Once upon a time, it was not uncommon for theme park attractions to tell entirely original stories that weren’t based on a popular film property. These days it’s exceedingly rare to get a major roller coaster that isn’t based on a popular movie. But one of the oldest theme parks in the world has certainly found a creative way to design a roller coaster because Santa Claus, Indiana’s Holiday World and Splashin Safari is set to open Good Gravy in 2024, a roller coaster based on that key staple of Thanksgiving Dinner.
If you’re familiar with Holiday World, this probably doesn’t sound that crazy, but if you’re not familiar with the location that is arguably the country’s first theme park, then it probably sounds insane. Holiday World, as its name implies, celebrates multiple holidays year-round through its themed lands, and today it revealed the newest addition to its Thanksgiving area will be a family coaster where guests are strapped into gravy boats. Check it out.
Introducing Good Gravy! America's Graviest Coaster! Bring the whole family for a 1,500-foot-long journey in the largest gravy boat you've ever seen. You'll travel forward up a 77-foot spike then backward to make more gravy and save Thanksgiving dinner! pic.twitter.com/DE67tLVftSAugust 1, 2023
It’s the sort of wild idea that makes you double-check the calendar to confirm this is being announced on August 1st and not April 1st. It is nothing if not an original idea, and while the idea of riding in gravy boat-shaped carriages certainly sounds nuts, Good Gravy looks to be a pretty fun family roller coaster. And the show building is even built to look like Grandma's house.
As a family coaster, Good Gravy isn’t going to set any records or blow away thrill seekers, it only has a top speed of 37 mph, but it does have a 77-foot spike, and it runs both forward and backward, so there will be fun to be had by all who experience it. And with a minimum height requirement of only 38 inches, that will be most people, including, many young children.
But let’s take another minute to celebrate the slightly bonkers humans who thought that, since their Thanksgiving-themed land needed a new attraction, let's just base it on food coming off the table. Somebody was pouring gravy on their dinner a year or two back and realized the boat shape would work as a ride vehicle. Genius.
Holiday World originally opened as Santa Claus Land in 1946, pre-dating the opening of Disneyland by nearly a decade, and as such, there’s an argument to be made that it was America’s first theme park, since the location was dedicated to celebrating Christmas year-round through various themed attractions. Since then the park has expanded to include other holidays and its name changed to Holiday World in the 1980s.
August is just getting started but it’s already a big month for attraction announcements. In addition to Good Gravy, Cedar Point unveiled a first look at Top Thrill 2, the replacement for the Top Thrill Dragster coaster, that will set records. In addition, we’re expecting an announcement in mid-August from Silver Dollar City that will likely announce what is set to replace the 50-year-old Fire in the Hole coaster.
Theme park fans have even more reasons to be excited. Last month we learned that an entirely new theme park is in development in Oklahoma. Universal Orlando's new Minions Land is set to open on August 10th. and Universal's parks division is already at work on new locations in Texas and Las Vegas.
