Of the roller coasters in Indiana, most of them are at Holiday World in Santa Claus. And they are some of the world’s best wooden coasters! This is a great park, and incredibly friendly. There’s also another roller coaster option at a lakeside park, and a nice-looking zoo. (As always, check hours and prices online before your visit.)
As always, you can click on the coaster name below for a video of each ride! Ride all the roller coasters in Indiana from your sofa! (Plus some water coasters too!)
Holiday World
Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN, takes the town’s holiday theme and kicks it up several notches with lands themed to Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and the 4th of July. You’ll find the best wooden coasters in the country in those lands: The Voyage, The Raven, and The Legend. There’s also America’s only launched wing coaster, the Thunderbird steel coaster, which weaves around the track of The Voyage. A kid’s coaster, the Howler, completes the coaster options in the park.
Other rides include high swings, regular swings, a log flume, a turkey-themed laster-shooter dark ride, river rapids, a train, and several spinning rides, and kid’s rides. A large part of the park is a water park with THREE water coasters – more on that below.
Tickets
Included with every admission are free soft drinks, parking, sunscreen, free wifi. Tickets cost $70 at the gate, $63 for an online ticket good any day, or save more by choosing your date in advance, anywhere from $6-30 off gate admission. They also sell 2- and 3-day tickets, good for any days inside a 7-day period (so they don’t have to be consecutive days.) Two days is $85 and three is $100.
Indiana Beach
Indiana Beach in Monticello is located on a peninsula jutting into Lake Shafer on the Tippecanoe River. This park has six roller coasters – and a 7th one on the way – but I rank it below Holiday World because their coasters look a bit less thrilling. (It’s hard to compete against The Voyage.) Two wooden coasters, the Hoosier Hurricane and the Cornball Express zip riders around the boardwalk. Steel Hawg, Cyclone, and Tig’rr are compact steel coasters with single-car trains. The Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain is a goofy mine train in and out of a mountain, with an elevator lift and weird cage-like cars where riders face each other! Opening soon is a transplanted Schwartzkopf coaster called All American Triple Loop.
There are several flat rides, including swings out over the water, two dark rides, loads of kid’s rides, a train, a sky ride, and the Shafer Queen paddle wheeler to take you around the lake. There’s also an attached water park. Tickets cost $40 and under (though you pay an extra $1 for buying online.) There is one free parking lot and one paid lot, so it pays to get there early!
Indianapolis Zoo
At the Indianapolis Zoo, you’ll find the Kōmbo Family Coaster, a jeep-themed ride. There’s also a gondola ride, a train, a carousel, and animal feedings for giraffes, lorikeets, and flamingos (subject to availability.) Each attraction costs $3.50, or $14 to do them all. That’s in addition to your zoo admission, of course, which can cost from $25-33 depending on the day. (I.e, Saturdays are the most expensive, Wednesdays are the least.) Note that the roller coaster is open from mid-March through October. Parking is $10.
Attractions in the zoo itself include a large botanical garden, a dolphin presentation and underwater viewing dome, a shark touch-tank, and 320 different species on display. Parking costs $8.
Paige’s Crossing
Paige’s Crossing in Columbia City sports go-karts, mini-golf, batting cages, an arcade, a driving range, and a small array of rides, including the fun Runaway Train Coaster for kids. Three other rides are also pretty much for kids, plus a climbing wall. Each ride costs $4 each. During the summers, they offer “wristband mania” Monday-Thursday that costs $20 for 2 hours of unlimited rides, mini-golf, go-karts, and batting cages.
Harvest Tyme Family Farm
Harvest Tyme Family Farm in Lowell has expanded its operations from just a fall pumpkin patch to “seasons” almost all year. Dino Tyme runs from May-June, Unicorn Tyme is August-September, a Sunflower Festival is two weekends in September, Wizard of Oz weekend is mid-September, the Fall Pumpkin Festival and nighttime Pumpkin Glow Trail is late September-late October, and Christmas Tyme Lights is Thanksgiving-Christmas.
As part of periodic festivities, there are 10 attractions for kids, including a Miner Mike kid’s roller coaster. Each festival has its own games, shows, and activities besides the rides. Tickets vary per festival. For instance, Dino Tyme is $25 per person, while Unicorn Tyme is $17. I expect fall is their most popular and expensive period, and I can’t tell if rides are extra. Parking is free, however.
Lark Ranch
Lark Ranch in Loogootee in southern Indiana has a fall festival with several attractions, including a kid’s coaster called the Jett Star. Otherwise, they have hayrides, a pumpkin patch, a train, slides, cool life-size birdhouses to walk around, a corn maze, et al. Tickets cost around $15 (maybe – they aren’t posted at this time) and parking is free.
Malibu Jack’s
There is a Malibu Jack’s arcade franchise in LaFayette, which includes a spinning figure-8 family coaster called Twist-n-Shout. Otherwise, there is the usual go-karts, bowling, mini-golf, laser tag, and other rides and games. All attractions are priced individually and you purchase a card with points to use at each one. The coaster is $5 to ride.
Water Parks in Indiana
As always, there are more water parks than I would expect in Indiana! The biggest is Splashin’ Safari at Holiday World, but there’s also Deep River Water Park in the northern part of the state.
- Splashin’ Safari at Holiday World boasts THREE water coasters, two of which are the longest in the world! The newest one, Cheetah Chase, is a launched, DUELING water coaster, Mammoth is huge and wide, and Wildebeest is routinely voted the #1 water park ride on the planet. There are 8 more “regular” slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and three kid’s areas, including a junior wave pool! The water park is included in regular park admission, $40-70. Parking is free, and so is sunscreen and drinks.
- Deep River Water Park in Merrillville (near Gary/the metro Chicago area) features 11 slides, a wave pool, TWO lazy rivers, and two kid’s play areas. Admission is $40 during the week and $42 on weekends with certain discounts, including if you’re an Indiana resident. Parking is free.
- Indiana Beach includes 7 waters slides, a lazy river, and a splash pad kid’s area. There’s no wave pool, but there is some sort of clorinated beach pool. Included in park admission, $40 and under.
- Big Splash Adventure in French Lick is an indoor waterpark resort, but they allow day guests for $25 and under. Inside, you’ll find 4 slides, a lazy river, an adults-only hot tub, an outdoor zero-entry pool, and two kid’s areas.
- Freedom Springs in Greenwood has 4 slides, a lazy river, a lap pool, and a kid’s area. Day rates are $12 and under for non-residents.
- Splash Island Water Park in Plainfield (on the outskirts of Indianapolis) features 3 slides, a lazy river with an optional wetter track, a lap pool, a diving well with springboards, and a kid’s play area. Day passes are $13 and under.
- The Waterpark in Carmel has 3 slides, a Flowrider, a lazy river, a lap pool, and a climbing wall. Daily admission is $16 and under.
- Splash House in Marion has 3 slides, a lazy river, a surfable wave pool, a splash tower, and a whirlpool. Prices are $8 and under – make sure to check before you go, they close a lot for the weather.
- The Prophetstown State Park Aquatic Center near Lafayette has 2 slides, a lazy river with an “adventure channel”, and a zero-entry pool with a play structure. Admission is $5.
- Tropicanoe Cove in Lafayette has at least 2 slides and a lazy river. Other than that, it’s hard to tell! Day passes are $10 and under.
- Abe Martin Lodge in Brown County State Park in Nashville has a small indoor water area with 1 slide, lazy river, volleyball & basketball, a whirlpool, and a waterfall. Passes for the public are $15.
Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below!
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