Holiday World a must for coaster enthusiasts

I just tuned in to the Travel Channel's "Extreme Terror Rides" to catch a rollercoaster at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. I've loved this amusement park since our first visit about 10 years ago. While it's expanded over the years to keep up with its competitors, it has retained a kind of old school charm that I adore. Part of that old school charm comes from its coasters.

While there are terrifying coasters of all kinds at theme parks around the country - from those that twist and turn you upside down to those without a floor to make you feel like you're in flight - there's nothing quite like a rickety-feeling wooden rollercoaster to give you a stomach-dropping thrill. And the wooden coasters at Holiday World have been rated as some of the best by those in the industry.

On my last visit, I rode the Raven, which I considered to be the most tame of the three wooden coasters (which still made me scream like Little Miss Muffett.) However, this show on the Travel Channel featured the Voyage, named the #1 Wooden Coaster on the Planet, which includes 24.2 seconds of zero gravity. The park also boasts the world's longest water coaster, the Wildebeest, introduced last year.

The park itself is super clean with something for everything and with a good number of attractions geared toward young kids. Free soda, sunscreen and parking make it yet more appealing. As you make your summer travel plans, I recommend Holiday World as one of my top picks for a summer family vacation. Check it out for yourself.