THRILLS & CHILLS OF SUMMER

The outside portion of SoundWaves includes looping water slides, a high-speed body flume, a wave pool, a giant movie screen and more.

HOLIDAY WORLD & SPLASHIN’ SAFARI

425 E. Christmas Blvd., Santa Claus, IN 812-937-4401 • holidayworld.com

Named among the best theme parks in the country this year by U.S. News & World Report, yet the park retired Raging Rapids this past June after 33 years.

It’s a two-and-a-half hour drive to Santa Claus, Indiana where Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is located. Pile the kids in the car by 7:30 a.m. to get there by 10. Ride the rides for an hour before Splashin’ Safari opens at 11 a.m. Lots of Nashvillians take this trek annually to spend a soaky day at the popular park.

Several rides at Holiday World are outstanding: the Thunderbird steel roller coaster (launches from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds); the Cheetah Chase water coaster (it will leave you drenched); and Mammoth, the world’s longest water coaster which spans out across 1,763 feet.

Tickets start at $70 for a one-day pass. New this year: the park is offering free admission to 4- and 5-yearold kids for the entire season via a Pre-K Season Pass (online only). Kids 3 and younger already get in free. Also new: the park is cashless with free cash-to-card services throughout the park. The “Holidays in the Sky” drone and fireworks spectacular is ramped up for 2023 with 400 drones (100 more than last season); the light and fireworks show runs nightly through July 30 (weather permitting).

But why did Raging Rapids close? An elusive tweet from the park on June 14 read, “After 33 years and millions of happy memories, Raging Rapids has officially retired. We know this attraction means a lot to our guests, and it does to us, too. While this may feel like an ending, it’s just the beginning. We intend to return the sound of laughter to Boulder Canyon as soon as we possibly can.”

We look forward to that!