Top Five (non-Disney) Parks - #2 - Holiday World and Splashin' Safari

We're down to the final two in our listener-voted Top Five (non-Disney) parks.

Coming in at #2 is Holiday World and Splashin' Safari.

This is a park that we like a lot here at CoasterRadio.com. We liked it so much that we made a huge roadtrip there from Washington, DC back in 2006.

We heard that this was a park that offered free parking, free sunscreen and unlimited soft drinks throughout the day.

We heard about the world class roller coasters, the inexpensive and tasty food and how the park's staff treated guests like they were family.

We wanted to see for ourselves if all of the hype surrounding Holiday World was for real.

It was.

There was something special about Holiday World.

It's easy to point to The Voyage, The Legend and The Raven, because they are three of the best wooden roller coasters anywhere. It's easy to point towards Splashin' Safari, because it's a waterpark that is continually expanding with new rides and thrills. This includes the longest water coaster in the world, Wildebeest, that is coming this summer.

But what makes this a truly great park is that you feel like you're taken care of from the moment you arrive. When we were there, we didn't feel like the Koch Family was out to drain our wallets. The staff was one of the friendliest anywhere and it felt like the #1 priority was to make sure we were safe and had a good time.

I said on the show that one of the coolest things about the Holiday World visit was seeing the owners walking around and interacting with the guests. In these days of corporate ownership, you never really get to see the people who run the park. Even if you do, they hardly ever stop to shake hands and thank you for visiting.

There's a reason that Holiday World is the only non-corporate park on our Top Five list and there's a reason that they're ranked as high as they are.

It's an excellent park to visit and worth a drive to Santa Claus, Indiana no matter where you live.

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