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6.15.06 THIS WEEK IN INDY:

JAZZY AFFAIR BEGINS FRI • PG. 66

TELL ME HOW TO GET TO THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM BEGINS SAT • PG. 62

HOLDTIGHT! Buckle up for the best amusement parks the Midwest has to offer. Find out which were our favorites. PAGE 26

ALLMAN BROTHERS ON THE LAWN TUE • PG. 71

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INDEPTH

Thursday, June 15, 2006 INtake

Easily

amused Kimiko tours the Midwest’s fastest and tallest coasters at five amusement parks.

By Kimiko Martinez

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kimiko.martinez@intakeweekly.com

Tom Klubens / For INtake

Puppy love: The Holiday World mascot Holidog hands out free hugs to kid visitors.

ot wood? How about steel?

With the summer season in full swing, nearby amusement parks are bracing for an onslaught of thrill-seekers and family vacationers.

Not sure where to go? With more than a dozen choices within a day’s drive, we decided to help you choose. We spent more than 25 hours on the road, more than $500 out of our pocketbooks and lost about five pounds from walking the hundreds of acres at the five parks — both big and small — that we visited: Cedar Point, Holiday World, Indiana Beach, Paramount’s Kings Island and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

Want to know how to save money? We asked. Which rollercoaster has the biggest drop? We found out.

And now that it’s all said and done, we’re handing out awards.

Tom Klubens / For INtake

Flip ya for real: Riders get flipped upside down on Face/Off at Paramount’s Kings Island.

Submitted photo

Stormy: Visitors to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom ride Tornado!, which drops rafts down a tunnel into a catch pool.

Tom Klubens / For INtake

Air attack: Riders on maXair at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, are swung 140 feet up into the air as the ride spins rapidly in a clockwise motion.

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Thursday, June 15, 2006 INtake

Indiana Beach

Park awards After visiting the parks, we compiled this list of awards for rides, parks and staff:

306 Indiana Beach Drive, Monticello, Ind.; (219) 583-4141, www.indianabeach.com.

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RIDES

ake a trip back in time at this lakeside park that looks like it could have been lifted straight out of the 1950s. Classic carnival rides, a couple of coasters and a distinct seaside feel are here.

Brigitte Nielson / Flava Flav award: Wicked Twister (Cedar Point) for being the most twisted coaster. The track looks like a pair of antelope horns with two 215foot towers that each twist 450 degrees.

Newest attractions: Splash Battle, an interactive water ride, and Splash Bash, a water play area, open this summer.

Shows/special attractions: Water Thrill Show at 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. daily through Aug. 20.

Upcoming events: Fireworks June 17 and July 4; anniversary party beginning June 18 with 25-cent rides.

Themes/mascot: “There’s more than corn in Indiana.” IB Crow and Cornball Jones serve as park mascots.

Most interesting menu items: Pronto Pups, walking tacos, Skyroom Chef’s three-course gourmet dinner.

Three most popular rides: Shafer Queen, Cornball Express Roller Coaster, Den of Lost Thieves.

Cheech and Chong award: Old school: A vintage sign along the Indiana Beach boardwalk advertises swimwear for sale.

All wet: Reporter Kimiko Martinez gets a little wet as she hits the end of Rocky’s Rapids log flume ride.

Tom Klubens / For INtake

Holiday World 452 E. Christmas Blvd., Santa Claus, Ind.; (877) 463-2645, www.holidayworld.com.

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veryone is talking about the new wooden coaster The Voyage, and for good reason.

Plus, who else gives you free soft drinks and includes the water park in admission?

Newest attraction: The Voyage, a 1.2-mile-long wooden coaster with a record 24.2 seconds of airtime, opened May 6.

Shows/special attractions: Santa’s Storytime, Holidog’s Dance Party, History of Diving, Lift Your Voice, Superstar Karaoke, American Country and Pop Revolution.

Themes/mascot: Holiday-themed areas include Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas; Holidog is the mascot.

“Santa Claus isn’t a mascot,” Werne said, “but he’s here every day.”

Most interesting menu items: Cheesecake on a stick, $2.99; Frito pie, $2.89; fried Oreos, four for $2.79.

Three most popular rides: The Voyage, Raging Rapids, The Raven in Holiday World; Zinga, Bahari wave pool and ZOOMbabwe in Splashin’ Safari.

Take a trip: The Voyage is the newest addition to Holiday World. To read more about the ride and its designers, see page 27.

Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point) for highest coaster — 420 feet.

Depends award: The Beast (Paramount’s Kings Island).

If you’re in need of a good b.m., this ride will shake the sh*t out of you.

FedEx award:

Mantis (Cedar Point) and Chang (Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom). All those loops and turns on these stand-up coasters aren’t so bad, but beware of the ending.

You’ll wish you wore a cup.

Longest wood award: The Beast (Paramount’s Kings Island) at 7,400 feet (of track, of course).

Michael Jordan award: The Voyage (Holiday World) for most airtime on a coaster — 24.2 seconds; and Skyhawk (Cedar Point) for best air on a thrill ride.

SNL’s The Lady’s Man award for smoothness: Raptor (Cedar Point). A suspended steel coaster that goes down smooth like a glass of fine cognac.

Snoop Dogg and the Dogg pound award for best Gs: Son of Beast (Paramount’s Kings Island). A 214-foot drop, speeds over 78 mph, 7,032 feet of twists, turns and tunnels, and the only wooden coaster with a loop. There’s some serious g-force action.

Best short wood: The Hoosier Hurricane (Indiana Beach).

A classic out-and-back wood coaster that’s surprisingly fun.

Dropping in: At Holiday World, guests plunge down one of the drops on the Raven roller coaster.

Sam Hornish, Jr. award for fastest ride: Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point). Zero to 120 mph in less than 4 seconds.

Jenna Jamison award:

Magnum XL-200 (Cedar Point) for best up and down action. All those hills equal lots of airtime.

Most underrated award: Thunder Run (Kentucky Kingdom). People who haven’t been don’t know what they’re missing. A great wooden ride.

Want a Santa? Inside Santa’s Storytime Theater at Holiday World.

Tom Klubens / For INtake

INtake

INDEPTH

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Cedar Point

1 Cedar Point Road, Sandusky, Ohio; (419) 627-2350, www.cedarpoint.com.

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hey call Cedar Point the Roller Coast for a reason. It’s a thrill seeker’s paradise with some of the biggest and baddest roller coasters around.

Set on Lake Erie, the scenery is beautiful. And the temperatures are much more moderate than at some of the other parks, which allows Cedar Point planners the freedom to continually build taller, faster and noisier attractions.

Newest attraction: Skyhawk, the world’s tallest swing ride, thrusts its riders 125 feet into the air at more than 60 mph. Two giant 84-foot arms, each carrying 20 riders, swing in opposite directions. Opened in May 2006.

Shows/special attractions: Extreme Splash high-dive show, Camp Snoopy Theatre and Rock the House. Hot Summer Lights and Divine Divas are new this year. Hot Summer Lights features FireWater, a special effect that shoots torchlike flames into the air. These flames are choreographed to music. Cedar Point is the first and only amusement park in the world to use this technology.

Upcoming events: Fireworks on July 4, the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill (the world’s largest traveling grill), Fourth of July weekend and the 34th Annual North American Sail and Power Boat Show, Sept. 13-17.

Themes/mascot: Peanuts characters.

Most interesting menu items: New “Chicken Bites of Fire” (buffalo-style chicken bites), calypso chicken wraps, island steak burgers, Cuban panini, fresh Lake Erie perch sandwiches, 25-cent cotton candy sticks and new sirloin steak burgers.

Three most popular rides: Millennium Force (voted Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World), Raptor and Top Thrill Dragster.

Tom Klubens / For INtake

Put a cork in it: The Corkscrew roller coaster at Cedar Point careens toward one of its several loops just a few feet over the heads of park pedestrians.

Going down to Cowtown: A baby calf licks another calf on the ear in the Cedar Point petting zoo.

Streaking: The Mean Streak wooden roller coaster (below) takes riders through a sharp turn at Cedar Point.

Like a bird: The Skyhawk’s two 84-foot long arms swing to a horizontal position, bringing riders about 125 feet above the ground.

Buy a thrill: Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster takes riders up to the apex and then races down the track at a top speed of 120 mph.

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Thursday, June 15, 2006 INtake

Paramount’s Kings Island 6300 Kings Island Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio; (513) 573-5700, www.pki.com.

PA R K S

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Cigarette break award:

he Beast has been lurking in the woods at King’s Island for years. And its spawn, Son of Beast, is just as menacing. Plus, a brandspanking-new Nickelodeon Universe is like kiddie heaven, with rides featuring the network’s most popular characters, like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.

Submitted photo

Hands up: Riders have no fear as the Thunder Run drags them downhill.

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

Newest attraction: Nickelodeon Universe, which includes a total of 18 rides and attractions that bring to life Nickelodeon’s most popular characters; opened April 14.

Shows/special attractions: School of Rock Live in Concert, Star Search Live.

Upcoming events: Nickelodeon Celebration Parade, through July 9; Star-Spangled Celebration, July 1-4; Spirit Song, July 6-8; NCA/NDA Cheer and Dance Championships, Sept. 2-3.

Themes/mascot: Nickelodeon, Scooby Doo. Most interesting menu items: Skyline chili, Graeter’s ice cream, Montgomery Inn and LaRosa’s pizza.

Three most popular rides: Racer, Kings Island Miami Valley Railroad, Beast.

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom for being the best quick fix. It’s not the biggest and not the best, but it does the trick.

Vegas hooker award: Holiday World is hands-down the best bang for the buck. Of course, it’s about as far from Vegas as you can get — spitting and cursing are prohibited, the grounds are clean and it’s cheap.

The Flintstones award: Child’s play: Children ride the Lazytown Sportocopters while others ride the Nickoround in Nickelodeon Universe.

Indiana Beach is by far the best blast from the past. It sits on the lake and looks like a seaside park you’d see in the movies.

Homecoming committee award: Paramount’s Kings Island for best use of a theme. What better pairings for go-cart racing than Days of Thunder, and a backward/forward-facing twisted suspended coaster than Face/Off?

937 Phillips Lane, Louisville, Ky.; (502) 366-2231, www.sixflags.com.

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Mr. Belvedere award: Holiday World. This is the type of butler-like staff that takes your belongings for you and stores them on the opposite side of the track. They even say, “Excuse me” when they’re checking your seatbelts and lap bars.

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ust a couple hours away, Kentucky Kingdom has all the fun of a bigger park, but on a smaller scale. It has just enough variety in its coasters to make thrill-seekers happy and enough kiddie rides, parades and shows to entertain the younger set.

Newest attractions: Tornado at the Hurricane Bay water park and The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera at the Thrill Park Theater motion simulator.

Shows/special attractions: Looney Tunes: We Got the Beat!, Broadway Rhythm, Pure Country and Looney Tunes parade with Justice League of America characters.

Upcoming events: GospelFest featuring Kirk Franklin on June 17, and KidsFest featuring magicians, stilt walkers, music, clowns, face painting and arts and crafts July 1-7.

Themes/mascot: Looney Tunes characters and Justice League of America, including Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman.

Most interesting menu items: Turkey pesto panini and Southwestern chicken wrap.

Three most popular rides: Chang, Hellevator, Hurricane Bay Water Park.

Park awards

The View award:

If you watch this show, you know how much incessant chatter there can be. The ride operators at Cedar Point may have taken their cue from the cast.

They are peppy, and the attention seems genuine for the first hour, but then it gets annoying.

Facing Face/Off: The winding Kings Island roller coaster Face/Off shows no mercy as it turns its guests upside down.

Bring It On award: Talk about team spirit. The staff at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom were still smiling, polite and friendly, despite the gloomy weather and lack of visitors.

Mascots were out walking around between downpours and the parades went on as planned.

United Colors of Benetton award: Cedar Point. Most of the parks we attended were pretty whitewashed. But at Cedar Point, both the visitors and the staff reflected a more diverse cultural spectrum.

Tom Klubens / For INtake

INtake

INDEPTH

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Pick a park

Cedar Point

Holiday World

Indiana Beach

Kentucky Kingdom

Kings Island

Cost

$39.95 adults, $64.95 two-day pass, $24.95 after 5 p.m. $9 parking.

$36.95 adults, $55.95 two-day pass. Free parking.

$2.50 gate admission, $20 unlimited rides for time blocks.

Free parking.

$39.99 for one day, $69.99 for a season pass.

$49.99 adult single-day admission.

Size

364 acres

120 acres

17 acres

64.5 acres

364 acres

Number of attractions

68

60 rides and water rides

37 rides and a water park

33

More than 100 things to do

Number of roller coasters

16

4

5

8

13

Number of concessions

More than 50

17 restaurants

More than 20

25

88

Annual number of visitors

More than 3 million

Expecting to top 1 million

Approximately 700,000

Not available

More than 3 million

Distance from Indianapolis

About 300 miles

About 150 miles

About 90 miles

About 115 miles

About 125 miles

Attractions not included in price

Challenge Park attractions such as Xtreme Bungee, mini golf, RipCord, Skyflyer, arcade games and gokarts. Each has its own fee.

None. Guests also receive free soft drinks, free sunscreen and free use of inner tubes at Splashin’ Safari.

Cost of admission does not include attractions or rides.

Guests can buy ride passes or individual tickets. Water park is $16.

SkyCoaster, Thrill Karts, Rock Wall, Turbo Bungy and Brunch with Bugs are extra.

Pay-as-you-play attractions include Sling Shot ($25), Days of Thunder go-carts ($3-$6) and Xtreme Skyflyer ($15).

In a word

Thrills

Value

Quaint

Worthwhile

Variety

How to avoid crowds ! Pick a day: Middle of the week tends to be the least busy, since lots of visitors make amusement parks part of a three-day weekend. Saturdays tend to be the busiest day for theme parks. Also, Holiday World isn’t busy on Sundays, according to spokeswoman Paula Werne. ! Rainy days and holidays: These can go both ways. Some people think the parks are going to busy during holidays so avoid it, but many parks say this actually makes it a good day to visit since so many people don’t come.

The same thing goes for rainy days. Of course, the reverse can be true. People think no one will be there, so they can end up being busier than usual. ! Start later: Crowds tend to die down the later you stay. Families with tired kids will leave well before the park closes, and some parks even offer reduced admission for visiting after a certain time of day. Lines should be shorter around and after dinnertime.

How to save some cash

Parks offer so many different discounts these days that you shouldn’t have to pay full price. Children and seniors usually already qualify for discounted admission. Parks sometimes offer discounts for local residents, as well. ! Don’t be afraid to ask: “Most amusement parks will tell you what offers exist and where you can obtain them by simply calling them,” according to UltimateRollercoaster.com. ! Go online: Many parks offer discounts if you buy your tickets online.

Some offer steeper discounts for ordering tickets several days in advance. ! Keep your eyes open: Also look for coupons on cans, at your local grocery store, motor club, hotels, local restaurants and businesses and even your place of business. Many parks host special days for different corporations or groups. Also, consider a season pass. They usually pay for themselves after two or three visits. ! Stay longer: Many parks also offer steep discounts on buying a ticket for a second visit either the next day or for a later date if you buy it the same day you visit. ! Go clubbing: Joining a roller coaster club has some benefits. Club activities can get you exclusive ride time, group discounts and even discounted admission to parks.

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