On our journey of exploring some of the best theme parks in the United States, we are taking a stop at the jolliest theme park, Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari. Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari are a theme park/water park duo that are located in Santa Claus, Indiana.
Holiday World originally opened in 1946 and is themed around US holidays. The park includes four lands: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and Christmas. Splashin’ Safari is, as you might have guessed, safari themed and features dozens of water rides named after animals and Swahili words. It might be one of, if not the best, water parks in the country.
You are granted access to both parks with the purchase of admission, and it is very easy to move from one park to the other. Holiday World and Spashin’ Safari offer free drinks (soft drinks and water), free parking, and free sunscreen.
Celebration Worthy Rides, Slides, and Attractions
Holiday World has five roller coasters including 3 wooden coasters, a steel Wing coaster, and a kiddie coaster. The first two coasters, Raven and The Legend are located in the Halloween area of the park and are themed around Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven and The Legend of Sleepy Hallow. These are both solid wooden coasters.
Raven is exceptionally fast and twisty for its smaller size, and The Legend zips through the trees and multiple tunnels. However, The Voyage, located in the park’s Thanksgiving area, is the king of these wooden coasters. The tallest of the three, and the longest (second longest in the world), The Voyage stands as one of the best wooden roller coasters in the country. It boasts over 20 seconds of airtime and five underground tunnels. Thunderbird is a steel behemoth. This launched Wing coaster hits speeds of 60 miles per hour and includes the largest vertical loop for a Wing coaster.
Holiday World also features many other attractions. They have a vast selection of family rides including two water rides. You can also check out one of their live entertainment offerings. Guests of all ages can be marveled by Dive! This comedy and diving show includes talented divers who will have you on the edge of your seat with dives from 80 feet high. One diver is even lit on fire! You can also check out the Hoosier Celebration Theater for a variety of different shows that vary by day. And children are sure to love Santa’s Storytime featuring the jolly old man himself.
Splashin’ Safari is by far the best waterpark I have personally ever been to. It offers three water coasters including the newest dueling water coaster, Cheetah Chase. It also has several other large tube slides such as bowl slide Bakuli, nearly pitch-black Otorongo, and funnel slide Zinga. If slides aren’t what you are looking for, you can float on by in the lazy river. If you are looking for a little more excitement than that, there are two wave pools to enjoy. For smaller children, they have a large SplashLand that has smaller slides, shallow water, and fun water features.
Thinking of visiting? Here are our top tips for your visit…
Tips for Your Next Visit
When writing this article, I had the opportunity to actually visit Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari and experience the park firsthand. I had been to Holiday World and Spashin’ Safari in the past but wanted to share some tips if you are looking to visit soon.
First, I noticed that Holiday World is busiest in the morning and Splashin’ Safari is busiest in the afternoon. If you choose to get into Spashin’ Safari right when it opens in the morning, and head into Holiday World later in the afternoon, you may find that wait times are lower. Wait times for nearly all the slides in Splashin’ Safari were at 40 minutes or longer during the mid-afternoon, but at that same time one of the water rides in Holiday World had no wait and we were able to stay on for a second ride.
Second, Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari do not post expected wait times. They do have some “from this point” signs posted in the queues, but you’re going to have to use your judgment when entering a ride or slide queue. For example, the water coaster Mammoth had a “1 Hour from This Point” sign posted at the entrance and the line was still a bit shorter than that, so we estimated a shorter wait, but we ended up waiting over 50 minutes.
Additionally, the free drinks were self-serve at many locations throughout the park which was very convenient, and the free parking is a perk that hardly any other parks offer. Be sure to check out weight limits and minimum weights on the water slides at Splashin’ Safari, especially if you are planning to ride with children. We were unable to ride a couple of the slides because we did not reach the minimum weight needed. Some slides will add in single riders to reach the weight, but some do not. Also, if you have children, be sure to stop by the Height Measurement Station to have them measured once and know before getting in line for an attraction if they are tall enough to ride.
Finally, if you rent a Cabana or Lounger at Splashin’ Safari, be sure to head straight to guest services right upon entering the water park to get your wristbands. We did not realize that the wristbands were not picked up where the loungers are located and had to walk all the way back to guest services.
Have you ever been to Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.
