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Avoiding Crowds at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari

By HoliBlogger Stephanie T.

Riding The Voyage and cooling off with water coasters are fun; however, waiting in long lines is not. Save precious time during your visit to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari by avoiding the crowds with these helpful tips!

The Best Days to Avoid Crowds

Wednesday is often the day that Guests can expect to see the lowest crowds and shortest ride queues. Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to pull smaller crowds as well, with weekends being the busiest time to visit.

The month matters as well; with July and August being the highest attendance months, Guests who plan their visits during May and June will see smaller crowds and more ride time!

Rainy Days Are Your Friend

Don’t let a little rain in the forecast prevent you from visiting the park. Unless a massive storm system is making its way through, rain can be a blessing in disguise. We witnessed it firsthand as a pop-up storm closed the park for an hour, and droves of people went home. After the storm passed, the sun came out, and there was barely anyone left in the park.

If you’re a Passholder, one of the best times to come up is during a chance of rain or after a rain shower.

If rain does happen during your visit and rides shut down for more than 90 minutes, the Worry-Free Weather Guarantee will be activated. The Worry-Free Weather Guarantee lets you use your ticket to visit on another day of this season. There’s no rain check needed or any extra work on your part.

Buy Your Tickets Online

Don’t start your day waiting in line to purchase tickets. That is time you could be using to get to your favorite ride! Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari offers easy online ticket purchasing. Download them to your wallet for quick and convenient scanning.

Time-Saving Tip: Look past the crowd to find a shorter queue for entering the park. When in doubt, go left, as studies show most people will follow their dominant hand, which for the majority, is right.

A close parking spot near the front gate of Holiday World.
Father and daughter walk hand in hand toward the front gate of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari.

Rope Drop

“Rope Dropping” is a popular phrase that means arriving right before the park opens. Guests who arrive right when the park opens can quickly make their way to popular attractions to be one of the first riders.

I recommend heading directly to Thanksgiving to ride Thunderbird and The Voyage first. Thanksgiving is in the back of the park, meaning it will be relatively empty when you arrive.

After you have ridden the popular rides in the area, I would then Rope Drop Splashin’ Safari at 11am. Head to the top water coasters that you want to ride before the crowds hit during the heat of the day.

Hint: There is an entrance to Splashin’ Safari in Thanksgiving just past Plymouth Rock Cafe.

Visit In the Evening

A great time to visit Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is after 4pm. Many of the early birds have left, families with young children are starting to head home, and dinner is on the horizon. Look for closer parking spots, shorter lines, and plenty of loungers by the wave pools.

Dine Early

If food lines seem to be endless, consider changing your meal schedule by just an hour. Grabbing your lunch or dinner before the rush or dining during off times such as 3:30pm can save a good amount of time.

Implementing these helpful tips will help keep your wait times down and your ride time up!

A family waiting in line to get into Holiday World.
A nearly-empty Safari Sam's SplashLand.