Holiday World is located in Santa Claus, Indiana. It’s pretty much in the middle of nowheresville. As a friend of mine commented, you’re pretty much driving in the middle of nowhere and lo and behold a roller coaster.
Holiday World’s novelty is the free drink oasises throughout the park. Step right up and get yourself a refreshing glass of Pepsi or some other Pepsico drink. This novelty ran its course by midafternoon when we all discovered that on cloudy days, thirst isn’t our main concern. Still, I think if they were smart, they’d give away free drinks, then charge for bathroom use.
Surfing Safari, as they call it, is the waterpark. Plenty of slides to the calibur of Schlitterbahn – the best water park I’ve been to. Many of Safari’s slides are fully enclosed and sometimes completely dark inside. Luckily the water was semi warm in an otherwise cool summer day (cool being mid 80s).
Holiday World’s problem is its lack of roller coasters. Bascially they have 2 good rides – the Raven and the Legend. The Raven was designed by the same person who designed King’s Island “Beast,” but unfortunately it isn’t as good as the Beast. The Legend is a bit longer and has that “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” feel to it.
Holiday World can be seen within one day at the most. I couldn’t imagine spending a 2nd day there. Build some more roller coasters and you’ll have me hooked…sorta. The overwhelming feeling I got when I was there was how badly Nashville needed Opryland, and how lame it was that Opryland had to close for that giant eyesore of a mall.
I was glad I went. It was good to spend a day with friends who I don’t get to see that often. We all decided that Holiday World was a “good” theme park. Not jump up and down write home to your parents type good. Just good. It’s not something that I’d want to go to EVERY year. Kentucky Kingdom has more to do, just poorly designed.
In and around Santa Claus, Indiana, there are plenty of oil pumps. I never knew there was oil in the Indiana hills. There’s also some kinda of steel plant right outside of Owensboro, cleverly disguised as a nuclear power plant. Also, while we were driving back on the Hatcher freeway, we stopped in or around Morgantown. A Pamida store was nearby. Pamida’s owners make it a point never to build in a town that already has a Walmart. This is because they’d surely be put out of business by the ghost of Sam Walton.
I’ve never been inside of a Pamida. I’m told that it is a small Walmart, just more expensive. Can you develop film there? If not, Scottsville earnestly needs a film developing shop because somehow people aimlessly drive to the Bowling Green Walmart to get their film developed…..or to Lafayette like me. In fact Scottsvillians are constantly driving to BG as if to find civilization or because they reason to themselves “There’s nothing to do here.” Kinda like how we in Mt. Juliet constantly drive to Hermitage or Rivergate to get to our favorite restaurant/retail outlet.