Trip Planning Help

My name is Steve, and I used to be a very active member of RRC from around 1998 until about 2002. I pretty much lost interest in travelling and amusement parks until the announcement of The Voyage.

I've been to HW twice (in 2000 and 2001 for SRM) and I am planning on making a return trip the third week of May. I will be travelling with a couple friends (I'm 22) who have never been on a real trip for rollercoasters, so I'm trying to not make it too crazy.

We can do the trip for 4, maybe 5 days, and anytime during the week between the dates of May21 thru May27, but as I've said, it's been awhile since I've travelled and would like some logistical help and suggestions for the trip.

The trip is centered around HW, but I'm also thinking about SFGAm and Mt. Olympus. Can anyone help me with anything at all I might need to know to do this, or any suggestions about what other parks I could consider?

Thank you in advance.

And Moosh, I just now saw your stickied thread about posting threads such as this. Sorry about that...I'd delete this if I could.

where are you traveling from, it will help us give suggestions to know how far you are driving (or if you are flying and renting a car)

Flying from Tallahassee, FL...Other than that, we're not sure where to fly into and if we should fly out of the same place or not. My buddy is getting us plane tickets for cheap through his mom, so that's not going to be a problem.

There is a neat looking NEW woodie (Kentucky Rumbler) being built in Bowling Green KY (Beech Bend Park)!

http://www.beechbend.com/Home%20Page.htm

It seems you must enjoy woodies, so I would suggest you possibly keep this in mind. It is only 100 miles south of Holiday World and it is supposed to open on 5/6/06! It is a little out of the way if you plan to head north...BUT maybe you could start at Beech Bend and make your way to Holiday World in the same day (may be too much for the group)???

Another suggestion is to hit Indiana Beach on the way to SFGam (which you could skip in my opinion---but I'm overly wood biased)!

http://www.indianabeach.com/

They have two good woodies and one that many enthusiasts place near the top of their lists (those geeks who make lists)! You could spend a day or just an hour or two at Indiana Beach and this would be right on your way to the Dells region!

If you are at the Dells you cannot skip Avalanche at Timber Falls Adventure Park just down the road from Olympus!

http://timberfallspark.com/

This is a kick butt woodie (at least it was in the summer of 2004) that I preferred over all of the Olympus offerings (Hades was being built at the time)!

Hope this helps! This is what I would do if I was young and energetic again! :-)

*** Edited 4/18/2006 3:04:29 PM UTC by Jeffrey R Smith***

The only sign of life in Tallahassee is the one that says "Gainesville, 93 miles"...;)

Would ya just LOOK at all these people posting with "gator" in their screen names? I am just WAY ahead of the (fan) curve...ROFL! :)

...and yes, skipping Indiana Beach is a "capitol" crime...DON'T do it!

I'm not quite sure I've ever seen a 93mi to Gainesville sign, at least not on I-10... :) However, "The University of Florida is in Gainesville. The Gator Nation is everywhere."

I'd forgotten about Indiana Beach...I'm not too sure about going out of the way for Beech Bend, but if IB is on the way to/from Chicago, that's definitely a possibility.

Dude! You HAVE to go to Indiana Beach. Driving all the way up to the Dells would be a little much if you have to drive back near southern Indiana, but if you swing a fly into Louisville/Nashville and out of Milwaukee/Chicago kind of a deal, then DEFINITELY go to the Dells. No matter what though, you have to go to Indiana Beach and I wouldn't miss Beech Bend while you're close to that.

I help you against my better judgement! Go Vols!

Have you thought about finishing off your trip with us all at Holiwood Nights at HW. If it's economic you're looking for, it's going to be hard to beat the HN event. But you also should not miss Indiana Beach. They have a great little bunch of coasters and dark rides.

If you would go north. SFGAm has some great steel at it, (Raging Bull, Superman, Batman). The Dells is about 2-3 hours north of that, and they have a great collection wood up there, (esp. Hades @ Mt Olympus and Avalanche @ Timber Falls).

Plus, if you go to Treasure Island or TI's Pleasant View Motel, (it's older, but cheaper). And if you stay at one of the TI resorts you get free admission to Mt. Olympus' Theme Park, Mt. O's Outdoor waterpark, their indoor waterpark, and their new indoor amusement park for the length of your stay.

WisDellsTreasureIsland

MtOlympusthemepark

^^ JRS...I didn't realize Vols HAD better judgement... ;)

Bzzzzing....gotta love SEC life! :)

This is a good thread because we'll definitely be heading that way this summer. "That way" meaning Holiday World for sure and hopefully The Dells later in the summer. Is one day enough for The Dells if all you wanna experience are the coasters?

I'm sorry...I had the dates wrong. It would be the week before HN...The 14-20. My bad. :)

I'd LOVE to go to HN, but we don't want to be travelling during the holiday, whatsoever...

I love SFGAm. I've been there once, in 2001, and want to go back bad. That's why I'm including it in our 'plans' because the crowd I'm going with need some steel. The only wooden coaster anyone has ever ridden that's going, other than me, is Gwazi. So, they made it a point to make sure I planned something other than wooden coasters. :)

I love Indiana amusement parks even more after this year's NCAA tournament.

Indiana Beach is a must, you have to go. A great woodie, a very good woodie and a third that I adore for it's uniqueness. Theur flats a run excellently also. The park does look like much aqnd it is not shiny clean but it has do tons of charm and character.

Timbers Falls is only a mile from Mt Olympus and I have to agree with a Volunteer on this one. You have to give it a shot at night with their night time special. Avalanche rocks. Even riding it for an hour and returning to Mt. Olympus later is worth it. However at that time of year check the park schedules. It might make sense to stay at MtO until it closes and then go to Timber Falls if possible.

Beech Bend does not sound like much of a park, I'll be there for Rumblefest because Kentucky Rumbler looks sweet and the the price is nice as a add-on for Holiwood Nights, but if your time is limited focus on the other four places first

I would spend at least 1.5 days in the Dells. Take advantage of Timber Falls' evening discount on a ride pass wristband.

Thanks for the help so far guys. This is what I'm considering the most so far, let me know what ya'll think and any suggestions you may have...

Day 1: Wisconsin Dells
Day 2: SF Great America
Day 3: 1/2 SFGAm, 1/2 Indiana Beach
Day 4: Holiday World
Day 5: 1/2 HW and fly out

My questions is, starting the trip in Wisconsin, where would be the best place to fly into (aka, the closest) and would Louisville be the best place to fly out of after HW?

Thanks again.

Gatorchamp,

Have you considered Little Americkka?

It really isn't all that far out of the way(In Wisconsin), and it could be done in a relatively short amount of time.

I've done this before, but the park was closed, so I just got back on the highway, and continued up to Wisconsin Dells. *** Edited 4/21/2006 5:35:55 PM UTC by Coasterphan***

Louisville indeed would be the best...UNLESS, by miracle you can get a good rate out of Evansville, IN (casino boat there by the way)! Otherwise you will make a 3 hour trek to St. Louis for flight needs!

Minneapolis or Chicago are the closet "major" airports for Wisconsin Dells