Holiday WorldLocation: Santa Claus, IN
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In a town called Santa Claus, you would think Santa would be there, but this is not the case. At least, not at first anyway. Soon that would all change. A small park in a tiny town would turn into one of the best known parks all over the world. With two amusement parks in Indiana, it's clear there is certainly more than just corn in Indiana.
When families would come down to Santa Claus, IN only to find out Santa wasn't there, it gave Louis J. Koch an idea. On August 3, 1946, Santa Claus Land first opened to the public. With a place to meet Santa, a restaurant, a toy shop, and some children's themed rides, this park seemed to have everything for the younger crowd. However, as the years went by the park began to cater to the whole family, and not just the children. With the addition of a Halloween and 4th of July section in 1984, the park outgrew the Santa Claus Land name and formally changed the park’s name to Holiday World. With Will Knoch at the helm as park president, he wanted take the park in a whole new direction. In 1993 came a big splash to the park with the opening of Splashin' Safari. If that wasn't enough , Will had something up his sleeve that made everyone say "Wow". The Raven opened on May 6, 1995, and was built by Custom Coasters. The out of control feeling through the woods, and around the lake had people yelling "Never more" but in a good way. With one top wooden coaster, what was Holiday World going to do to top that? Build another wooden coaster of course! With the year 2000 came The Legend which was also built by Custom Coasters. With a wild race to end of the track, you'll be popping out and slamming to the side of your seat to get back to the schoolhouse before the Headless Horseman can catch you. In 2006 came a new holiday themed area, Thanksgiving, and a monster of a ride. Gravity Group took charge of building the massive Voyage which opened on May 6 of the same year. The Voyage is more than just that, but a journey of the mind and body, and all hope the two come back together when you return into the station. The Howler, a kiddie coaster was built in 1999, by Zamperla for the little ones so they could work their way up to the other big three coasters. A wet thrill came in 2009 with an Intamin built ride. However, it wasn't your ordinary a shoot to chutes ride, it was massive one with an elevator type lift named Pilgrims Plunge. The name was recently changed in 2012 to Giraffica to fit in better with it's surrounding themed area. As the years went by a major focus was placed on the water park Splashin' Safari. Recent additions have included Wildebeast in 2010, and Mammoth in 2012 which launched a new bred of water coasters that blew the rest of the competition out of the water. They have also added a slew of new slides and family play areas. Only time will tell what is next around the corner for a Holiday World. With free parking, and soft drinks, these are a few special things to enjoy there. As a family park, which is ran by the Knoch family, you can always be sure that you will feel like a member of their family while you are enjoying your day. |
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