splashin safari video

Splashin' Safari: A Great Water Park That's Free

At Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana

Splashin' Safari is one of the biggest and best water parks in the nation. And it's free.

Well, sort of free. It's included with admission to Holiday World , the holiday-themed park adjacent to Splashin' Safari. Since it is not a standalone water park, it makes the fact that is among the country’s largest and finest water parks all the more impressive. (If you are planning a visit, be sure to bring dry clothes to enjoy Holiday World's incredible coasters and other attractions; likewise, folks planning to visit Holiday World should remember to pack a bathing suit.) Splashin' Safari easily makes the list of the best water parks at theme parks .

The theme is African (that's the "Safari" part), hence the silly ride names. The schizophrenic park also has a California theme (that's the "Splashin' " part we guess) and plays Beach Boys and other surf tunes over the loudspeakers.

Splashin’ Safari’s Slides and Attractions

The park is so big it has not one, not two, but three water coasters . And not just any water coasters, but the world's longest.

When the approximately 1/3-mile-long Wildebeest opened in 2010, it captured the title. It uses linear induction motors to propel its rafts uphill. Wildebeest reaches a top speed of around 25 mph, includes two tunnels (a Holiday World staple on its dry coasters), and lasts two minutes and 30 seconds. In 2012,  Splashin' Safari opened Mammoth and broke its own record. The newer water coaster exceeds Wildebeest by about 50 feet in length. It, too, uses linear induction motors and offers a thrilling ride.

The towering 102-foot tall ZOOMbabwe, among the world's tallest enclosed water slides, is another one of the park's featured rides and is a real winner. Riders experience much of its ride in the dark. Other attractions included Bakuli, a bowl ride, the Jungle Racer mat racing slide, and the Zinga funnel ride .

In 2018, Splashin' Safari expanded with the addition of attractions designed for younger visitors. Tembo Falls is a water slide complex with eight slides geared to kiddos, including a mini-bowl ride, two racing slides, a helix, and twisters. The park also added Tembo Tides, a junior wave pool.

Tembo Tides increased the total number of wave pools to three. With two lazy rivers two interactive water play structures, and a slew of other things to do, the attractions can accommodate a lot of guests. With its enormous capacity, the park generally doesn't feel out-of-control crowded, even on busy, hot days.

What’s New at Splashin’ Safari?

In 2020, the water park introduced its third water coaster, Cheetah Chase. Holiday World is billing it as the “world’s first launched water coaster.” Since no water coasters include lift hills (that we know of) and use water jets, electromagnetic motors, or fast moving conveyor belts to accelerate their rafts, all of them are “launched.” What makes Cheetah Chase unique is that side-by-side rafts are launched along a flat section of the flume after which they race against one another. Passengers experience two "flying saucer” elements that generate strong G-forces and pivot the rafts around.

More Free Stuff

The family-owned park has an almost religious devotion to customer satisfaction. The grounds are spotless, the prices are reasonable, and the ride ops and other staff are unfailingly polite and cheerful.

While other parks seem intent on wringing every last cent out of their guests, get a load of what Splashin' Safari and Holiday World include at no extra charge: free parking, complimentary inner tubes, unlimited free beverages (including soft drinks, coffee, and tea), and free sunscreen. Now, that's what we call putting customers first.

What’s to Eat?

The food is decent at the park. Within Splashin' Safari, the choices include Wildebeestro, which features burgers and salads, Jungle Jake‘s, which offers wings and chicken tenders, Safari Pizza, and Sam’s BBQ. For sweets and snacks, there’s Safari Ice Cream and Bahari Snacks, which has funnel cakes and corn dog bites.

For a good pick beyond the water park, consider Plymouth Rock Cafe. The indoor dining spot has roast turkey, beef brisket, roasted chicken and other entrees on the menu, as well as fixing such as sweet potato casserole, cinnamon apples, and mac & cheese. Another good place is Santa’s Merry Marketplace, which offers pizza, burgers, deli sandwiches, and desserts such as Blueberry Flapjack Cake.

Admission Policy, Operating Schedule, Hotel Info, and Location:

Splashin' Safari is included with general admission to Holiday World. The combined parks offer reduced prices for children (under 54") and seniors (60+). Ages 2 and under are free. Multi-day passes and next-day passes are available. Season passes and group rates are available. Special promotions and discounted tickets may be available online at the park's Web site . Parking is free. Private cabanas are available to rent.

Weather permitting, Splashin' Safari is open mid-May through mid-September. Holiday World is open early May through late October. (Oddly, the Christmas-themed park does not remain open through the holiday season.)

Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort is located next to Holiday World and operated by the same family. There are other lodging options nearby.

Splashin' Safari and Holiday World is located at 452 E. Christmas Blvd. in Santa Claus, Indiana. (Yes, that is the real name of the town.) From I-64: Take Exit 63. Go south on Highway 162 for 7 miles, until 162 comes to a "T." Turn right and head up the hill to the park.

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HOLIDAY WORLD & SPLASHIN' SAFARI: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• Sun - Sun 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Sat - Sat 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• (0.58 km) Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph
• (4.44 km) Santa's Lakeside Cottages
• (5.78 km) Lincoln Pines Lakefront Resort
• (0.86 km) Santa's Lodge
• (10.74 km) Comfort Inn
• (0.52 km) Plymouth Rock Cafe
• (0.47 km) Casey's
• (0.76 km) Subway
• (0.98 km) Fat Santa's Pizza & More
• (2.50 km) Back 9 Grill
• (0.66 km) Santa Claus Museum & Village
• (0.58 km) Santa Claus Land of Lights
• (0.64 km) 1935 Santa Statue
• (0.82 km) Santa Claus Christmas Store
• (1.09 km) Santa's Candy Castle

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USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards

Winners to be revealed on Wednesday, May 1st at 12:00pm EDT!

When the summer season rolls around, millions of people head to America's water parks to cool off and have a splashing good time. These 20 outdoor water parks have been nominated by an expert panel as the best in the country for offering the ultimate day of sun and fun.  Which outdoor water park is your favorite place to splash down? You can vote once per day until polls close on Monday, April 22 at noon ET. The winning water parks will be announced on Wednesday, May 1. Read the official Readers' Choice rules . 

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The Experts

Alex Ojeda, known as @AlexOjeda, is a...   Read More

Alex Ojeda, known as @AlexOjeda, is a Mexican-American short-form video creator renowned for his captivating content centered around the world's most exhilarating travel experiences. With an audience of over 13 million followers across various social media platforms, Alex’s content does over 2 billion views annually across social media.  

Derek Perry

Derek Perry is the Communications Director for the...   Read More

Derek Perry is the Communications Director for the world's largest ride enthusiast group,  American Coaster Enthusiasts.  Derek first joined ACE as a kid with his parents and twin brother on a roller coaster-riding road trip after unexpectedly being at a park the same day as an ACE event. In addition to his love of travel, he is one half of  The Perry Twins , a DJ and music production duo with his brother, Doug. They have written, produced and remixed many songs, including their original songs that topped Billboard Magazine’s dance chart. He has been lucky to combine his love of amusement parks with traveling for DJ gigs and has ridden over 1,200 unique roller coasters around the world and share their adventures on  Instagram ,  Facebook  and  TikTok .

Francis Dominic

I sleep more in planes than I do my own bed....   Read More

I sleep more in planes than I do my own bed. Probably visiting your local theme park! I am an emotional Aries, with a big love of fantasy-romance books, and continually immersing myself in film and television. I love to live life in color because the world can use a lot of it. And I live it unapologetically! It's okay to continually choose yourself!    Connect with Francis on Instagram . TikTok and Twitter . 

Jamie Davis Smith

Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She...   Read More

Jamie is an attorney, writer and photographer. She was born with deeply ingrained wanderlust and has visited 45 countries and counting. She often brings her children along for the adventure and is passing her love of travel on to the next generation. Jamie has written for   Insider,   Fodor's Travel ,   Yahoo ,  the Huffington Post , the  Washington Post,   Viator  and  Reviewed  among many other publications. Jamie is from Philadelphia and now lives in Washington, DC, where she takes advantage of everything the region has to offer.    Jamie can be reached at  [email protected]  and can be found on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  TikTok .

Jessica Gardner

Jessica Gardner, aka  Jessica The Theme...   Read More

Jessica Gardner, aka  Jessica The Theme Parkette , is a Los Angeles-based theme park aficionado who shares her tried-and-true travel tips, fun facts, and coaster appreciation as @themeparkette on  TikTok  and  Instagram . She is the co-host of the American Coaster Enthusiasts’ official podcast, “ Ride With Us ” and “ The Theme Parkettes ” podcast. Jessica is also a working actor  whose credits include the hit shows NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, Grace and Frankie, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, and many more. 

NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The...   Read More

NikkyJ is a theme park super fan, Author of The Solo Theme Park Traveler’s Guide, the founder and owner of ThemeParkHipster.com , a wishful Food Critic, coffee enthusiast, and a lover of life! She currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she enjoys spending time with her husband and two little girls while discovering the beautiful attractions of Florida. You can watch her on  YouTube  or listen to her podcast.

Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com ,...   Read More

Robb Alvey is the owner of ThemeParkReview.com , started in 1996 and one of the longest running and largest theme park fan sites with over 3 million followers. Robb travels to theme parks all over the world each year including Europe, Asia, Australia, and all around the Americas, has visited hundreds of different parks and ridden about 2,000 different roller coasters. His background in theme parks started as a cast member for Disneyland when he was 17 years old and has continued more than 30 years later.

Robert Niles

Robert Niles is the founder and editor of Read More

Robert Niles is the founder and editor of ThemeParkInsider.com , an online consumers' guide to the world's leading theme and amusement parks, read by more than 400,000 people each month. It has been named the top theme park site on the Internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and was a Webby Award finalist and winner of the Online Journalism Award, presented by the Online News Association and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Robert is a former Walt Disney World cast member and has worked as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and website editor for several newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register.

Taylor Bybee

Taylor Bybee is the founder of Coaster Studios, a...   Read More

Taylor Bybee is the founder of Coaster Studios, a roller coaster and theme park youtube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. Taylor has ridden over 1,000 roller coasters now across all 6 habitable continents, constantly scouting the latest and greatest thrill rides. Coaster Studios has been around for over 10 years now, providing a wide variety of high quality videos within the amusement industry, including reviews, analyses, vlogs, documentaries, and more.   Taylor can be followed on Twitter @coasterstudios and on Instagram via @coaster_studios.

Victoria Wade

Victoria is a writer for the esteemed theme park...   Read More

Victoria is a writer for the esteemed theme park hipster and has been visiting theme parks for over 20 years. Sharing updates on all the thrills is her one true love. You can find her opinions of all things theme park related on her Twitter , TikTok , and Instagram .

10Best Editors

USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,...   Read More

USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.

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Teaching STEM from the Top of The Voyage

What is your favorite part of riding a rollercoaster?

Is it the feeling of the wind against your face as you whoosh around a curve? Is it the sensation in your stomach as you go over the drop?

It turns out the height of the drops is really important in wooden roller coasters like The Voyage .

This is because it provides the kinetic energy (moving energy) for the ride.

As the cars are pulled up the hill, they gain potential energy. The higher they get off the ground, the greater their potential energy. At the very top of the first hill of The Voyage is the moment when you have the greatest potential energy on the ride. When the cars begin to go down the drop, the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

The video shows the relationship between the two!

Some roller coasters at other theme parks rely on other energy sources to speed things up, but The Voyage gets all of its kinetic energy from that first gain in height.

But how high is it?

I had the opportunity to take the EarlyBird Tour to experience it for myself – but from a different perspective. Not from the rollercoaster seat but from the track!

A group of us were escorted up to the top of the lift hill. And good gravy were we high up! You can see the whole park, especially Splashin’ Safari from up there!

And you can really see the potential for the energy if something were to be dropped from that high, such as a roller coaster train going down that drop. The difference between the highest point and the lowest point on The Voyage is 173 feet. Convert that to kinetic energy and that is a lot of movement!

Head to Holiday World for your next STEM lesson in action!

Want to try Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy out yourself at home? K’nex makes roller coaster sets where you can make your own rollercoasters powered by potential energy!

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