Summer Adventures at Holiday World

It’s easy to get flustered when planning an epic summer trip. After all, there are thousands of destinations to choose from. Here’s why we chose Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari for our first stop!

We have lived in Indy for six years, and every summer we’d see multiple billboards around town displaying wonderful pictures of families having a great time at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari. We always wanted to check it out, so last I loaded up the girls and headed south! We couldn’t wait to explore the magical place we’ve heard so much about.

Rain rain go away! 

One of the most appealing aspects of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, for me, is the crazy amount of value you get for the ticket price. When planning a family vacation, I am always looking for ways to get the most bang for my buck. Holiday World offers free parking, free unlimited Pepsi products (yay!) and water, free sunscreen (yay!) and free WiFi! And let me tell you, we took full advantage of all of them. That is after the rain cleared up. As soon as we walked through the gates it started to downpour. Thankfully, the gift shop sold these ponchos for $1.00 each. 

Nestled in southwestern Indiana, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari truly has something for everyone. The park is divided into easy to navigate holiday-themed sections, which makes it so much easier to get around with the kiddos. Plus, throughout the park are Pepsi Oasis locations where we stopped and hydrated on free Pepsi products throughout the day-a huge savings for families! And there’s no gimmick, like you don’t need to buy a cup to get the free drinks, which I really appreciate!

We’ve been to several other theme parks that were really hard to navigate without a map, but not Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari! !

Having kids of every different age can make visiting a theme park difficult, given the rides’ height requirements and their varied interests. Plus, finding a theme park that is truly family focused is not easy. At Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, the crowd is multi-generational and there are LOTS of families. It is a great environment to spend the day!

Plus, there are a ton of rides that my five-year-old could ride, and there were just as many options for her as my 13-year-old, which surprised me in a positive way! The rides are scattered throughout the park, so you’re not just contained to one area which is perfect for families with kids of all ages. Plus, most of the rides that were for the smaller kids, seemed to be fun for everyone. I can’t tell you how many times we all rode the Reindeer Games ride in the Christmas area! Another thing we loved about Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is that it is not a concrete jungle. There are trees, and landscaping and areas to relax and get out of the sun. Another thing that struck me about Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is how clean it is! I’d heard that is considered the cleanest park in the nation and it is true! On top of that, the staff is SUPER friendly making our visit even more special.

The second day was spent at the water park section: Splashin’ Safari, which is included in your admission price. SCORE!

I’m not even sure where to begin, Splashin’ Safari had so many options to ride and splash in. I was super impressed by how clean and well thought out the water park was. When you first arrive in the water park they have lockers you can rent to leave your valuables in. Also, there’s no need to worry about keeping track of a key thanks to an awesome wristband system. Simply swipe your card, enter the number of wristbands you need, and swipe your band to open your locker. Easy-peasy! I didn’t want to bring my phone along and risk damaging it, so I, unfortunately, didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked.

Once your stuff is secure in your locker, it’s time to head over to the free sunblock station and lather up. The sun is sizzling, and with all of the fun that’s happening it’s easy to forget this step, but don’t worry, there are sunblock stations everywhere. And just like the rides at Holiday World, Splashin’ Safari has a ton of slides and other water attractions for the little ones, as well as the bigger ones. They have a neat red light, green light system to let them know when it was ok to go down the slides safely, and kids can choose to either go alone or with a parent. I was always watching, but it was refreshing to see many lifeguards on duty. Plus, throughout Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari are restrooms, sunscreen kiosks, and Pepsi Oasis stands, making your visit to the park easy for families!

Splashin’ Safari is an award-winning water park with a couple dozen water slides, water playgrounds and a lazy river, so you can imagine the amount of fun that was had. I practically had to rip the kids away to grab a bite to eat. I think I counted over 20 different places to get food or snacks, and they all offer free Pepsi products. Plus, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari Holiday World happens to be allergy friendly which is a total win considering Josephine is allergic to dairy. Kringle’s Kafe, Jungle Jake’s and Safari Pizza have allergy-friendly menus and www.holidayworld.com even has an online brochure to help you plan your visit.

Overall, we had a wonderful time at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari and would recommend it to any family looking for a wholesome, family-friendly theme park this summer. Between the award-winning rides, the cleanliness of the park, the super friendly staff, allergy-friendly food options and freebies-like Pepsi products and sunscreen, it is truly the perfect option.

I was asked by Carusele to participate in the #HolidayWithPepsi campaign, sponsored by Pepsi. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.