Some of the best roller coaster engineering in America sits in a small Indiana town with the merriest name going: Santa Claus. Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, the town's family-run theme park, is home to The Voyage — a wooden coaster that ranks as the second-longest of its kind anywhere on the planet.
The numbers back up the hype. The Voyage stretches 1.2 miles across hilly southern Indiana terrain, hits speeds of 67 mph, and opens with a 154-foot drop tilted at a 66-degree angle — steep enough that riders famously feel like they're standing up on the way down. The track threads through five tunnels, including underground sections, and throws in a combined 24.3 seconds of airtime. A full lap lasts 2 minutes and 45 seconds, an unusually long ride by coaster standards. The design, by The Gravity Group, ends in a tangled turnaround that reviewers have dubbed the "spaghetti bowl" because it's genuinely hard to tell which way you're heading.
Opened in 2006, the ride has aged well. In September 2026 it reclaimed Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for Best Wooden Coaster — its first win since 2011 — and USA Today 10Best readers put it at No. 6 among America's best coasters. Coaster enthusiasts online remain devoted, with fans praising its relentless pace and unpredictable layout. It even has a music video to its name: metal band Fozzy filmed "Sane" while actually riding it.
Holiday World itself runs three wooden coasters, while the attached Splashin' Safari water park adds three water coasters. Two practical perks set the park apart from bigger-name competitors: tickets include unlimited soft drinks, free sunscreen, and free parking. Admission runs from $45 if you buy in advance to $77 at the gate, and the park operates seasonally, so check the calendar before you plan a trip.
Getting there is straightforward enough. Evansville Regional Airport is under 50 miles away, and the closest place to stay is Santa's Lodge — a family-friendly hotel with complimentary breakfast, pools, and a playground. Santa Claus also leans hard into its name with Christmas-themed festivities in winter, so an off-season visit has its own charm even when the rides are shut.
For thrill-seekers, this is a chance to ride a genuinely world-class coaster without the queue times or prices of the big-brand parks. Woodies divide opinion — some riders love that raw, slightly out-of-control feel while steel fans find them rough — but The Voyage keeps winning over converts two decades in. If you're road-tripping through the Midwest, it's an easy, affordable detour that punches well above its weight.
