You could win Platinum Season Passes!

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Thanks to all who entered our drawing for two 2016 Platinum Season Passes and voted in the USA Today poll. Our winner – chosen at random – is Deanna P. of Hawesville, Kentucky. Congratulations!

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Looking forward to our 70th birthday in 2016, we wondered about and then researched the following:

1. What’s the 70th Anniversary Traditional Gift?
Answer: Platinum
2. What’s the 70th Anniversary Modern Gift?
Answer: Platinum
3. What’s the 70th Anniversary Alternate Gift?
Answer: Platinum
4. What’s the 70th Anniversary Color?
Answer: Platinum

Alrighty then.

Platinum it is.

And so we introduce a new version of our traditional Season Pass – the Platinum Season Pass.

What does a Platinum Season Pass include? We have a nifty chart that explains it all over here on our Season Pass page, but in a nutshell: Double in-park discounts, Bring A Friend discounts, “Buy this Year/Visit this Year,” and … Exclusive Bonus Hours each month!

And guess what? We’re getting ready to give away a pair of Platinum Season Passes.

Here’s how to enter …

We’re in the final week of voting in USA Today‘s “Best Water Park” poll.

Please vote (following your conscience, of course!) and then post a comment on this blog post.

To vote, click here and then click on the “Vote” button on the page for whichever water park you think should win.

Splashin' Safari water coasters

Then add a comment to this blog post, telling us how many times you think you’d visit if you won a pair of Platinum Season Passes. (Our comments are moderated, so as long as the content is HoliFriendly, it will appear soon.)

And please be sure to follow these Rules:

  • You must be at least 18 years old to enter this giveaway.
  • Employees of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (and our immediate family members) are not eligible to enter. (But you can vote!)
  • Did you know you can subscribe to our HoliBlog so that you receive all of our posts (including contests) by email? If you’re using a desktop computer or tablet, look for the “Subscribe to Blog” sidebar at the top-right corner of this page. On a smartphone? Just scroll down a tiny bit more to find it.

The USA Today poll permits daily voting through August 31, so be sure to enter here after you vote each day. We’ll choose a winner at random on September 1 and will contact him or her via email.

Good luck to all!

 

Thrill Factor: Men vs. Women

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Just found another out-takes video from our episode of Travel Channel’s new show, Thrill Factor.

Former MythBusters Tory and Kari visited us two months ago, determined to discover – scientifically, of course – which gender is able to best “handle” Thunderbird‘s thrill factor.

We assembled a team of Lab Rats for each host and the testing began.

Thrill Factor shoot

If you’ve watched Thrill Factor’s “Battle of the Sexes” episode, you already know the answer.

Here’s another recent discovery that tickled us no end – because they were listed as “extras” for the episode, the Lab Rats now each have their own IMDb.com page. I came across Leah’s first, and then Matt’s and Lauren’s.

We’ll let you know when our episode airs again; meanwhile, the show airs Wednesday evening on Travel Channel.

Care to “test” Thunderbird for yourself? We’re open nearly every weekend through October 31.

Rock this Way

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It’s almost time to Rock the World!

Rock the World 2015

Our headliners: Newsboys, Crowder, Sidewalk Prophets, and Love & the Outcome, will be heading to Santa Claus, Indiana, very soon.

But before we get to the big event, Leah (our chief rocker) and the rest of us wanted to pass along a few pointers to make your day, well – Rock!

So we put our heads together and came up with these tips:

  • First of all, be sure your have both a park admission ticket and an event ticket for the day. (And if you’re interested in visiting the park on Saturday, but not staying for the concert, all you need is a regular park admission ticket.)
  • We’re in a field! Unless you’re a Premium Access ticket holder, you’ll want to bring your own lawn chairs or blankets for the concert.
  • We’re still in a field! You may want to bring your own bug repellent (we’ll have some for sale at the merchandise tent, but if you’re a mosquito magnet, please come prepared!).
  • In this case, the Early Bird gets the … spot! The field will open when Holiday World does (10am CDT), so you’ll be able to set your blankets and chairs (no tents or shade structures, please!) down and and enjoy both parks for the rest of the day. Um … Thunderbird, anyone?
  • Pace yourself! It’s a long day, but a lot of fun. Be sure to to drink plenty of free water and Gatorade, and take a few breaks during the day.
  • Enjoy a few moments in the shade and listen to our daytime Christian Rock artists performing in Hoosier Celebration Theater beginning at 12pm CDT. Check out their performance schedule ahead of time.
  • Food! We’ll have great food in our Rock the World Concessions stand, but if you’re hoping for a Thanksgiving Dinner from Plymouth Rock Café, you’ll want to grab it before the park closes! Holiday World will close at 9pm CDT and the concert will continue until 10:15 (weather permitting)!
  • Remember why you came! The weather is never quite what we ordered and some things are simply out of our control (if you attended last year, you know what we’re talking about!), let’s not lose sight of what Rock the World is all about.
  • Rock the World Lake Rudolph PromotionHashtag? Of course! #HWRocks
  • Social Media? You bet! Join us for back-stage photos on our Twitter feed and Rock the World Facebook page. Watch the big screen between acts – we might just post your 140 characters!
  • Make a weekend of it! Our neighbors at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort offer Rock the World attendees this special discount for Rental RVs, Cabins and Cottages this Friday and Saturday!
  • The fun doesn’t have to end once the concert is over! Stay updated on all things Rock the World by following us on Twitter and our Rock the World Facebook page. You can also subscribe to our e-newsletter.
  • Do you have any tips – or questions? Please post them below!

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or you’ve attended all four events, we hope you’ll have the time of your life as together we Rock the World!

National Roller Coaster Day!

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To help celebrate National Roller Coaster Day, let’s take a look at a scene that didn’t quite make the final cut of this week’s episode of Thrill Factor:

If you’d like to see the full episode, it will re-run tonight at 10:30pm CDT (that’s 11:30pm EDT) on the Travel Channel.

Reruns? We’ve got reruns!

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You didn’t miss last night’s Thrill Factor premiere, did you? (Or maybe you just want to watch it again?)

We’re getting a lot of requests for a list of when “our” episode will hit the re-run circuit.

While we look it up for you, here’s a fun snippet to watch:

Here we go: Thrill Factor reruns on Travel Channel will air this Sunday (August 16) at 10:30pm CDT and early the next morning at 1:30am CDT.

And speaking of reruns, there are some things in life that never change.

You’ve probably experienced this in your own family – everyone’s all grown up and successful, but when siblings get together it’s like old times. Pillow fights, tattling, and arm wrestling over who washes the dishes. Right?

And so, when Lauren and Leah told show hosts Kari and Tory about their younger brother, William (who was hard at work at his internship on the East Coast), and what a mega-fan he is …

Thanks to everyone who tweeted along with us last night.

Here are a few of our favorite tweets:

 

These ‘lab rats’ rode for Will

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We have always been a huge MythBusters family. Growing up, we knew all of the hosts by name, and at times talked about them like they were old friends. Once William, my younger brother, got a season on DVD, we watched it 24/7.

Dad was definitely okay with this. He loved watching MythBusters, too.

Will Koch (front, right) taking the first ride on The Voyage, in spring of 2006.

Will Koch (front, right) taking the first ride on The Voyage, in spring of 2006.

Dad was a geek, and he was proud of it, so the show was perfect for him: it combined weird facts, humor, and science.

What could possibly be better?

He wanted the MythBusters team to come to Holiday World.

Badly.

At one point, he had an entire bank of “coaster myths” ready to go. I honestly thought he was ready to call up the producers and pitch the idea himself.

So when we found out that former MythBusters Tory and Kari had a new show centered on the science of thrill – and that they were coming to Holiday World to ride Thunderbird – we were beyond excited.

Since Thunderbird was Dad’s dream, it’s kind of cool to think that his last coaster finally brought some MythBusters out to Santa Claus, Indiana. We got to make two of his dreams come true for the price of one.

From left: Tory, Leah, Lauren, Kari

From left: Tory, Leah, Lauren, Kari

And since Dad’s no longer with us, Lauren, Matt, and I volunteered to be “Lab Rats,” in his honor. (After all, who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to be a part of an experiment headed up by Kari and Tory?)

It’s a personal bonus for me that the show is premiering on National Middle Child Day. I honestly don’t think this day could get much better. Unless my family forgets about it … again.  (Just kidding.)
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Thrill Factor, starring Kari Byron and Tory Belleci, and a team of 10 Lab Rats from Holiday World’s eager staff, premieres tonight on the Travel Channel. The “Battle of the Sexes” episode airs at 7:30pm CT/8:30pm ET. Please join us as we live tweet throughout the show.

The Griswolds showed up early!

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I kid you not.

They were here on Sunday.

They were here. Sunday. #griswolds #HolidayWorld #OpenDailyThroughWednesday #SeeYaThursdayClark

A photo posted by Holiday World (@holidayworld) on


Chad, our Director of Safety & Security, saw them making a u-turn (not a surprise, right?) in one of our parking lots, so he took a photo.

Thing is … if Clark and the gang want to harass “the moose out front,” they need to wait till Thursday.

Because tomorrow (Wednesday, August 12) is the last weekday we’ll be open this season. (The exception is Labor Day Monday, but that’s a holiday.)

So if you were planning a weekday visit soon, please be sure it’s tomorrow!

And meanwhile, there are still several weekends of summer fun left – check our park calendar for dates and hours. See you soon – and be sure to bring Aunt Edna!

How high is your Thrill Factor?

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We’re counting down the days till “Thrill Factor” premieres on Travel Channel.

Here’s their promo:

These former Mythbusters will test the “guys” against the “gals” to see which gender handles the thrill of Thunderbird better. You’ll see some familiar faces among the “lab rats” who ride with the show’s hosts.

Tory, Rides Andy, Lauren R, and Kari having fun the day Thrill Factor came to visit.

Tory, Rides Andy, Lauren R, and Kari having fun the day Thrill Factor came to visit.

Hope you can tune in with us at 7:30pm CDT on Travel Channel this Wednesday!

The drive to dive

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Well, she did it – one of our incredible divers went to the World High Dive Championship in Russia this week, and she’s bringing home the silver medal.

Cesilie will be back today, performing in our Dive! show once again.

CesilieTalk about a crazy summer job – moving to Santa Claus, Indiana, from Texas to dive from the top of a 70-foot tower into a 14-foot pool.

Every day, she kicks the clouds.

Cesilie and the rest of our high-dive team will perform their silly dives, group dives, Olympic-style dives, the high dive, plus the famous fire dive daily through August 12, and then days we’re open through September 20.

And, as our announcer says several times during each show: Don’t try this at home!

Unless, of course, you’re Cesilie Carlton!