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Holiday World & Splashin' Safari: 75 Years of America's First Theme Park
America's first theme park, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, is one of the largest family-owned and -operated independent parks in the United States, and its success is no accident. From moving Interstate 64 closer to the small town to introducing free unlimited soft drinks, four generations of the Koch family have amplified the legacy of this iconic Indiana attraction.
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari celebrates the history of the Koch family and Santa Jim Yellig; the origins of Santa Claus, Indiana; and the early years of Santa Claus Land. The story continues with the expansion from Santa Claus Land to Holiday World, the addition of the park's famous trio of top-ranked wooden roller coasters, and the development of Splashin' Safari Water Park, ranked one of the top water parks in the country.
For three-quarters of a century, the Koch family has launched the park into worldwide renown and national recognition. Featuring over 100 color illustrations, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari relives this joyous past while looking forward to the thrills fans can expect in the next 75 years.
Holiday World & Splashin' Safari celebrates the history of the Koch family and Santa Jim Yellig; the origins of Santa Claus, Indiana; and the early years of Santa Claus Land. The story continues with the expansion from Santa Claus Land to Holiday World, the addition of the park's famous trio of top-ranked wooden roller coasters, and the development of Splashin' Safari Water Park, ranked one of the top water parks in the country.
For three-quarters of a century, the Koch family has launched the park into worldwide renown and national recognition. Featuring over 100 color illustrations, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari relives this joyous past while looking forward to the thrills fans can expect in the next 75 years.
200 pages, Hardcover
Published May 3, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2022
Holiday World began as Santa Claus Land, in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana. The town was originally named Santa Fee, but had to change its name due to another Indiana town named Santa Fe. Residents met near Christmastime to come up with a new name, and a blast of winter wind prompted the idea of “Santa Claus.” Santa Claus is in southern Indiana, near the area where a young Abraham Lincoln and his family lived from 1816-1830. You can easily visit Lincoln’s boyhood home site when visiting Holiday World.
The theme park known as Santa Claus Land was founded in 1946 by the Yellig family. At the time, most guests visited at Christmastime. The book takes the reader through the entire history of the park, and as someone who has visited since the 1970s, this was a lot of fun for me. Many things were mentioned that I remembered: a seahorse ride, trained animals (a kissing bunny, and a chicken who played baseball for treats, etc).
I learned that the 1960s-1970s were the “theme park era,” with many popular theme parks being founded then — King’s Island, Opryland, Six Flags (Disneyland was a bit earlier, in the 1950s). I like “big picture” things like this; I hadn’t realized there was a theme park era. And here it was during my childhood. Pretty neat.
One interesting tidbit was that Santa Claus Land had a children’s choir that met every Sunday during the 1970s. In the late 1970s, Santa Claus Land began closing in December, since that was no longer a popular time for visitors. The author mentioned that this coincided with the rise of malls in popularity. The rise (and fall) of malls has been something I’ve noted in life, with interest. In my teenage years, going to a mall was such a popular thing to do. I think it was probably instrumental in me choosing to major in fashion retailing (the thrill of working in a mall!). These days, malls have fallen victim to online shopping.
Back on track … Santa Claus Land became Holiday World in 1984. Around 1990, the Jim and Pat Koch’s oldest son, Will, became president of other park. He really began growing the park in a big way, building many huge roller coasters, etc. It was interesting to read through the history of the various big attractions being added to the park. In 1995, the park added the big wooden roller coaster, “The Raven.” The park had a 40% increase in traffic that year as coaster enthusiasts descended on the park. Will Koch did a lot of research and planning in deciding which new rides to bring to the park, and he was really successful as attendance continued to grow.
Another unique feature of the park is their offering of free drinks to all guests. I think the book said that they determined that the average guest drank a $4 value of drinks during a visit, and I think ticket prices were adjusted to take this into account. But since it’s billed as “free,” you really don’t think about the fact that you’re paying for them. It’s just so nice to see drink huts all over the park with soft drink spigots and cups.
Sadly, Will Koch died unexpectedly in 2010 at the age of 48. I knew from reading online that after his death, the family unfortunately became fractured, with his wife going to court against his brother in a dispute over ownership of the park. None of this is mentioned at all in the book, but I found it interesting reading online elsewhere. The book is just a “happy happy” showpiece of park history, which is fine.
These days, things seem to have calmed down at Holiday World. Will Koch’s three kids are now in their 30s and are running the park. Pat Koch, Will’s mother and a Holiday World legend, is still living at 91. This book is full of photos of Holiday World’s entire history, and I think it’s a treasure if you’re interested in the park.
The theme park known as Santa Claus Land was founded in 1946 by the Yellig family. At the time, most guests visited at Christmastime. The book takes the reader through the entire history of the park, and as someone who has visited since the 1970s, this was a lot of fun for me. Many things were mentioned that I remembered: a seahorse ride, trained animals (a kissing bunny, and a chicken who played baseball for treats, etc).
I learned that the 1960s-1970s were the “theme park era,” with many popular theme parks being founded then — King’s Island, Opryland, Six Flags (Disneyland was a bit earlier, in the 1950s). I like “big picture” things like this; I hadn’t realized there was a theme park era. And here it was during my childhood. Pretty neat.
One interesting tidbit was that Santa Claus Land had a children’s choir that met every Sunday during the 1970s. In the late 1970s, Santa Claus Land began closing in December, since that was no longer a popular time for visitors. The author mentioned that this coincided with the rise of malls in popularity. The rise (and fall) of malls has been something I’ve noted in life, with interest. In my teenage years, going to a mall was such a popular thing to do. I think it was probably instrumental in me choosing to major in fashion retailing (the thrill of working in a mall!). These days, malls have fallen victim to online shopping.
Back on track … Santa Claus Land became Holiday World in 1984. Around 1990, the Jim and Pat Koch’s oldest son, Will, became president of other park. He really began growing the park in a big way, building many huge roller coasters, etc. It was interesting to read through the history of the various big attractions being added to the park. In 1995, the park added the big wooden roller coaster, “The Raven.” The park had a 40% increase in traffic that year as coaster enthusiasts descended on the park. Will Koch did a lot of research and planning in deciding which new rides to bring to the park, and he was really successful as attendance continued to grow.
Another unique feature of the park is their offering of free drinks to all guests. I think the book said that they determined that the average guest drank a $4 value of drinks during a visit, and I think ticket prices were adjusted to take this into account. But since it’s billed as “free,” you really don’t think about the fact that you’re paying for them. It’s just so nice to see drink huts all over the park with soft drink spigots and cups.
Sadly, Will Koch died unexpectedly in 2010 at the age of 48. I knew from reading online that after his death, the family unfortunately became fractured, with his wife going to court against his brother in a dispute over ownership of the park. None of this is mentioned at all in the book, but I found it interesting reading online elsewhere. The book is just a “happy happy” showpiece of park history, which is fine.
These days, things seem to have calmed down at Holiday World. Will Koch’s three kids are now in their 30s and are running the park. Pat Koch, Will’s mother and a Holiday World legend, is still living at 91. This book is full of photos of Holiday World’s entire history, and I think it’s a treasure if you’re interested in the park.
December 13, 2023
I've always been fascinated by Holiday World and its history...it's been on my bucket list of amusement parks I want to visit for years now. This was an enjoyable and detailed account of Holiday World's early history as Santa Claus Land, America's first theme park, as well as its transition into Holiday World, a theme park centered around more than one holiday. I hope to be able to visit this park in person one day (crossing my fingers for next summer), but for now, I enjoyed reading this book that definitely made for some light reading during finals week.
April 10, 2023
This book was very detailed and gave an interesting insight on all of history and hard work put into this park over the years. Since this is my home park and place I have worked before, knowing more about the history and the love the Koch family has for Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari makes this place even more special.
November 19, 2024
A bit confusing on timeline at some points. But such a sweet book about the history of one of my favorite theme parks. I loved hearing all the stories and the details put into each attraction, it makes me appreciate this park even more than before!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews