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For families on a budget, amusement and water parks offer low-cost thrills and new attractions, often close to home.
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With so many parks and so little vacation time, it’s tough to know which one is right for your family. Browse amusement park Web sites for basic information on hours and admission prices. Some sites even have Web cams that give you a rider’s eye view of the thrills and spins. Here are some other research tips for your family amusement park vacation:
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Finally, call the park before you go and ask whether there are other money-saving promotions. Some parks ask visitors to bring in a soda can for a discount or give you a better deal if you buy tickets online and print them out at home. That offers another advantage: you get to bypass the long lines at the ticket window.
Two of my family’s favorite parks are in Indiana—Indiana Beach on the shores of Lake Shafer near Monticello, and Holiday World in Santa Claus.
Indiana Beach is the park my family visited regularly when I was growing up in northwest Indiana. This summer, the park is debuting the Steel Hawg coaster, Indiana’s first major steel coaster. It features a 120-degree first drop with multiple inversions. I hope it doesn’t overshadow the nostalgic, small town, family-friendly feel of the place, which is reminiscent of an old-fashioned park on the boardwalk.
South Korea: Everland, Lotte World
Tokyo: Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Universal Studios Japan
Paris: Disneyland Paris, Parc Asterix
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park
Australia (Gold Coast): Dreamworld
Germany: Europa Park
Toronto: Paramount Canada’s Wonderland
Make reservations early and stay in one of the quaint cottages on the property. On site lodging makes traveling a godsend—especially when your family is tired at the end of the day. I didn’t plan ahead and there were no rooms available the last time I visited with two tweens who couldn’t be dragged away until closing time. While they slept in the back seat, I struggled to stay awake while driving along the pitch-black country roads in search of a hotel room.
Holiday World in southern Indiana is our new family favorite. Like many amusement parks these days, it comes with a water park, Splashin’ Safari, so you can get heated up on the rides, then cool off in the water park.
Holiday World is still owned and operated by its founding family, and it also caters to families. It’s immaculately clean, has plenty of fun stuff to do and, best of all, there are stations throughout both parks dispensing free soda, Gatorade, punch and SPF 30 sunscreen. Yes, free.
Courtesy of Holiday World
There is a new wooden coaster called the Voyage, but there are no super-duper upside-down coasters in the park. The idea, says park president Will Koch, grandson of the founder, is to keep the park safe from the roving bands of teenagers who are drawn to the thrill rides and can scare off families. “We like the teenagers to come, but with their parents and little sister,” says a spokeswoman.
There’s the Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort next door, owned by Will’s brother, Philip Koch, that rents campsites as well as campers and cabins. In-season tent sites start at $30 per night. As cabins can cost up to $170 nightly (and you must bring your own linens), they didn’t seem like a very good deal to me. Having said that, I’ll add that my kids love staying in a campground, especially one with a steel coaster nearby.
If you would prefer a more adult experience, try the newly restored and beautiful French Lick Resort about 45 minutes north of Holiday World in French Lick, Ind., or the Leavenworth Inn, a bed and breakfast in nearby Leavenworth, Ind.
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