Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari
Holiday World, originally called Santa Claus Land, opened on August 3, 1946. Retiree Louis J. Koch had a heart for all the children who traveled to Santa Claus, Indiana only to discover that Santa Claus didn’t actually live there. His plan was to open the park in the early 1940s, but the onset of World War II prevented it. When it debuted in 1946, (nine years before Disneyland opened), Santa Claus Land consisted of a toy shop, toy displays, children’s rides, one restaurant, and Santa Claus. In 1984, the park’s theme expanded to include other holidays – Thanksgiving, July 4th, and Halloween. Larger rides were added, with live entertainment, games and attractions including the “Raging Rapids” white water raft ride. When the water park was added, it became known as Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. In all, Holiday World features 100 acres of rides, shows, games, and attractions. Today, the park remains one of the last privately-owned and managed theme parks.
At the entrance is the Christmas section, with Rudolph's Reindeer Ranch filled with kid-friendly rides, and Kringle's Kafe. Christmas also includes the Holiday Theater and Santa's Storytime Theater. The Halloween section includes "The Raven" and "The Legend", full-sized wooden rollercoasters that are consistently voted in the world’s top 5. This section also includes the popular log flume ride, a swing ride, and more.
The Fourth of July section features an eight-story free-fall, “Raging Rapids”, and the last original park ride, "The Freedom Train". Live Gospel and Country Music shows are featured in this section as well as the kids' favorite, Holidog's FunTown. Holidog's FunTown features small rides, a family rollercoaster, and Holidog’s Treehouse - possibly the largest family-play attraction in the U.S. Funtown also include a jeep ride, a water-spray yard, and a smaller treehouse for the littler ones. The Thanksgiving section premiered in 2006 and features "The Voyage" a new wooden roller coaster. The Voyage is 1.2 miles long and has five underground tunnels, and a world-record airtime of 24.2 seconds.
Splashin’ Safari Water Park features "ZOOMbabwe" the world's largest enclosed water slide, numerous family raft slides, two wave pools, two rivers, more water slides, and water activities for children. Newer water adventures include a family water adventure, an in-the-dark triple water-slide complex, and an interactive, multi-leveled waterplay complex.
Throughout its sixty years, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari has maintained its high standards - beautiful grounds and landscaping, and a steadfast commitment to the company values - safety, service, cleanliness, and friendliness. Holiday World & Spashin’ Safari are two places where you can still find good, old-fashioned, family-friendly fun. And as an added bonus, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari feature perks you can't find in other theme parks - free parking, free sunscreen, and free, unlimited Pepsi-brand soft drinks.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
The movement began in 1899 to save the magnificent Indiana dunes along the shores of Lake Michigan from commercial development. World wars and a worldwide depression postponed the enactment of national protection. Not until 1966 did the Indiana Dunes become the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Initially 8,330 acres of land and water, four subsequent expansion bills increased the park’s size to more than 15,000 acres. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s diverse natural resources are located within an urban setting. There are four National Natural Landmarks and one National Historical Landmark with the national seashore’s boundaries.
The park’s acreage consists of dunes, bogs, marshes, forests, prairies, savannas, and rivers. Mount Baldy is the largest moving dune at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It’s moving inward at about 4 feet per year. There are 15 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan stretching from Gary, Indiana to Michigan City. Inland from the beaches lie the dunes, which crest upwards of 200 ft. The dunes and the wetlands make for a unique habitat for wildlife, birds, and plant species. At the southern edge of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes are an important feeding area for migrating birds. Over 350 species of birds have been spotted in the area.
Visitors to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore will find plenty of recreational activities: walking along the beach or the Little Calumet River, taking a refreshing swim in Lake Michigan, hiking up Mount Baldy, exploring the Pinhook Bog with a ranger, or visiting the Chellberg Farm. The Chellberg Farmhouse is open to the public during festivals and on ranger-guided tours. Once the farmstead of A Swedish immigrant family, the 1885 brick structure was restored by the National Park Service in the 1980s. The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair theme of Century in Progress brought the construction of “modern” houses. Relocated to the shoreline in 1935, these houses are now on the National Register of Historic Places and are slated for rehabilitation. They are not open to the public.
The Indian Dunes National Lakeshore Museum collection includes object relating to the history of Northwest Indiana, particularly relating to the lakeshore. Architectural elements and wildlife displays are featured as well.
Indianapolis 500 Speedway and Hall of Fame Museum
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum is the preeminent museum in the world devoted to automobiles and auto racing. Located in north Indianapolis in the oval of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of the Indy 500), the museum and racing grounds were designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Over a quarter of a million visitors make their way to the museum each year to see the displays dedicated to their favorite race car drivers.
The original Hall of Fame Museum was opened in 1956 and consisted of a few vintage racing cars. In 1976, a new, larger facility, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, opened to include 30,000 of museum floor space, plus administrative offices, two gift shops, a snack shop and a waiting area for the popular bus tours around the 2.5-mile oval track.
Featured automobiles include, the Louis Chevrolet Memorial, the Marmon "Wasp" (winner of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911), four two-time winning cars: Boyle Maserati (Wilbur Shaw ‘39-‘40), the Blue Crown Spark Plug Special (Mauri Rose ‘47-‘48), the Fuel Injection Special (Bill Vukovich ‘53-‘54) and the Belond Special (Sam Hanks ‘57 and Jimmy Bryan ‘58). There are four cars that were driven by four-time Indy winner A.J. Foyt, Jr., the Duesenberg #12 Murphy Special, (only car to win both the Indianapolis 500 (‘22) and the French Grand Prix at Le Mans (‘21), Dave Evans' #8 Cummins Diesel Special (first car to complete the Indy 500 without a pit stop), the 1965 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM, a 1954/55 Mercedes-Benz Formula One car, a 1957 SSI Corvette, a 1998 Stewart-Ford SF-2 Formula One car, a rare (one of three built) 1935 Duesenberg Model JN four-door convertible, and a rare 1925 McFarlan TV6 passenger roadster. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, there are about 75 cars on display.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum also displays an extensive trophy collection of auto racing awards and trophies from around the world, including the Borg-Warner Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Indianapolis 500. The Tony Hulman Theater features a 20-minute movie of rare historic footage and Indy 500 highlights. The Hall of Fame Museum also exhibits the evolution of the equipment and methods employed for timing and scoring the Indianapolis 500 from the early days to now.
The Hall of Fame Museum is open daily year round and is closed on Christmas.