Small Park Showcase: Indiana Beach

During our recent adventure to the Chicago area for a trip to Six Flags Great America, several members of the Coaster101 team had the opportunity to visit Indiana Beach, located about 2 hours south of Chicago, in Monticello, IN. The park, which was purchased by Apex Parks Group in 2015, actually got its start as “Ideal Beach” in 1926, and was founded by Earl Spackman. The Spackman family owned the park from 1926 through 2008.

The first rides, a pair of toboggan slides, were installed in 1927, and Ideal Beach added the “Beach Ballroom” to capitalize on the success of the “Big Band” era of the 1920’s and 30’s. The first permanent attractions were installed in 1946, and the park changed it’s name to “Indiana Beach” in 1950. Over the next 70 years, the park has continued to grow and expand, and now features more than 40 rides and attractions, including five roller coasters.

But what did the Coaster101 team think of the “Riviera of the Midwest” following their visit to the park? Let’s find out.

If it was your first time visiting, what did you know about Indiana Beach before arriving?

Andrew: I knew that it was in Indiana, and had 5 roller coasters. That was about it. Does this make me a bad coaster enthusiast?

Eric: I’m not sure I even knew it had 5 roller coasters. Although after getting there I remembered I had at least heard of Cornball Express. But I basically knew zero.

Kyle: Indiana Beach has been on my bucket list since I discovered its existence. I love these small, old-school parks.

Nick: I had actually been to Indiana Beach twice before, so the thing I was most looking forward to was riding Steel Hawg, the only major addition since my last visit.

What were your first impressions upon entering the park?

Nick: I was a bit alarmed because a number of rides were not running, including two of the five coasters, one of which – you guessed it -was Steel Hawg. It seems like most of these closures were due more to lack of staff available to run them than mechanical issues but it was hard to tell.

Andrew: My first thoughts were that they crammed a lot of attractions in a small space. To me, it was a lot like when you were a kid playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, and you didn’t have a lot of space, so you just built a roller coaster on top of a Merry-Go-Round, and then had to get creative with your walkways. Except, this was 100% real.

Eric: Well, when we drove up, Andrew said to me, “Why are we here, Eric?” That might sum it up. It definitely doesn’t look like a park that should have 5 roller coasters crammed in it. It doesn’t make it very aesthetically pleasing, but I won’t complain about having more rides. I’ll also say that it reminded a lot of old-school East Coast pay-as-you-go parks. Like, little things that reminded me of Knoebels or Luna Park.

Kyle: When you enter the park, it seems like you’re going in a back gate or something, nothing screams “entrance” at you. Like Andrew and Eric mentioned already, you immediately notice the compactness of the park, but it is part of its charm and somehow works!

Indiana Beach has a unique collection of roller coasters. What did you think of their coaster collection?

Eric: Surprisingly good!  None of the coasters were amazing world class you have to ride them, but they were all pretty fun. I love almost any Schwarzkopf, so was excited to learn of Tig’rrs existence. And Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain is such a weird unique coaster, that was great. It was CCI’s last coaster, kind of wish they’d been able to make more little themed things like this. Sadly, though, like Andrew, I didn’t get to ride Steel Hawg, it was down all day we were there.

Andrew: For a smaller park, Indiana Beach has a great coaster collection. Hoosier Hurricane and Cornball Express were two very fun CCI Woodies, Tig’rr was an out-of-control-feeling Schwarzkopf, and Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain was wild in so many ways. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ride their El Loco Steel Hawg, but I know Kyle and Nick did!

Kyle: I was very hopeful coming into this trip that the coasters wouldn’t disappoint since I had waited so long to ride them, and they didn’t. I thought every coaster was maintained very well and even the 25 year old Hoosier Hurricane was running smoothly. Nick and I took a chance and stopped back at the park on our way from Chicago back to Ohio to see if Steel Hawg was running – and to our luck, it was (kind of)! As soon as we walked into the queue, the coaster went down. After about an hour and a half wait, it was ready! It was worth the wait to ride this unique coaster. Steel Hawg is smooth, fun, and the hang time is incredible! The only downside are the restraints, which dig into your shoulders.

Nick: The coasters are all a lot of fun. Hoosier Hurricane is fast and pretty smooth, but there is no sadly no airtime to be found. Tig’rr is unique, especially since there are no lapbars or other hard restraints. Cornball was almost as good as I remember it, with some great pops of air in the front of the train. Lost Coaster is fun – as long as you’re facing forwards and can brace yourself for all the wild turns and drops. I did not like going backwards at all as it borderline made me sick. Maybe one day we’ll tell the full story, but thanks to TJ and park maintenance we finally made it on Steel Hawg Sunday evening and it did not disappoint. Very unique ride with loads of hangtime. I wish the others had gotten to experience it.

What was a “hidden gem” attraction for you at Indiana Beach?

Andrew: I was a big fan of the Den of Lost Thieves dark ride. It’s always good when you have a dark ride shooter where not only do most of the targets work, but they have a level of interactivity with them where the targets react when you hit them. I could have ridden this all day! I also have to give a quick shoutout to Indiana Beach for still having a Fascination parlor. I’ve always wanted to play this game, and even though I’m terrible at it, it was great to finally get to experience it!

Eric: Den of Lost Thieves was in surprisingly good shape (although the first passageway looks kind of like an electrical closet)! But, I think the standout for me among the flat rides was the Shafer swings. Without question the most terrifying ride at the park. I also learned that you should absolutely empty your pockets (or zip/button them) before riding, or stuff will slide out when you tilt back a bunch. And definitely use the chest belt if you can or you’ll be terrified of falling out forward.

Kyle: I’m going to second the swings! I’ve always loved the swing flat rides, but this one took the experience to another level. They are located on their own pier out on Lake Shafer, so you are over the water for the entirety of your flight! These swings are crazy too – your seat is bumping into the people in front and behind you, leaning way forward and way backward. This is a must do if you come to Indiana Beach. Honorable mention goes to the original Fascination parlor.

Nick: The Double Shot S&S tower is surprisingly forceful for such a small tower. And besides Cedar Point, I think this is the only park where you can ride a boat around 90% of it.

Is there anything you’d change about Indiana Beach?

Nick: Operations efficiency was a bit lacking but maybe in part because it was relatively early in their season? Some of the procedures just didn’t make any sense. We bought tickets online in advance so we could get into the park as soon as possible. But the security guard at the turnstiles made us go stand in the thirty minute long season pass processing line and we had to wear wristbands despite the fact it is now a gated park.

Eric: It was pretty, uhh, gravel-y? I feel like it could use some landscaping of some kind, or just cleaning up some of the walkways. It felt kind of like walking through a construction site. I’d also open the dang soft serve shop, because I really wanted some soft serve and it was closed all day. Can’t claim to be a boardwalk park without soft serve…

Kyle: Two-train operation! Even with light crowds at the park, the single train ops made wait times a struggle. We waited almost 45 minutes at The Lost Coaster for just 6 cycles to get on the ride.

Andrew: Ideally, I’d have more land for expansion, so that you weren’t building on top of yourself all the time. But on the flip side, that’s what makes Indiana Beach what it is.

Do you have any advice for a first time visitor to Indiana Beach?

Kyle: Just take it in. Walking around the park is like a step back in time and it’s awesome. I almost don’t want the park to change so I can take my kids in the future and have them experience it as well. Also, it’s about the only place where you can imagine you are in a RCT game.

Nick: If you’re looking to get on everything once and move on you can probably do the park in two or three hours. But if you’re paying a full one day ticket why not stay the whole day and ride over and over? It’s a refreshing change of pace compared to dozens of other parks in the nation.

Andrew: Just enjoy yourself. It’s not a big corporate park, so don’t go in expecting that. Ride as much as you can, and take time to just walk along the Boardwalk or take a boat cruise on the Shaffer Queen paddleboat.

Eric: I’ll just echo what Andrew said. Yeah, some rides might go down, and some things might be closed, but if you can take it in stride you’ll have a good, weird, time. I might add the advice to go a little later in the season when hopefully there are more operators and more things are open. We were probably just a bit too early.

If you could add one attraction to Indiana Beach, what would you add?

Eric: Man, hard to say. I feel like a big modern coaster would feel out of place. Maybe they can find some small weird flat ride they don’t already have that could be a good fit?

Kyle: About the only expansion area the park has is into the paid parking zone outside the main entrance. I’d like to see them put in a small GCI woodie there, sort of like a Kentucky Rumbler or Kentucky Flyer. I think a small coaster like that would fit very well into the park that has that retro feel.

Andrew: The newest coaster at Indiana Beach was added in 2008, so they’re long overdue at this point. Gerstlauer Eurofighters seem to be the “small coaster du jour” these days, but it’s also somewhat similar to Steel Hawg. (Though, to be true to Indiana Beach form, I think you could almost situate one in the concrete slab where their Galaxi roller coaster used to sit, currently occupied by water slides.) I think a small family coaster, like an SBF Visa Spinner, would do great in this park — and could also fit inside this concrete slab.

Nick:  This is exactly the type of  park I think the Intamin ZacSpins were made for, if only the ride experience wasn’t so poor. But if you wanted to attract coaster enthusiasts from all over, how awesome would an S&S Free Fly be? No, not a Free Spin, the Free Fly model. It’d only be the second built in the world and aligns with the family friendly demographic.

Realistically, the best expansion area inside the park seems to be where the old Galaxi coaster used to sit. I’m not sure how popular the water park gets, but maybe a new modern water slide would be the best fit for that area. I don’t know if there’s room but it would help if they could somehow connect the midway from Tig’rr over to Steel Hawg and go behind the log flume, that way Steel Hawg wouldn’t feel so off on its own. They could always add another spinning flat over the lake. And there’s room under the turnaround of Hoosier Hurricane available for something.

What was your favorite thing about Indiana Beach, ride or otherwise?

Nick: The low crowds and the somewhat laid back atmosphere. While the total number of rides is less than other amusement park, even with the slow operations you should be able to ride everything multiple times, so you could get in more rides than a bigger, more crowded park. We went on 22 rides total in less than eight hours without breaking a sweat, including at least three rides on all four coasters that were open.

Andrew: I loved how kitschy (not used in a negative way) that Indiana Beach was. From the park layout, to the in-park dining options, to the overall atmosphere and feel of the park, I loved that it’s stayed true to its roots while still expanding as much as it can.

Eric: Those swings, probably. But I’m going to second Andrew again, I enjoy these parks that feel like they’re from another era, whether it’s a really nice one like the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, or one that has a lot of old school attractions like Knoebels. Indiana Beach falls firmly in that second category. A little worn out, but it feels like you’re at a park 40 years ago, which is fun if you’re going in with the right attitude.

Kyle: I think the fact that it is such a fun park in the middle of nowhere. You find yourself driving miles past cornfield after cornfield and the all of a sudden, here is this small oasis popped up in the center of a lake. It is such a unique place and you can’t experience anything else like it.

Indiana Beach Videos

Take a ride on the Antique Autos and the Sky Ride with us in these videos that will give you a 360 degree view throughout the ride. Let us know if you like these type of videos or not!

 

We also got a non-360 POV of the Den of Lost Thieves. Check it out!


Have you ever been to Indiana Beach? Continue the discussion with us below in the comments.

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