Originally posted: 10/29/2002

Last updated: 2/26/2005

 By Chris Cowan
 themeparks@insightbb.com

Some information was obtained from the Holiday World website.  Park brochures, maps and logos used with permission.

 Santa Claus Land

1946:

Santa Claus Land, the world’s first theme park, opens on August 3, 1946 after one year of construction.  Owner Louis J. Koch had visited the town of Santa Claus, Indiana in 1941 and started plans for the park that year.

One of the rides at opening is The Freedom Train, which continues to operate to this day.

1947 – Jeep-go-round is added (first ever manufactured).

1955:

Pleasureland ride section opens in the area that is now called Rudolph’s Reindeer Ranch. 

Admission is charged for the first time: 50 cents for adults, children free.

Actor and future president Ronald Reagan visits in March.

1959 – The Willie Bartley Water Ski Thrill Show, featuring "Human Kites" performs on Lake Rudolph each summer through 1961.

1970-71 – The Santa Claus Choir, made up of local children, performs regularly at the park.

Early ‘70s – Additional children’s rides are added, including Blitzen’s Airplanes, Comet’s Rockets and Prancer’s Merry-Go-Round.

1976:

The park entrance is moved from State Road 162 to State Road 245. 

Eagle’s Flight (Rocco Flying Scooters), Arctic Circle (Hrubetz Round-Up) and the Virginia Reel (Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl) are added.

1977 – The Holiday Musical Theater is added, near the front entrance, and is Santa Claus Land's first in-door, air conditioned venue.

1980:

Thunder Bumpers (Foster Bumper Boats) are added, bringing the park's ride total to nineteen. 

Admission this year is $5.25.
 

1982 – Blitzen (Pinfari Zyklon steel roller coaster) is added in the previously undeveloped area inside the circle of the Freedom Train's track.

 Holiday World

1984:

Santa Claus Land undergoes a major expansion and changes its name to Holiday World.

There are now three themed sections: Christmas, Halloween and 4th of July.

Frightful Falls (Hopkins Log Flume) is added to the Halloween section.

Many rides get renamed to fit the new themes:

o  The Scrambler is moved to the Halloween section and named The Scarecrow Scrambler.

o  The Arctic Circle is named the Roundhouse.

o  Blitzen is named the Firecracker.

o  "on Chesapeake Bay" is tacked on to the end of Thunder Bumpers.

o  The Spider (Eyerly) is named Paul Revere's Midnight Ride.

o  The Antique Cars (Arrow) are named Lewis and Clark Trail. 

1986 – The Banshee (Chance Falling Star) is added to the Halloween section.

1988:

The Chinese National Acrobats of Taipei and The Great American High Dive Team perform daily from May through September. 

Admission this year is $9.95.

1990:

Raging Rapids (Hopkins white water raft ride) and the children's Indian River (Venture Canoe ride) are added.

The US High Diving Team performs daily at the park from May through September.

Admission this year is $10.95.

 

1991 – Kringle’s Kafe is built.

1993:

Splashin’ Safari water park premiers, including:
   o Congo River (lazy river)
   o Crocodile Isle (children's area)
   o AmaZOOM and Bamboo Chute water slides.
   o Jungle Jake's Grille
   o Trader Nick's Swim Shop

"Captain Cutaway & His Flying Pirates," a new high diving show, is added.

                 Admission this year is $13.95.

1994 – The Wave pool is added to Splashin’ Safari.

1995:

Holiday World celebrates it's 50th Anniversary by adding The Raven (CCI wooden roller coaster) in the Halloween section.  In its inaugural season, it’s voted "Ride of the Year" and the #2 Wooden Roller Coaster on the Planet and is featured on CBS’s 48 Hours and The Discovery Channel. 

A new high dive show debuts this year as well as the "City Lights" show in the Holiday Theater.
 

1996 – The Raven undergoes some minor re-tracking before the season and a "mist" machine is added to the first-drop tunnel.

1998:

Monsoon Lagoon is added to Splashin’ Safari.

The Raven is again voted #2 Wooden Coaster in the World and the park’s staff is voted #1 Friendliest in the World.

The Firecracker is removed at the end of the season.

1999:

Holidog’s FunTown (children's area) is added to the 4th of July section in the area vacated by the Firecracker, featuring:
   o The Howler (Zamperla steel family coaster)
   o The Doggone Trail (SBF Jeep Ride)
   o A wet climbing area.

The Raven is voted #2 Wooden Coaster in the World for the third straight year and the park’s staff is voted #1 Friendliest in the World for the second time.

2000:

The Legend (CCI wooden roller coaster) opens in the Halloween section.

The park begins offering free, unlimited soft drinks.

The Raven is voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World and The Legend is the highest ranked new wooden coaster, at #7.  The park is named the Friendliest and Cleanest in the World.

The Raven gets some re-tracking after the season.

2001:

The Raven is again voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World and The Legend is voted #5.  The park is again voted the Friendliest and Cleanest in the World by readers of Amusement Today.

The Legend's train gets new, better padded lapbars.

Attendance for the year finishes 8% higher than in 2000.

After the terrorist attacks in September, Holiday World gives free admission tickets to all blood donors in the Evansville, IN area.
 

2002:

ZOOMbabwe, the world’s largest enclosed waterslide (102-feet tall, 887-feet long), is added at a cost of $1.7 million and opens on May 18.  The water park now covers 22 acres.

A transfer track is added to The Legend and the station is lengthened.  The single Gerstlaurer train is replaced by two PTC trains.

The park begins offering free sunscreen in Splashin’ Safari.

On May 31, two coaster enthusiasts are married at the top of  The Legend's lift hill by an Elvis impersonator.

The Raven retains its title as the #1 Wooden Coaster and The Legend moves up to #4.  The park is voted Friendliest and Cleanest yet again.

Attendance this year is 753,010 (a 20% increase over 2001).

The Banshee is removed at the end of the season.
 

2003:

Three new rides are added:

   o Liberty Launch (S&S Double Shot tower located in the 4th of July section next to the bumper cars),

   o HallowSwings (Zamperla Flying Carousel with artwork created in-house by Holiday World) replaces the Banshee,

   o Zinga, a new water slide for Splashin’ Safari.
 

Several midways are expanded in size.

The queue for Scarecrow Scrambler is lengthened to keep the line from spilling over into the midway.

Admission this year is $29.95.

2004:

A $3.2 million expansion to Splashin' Safari includes:

  o  Jungle Racer, a 10-lane water racing slide (Proslide),

  o  Jungle Jets, an interactive water play area,

  o  New restaurant and

  o  New restrooms.

Stark Raven Mad and all other enthusiast events are cancelled this year.

Roundhouse (Hrubetz Round-Up), after being down with maintenance issues for most of the year, is removed.

2005:

A 6-acre expansion to Splashin' Safari includes:

  o  Bahari, a second wave pool, which is nearly double the size of The Wave.

  o  New food outlet and

  o  A second smoking area.

Revolution (Dartron Zero Gravity) is added, replacing Roundhouse.

A transfer track and second PTC train is added to Raven.

Karaoke is added to the entertainment lineup.

A fireworks display is added on the 4th of July.

Stark Raven Mad and all other enthusiast events are again skipped this year.

Admission this year is $33.95.