Hotel near Holiday World

Can someone suggest a good hotel that%26#39;s close to Holiday World? We%26#39;re looking for something inexpensive but clean and with a complimentary breakfast. Most of the ones I%26#39;ve checked out are over $100, which seems like a lot for a 2-star hotel, especially when we%26#39;ll literally only be there to sleep. Also, we%26#39;ll be arriving in the afternoon the day before we%26#39;re going to the park and I was wondering if there%26#39;s anything interesting to do that%26#39;s within close proximity, since we%26#39;ll have the rest of that day with nothing to do. If the park has the half day admission where you enter late in the day until closing, would it be worth it? It seems like a pretty small park and the people in our party are adults and teenagers, so we%26#39;re not interested in any of the little kid stuff. We%26#39;re going mainly to ride Raven, Legend and Voyage. Any suggestions would really be appreciated. Thanks.

Hotel near Holiday World

When we travel to Holiday World (about three hours away) we stay over one night. We have stayed in Jasper, about a 20 minute or so ride from Holiday World (might be 30 - can%26#39;t remember). There is a great German restaurant in Jasper right next to the Hampton.

There is much more to do up in Jasper than down near Holiday World. More hotels and they have a batting cage / miniature golf complex down in town near the high school football stadium.

Down near Holiday World and out at the two exits along 64 there seems to be nothing else to do.

Last time we stayed at the Hampton which was very nice. THe other time we stayed at the Holiday Inn - had a Holidome, indoor pool and other activities. The Holiday Inn was somewhat noisy and not all that clean.

The admission to Holiday World includes the Splashing Safari water park. It is a small park, especially if you don%26#39;t go to the Water Park. I love both Raven and Legend. Raven is simply relentless - my son would not ride Legend the first year we went, but rode it the second year. Much longer ride than Raven.

I know you can get a good deal on second day tickets when you are in the park, but not sure about late day entry and reduced fees.

Hotel near Holiday World

Try the Ramada Limited in Tell City Indiana it is about 30 minutes from Holiday World. It is well kept and they have a complimentary breakfast with a ';do-it-yourself'; waffle maker. We stayed there for around $60 a night. Also, it depends when you are going to Holiday World. During the peak time of the season most of the hotels raise there prices over $100. If you look online at the hours Holiday World is open you can tell when the peak season starts. I would start looking around mid June. It is a small park especially for kids in high school, but they have a fantastic water park to make up for the amusement side. On the Tell City Ramada Limited web site lists local attractions.

I can%26#39;t really help with a hotel nearby. I live about 45 minutes away, near Evansville (about 1 hr. 15 min. away from Santa Claus) and there are tons of hotels and activities to take in here if you%26#39;re willing to drive that far...(Evansville is the third largest city in Indiana)...anyway, I just wanted to reply to the part about discount tickets.

If you don%26#39;t want to experience the water park (it has numerous waterslides and innertube ';rides'; and two wave pools that simulate the ocean), the discount tickets would probably be worth it. Other than the roller coasters, there are maybe four or five other rides you and your teens would be interested in. However, if the water park is something you want to enjoy, you%26#39;ll want the full day.

Also, lines are pretty long for the rides (and even longer at the water park) and they don%26#39;t have any ';fast-track'; type system like Disney World, so expect to wait for awhile during peak days, like weekends. I would suggest planning a trip on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when less people are likely to be there.

Having grown up here, we enjoy going to Holiday World each year, so don%26#39;t let the comment about the rides fool you...but I just wanted you to be prepared. The staff is VERY friendly and helpful, and the free soft drinks/water and sunscreen (available in the water park) still make it a fairly good deal.

Food in the park is pricey, although comparitive to what you%26#39;d expect to pay at any theme park. We used to always bring a picnic lunch when I was growing up, but now I prefer to just pay the price--although there is a fairly nice picnic area near the entrance of the park, you would have to exit the park and carry your picnic stuff a long distance across the parking lot to enjoy it. (The last time we went, we just ate in our car rather than deal with the hassle.)

Oh, and one more thing--the best time to get in line for rides is around midday because most everyone else will succumb to the heat and humidity and head for the water park, thereby shortening the lines at the dry attractions. The water park opens at 11 a.m., I think, so most people head straight for that once it opens. At the end of the day, most of the park%26#39;s visitors are worn out from all the time in the water park (water and sun), so the lines are also shorter after about 4 p.m. In the evenings, it%26#39;s mostly the livelier crowd left, as the elderly and families with young children are long gone before closing.

Well, sorry for taking up so much space--hope this sorta helped.

Chandlergirl,

Thanks so much for the info. It was very helpful. I think what we%26#39;ll do is get to the park very early and try to get on at least a couple coasters right away and then head back to them, like you said, around 11:00 or so. I%26#39;m not sure if we%26#39;ll do the waterpark, too. It will depend on how bad the lines are for the rides and the weather. We have to go on Sunday, we have no other choice, but the park told me that%26#39;s much better than Saturday. It sounds a lot like a park called Knoebels in PA that%26#39;s a small family-run park also. We%26#39;re looking forward to it. Thanks again for your help.

Shell8561

I can confirm the park%26#39;s comment that Sunday is better than Saturday. Saturdays, particularly in August are crowded.

I think you will enjoy the park - I enjoy Holiday World and Kennywood in Pittsburgh much more than the larger parks.

ysuindy,

We went to Kennywood for the first time a couple years and absolutely loved it! It looks like Holiday World is smaller. How do you think the two compare? Kennywood was a small area, but they had a lot of rides crammed into a small space. I thought their selection of rides was great. We%26#39;re looking forward to going to Holiday World in June. Do you think the water park is worth going to? Any other tips you can give me on Holiday World would be great. Thanks.

My son and I rode more rides at Kennywood (Jackrabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, Exterminator etc) than at Holiday World. However our trips to Kennywood are with my brother and his family and they are not coaster types, so we go on more varied rides.

I think Kennywood has more rides than Holiday World in the ';amusement park'; side.

My son likes the water park at Holiday World more than I do. Of course, I don%26#39;t know how to swim and I could stand to lose a few pounds. Getting out of the tubes for the water slides can be an adventure for me. Of course on the one ride that you can%26#39;t double up on the tubes, my son fell out of his tube at the top of the ride and went all the way down without a tube - and he went right back to another ride. I would have completely freaked out.

I think you have to take your water park stuff with you to Holiday World, even if you end up not using it. If it is a hot day, it is nice to go down there for awhile. I don%26#39;t know that I could spend 10 to 12 hours in the amusement park side - but Raven and Legend are worth it - and I could ride them all day.

I realize this is an old post but for anyone reviewing the topic FYI Jasper has a brand new Holiday Inn Express that just opened June, 2008. Not sure what rates are. You%26#39;re probably onlyl 40 minutes from the parking lot to the gate at Holiday World.