Indiana Beach is an eclectic amusement park on the shores of Lake Schafer. This park almost
closed for good after the 2019 season, but it was saved by businessman Gene Staples. And I
sure am glad this park was rescued. This park has a great atmosphere and a unique ride lineup.
You have 6 operating roller coasters with a seventh slated to open later this year.
Then you also have a fun mix of flat rides, dark rides, and water rides to round out
the offerings. So in this video, I will rank Indiana Beach’s top 15 rides and attractions.
Before starting the countdown, I want to note some attractions that will not be included.
I have not visited the attached water park, so none of the water slides will be included.
I also have not tried this park’s Sky Coaster since it’s an upcharge,
but it’s placement above the lake looks amazing. 15) Antique Autos- This track-guided car ride
has an interesting multi-level layout and it offers some of the best views of Lost Coaster.
14) Air Crow- This set of Larson flying scooters has a cool location over the water.
You get a great breeze on this attraction, but you can forget about snapping.
Not only is it banned, but it really isn’t possible given this ride’s low speed.
Cyclone- While I have not ridden this relocated Galaxi coaster, I have ridden clones of this
attraction elsewhere. This one operates with single cars, so the drops don’t offer the pops
of airtime you can get on the ones with longer trains. The ride experience is fairly tame between
the small drops and mild helixes, but it’s a super compact ride that’s great for families.
13) Den of Lost Thieves- This Sally shooting dark ride is pretty crude. The small cars can only
accommodate one adult and you have frighteningly low clearances. I hit my gun on the ceiling and
almost hit my head. There are also bits of the ride where you pass work equipment. Eventually
you reach the dark ride scenes and this is where the ride falters. The ride feels dated and the
targets don’t react. And it’s even harder to tell if you hit something because of no visual feedback
and inconsistent audio feedback. This is still a unique 2 story dark ride, but it is flawed.
12) Sky Ride- This scenic transportation ride runs along the midway. You get
some cool aerial views of the park’s wooden roller coasters and the lake.
11) Falling Star- This Chance flying carpet doesn’t offer any airtime,
but you get some wild laterals on this attraction. Most falling stars ban single riders,
but this one doesn’t. So if you ride solo, you slide back-and-forth across the entire seat.
And you get plenty of lats since the ride has a long cycle going both directions.
10) Rocky’s Rapids- This is a relocated Arrow log flume, but it’s hard to tell. The layout
is pretty simple, but it is intertwined with Cornball Express. The experience culminates
in a decent final plunge and the resultant splash can actually hit Cornball Express.
9) Shafer Queen- This boat cruise is shockingly included with admission and it takes you out on
Lake Schafer. This gives awesome views of both the park and the nearby homes.
8) Hoosier Hurricane- One of the earliest Custom Coasters International wood coasters doesn’t have
the power of their later coasters. You only get a single spot of airtime and there’s only one good
bit of laterals. Where this coaster shines is in the visual department. This ride is placed
over the lake and runs along the midway, so you get contrasting views of the energetic amusement
park and scenic lake. And thanks to retracking before the 2020 season, the ride is mostly smooth.
Check out my review to hear more. 7) Tig’rr- This Schawrzkopf jet star
is another relocation and it has some pep. You have fun inline seating and the first drop gives
a little pop of airtime. Then the low right hand turns are great. They have some good force and
whip to them. The rest of the ride isn’t too eventful, but it is smooth despite its age.
6) Double Shot- This 8 story tall S&S drop tower is awkwardly located behind the water park.
The launch isn’t the most powerful, but it throws me off since the vehicle oddly lowers all the
way down to the ground before taking off. The highlights are the airtime atop the tower after
the first two launches. The airtime is less abrupt than some other double shots, but it’s still fun,
and you also get good views of the park and lake from the top.
5) Steel Hawg- The prototype S&S El Loco opened with the world’s steepest drop. That 111 degree
plunge is unfortunately trimmed so you don’t get any airtime, but it does have some good zip to it.
The highlight of this coaster are the two inversions. Both offer fantastic hangtime.
Then some of the transitions offer some faint laterals and airtime for variety.
This is another ride I have a full review on, but this is the park’s best operating steel coaster.
4) Dr. Frankenstein’s Haunted Castle- This haunt is an upcharge, but it’s well worth experiencing.
This quirky walkthrough is surprisingly long as it spans 3 stories. There are no live actors,
but there are animatronics. Some are sudden jump scares while other are more drawn out scenes.
Then you have some fun house style effects such as a crooked room and a room with a dozen doors
with only one correct path. Lastly, you have one of the most terrifying effects on any attraction
towards the end that I don’t want to spoil. 3) Water Swings- You may be wondering why this set
of swings is so high on this list, but it comes down to its placement and how its run. This Chance
Yo-Yo is placed on a pier extending over the lake, so you swing over the water. Then this ride is run
fast! I can’t think of a Chance swinger that runs faster. You really tilt forwards and backwards,
which is pretty freaky. Especially since you come close to the other swings as well.
2) Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain- This is one of the weirdest coasters in the world.
This CCI creation was built inside the show building for a former dark ride and it has
impossibly tight turns and clearances, which is why you have those custom, caged vehicles.
If you want the wildest ride, sit in the back car facing backwards.
Usually roughness is a negative for a coaster, but it makes the experience for Lost Coaster.
Because this ride has minimal height and speed, you only have a max speed of 20 mph or 32 kph,
Lost Coaster generates its thrills with weird profiling. You are comically thrown about the car
during the experience, getting a little airtime and downright wicked laterals. This would be
uncomfortable on many rides, but the trains are extremely well padded so you can only laugh when
you’re chucked side-to-side. And despite having just 1400 feet or 430 meters of track, this
feels like a surprisingly long coaster. I love how bizarre this ride is, which I cover in a review.
1) Cornball Express- This CCI has modest stats, but it has some great airtime.
This ride runs with buzz bars, so you really get launched out of your seat on several hills.
I prefer this coaster in the back because you have 3-4 drops that give ejector airtime,
but the front also gets a mix of ejector pops and floater airtime. Then you also get some good
laterals throughout the ride for variety, most notably on that minimally banked helix. I also
love this ride’s placement as you wind over the pathways, water, and rides. I also have a review
on this coaster, but it is my favorite coaster I’ve experienced at Indiana Beach.
American Dreier Looping- I experienced this Schwarzkopf coaster as Quimera back when it
operated at La Feria de Chapultepec in Mexico and it was the most intense coaster I have ever
ridden. The coaster ran ridiculously fast there and delivered some of the best positive Gs of
any coaster. All three loops, particularly the final one, subject riders to over 5 Gs. It’s an
automatic greyout for me. Then the lack of braking allows the coaster to maintain its speed start to
finish. So the unassuming dips and turns at the end gave shocking bits of airtime and laterals you
don’t usually get on a Schwarzkopf. I can’t wait until this coaster reopens so I can experience
its power once again, but check out my review on Quimera if you want to know what you can expect.
So those are my top 15 favorite rides and attractions at Indiana Beach.
What are your favorite rides at this lakeside amusement park?
Let me know your thoughts down below. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if
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roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!