by Lisa Doherty

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: June 24, 2008

Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana is the best combination of two things that kids of all ages love best, Christmas and a theme park! Home to one of the best kept secrets of the mid-west, Holiday World is ranked nationwide as the second best water park. Thrilling rides, four different water parks and free drink refills all day long are just a few of the attractions this park has to offer.

Before becoming Holiday World, the park used to be called "Santa Claus World" and offered a really neat Christmas theme. We used to believe that was where Santa hung out during his vacation and he would show up during the Christmas parades that happened every day. Even though the theme has changed, what remains the same is that this is a great park with tons of activities for the entire family to enjoy. Here are some of the park highlights and what you will find.

1. FREE DRINKS, FREE PARKING, and FREE SUNSCREEN: I don't know of any other theme park that offers this. There are free refills on drinks all day long. If you compare this to other parks, you will spend three to five dollars per drink. This saves a large amount of money for the family who is on a budget. The free parking speaks for itself. There is nothing more dismaying than pulling up to a theme park and having to fork out a twenty before you even walk in the gates. The free sunscreen is also a great way to show that they care about the kiddos and the families who come there.

2. DISCOUNTED TICKETS: Bring in an empty Pepsi can or Bunny Bread wrapper and you can get up to five or ten dollars off, depending on the month of the year. Also, their prices for entrance are very reasonably priced compared to other parks in the general area, such as Six Flags in Kentucky and King's Island in Cincinnati and the other parks do not offer free drinks!

3. WATER PARKS: Holiday World offers four different options for water fun. Keeping to a fun island theme, all four water parks have something unique to offer every member of the family. The nice thing about the water park is that life jackets are provided, so if you forgot to bring one for the little ones, Holiday World has it covered! Some highlights of the water parks, which are favorites of my kiddos are:

KIMA BAY: Swahili for "monkey" your little ones can have a barrel of fun on one of the seven water slides this park offers. There are restrictions about height, so make sure that your kiddo is able to go beforehand!

BAKULI: This is a four person inner tube ride that lets the whole

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