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Holiday World started out as a small family park in 1946, under the guise Santa Claus Land and only with a few attractions. Then in the ???80s, the Koch family had an amazing idea to rename the park to Holiday World and represent MORE holidays than just Christmas. And so they began building larger rides, such as the Raging Rapids and a Zyklon cred. Then in 1995 they partnered with CCI to build the Raven, the pioneer of the ???small park + medium wooden coaster = large success??? method. Coaster enthusiasts everywhere flocked to the tiny park to ride the #1 wooden coaster at the time. And so the waterpark, Splashin??? Safari, opened. Then in 2000 The Legend was built, which is a second larger wooden coaster to accompany the nearby Raven in Halloween area. To celebrate 60 years of bringing the holidays to life, Holiday World opened the Thanksgiving area. The marquee attraction is my #1 coaster of all time, The Voyage, alongside the Gobbler Getaway??? a must do cheeky and quirky shooter dark ride??? and the infamous Pilgrim???s Plunge opened 3 years later. Then in 2015 came Thunderbird, the first launched wing coaster in America. Meanwhile over at good ol??? Safari the waterpark has been expanding nearly each and every year, and has grown to be one of the best in America (I agree with this statement 100%). Most recently came a relocated vintage flat ride, Firecracker, in the 4th Of July section.
WHAT TO DO, HOW LONG TO STAY, TIPS AND TRICKS
Holiday World looks like a small park but it feels very big. The further down the valley you go (Yes, Voyage & Thunderbird are on the bottom whereas Raven & Legend are in the middle and the park entry is at the top... it surprised me too) the more spread out the park gets. There???s a long path to Thunderbird from The Voyage that I wish they???d put some rides around that is worth mentioning. Must do???s at Holiday World are;
The Voyage??? Obviously, the second longest wooden coaster in the world as well as one of the tallest and fastest. It features THREE 90 degree overbanked turns, an insane amount of airtime and brutal laterals. This is not for the faint of heart as it will jostle you around a lot, but if you have low nausea tolerance ride in the front of each car (Odd rows, like 1 3 5 7 9 etc).
Gobbler Getaway??? Right across the path from The Voyage???s entry, this charming dark ride is like Boo Blasters but actually good and engaging. The ending has a hilarious plot twist, the ride is great fun, and it all has Air Conditioning!
Thunderbird??? This is a great ride to calm down on, as it???s the one smooth coaster in the park. All three of the woodies will jerk you around, bounce, and bump but Thunderbird will relieve your headaches. At Holiwood Nights, Matt (the manager of Holiday World) recommended for me to ride in the front row, left edge, and I can say that it is AMAZING!
The Legend??? Located close to the Raven, this is a thrilling coaster that is best ridden in the front. In any other row I found it unbearably rough but in the front this coaster is absolutely incredible! One standing airtime moment (Phoenix level minus the buzzbars) combined with the crazy laterals of the double helix make this a top ten wooden coaster for me.
The Raven??? The coaster that catapulted Holiday World to fame. It???s the closest coaster to the park entry and its lift literally rubs right up against the front gate. Personally I found this to be rough and not very enjoyable, but I???ve heard others praise this coaster. It is known for its turn over Lake Rudolph, which is an iconic and picturesque moment.
Other stuff worth doing are the antique cars, river rapids, log flume, and train ride that circles Holidog???s Funtown (kids area). This park has very reasonable prices, and you can go for two days for just $75 OVERALL! Whereas most Six Flags/Cedar Fair parks will charge you for $12 burgers & fries, Holiday World???s are of higher quality and cost less. They offer a much more diverse selection of food options pertaining to the holiday themes, as well as fairly priced and unique merchandise. If you plan on staying for more than a day (Which I reccommend you do, if you plan on doing the waterpark and themepark which are both included in one admission price), the reasonable Santa???s Lodge just down the street offers activities like ziplining, free indoor and outdoor pools, as well as a buffet??? all with views of Holiday World! Thus ends this review of my second favorite amusement park, just marginally behind Knoebels.
I was not hired by Holiday World to write this
