Indiana Beach
Founded in 1926, Indiana Beach is one of the most classic amusement parks in the country. After more than 80 years in family ownership, the park went through a turbulent time in the early 2020s. Now owned by Gene Staples, the park has developed well and, in addition to its three CCI wooden coasters, is home to some treasures from the Schwarzkopf factory. So it’s no wonder that I really had to pay the park a visit.
All American Triple Loop
One of the main reasons for the tour was the All American Triple Loop, the former Dreier-Looping ride by showman Barth that had been at La Feria Chapultepec Magico amusement park in Mexico City for many years.
After the park had completely overhauled the ride, they decided to take the trains from its sister ride at Galaxyland amusement park in Canada and use them in the All American Triple Loop. Unfortunately, the feedback from passengers was not quite as positive, as the shoulder claws – similar to those used on Olympia Looping – have a negative effect on the ride experience.
Sadly, I was unable to see this for myself as the announced delayed opening of the ride did not take place during my visit and I could only see the ride from a distance. Now that the shoulder restraints have been removed, I would love to make the trip to Monticello to ride the ride at least once in my life. Unfortunately, when the ride toured Germany, I was too scared and definitely too small to ride it.
Steel Hawg
I took my first ride of the day on Steel Hawg as soon as the park opened, expecting longer queues due to the single-car operation in the evening.
After climbing the very steep and fast lift, you quickly reach a combination of curves without any banking leading into the 111° drop. After the valley, a small sideways turn leads directly to the first block brake.
This is followed by a turn that could easily be used more often in different coasters, as the outward sloping part of the track is quite something. Unfortunately, this part is over very quickly and is followed by a seemingly conventional turn that gets steeper and steeper towards the end and turns you upside down. The hangtime is very pronounced here and you will be glad to know that you will soon be plunging into a half loop, which is also the first time you will reach the lowest point of the ride. But the ride is not over yet, and there is another climb with a block brake at the end. Now you enter the last traditional turn, which immediately leads into a downhill heartline roll – the most interesting element of the ride. This is followed by an inconspicuous Immelmann turn, after which the ride ends abruptly.
Interestingly, the prototype of the El Loco coaster performed much better than the many identical rides I have had the pleasure of testing. A rock solid coaster when queues are light.
Falling Star
Passing the Music Express, which offers a nice forwards and backwards ride here in the park, we are now drawn to the Chance Rides Falling Star, which we are allowed to ride as a single rider here in Indiana Beach. This flying carpet is the American equivalent of the HUSS Rainbow and offers a great ride full of side forces and a touch of airtime.
Hoosier Hurricane
The Hoosier Hurricane is the largest of the park’s wooden coasters and features an out-and-back layout. After a short right turn, the ride begins with the lift hill. At a height of 77ft (23.5m) we then make our way through two turns before reaching the first drop. Here we drop straight down to the water below. This is followed by a double-up hill and a small right turn before passing under the footbridge that leads into the park. On the other side of the park we make a big turn and pass the Giant Gondola Wheel. After another right-hander, we race over a large series of camelbacks before slamming on the brakes.
Hoosier Hurricane is a cool ride. The odd layout, which takes you through the middle of the park and then along the edge, scores points for its stunning location alone. For a CCI coaster, the ride offers surprisingly little airtime, which is a bit of a downer.
Rockys Rapids Log Flume
Much to the confusion of park visitors, the entrance to the Rockys Rapids Log Flume is right next to the entrance to the Hoosier Hurricane wooden coaster. Built by Arrow Dynamics, the log flume dates back to 1974, but only came to the park in 1986 – it was previously located at Pontchartrain Beach amusement park in New Orleans. Like many of the early log flumes, Rockys Rapids Log Flume has a single drop towards the end of the ride.
Tig’rr Coaster
This sleek ride, manufactured by Schwarzkopf, stood for years at Holiday Beach Amusement Park in Douglas, Georgia, before being moved to Indiana Beach in 1984.
The ride begins with a short right turn, followed immediately by the lift. At a height of 44 ft (13 m) we then go through a rather wide turn. With momentum we plunge down the first drop and wow, is it steep! The bob-like seating position does its best to provide the first surprise of the ride. We whiz through the valley with a vengeance and immediately plunge into the steep, near-ground turn that revolutionised the rollercoaster world at the time. Just underneath the lift hill we finish the turn and immediately face a longer incline. Now on the second level, we follow the track before the first drop, then turn right and enter the Bayernkurve over a small descent. Over hill and dale, we turn left along the front of the track. There is a short change of direction in the following dip, after which we pass through the back of the ride for a third time. After a short left turn, the track descends again, followed by a very long, ground hugging right turn, which tapers into a rising helix towards the end. This is followed by a short dip and an equally short climb before the final downhill helix. We hit the brakes with a burst of speed, bringing us to an unexpectedly smooth stop.
Schwarzkopf’s Jet Star Tig’rr Coaster is still a real hit. The ride on the now 50 year old coaster is simply fun, with its smooth turns and the steep drop at the start of the ride. The ride characteristics are still as great as ever, a true Schwarzkopf coaster. It’s just a shame that there was only one car on the track, which meant longer queues.
Cornball Express
The track of the park’s second big wooden roller coaster, the Cornball Express, runs around the Tig’rr Coaster. As with the Hoosier Hurricane, the roller coaster’s station is very high up, so you have to climb stairs right at the start.
The ride begins with a left turn through the structure of the sister roller coaster. Parallel to the lift hill, we also go up. Once there, it goes into a steep curve directly into the depths. Passing the Rockys Rapids Log Flume, it now goes up a high hill, which immediately bends to the side and rewards us with wonderful airtime, which is not stingy with lateral forces. Now we circle the Tig’rr Coaster and pass a beautiful valley. After another fast drop, we plunge into the structure of the Hoosier Hurricane again. Then, after a left turn, we race towards the ground, turning into another curve. After an airy ascent, a magnificent helix follows, pushing us wonderfully to the side. Two more drops along the first half of the track then lead us towards the final brake, which we enter very quickly. Shortly after, our ride on Cornball Express ends.
What an awesome ride! The lateral airtime in the first drop and the generally very ejector-heavy ride speak for this CCI roller coaster. The turns dominated by lateral forces are also great! So far the best CCI roller coaster I’ve ridden in America.
Den of Lost Thieves
Past the Sea Dragon pirate boat and the upcharge Walkthrough attraction Dr. Frankensteins Castle, we now make our way towards the Den of Lost Thieves. This small Bill Tracy dark ride was lovingly transformed by Sally into an interactive dark ride, were you shoot pirates to gain a high score.
Shafer Queen
One of the highlights at Indiana Beach is the Shafer Queen pleasure boat. The trip first goes downstream to Norway Dam and then up the Tippecanoe River. It offers breathtaking views of the amusement park and the shores of Lake Schafer. It’s just a shame that there is no catering on the ship, so it’s a good idea to stock up on provisions at one of the stands just before departure.
Boardwalk
As well as numerous food stalls, the very large Sky Bar, the Ballroom and many skill and arcade games, the Boardwalk offers a large number of classic American rides, most of which are built directly on a plateau in the middle of the water. Unfortunately, only the Paratrooper, Scrambler and Tilt-a-Whirl were in operation, but they were all very nice rides. So I had to miss the Water Swings and the Polyp Sea Warrior.
Ideal Beach
The Ideal Beach water park was closed when I visited. The water park offers some interesting body slides and tube slides, which are curiously arranged around the Cyclone rollercoaster. The park also has a kamikaze slide and a lazy river that separates the swimming area of the Ideal Beach Pier pool from the lake and runs mostly underneath the slides.
Double Shot
Passing the Big Flush rubber dinghy slide, which promises a wet ride due to its winding course, I was drawn to the S&S Double Shot drop tower, which was also able to impress here at Indiana Beach. The airtime was amazing; it’s just a shame that the tower is unfortunately hardly used by the public due to its remote location.
Sky Ride
Instead of walking, you can also take the comfortable chairlift Sky Ride across the Boardwalk. With the best view of Lake Schafer and the rides at Indiana Beach, we now head to the other side of the park, where the Giant Gondola Wheel, a station of the Spackman Express park railway and the fun Flying Bobs ride are located next to each other. From here, we continue to the park’s last wooden roller coaster.
Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain
One of the most special roller coasters is the Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. The ride replaced an old dark ride, hence the very small footprint and odd features of this spectacular coaster.
Once all passengers have climbed into the enclosed cars, the bar has been lowered and the door locked, the ride immediately heads for the lift. Once at the top, we are pushed towards the first drop. At high speed we make a right turn past the back of the show building before making our way along the front of the ride. Here we go through a crazy series of tight-radius turns and drops. In the courtyard of the beautiful Antique Autos ride we make a turn before taking a triple up which takes us into the show building. Here we experience a wild mix of way too tight turns before being stopped for a bit of storytelling. We then do a double down before taking a turn outside the building. Back inside the building we make our way through another wild series of tight corners. After another outdoor section we take the steepest drop of the ride. Following the drop we quickly hit some trim brakes, otherwise the following section of tight radii turns would be insane. Soon after we are pushed out of the mine and back into the station.
It’s almost impossible to put into words what it’s like to ride the Lost Coaster at Superstition Mountain. This CCI compact wooden coaster is simply insane. Too tight turns alternate with too steep drops, the hardest of which is even indoors. The outdoor section alone makes this little coaster a world class ride.
Pictures Indiana Beach
Conclusion Indiana Beach
Indiana Beach is a really cool park in a great location. Even though the park is almost 100 years old, most of the rides are newer. However, thanks to Gene Staples, more and more vintage rides are coming into the park, which helps to preserve the German classics by Schwarzkopf, Huss and Weber – even if they are given very American names. I absolutely love it! I really liked the park and its location, and I look forward to visiting Lake Schafer again someday.
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