SANTA CLAUS, Ind. (WISH) — Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari took top honors for the world’s best water park, wooden roller coaster and water park rides on Saturday at an awards ceremony.
Experienced theme park enthusiasts, industry professionals, and the publisher of Amusement Today, a publication that covers the international amusement and theme park industry, selected the Golden Ticket Award winners announced in Austin, Texas.
Splashin’ Safari was named the No. 1 water park in the world. This is the first time the park has held the top title.
Three of the park’s water coasters swept the top three spots for best water park ride. Mammoth ranked first, followed by Wildebeest and Cheetah Chase.
The Voyage reclaimed its title as the world’s best wooden roller coaster for the first time in 15 years. The park spent about $2.5 million over the last five years to replace more than 3,000 feet of track on the coaster.
Leah Koch-Blumhardt, director of communications and a fourth-generation owner, said the award is a testament to the work of the park’s maintenance and operations teams. Lauren Crosby, director of entertainment and events, added that the park has aimed to regain the top wooden coaster award for the last decade.
Holiday World will host the awards ceremony in 2027.
While Splashin’ Safari is closed for the season, Happy Halloween Weekends will begin Saturday at the park. Also, Friday Night Live! will happen from 5-10 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 30. The amusement parks are about a 2-hour, 45-minute drive southwest of downtown Indianapolis, and 75 minutes west of downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
A new water roller coaster, Cannonball!, is scheduled to open in the spring.
Other Golden Ticket Award winners:
- Europe-Park in Rust, Germany won best Amusement Park in the World.
- Dollywood in Tennessee won Best Guest Experience for the seventh straight year, and also won Most Beautiful Park, Best Kids’ Area, and Best Family Coaster.
- Kings Island near Cincinnati won Best New Family Attraction for its revamped dark ride, Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare.
- The new Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia won Best New Attraction Installation and Best New Roller Coaster for its Falcon’s Flight.
- Carowinds in North Carolina won Best Steel Coaster for the 11th straight year.
- Santa’s Village in New Hampshire won Best Family Park.
- Universal’s Epic Universe won Best Dark Ride for Monster Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.
