I took a trip to Santa Claus, Indiana at the beginning of June and guess what I did? I celebrated the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all in the same day – and I wasn’t the only person to do so! I was really fortunate to get an expense-paid trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana to check out their roller coasters, water slides, and celebrate their 70th anniversary, and I even got to bring my husband along.
Holiday World is an amusement park that is big on holidays (hence the name). When you first walk in, you’re in Christmas where everything is Christmas themed and you hear Christmas carols over the speaker system. You can visit with Santa Claus, eat in Mrs. Claus’ kitchen (she makes the most delicious fudge!), and shop for gifts.
The next area of the park that you’ll come across is the Fourth of July. Patriotic music plays from the speakers, everything is decked out in red, white, and blue, and you can even get a cone of blue ice cream. If you aren’t big on rides, you’ll like that they have a covered stage show several times a day, with each show being a little different. There is also an incredible Dive Show where divers perform different dive styles from all different heights. One diver even lights herself on fire! Rides here are patriotic themed, such as the Liberty Launch and the Star Spangled Carousel. My personal favorite is Raging Rapids, a white-water rafting experience that really cools you off on a hot summer day.
Next up is Halloween. There are a couple of really cool coasters in this part of the park. The Legend is based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The most dramatic drop measures 113 feet – yikes! The Legend was renovated for the 2016 season, adding all new track, a fifth tunnel, and a new double-down element. The Raven is also in this part of the park and is one of the top-10 coasters featured in PBS’s “Great Old Amusement Parks” and The Discovery Channel’s “Wild Rides.” The track goes through the wooded hillside and over Lake Rudolph and it features a 120-foot tunnel, drops of 85 feet, and more.
Finally, Thanksgiving is the last themed land in Holiday World. You can enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner every day here – I just don’t recommend that you do it until the end of your day. 😉 I really liked riding Gobbler Getaway. This is an interactive ride in a dark building where you use laser guns to round up all the turkeys for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has two really popular roller coasters. First, The Voyage. TIME magazine has rated The Voyage the #1 Wooden Coaster in the nation. It has 24.3 seconds of zero-G, one of the steepest drops on any wooden coaster, and extreme 90-degree banking. You can also ride the Thunderbird here. This is the first launched wing coaster ever in America, taking you from 0 to 60mph in just 3.5 seconds – whoa! This coaster, like many coasters at Holiday World, goes through the hills and woods, and has several “near misses” such as chimneys, a windmill, other rides, and more.
Oh, I almost forgot – an admission ticket to Holiday World also includes admission to Splashin’ Safari – the attached water park! We spent a day here and had a lot of fun, even though like I said, I’m a HUGE chicken. We started out easy and rode around the Lazy River, but then it was time for my first ever water slide: Watubee. My knees were knocking as we climbed up the wooden staircase to the Watubee, but I saw a lot of little kids getting on so I figured it couldn’t be too bad. Once we got to the top, my husband told the staff member that it was my first water slide and to give us a good push, so the worker decided to send me down backward. I screamed the entire time. My husband said that I even said “help me” at one point but I don’t recall doing that. 😉 The other water slide that had me screaming was Otorongo. This water slide is PITCH BLACK so you have no idea when twists, turns, or drops are coming up.
Holiday World is full of little details and unique features that set it apart from other amusement parks. One of my favorite differences is that they offer free soft drinks, sports drinks, and water all throughout the park! There are lots of different drink stations where you can just grab a cup and help yourself. This helps you stay hydrated and save money where most other amusement parks charge you an arm and a leg for beverages. They also offer free sunscreen, free WiFi, and free parking. They are all about helping your family have the best time ever!
When I wasn’t celebrating or thrill seeking, I got to unwind in a beautiful cabin at nearby Lake Rudolph. Dave Lovell, the Resort Marketing Manager at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort took us on a golf cart tour of the property when we arrived and I was so blown away by how big the site is! They have options for all family sizes and all family budgets. There are 40 tent sites with water & electric, 187 full-hookup RV sites (most have paved pad and patio), plus cabins, cottages, and RVs that you can rent! There is lots to do there at the campsite without even leaving to go to Holiday World. You can cool down at Santa’s SplashDown WaterPark and Blitzen Bay pool, enjoy a round of mini golf, rent a kayak or paddle boat to take out on the lake, and more. There is also a general store, a pizza shop, an ice cream parlor, rental golf cars, and a complimentary shuttle to Holiday World!
Check out these fun facts about Lake Rudolph:
- Named a ‘Best Family Campground’ by TravelChannel.com
- Named a Top Destination RV Park in 2015 & 2016 by Good Sam RV Travel
- Voted one of the top ten favorite parks in North America in 2011 by Woodall’s readers
- Two-time National RV Park of the Year (ARVC…2004-2005 & 2008-2009)
One thing that really stuck out to me when we were taking our tour is just how much they have improved upon over the past few years. We even got to see them live in action clearing a new spot for more rental properties! It seems like they are always improving and making the guest experience better and better.
We stayed in one of Rudolph’s Christmas Cabins and it was so adorable that it made us want to sell all of our belongings and move into a tiny house. It could sleep up to 8 people between the king bedroom, the loft with 5 mattresses, and the couch. We loved spending time out on the covered porch with the grill and a big picnic table. We stopped at a grocery store on our way up and bought meat to grill out with and it was delicious! One night we were out on our covered patio playing some board games when we here some cheering and some air horns. It was dark out, but all of a sudden we saw a parade of probably 30 or 40 golf carts go by, each decorated a different way. I’m not really sure how they organized such an event but it was pretty neat to see so many people coming together and having a blast!
If you’re within driving distance of Santa Claus, Indiana and are looking for a nice getaway that the entire family can enjoy, I seriously recommend spending some time at Holiday World and Lake Rudolph!
Leave a Reply