Holiday World Set to Open

Holiday World and Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus will open for the season this weekend after undergoing $8 million in improvements. Chief Executive Officer Matt Eckert says the upgrades include a new restaurant and a swinging ship ride in the park's Thanksgiving-themed area. He expects the park to host more than 1 million guests this year.

Santa Claus, Ind. – Holiday World theme park opens for its 68th season this Saturday with the first sailing of the Mayflower swinging ship ride.

“Since 2006, when we expanded Holiday World to include a Thanksgiving-themed section, we've received hundreds of suggestions to add a classic swinging ship ride and name it the Mayflower,” says park president Matt Eckert. “We have a three-year Thanksgiving celebration plan for our park, and this is just the start.”

Eckert says the new family ride will carry up to 60 riders at a time, swinging in an arc 54-feet-high over a pool of water.

Additional projects for this season include:

-Friday Night Fireworks (Friday evenings from June 13 through August 1)

-Extended Splashin' Safari hours

-Mrs. Klaus' Kitchen makeover, including a new home for Santa Claus

-Summer Fun Card program, for multi-day summer visits

-New Wildebeestro restaurant and Safari Outpost shop in Splashin' Safari

Eckert says the cost of this year's improvements totaled $8 million. Ticket prices for Holiday World & Splashin' Safari did not increase from last season.

On May 10, a production crew from Hollywood will spend the day at Holiday World to capture the enhanced theming of the park's Christmas section for a new holiday special for The Travel Channel.

Holiday World will be open weekends starting May 3. Holiday World & Splashin' Safari will be open daily starting May 16. For more information, visit HolidayWorld.com or call 1-800-467-2682.

Source: Holiday World & Splashin' Safari