Santa Claus Land/Holiday World Timeline
| 1941 | Louis J. Koch visits the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, and begins plans to open what is to become the world's first theme park. |
| 1945 | Construction of Santa Claus Land begins (August 4). |
| 1946 | Opening day of the world's first theme park, Santa Claus Land (August 3); includes The Freedom Train, which continues to operate to this day. |
| 1947 | Jeep-go-round added (first ever manufactured). |
| 1948 | Christmas Room restaurant opened. Deer family introduced, featuring Donder, Blitzen, Comet and Cupid. |
| 1955 | Pleasureland ride section opens in the area that is now called Rudolph's Reindeer Ranch. Admission was charged for the first time: 50 cents for adults, children free. Actor and future president Ronald Reagan visited in March. |
| 1959-61 | The Willie Bartley Water Ski Thrill Show, featuring "Human Kites" performs on Lake Rudolph each summer. |
| 1970-71 | The Santa Claus Choir, made up of local children, performs regularly at the park. |
| Early '70s | Additional children's rides added, such as Blitzen's Airplanes, Comet's Rockets, Prancer's Merry-Go-Round. |
| 1976 | Entrance to park moved from State Road 162 to State Road 245. Eagle's Flight added (only a few of this classic "Flying Scooters" ride are left in the world), as well as the Roundhouse and the Virginia Reel (tilt-a-whirl). |
| 1978 | Lewis & Clark Trail plus Paul Revere's Midnight Ride added. |
| 1980 | Thunder Bumpers on Chesapeake Bay added. |
| 1982 | Dancer's Thunder Bumpers Junior added. |
| 1984 | Santa Claus Land undergoes major expansion and changes name to Holiday World. There are now three themed sections: Christmas, Halloween and 4th of July. Frightful Falls log flume added. |
| 1986 | The Banshee added to the Halloween section. |
| 1990 | Raging Rapids white water raft ride added. |
| 1991 | Kringle's Kafe built. |
| 1993 | Splashin' Safari water park premiers, including the Congo River, Crocodile Isle, and the AmaZOOM and Bamboo Chute water slides. |
| 1994 | The Wave pool added to Splashin' Safari. |
| 1995 | The Raven roller coaster opens in the Halloween section. Voted "Ride of the Year" and the #2 Wooden Roller Coaster on the Planet. Featured on CBS's 48 Hours and The Discovery Channel. |
| 1998 | Monsoon Lagoon added to Splashin' Safari. The Raven is again voted #2 Wooden Coaster in the World and parks' staff voted #1 Friendliest in the World. |
| 1999 | Holidog's FunTown added to 4th of July section. The Raven voted #2 Wooden Coaster in the World and parks' staff voted #1 Friendliest in the World. |
| 2000 | The Legend roller coaster opens in the Halloween section. Parks begin offering free, unlimited soft drinks. The Raven is voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World and The Legend is the highest ranked new wooden coaster, at #7. The parks are named the Friendliest and Cleanest in the World. |
| 2001 | The Raven is again voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World and The Legend is voted #5. The parks are again voted the Friendliest and Cleanest in the World by readers of Amusement Today. |
| 2002 | ZOOMbabwe, the World's Largest Enclosed Waterslide, opens in Splashin' Safari, which begins offering free sunscreen to all Guests. The Raven is voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World and The Legend is named #4. The parks are voted the Friendliest and Cleanest in the World. |
| 2003 | Huge new family water ride, Zinga, is added to Splashin' Safari; voted World's #1 Water Park Ride. HallowSwings and Liberty Launch are added to Holiday World. Raven is voted the #1 Wooden Coaster and The Legend is #5; parks again named Friendliest and Cleanest. |
| 2004 | Jungle Racer and Jungle Jets are added to Splashin' Safari. Both parks are now non-smoking. Holiday World & Splashin' Safari win the Applause Award, the smallest park ever to win the prestigious industry honor. Parks again named Cleanest and Friendliest; Raven and Legend both Top-5 wooden coasters. |
| 2005 | Bahari wave pool added, beginning expansion project to double size of Splashin' Safari. |
| 2006 | New themed section--Thanksgiving--added, featuring The Voyage wooden roller coaster plus an interactive dark ride called Gobbler Getaway. Park's 60th Anniversary Season also includes the addition of Bahari River to Splashin' Safari. Park hosts Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards ceremony and again is named World's Friendliest and World's Cleanest. Voyage receives the highest ranking ever for a new wooden coaster, at #2. The Raven and The Legend also continue to be ranked top-10 wooden coasters. Park's seasonal attendance tops one million guests for the first time. |
| 2007 | Seven-story Bakuli ("bowl" in Swahili) water slide added to Splashin' Safari. Turkey Whirl and Plymouth Rock Café added to Thanksgiving section. |
Updated 4/18/07