It's time to thaw out all of our rides as we close in on Opening Day, May 4.
Here, members of our maintenance team reassemble Turkey Whirl. Those birds sure look happy to be back!
Feathered friends
Yearly Archives: 2013
Grab some shade
All right, so we’re all grumbling about the snow Mother Nature dumped on us the past few days.
With many area schools off this week, Matt dubbed the term “Sprinter Break”:
Just. Crazy.
But let’s shake that off that shiver and get in the mood for toasty weather and the fun of having your very own cabana during your visit to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari this summer.
With 26 cabanas, you might want to check out this map first, to choose your shady “home base” strategically:
And how about a virtual tour?
You might want to slather on some sunscreen before watching this video, it’ll give you such a sunshiny feeling!
An April Fool’s caption contest
We have a winner! Congrats to Adrienne J. from Newburgh, Indiana, for her winning entry: If you think this new Pepsi pipeline is something, you should see our ice maker.
Watch your mail, Adrienne – two tickets are in the mail!
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Have I mentioned that the second part of my double major was in French?
Because of that, I am compelled to take just a moment of your time to explain the term trompe l'oeil. It's French for, literally, "fool the eye." The term is used in art, interior decorating, and in this case – photography.
Just how foolish is this photo?
Look that the teeny-tiny construction worker up on top of the steel structure – compared to the opening in one of the Hyena Falls slides, either he's the size of a peanut or the slide is something like six-stories wide!
Ah, the eye has been fooled.
Or has it?
It's time for another Caption Contest, with a deadline of April Fool's Day. Stun us with your wit and you could win two one-day tickets.
A few rules:
1. Must be 13 or older to enter.
2. Must not be an employee of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (or that employee's immediate family member).
3. Only one guess per email address, please. (No multiple entries this time around.)
4. If you've won tickets from one of our contests within the past six months, you're not elegible to win. If it's been more than six months – have at it!
5. Judges' decision is final. It always is.
6. Deadline is Monday at noon. That's 4/1/13 at 12 noon CDT. We'll notify the winner by email later that week.
How to enter? Must be by email and to this address: contest@holidayworld.com. (If you win, we'll contact you via email, so please be sure to use an address you check frequently.)
Bonne chance, mes amis!
Lying down on the job?
Could it be? Our Coaster Cats lying down on the job?
Say it ain't so, Joe!
Ah, no. Just a photo shot in horizontal format, but stored as vertical.
There. That's better.
Did you know Voyage has three stretches of track that are at a 90-degree angle to terra firma?
Yes, that's right.
Spoiler alert: It ain’t all magic
Over the years, we've heard from lots of parents who say they read the HoliBlog with their children on a regular basis.
Aw, thanks.
We also hear from folks who love the behind-the-scenes photos and stories. They want the nuts and bolts information.
Just so we're clear: this post is for that latter group.
Not that we're releasing any sort of industry secret, it's just if your child believes our water slides are powered by magic, you might not want to reveal the following. Not just yet.
First of all, we're not building a jail in Splashin' Safari, but it sort of looks like it from the looks of this photo …
Not a jail cell. Not even a set of old-fashioned pillories or stocks. (Sorry, Security Keith. I'm sure the thought intrigues you.)
We're building walls.
The walls are for the pump house for Hyena Falls.
And the pumps are what push the water up to the top of the slides. In this case, four and five stories up.
Of course, now that I take a closer look, that pump pit does have a bit of a dungeon vibe going on, doesn't it?
Hyena Falls opens on May 10. Just add water. And a little bit of magic.
All they need is little birdie briefcases
Don't these birds look like business commuters in their little black suits waiting for the Voyage train to take them to work?
Next stop? Opening day!
Tea for three
The new Kitty's Tea Party isn't here yet, but we're getting some photos.
Here's a shot of two blue cups:
And a red cup:
And – health nuts that we are – a green tea cup:
Kitty's Tea Party will be open (in Holidog's FunTown) when our season starts, on May 4. Hope you'll join us for a cup!
So what was that thing?
Last chance to take a look – what in the World is that thing?
No, Abbey F. from Owensboro, Kentucky, it's not the world's largest "Amusement Park Master Power Button" … but you made us laugh at the thought of it, so you win two tickets.
Abbey even sent a graphic to illustrate her funny:
Bryan B. from Strongsville, Ohio, was one of 30 who correctly identified the mystery photo as the saucer from the green cup on the new Kitty's Tea Party ride. He receives a pair of tickets, too.
The third set? That would be for the first person who emailed us the correct answer: Betty W. from Hardinsburg Kentucky.
Now that you've seen the saucer, we'll show you the cup, too.
Kitty's Tea Party will be ready for you to take a spin on opening day, May 4.
Thanks to everyone for playing!
A little dirty talk
We're proud to carry the title of World's Cleanest Park.
But even the cleanest park can get a little dusty over the winter months.
And so, as we gear up for opening day, there's a lot of scrubbing taking place.
Even … inside Gobbler Getaway:
Here's Brooke, dusting (and, it seems, detailing) every last apple in one of the overflowing baskets in the streets of Autumn Falls.
She has a magical dust cloth, apparently.
Not sure if the expression on this turkey's face is an homage to William Tell …
… or if he just caught sight of Farmer Van Snoodle shirtless.
That's right, even the characters' clothes are laundered in anticipation of opening day.
Yes, Abigail's, too. (Only she was too modest to be photographed in the altogether.)
Who's the best "turkey caller" in your family?
Where is Santa Claus?
This family-travel website was just quoted in a Parade magazine about planning family vacations on a budget.
MiniTime.com is sort of a TripAdvisor.com – but specifically for family travel. When we took a look to see what visitors were saying about their visits to Holiday World and the town of Santa Claus, we heard crickets. (Or saw crickets – since it's a soundless website? No thank you. I don't want that picture in my head. Sorry, Jiminy.)
Would you like to put in a good word for us and share a few memories on the MiniTime site? Thank you; we'd sure appreciate it.
