Holiday World details gravy-themed roller coaster
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Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari is providing new details on its newest roller coaster. The Spencer County theme park previously teased the project, which it called “Project Gravy Boat,” but on Tuesday confirmed the ride will be known as “Good Gravy!” and will be located in the park’s Thanksgiving section.
Holiday World is investing $10 million in the project, a family boomerang coaster that will be the first of its kind to open in North America, according to the park.
The coaster will feature a train shaped like a giant gravy boat that will be pulled backwards uphill before flying through the station on a cranberry-colored track. The nearly 1,500-foot-long ride will hit a maximum speed of 37 miles per hour.
The ride will have a 38-inch height requirement, which Holiday World said would accommodate children approximately three years old.
“Since 1946, our family has been dedicated to being the best at family fun,” Holiday World owner Leah Koch-Blumhardt said in a news release. “We’re excited to add a coaster to our lineup that caters to the entire family, just like Thanksgiving dinner. The experience will be smooth and gentle enough for grandparents and younger children to enjoy, yet it’s still dynamic enough for the thrill seekers.”
The attraction was manufactured by Dutch roller coaster maker Vekoma Rides. Construction has begin on the station and ride footers, and the track itself is expected to arrive in November.
The coaster is slated to open in May 2024.
“We’re proud to be building our first Vekoma roller coaster. The company has a stellar reputation, and it is well-deserved,” said Koch-Blumhardt. “As for the theme, this coaster might be a little corny, but that’s exactly who we are. We’ve always been as cheesy as grandma’s potatoes au gratin. We’re stuffing this ride full of puns and giving families pumpkin new to talk about.”
Holiday World said the full addition includes what will be known as the Stuffing Springs area, which will include a children’s play area and a Dippin’ Dots stand made from a refurbished 1964 Airstream camper.
The theme park said daily operations for this season will end on Sunday, though the park will be open on weekends through the end of October.