getting to ride in his own little canoe on this ride!
Prancer’s Merry-Go-Round – This child-sized merry-go-round is perfect for little ones who want to try out a smaller ride before riding the larger Star Spangled Carousel. It is located in Rudolph’s Reindeer Ranch in the Christmas section. Grayson could have ridden this one all day!
Now we are onto the roller coasters! This was definitely our favorite part of our visit – getting to ride so many fun and thrilling coasters!
The Legend Wooden Roller Coaster – The most dramatic drops measure 113 feet, 77 feet, and 64 feet (the 77-foot drop features the world’s first spiral drop). The double helix throws riders from side to side and the disorienting finish. This ride seems to just go on and on forever, and it was my favorite ride hands down! Such a fun roller coaster!
Good Gravy! Family Coaster – This ride quickly sky rockets out and then goes backwards in reverse. I love that is a family friendly coaster for everyone. Grayson absolutely loved it and made us ride twice. We all loved it and would have ridden it all day if we could!
The Voyage Wooden Roller Coaster – The Voyage is 1.2 miles long, placing it among the planet’s top two longest wooden coasters. The Voyage also has three sections of extreme, 90-degree banking. Leighton and I both loved this coaster too!
Thunderbird Roller Coaster – Get ready for a fun, fast ride! Thunderbird launches riders from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. Then multiple loops, rolls, twists, and turns begin: including a 14-story Immelmann loop, Zero-g roll, barrel roll, and the tallest vertical loop on any wing coaster! This was Leighton’s favorite coaster by far!
The Raven Wooden Roller Coaster – The Raven wooden roller coaster flies wildly through the thickly wooded hillside of Holiday World’s Halloween section. Although it’s not the tallest or longest coaster at Holiday World, it is a fan favorite for its low swoop over Lake Rudolph, surprise fifth drop and extreme finish. The coaster features a 120-foot tunnel, drops of 85 and 61 feet. This was the first coaster Leighton and I rode, and it was such a fun one to start our morning with!
Magic Waters splash pad is located within Holidog’s FunTown in the 4th of July section and is a great way to cool down while having plenty of fun within the amusement park.
Now we are onto the Splashin’ Safari! This was the perfect time of the day to relax in the water and cool down! We loved it all, but I’m sharing some of our favorites!
Jungle Racer – Jungle Racer is a five-story-tall complex of 10 racing water slides. Racers ride on toboggan-style foam mats in individual lanes and compete to be the first to cross the finish line. With 10 lanes, you can compete against all your friends and family to see who finishes first!
Mammoth Water Coaster – This Coaster was absolutely incredible! Leighton and I rode it together, and it was a blast! You get pulled along a large float in the water on this coaster. And you get sprayed along the way too! This ride keeps going and going, and it was my favorite ride here!
ZOOMBabwe – This is the World’s Largest Enclosed Waterslide. An in-the-dark thrill ride, ZOOMbabwe transports families down 10 stories with steep drops, fast back-and-forth action, banked curves, and a huge splash back into the sunlight. Nearly 900-feet long, the purple ZOOMbabwe provides unexpected twists, sudden drops and the thrill of riding in complete darkness. This water slide was an absolute blast! You will definitely want to add it to your list!
Bahari Wave Pool is a giant family wave pool with geysers, sprays, and jets. It makes waves for 10 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of no waves. This is the perfect way to relax, have some fun and cool over together with the family!
You could visit Holiday World for an entire week and still have a blast trying out new rides! We cannot wait to come back again soon to add even more rides to our list of favorites? Which are your favorite rides at Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari?
