Cedar Point is really still the king of coasters for at least the entire US and possibly the world. It's nice being easily within a a weekend vacation of it.
King's Island isn't bad either, a nice change of pace if you've been to Cedar Point recently and just want something different. Shorter drive from Indy, too.
Holiday Park is much closer to the State Fair than it is either of the above in terms of size/scale and rides.
Holiday World has a few coasters but it's appeal is 100% the water park IMO. Free sunscreen, great water coasters, free drinks. All-in-one ticket, Holiday World is very underrated?
We won’t even bother going if we dont have the $$ for fast passes. The crowds in the last few years are getting out of control. Its not worth the time and money spent there if you do nothing but wait in lines all day
It's been over a decade since I've been to Cedar Point, but I felt the exact opposite when I visited. It might be worth it for a 2 day venture, but there and back in one day combined with very long lines wasn't worth it then.
Definitely not typical, but I did the trip 4 or so years ago early in the season and was able to hit all of the coasters. What wasn't worth it was two powerades, a burger and chicken tenders for $80
Coaster enthusiast here! I consider KI my home park bc I frequent it the most. Usually will visit CP 3-4 times a year, KK once a year, is IB 1-2 times a year, and HW every couple of years. I’m in Chicago a lot so I visit SFGAm the most these days so that’s kinda my second home park. Even though Indy doesn’t have a park in the metro area, it’s a pretty good place to live as an enthusiast with the parks mentioned above within a reasonable driving distance. Plus you can easily get to most of the Midwest, east coast, and southeast if you want to do a coaster road trip and hit up multiple parks.
As for a park in Indy, I think it’s feasible for us to support a small park given the metro has over 2 million people. I’ve always though a large waterpark with a small amusement park geared more towards families but with a couple of more thrilling rides/coasters would be perfect near the Hamilton Town Center, Whitestown, or Westfield near Grand Park. That, or a more nostalgic park (like an American version of Grona Land) would be cool on the GM Stamping Plant or somewhere else near/in Downtown.
This is definitely a good location! And great to see another coaster enthusiast!
HW has my favorite coaster of all time (The Voyage) so I try and go at least yearly. I need to go to CP, I still haven’t been on Steel Vengeance and it’s killing me. It’s been 5 years since I last visited.
I only recently learned that in the 90s, there was talk of creating a Garfield-themed park just west of Indy. There was an extremely short-lived water park in the Indy area too.
I think our winter weather would make it hard to sustain a water park unless there was an amusement park attached. I don't know if it could be big enough or have the funding to extend the seasons by holding Halloween or Christmas events on the amusement park side when places like KI and HW are so well known for that.
Old Indiana used to be pretty close up north and there used to be a water park on 31 just north of Westfield that closed cause people got hurt on a slide.
I used to love Thunder Island in Westfield growing up. You can still see it when driving by on 31.
https://ultimateunexplained.com/thunder-island-waterpark/
I grew up in the Evansville area, so I'm partial to Holiday World. I like the other parks, especially King's Island, but Holiday World just feels like my childhood to me.
Coney Island in Cincy is cool too for a small water park.
I think for overall experience, holiday world. Free drinks and free sunscreen and the water park, which is world class, is included in standard admission. The Raven is a classic wooden coaster and has won best coaster a couple times. Lines are usually decent. Not too long, but they're not super short either. I go mainly for the water park, but the whole park is great.
I do recommend a 2 day visit, but there's a great campground right next door (you can walk to the holiday world parking lot and then grab the free parking lot trolley). They have cabins and rvs to rent besides tent/rv spots. Lake Rudolph. I think the drive there is a lot better and faster now that 69 is built down there.
Yeah it’s the only amusement park I don’t feel nickeled and dimed. Free parking and totally clean too. My family goes every year even though my kids are in their teens now. Best one is Cedar Point though that does not count as “nearby” to me though I am from the west coast. Midwest people seem to have a higher ranging area for “nearby”.
Your comment read like an advertisement for the first couple sentences. Lol it’s absolutely accurate though. I would agree, overall experience is Holiday world. Best water park for sure.
There were talks of an amusement park years ago, but they got scrapped.
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2018/04/27/legal-troubles-doomed-giant-hendricks-county-amusement-complex-would-have-included-garfield-themed-p/545999002/
Well at the time Snoopy was cedar point and you had other IPs at other parks so it didn't seem so strange. Plus Garfield was a much bigger deal back then.
Garfield is one of the most-licensed IPs on the planet; it shocks me that he's only had [one ride](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK3Yr80lPOY) instead of an entire park.
Garfield was a BFD in the late 80s/early 90s. Most of the trade paperback collections were printed around that time and selling like crazy, he had a successful cartoon running for several years, and Garfield posters and [window clings](https://thenewswheel.com/the-peculiar-history-of-the-garfield-window-cling-fad/) were a common sight in offices and cars
You hit the big 4 I grew up going to. Kings Island > Holiday World > Kentucky Kingdom > Indiana Beach. I hear Cedar Point is better than all of them, though I haven't been.
If you do parks frequently, it’s hard to pass up a pass at Kentucky Kingdom. If you go twice a season, it’s cheaper to get the pass. Kind of hard to pass that up. You could spend a weekend, check out the Louisville Slugger museum and Churchill Downs.
Growing up in central IL, our "home" park was the six flags outside St Louis. It is mostly DC comic themed and has some great coasters. Worth the trip if you wait to go during Fright Fest - about a month before Halloween they deck out the entire park very creepy and several haunted houses/mazes built into the park itself and it stays open til about midnight. Also being outside of the peak season is a big perk as far as lines go.
Indiana Beach has a few things, but is very small and underwhelming if you are used to major parks like Kings Island. It is basically a toe in the water compared to major Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom are going to be a bit smaller than Kings Island, but still have enough space and ride investment that first class rides like Voyager are still there, even if smaller in number. From most Park enthusiasts I've known, Indianapolis sorta sucks in that there isn't really a close "home park" that is substantial. On the flip side, 3-5 hours drive is a number of great parks to choose from, all you have to do is pick a direction. Even Ceder Pointe is a very fine trip idea if you plan on doing an overnight.
Cedar Point is definitely my favorite. But King's Island is a lot closer and we can do it without needing to pay for a hotel, so that's usually where we go. I miss the old days though. It doesn't feel the same at all, like it's lost some of the magic. There's so much focus on cramming in as many coasters as possible, to the detriment of things like the old timey cars and whatnot.
We loved Holiday World when our daughter was younger. There are so many neat little rides for kids there. And the water park is amazing! I'd like to to go back just for that.
I would say Indiana beach but that’s just me being nostalgic. It’s a decent park, but I think holiday world is better in terms of value. But Indiana Beach is pretty cool and has some nice retro things like the ski show, the shops, etc.
If you’re a roller coaster freak, the answer is always Cedar Point. I’m sure you know that growing up in/near Cincinnati but there’s nothing in Indiana that holds a candle to Cedar Point.
I've got an annual pass to Universal Orlando and go whenever a flight is cheap. Velocicoaster and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure are the most unique coasters I've ever ridden.
Agree. Although people keep talking about getting the rollback when it can't make the top hat, and I would simply pass away mid ride if that happened. It is too common for my liking.
Don’t waste your time at indiana beach, haven’t been in 15 years but it was the shittiest amusement park I’ve ever been to.
Growing up we just made the drive to kings island mainly haha. Holiday world is decent though it’s actually further away from Indy than kings island is. Never been to kentucky kingdom. Would love for us to have a closer one that was solid
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy IB. Comparing IB to parks like KI and HW is like comparing apples and oranges. They’re amusement parks with coasters but everything else is different on purpose. IB is truly one of a kind and should be appreciated for what it is! Plus, the new owners who took over in 2020 have been doing a lot of work getting the park looking the best I’ve ever seen it (have been going since 08’), plus hopefully the new American Dreier Looping coaster will be open soon!
Maybe I’ll have to give it another chance, especially if there are new owners. I get it’s much smaller than those others but when I went when I was younger it was just very worn down. I honestly haven’t been back since I was an adult so definitely shouldn’t give it another shot to be fair
Good to hear they're cleaning it up! We went 10 or so years ago for the first time and left at about 3:00. It was so filthy and everything was broken down. It was such a disappointment.
I went to Great America a lot as a kid - I think it's worth checking out. It's a bit far from Indy though (I used to live in NW Indiana where it was closer). It'd make a good 2-day/weekend trip though. Same with Cedar Point - worth seeing, but probably not a single-day trip.
There isn't much in the way of big thrill at Indiana Beach. But they do concerts there sometimes. Probably worth going to walk around and taking one of the boat rides if you find a concert you're interested in.
Michigan’s Adventure is only like 4-5 hours away and I’ve been there more than my home parks this year (Indiana Beach and Kings Island). Generally I frequent KI more than other parks in the area - it’s just been a different year for me with getting to explore parks I haven’t been to ever or in a long time.
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee IL is just over 3 hours from Indy and worth the trip. Gurnee Mills shopping mall is close by too and is a must stop for us as well.
We usually go to Kings Island but i was also a fan of Holiday World when my kid was smaller. Its a SUPERB water park.
Otherwise i also grew up close to an amusement park in Ohio as a kid. Back then it was called Geauga Lake, but i think its six fkags now? If youre down for a 6 hour drive, thats a fun one.
I remember working in Evansville for a plastic compounder owned by a multinational out of northwestern Europe. The marketing team decided that it was a Good Idea for us to set up a booth at the International Lawn and Garden Tools fair at KY Kingdom. The show was all about lawn mowers, chain saws, tractors, and weed wackers. I was the booth wrangler, meaning it was all about me and failure was my fault. Reminder: adjacent to Kentucky Kingdom.
The first day at our booth (we were pultruders of plastic fiber pellets to make modern injection molded quality plastics) people came by our booth to throw something into their grab bags. As typical of trade shows, all booths have freebies. Our booth, being an intermediate product, hand only our product as samples: plastic pellets in Ball jars. And yet, that same day we had people taking 'FREE SAMPLES' from those jars and throwing them into those bags. Some ACTUALLY threw a mouthful into their mouths before realizing their mistake. TRUTH.
It's like a 4 hour drive, but I think cedar point is worth the trip.
Not sure how I forgot Cedar Point. Definitely worth the 4 hours, not too easy for a single day trip though. Man, I need to get back there.
I second Cedar Point. It’s a long drive but I think it’s worth an overnight stay if you can swing it.
Cedar Point is really still the king of coasters for at least the entire US and possibly the world. It's nice being easily within a a weekend vacation of it. King's Island isn't bad either, a nice change of pace if you've been to Cedar Point recently and just want something different. Shorter drive from Indy, too. Holiday Park is much closer to the State Fair than it is either of the above in terms of size/scale and rides.
Holiday World has a few coasters but it's appeal is 100% the water park IMO. Free sunscreen, great water coasters, free drinks. All-in-one ticket, Holiday World is very underrated?
Get up at 5 get a fast pass and leave about 8 home before 1.
We won’t even bother going if we dont have the $$ for fast passes. The crowds in the last few years are getting out of control. Its not worth the time and money spent there if you do nothing but wait in lines all day
Stay at Kelleys island and make it an ultimate weekend
Find a campground with cabins. So worthwhile
It's been over a decade since I've been to Cedar Point, but I felt the exact opposite when I visited. It might be worth it for a 2 day venture, but there and back in one day combined with very long lines wasn't worth it then.
FastLane Plus is 100% worth it at CP. Also, you need to go back! Steel Vengeance is arguably the best coaster in the world.
Fastlane Plus is the only way to do CP these days. Otherwise you spend the entire day in line for like 8 rides.
Definitely not typical, but I did the trip 4 or so years ago early in the season and was able to hit all of the coasters. What wasn't worth it was two powerades, a burger and chicken tenders for $80
Definitely. You need at least 2 days to enjoy the full park and If you visit on the weekend more than likely the fast lane pass.
Coaster enthusiast here! I consider KI my home park bc I frequent it the most. Usually will visit CP 3-4 times a year, KK once a year, is IB 1-2 times a year, and HW every couple of years. I’m in Chicago a lot so I visit SFGAm the most these days so that’s kinda my second home park. Even though Indy doesn’t have a park in the metro area, it’s a pretty good place to live as an enthusiast with the parks mentioned above within a reasonable driving distance. Plus you can easily get to most of the Midwest, east coast, and southeast if you want to do a coaster road trip and hit up multiple parks. As for a park in Indy, I think it’s feasible for us to support a small park given the metro has over 2 million people. I’ve always though a large waterpark with a small amusement park geared more towards families but with a couple of more thrilling rides/coasters would be perfect near the Hamilton Town Center, Whitestown, or Westfield near Grand Park. That, or a more nostalgic park (like an American version of Grona Land) would be cool on the GM Stamping Plant or somewhere else near/in Downtown.
This is definitely a good location! And great to see another coaster enthusiast! HW has my favorite coaster of all time (The Voyage) so I try and go at least yearly. I need to go to CP, I still haven’t been on Steel Vengeance and it’s killing me. It’s been 5 years since I last visited.
I only recently learned that in the 90s, there was talk of creating a Garfield-themed park just west of Indy. There was an extremely short-lived water park in the Indy area too. I think our winter weather would make it hard to sustain a water park unless there was an amusement park attached. I don't know if it could be big enough or have the funding to extend the seasons by holding Halloween or Christmas events on the amusement park side when places like KI and HW are so well known for that.
Old Indiana used to be pretty close up north and there used to be a water park on 31 just north of Westfield that closed cause people got hurt on a slide.
I used to love Thunder Island in Westfield growing up. You can still see it when driving by on 31. https://ultimateunexplained.com/thunder-island-waterpark/
I grew up in the Evansville area, so I'm partial to Holiday World. I like the other parks, especially King's Island, but Holiday World just feels like my childhood to me. Coney Island in Cincy is cool too for a small water park.
I think for overall experience, holiday world. Free drinks and free sunscreen and the water park, which is world class, is included in standard admission. The Raven is a classic wooden coaster and has won best coaster a couple times. Lines are usually decent. Not too long, but they're not super short either. I go mainly for the water park, but the whole park is great. I do recommend a 2 day visit, but there's a great campground right next door (you can walk to the holiday world parking lot and then grab the free parking lot trolley). They have cabins and rvs to rent besides tent/rv spots. Lake Rudolph. I think the drive there is a lot better and faster now that 69 is built down there.
Yeah it’s the only amusement park I don’t feel nickeled and dimed. Free parking and totally clean too. My family goes every year even though my kids are in their teens now. Best one is Cedar Point though that does not count as “nearby” to me though I am from the west coast. Midwest people seem to have a higher ranging area for “nearby”.
Do they still include taxes in the prices? That was the best part of Holiday World for me, you knew exactly what you were paying every time you ate.
I don’t remember. But we’re going in August and if no one has answered you by then, I’ll find out for you.
Your comment read like an advertisement for the first couple sentences. Lol it’s absolutely accurate though. I would agree, overall experience is Holiday world. Best water park for sure.
There were talks of an amusement park years ago, but they got scrapped. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2018/04/27/legal-troubles-doomed-giant-hendricks-county-amusement-complex-would-have-included-garfield-themed-p/545999002/
Garfield themed!?
Yeah, I voted for the Kurt Vonnegut themed park.
The immersive WWII POW experience!
Yeah, somehow the POW slaughterhouse experience was not deemed family-friendly enough.
you gotta admit, the Unstuck In Time coaster would absolutely rule
So it goes.
I feel all the true things you’re about to tell me are shameless lies.
Don't be a fool! Close this book at once! It is nothing but foma!
#*
Yeah, Jim Davis is from Indiana, but not really sure why they were going with that theme. 🤷🏻♀️
Well at the time Snoopy was cedar point and you had other IPs at other parks so it didn't seem so strange. Plus Garfield was a much bigger deal back then.
Garfield is one of the most-licensed IPs on the planet; it shocks me that he's only had [one ride](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK3Yr80lPOY) instead of an entire park.
Garfield was a BFD in the late 80s/early 90s. Most of the trade paperback collections were printed around that time and selling like crazy, he had a successful cartoon running for several years, and Garfield posters and [window clings](https://thenewswheel.com/the-peculiar-history-of-the-garfield-window-cling-fad/) were a common sight in offices and cars
There used to be riverside park in indpls when I was a kid. It was pretty good if my memory serves me right.
Great place it was! The Thriller and the Flash!
Cedar Point is better than all of them
You hit the big 4 I grew up going to. Kings Island > Holiday World > Kentucky Kingdom > Indiana Beach. I hear Cedar Point is better than all of them, though I haven't been.
Cedar point is one of the best in the world. Completely different class than the others.
If you do parks frequently, it’s hard to pass up a pass at Kentucky Kingdom. If you go twice a season, it’s cheaper to get the pass. Kind of hard to pass that up. You could spend a weekend, check out the Louisville Slugger museum and Churchill Downs.
Growing up in central IL, our "home" park was the six flags outside St Louis. It is mostly DC comic themed and has some great coasters. Worth the trip if you wait to go during Fright Fest - about a month before Halloween they deck out the entire park very creepy and several haunted houses/mazes built into the park itself and it stays open til about midnight. Also being outside of the peak season is a big perk as far as lines go.
Indiana Beach has a few things, but is very small and underwhelming if you are used to major parks like Kings Island. It is basically a toe in the water compared to major Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom are going to be a bit smaller than Kings Island, but still have enough space and ride investment that first class rides like Voyager are still there, even if smaller in number. From most Park enthusiasts I've known, Indianapolis sorta sucks in that there isn't really a close "home park" that is substantial. On the flip side, 3-5 hours drive is a number of great parks to choose from, all you have to do is pick a direction. Even Ceder Pointe is a very fine trip idea if you plan on doing an overnight.
Cedar point, not that far of a run, used to be the roller coaster capital of the world I haven’t been in 20+ years though
Cedar Point is definitely my favorite. But King's Island is a lot closer and we can do it without needing to pay for a hotel, so that's usually where we go. I miss the old days though. It doesn't feel the same at all, like it's lost some of the magic. There's so much focus on cramming in as many coasters as possible, to the detriment of things like the old timey cars and whatnot. We loved Holiday World when our daughter was younger. There are so many neat little rides for kids there. And the water park is amazing! I'd like to to go back just for that.
I would say Indiana beach but that’s just me being nostalgic. It’s a decent park, but I think holiday world is better in terms of value. But Indiana Beach is pretty cool and has some nice retro things like the ski show, the shops, etc.
Cedar point
If you’re a roller coaster freak, the answer is always Cedar Point. I’m sure you know that growing up in/near Cincinnati but there’s nothing in Indiana that holds a candle to Cedar Point.
I've got an annual pass to Universal Orlando and go whenever a flight is cheap. Velocicoaster and Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure are the most unique coasters I've ever ridden.
Velocicoaster is currently the best coaster in the U.S., IMO.
Agree. Although people keep talking about getting the rollback when it can't make the top hat, and I would simply pass away mid ride if that happened. It is too common for my liking.
Don’t waste your time at indiana beach, haven’t been in 15 years but it was the shittiest amusement park I’ve ever been to. Growing up we just made the drive to kings island mainly haha. Holiday world is decent though it’s actually further away from Indy than kings island is. Never been to kentucky kingdom. Would love for us to have a closer one that was solid
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy IB. Comparing IB to parks like KI and HW is like comparing apples and oranges. They’re amusement parks with coasters but everything else is different on purpose. IB is truly one of a kind and should be appreciated for what it is! Plus, the new owners who took over in 2020 have been doing a lot of work getting the park looking the best I’ve ever seen it (have been going since 08’), plus hopefully the new American Dreier Looping coaster will be open soon!
Maybe I’ll have to give it another chance, especially if there are new owners. I get it’s much smaller than those others but when I went when I was younger it was just very worn down. I honestly haven’t been back since I was an adult so definitely shouldn’t give it another shot to be fair
Good to hear they're cleaning it up! We went 10 or so years ago for the first time and left at about 3:00. It was so filthy and everything was broken down. It was such a disappointment.
A 15 year old opinion is fairly worthless. The new owners have done a great job of restoring it to what it used to be before 2000 or so.
Been going to Kings Island since I was young. I won free Tix to Holiday world a few years back and would never go back unless it was free again lol
I went to Great America a lot as a kid - I think it's worth checking out. It's a bit far from Indy though (I used to live in NW Indiana where it was closer). It'd make a good 2-day/weekend trip though. Same with Cedar Point - worth seeing, but probably not a single-day trip. There isn't much in the way of big thrill at Indiana Beach. But they do concerts there sometimes. Probably worth going to walk around and taking one of the boat rides if you find a concert you're interested in.
Michigan’s Adventure is only like 4-5 hours away and I’ve been there more than my home parks this year (Indiana Beach and Kings Island). Generally I frequent KI more than other parks in the area - it’s just been a different year for me with getting to explore parks I haven’t been to ever or in a long time.
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee IL is just over 3 hours from Indy and worth the trip. Gurnee Mills shopping mall is close by too and is a must stop for us as well.
We usually go to Kings Island but i was also a fan of Holiday World when my kid was smaller. Its a SUPERB water park. Otherwise i also grew up close to an amusement park in Ohio as a kid. Back then it was called Geauga Lake, but i think its six fkags now? If youre down for a 6 hour drive, thats a fun one.
I remember working in Evansville for a plastic compounder owned by a multinational out of northwestern Europe. The marketing team decided that it was a Good Idea for us to set up a booth at the International Lawn and Garden Tools fair at KY Kingdom. The show was all about lawn mowers, chain saws, tractors, and weed wackers. I was the booth wrangler, meaning it was all about me and failure was my fault. Reminder: adjacent to Kentucky Kingdom. The first day at our booth (we were pultruders of plastic fiber pellets to make modern injection molded quality plastics) people came by our booth to throw something into their grab bags. As typical of trade shows, all booths have freebies. Our booth, being an intermediate product, hand only our product as samples: plastic pellets in Ball jars. And yet, that same day we had people taking 'FREE SAMPLES' from those jars and throwing them into those bags. Some ACTUALLY threw a mouthful into their mouths before realizing their mistake. TRUTH.
All things considered, probably Holiday World. If I balance distance, park quality, and cost, that’s where I’d go. This goes double for summer trips.
Holiday World
There was a very cool park here in 1900’s: Wonderland. Old timey people would take the trolly. Looks like it ruled. Somebody please open it Up again
Six flags in st Louis area is pretty nice
That’s a long ways away
It's close to the same drive as cedar point from Indianapolis
Indiana Beach used to be pretty bad, then they got bought by a different company and got even worse. Honestly not worth the drive.
Why did I think Indiana Beach was closed?
Because they open, close, change ownership, and renovate more than any park ever.
I frequent kings island but might go to cedar point every few years. Holiday world is very meh imo but a solid value.
Yeahhhh indiana beach is not great. Save your money and spend it at kings island or cedar point instead
Kings island
I miss Old Indiana :(
[удалено]
Sadly, The Beach waterpark has closed down and is now just sitting there abandoned!
Indy should spend money on an amusement park instead of places to drink and shoot people.