We started the day early with another fresh waffle at our Comfort Suite in Cincinnati and then said goodbye to southern Ohio as we made our way north toward Indiana Beach in Monticello. The weather was perfect, with clear blue skies. Our last visit was over two decades ago during a very different era. Back then, the Spackman family still owned the park. Several years after we visited, they sold the park to an RV company that operated it for just a few years before they in turn sold it to Apex Parks, who initially began to reinvest in the property but then basically abandoned it and closed the park in 2020. It looked as if that was the end of Indiana Beach, until a businessman from Chicago, Gene Staples, appeared seemingly out of nowhere and bought the park lock, stock and barrel. Then he bought Clementon Park in New Jersey. And then he bought Niagara Amusement Park in New York. So he had his hands full. But I was glad Indiana Beach was saved. I really liked the park when we had visited with the kids. At that time, we had stayed at the park's campground across the street at the northwest end of the park and would take a boat across Honey Creek Bay to the park. Although the park had always been advertised as being on Lake Shafer, that lake didn't seem to exist on current maps. The park was shown to be sitting along the Tippecanoe River. I didn't understand that. It was about a four hour drive along numerous state highways that were more like backroads through mile after mile of farm country. It really was amazing how spread out everything was. We also passed a lot of large wind turbine farms. We arrived at the southern parking lot at about 10:00. I was glad the park had kept its friendly cartoon mascot of I.B. Crow. There were only a couple of other cars and we parked right in front of the quaint little white and blue ticket booths. We were prepared to pay full price admission, but the cashier in the booth asked us if we wanted the senior discount. I guess our trip had really aged us. So we accepted, and it cost us only $20 each. We were given a paper slip and told to give it to the attendants at the entrance. So we passed under the big Indiana Beach sign and followed the path down to a gate at the foot of a really long suspension bridge that spanned Honey Creek Bay over to the park peninsula. An attendant at the gate took our paper slips and said if we wanted to reenter, we'd need a hand stamp. We crossed the old bridge, which felt like a ride in itself as it bobbed up and down under our weight. The panorama of the park was pretty spectacular, though, with the profile of the expansive Hoosier Hurricane roller coaster taking up nearly the entire length. When we made it to the other side, to our left was the entrance to the park's Sky Ride. But it was closed. So we followed the steep ramp down onto southern end of the boardwalk. In front of us was a small food concession. To our left was the Flying Bobs spin-and-barf ride, along with another gift shop. To our right was the station for the Spackman Express, the park's miniature railroad. The left also opened up onto the lengthy concrete boardwalk alongside the river. The center of the boardwalk had been filled in with hundreds of bricks etched with the names of people and organizations that helped save the park. Our names were among them, but we couldn't find our brick (which was near the beginning). To our right was the Water Swings, a simple swing ride that was on a circular platform in the river. But it hadn't been assembled. Ahead on the left was a bumper boat arena. When we were last at the park, it was a tank battle, where my son and I squeezed inside a small submarine-like boat and fired plastic balls at other boats. Next to that ride was the Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain. On our last visit, it was called Superstition Mountain, and was a dark ride somewhat like the Diamond Mining Company at Knoebels. But it had been remodeled into more of a roller coaster with some dark ride elements. The cars were peculiar, metal cages with two riders facing forward and two backward and they were hoisted onto the track via an elevator. From what I heard, it was a really rough ride. Intertwined with that track was the track of Antique Auto, and both of the tracks were suspended above water. The park was still really quiet. Most of the rides wouldn't open for another hour. There were some nice landscaping touches, like flower planters that appeared to be made from Scrambler car footrests. There were also a few fountains. About halfway down the boardwalk on the right, next to the dock for the Shafer Queen tour boat, was one of the more memorable and unique park offerings: carp feeding. You could purchase some fish food, then lean over the railing and toss some into the water which would then begin writhing with dozens of carp all competing for the morsels. It was both fascinating and disgusting. Ahead on the left was the park's fun 1998 pirate-themed dark ride, the Den of Lost Thieves. It utilized an existing dark ride building but was given a makeover by Sally, who had also created the Boo Blasters ride we had just experienced at Kings Island. Just past that was a Fascination arcade, one of the few remaining in the country. And next to that was Earl's Pizzeria which sported a large Allen organ console in the front picture window. The pizzeria hosted organ concerts at various times during the season. I didn't know whether it was all digital or whether there were actual pipes inside the pizzeria. Next door to that was the Gold Doubloon Arcade which had not one or two but dozens of pinball machines lining the walls, from all different eras. There was a recent Jersey Jack Wizard of Oz machine and there was also a vintage Black Hole table from 1981. They all looked to be in really nice condition. Paying for the games was a bit confusing. Some took change and others (like Wizard of Oz) required an Indiana Beach cash card. There were machines for both in the arcade, so I got a dollar in change and then put ten dollars on the I.B. card. We tried Wizard of Oz first. Karen had never seen one before. Outside of one of the ruby slippers being broken, the game was in great condition. After quickly losing at that, we tried Black Hole, which took quarters. For a game so mechanically complex, it worked really well. But we lost quickly at that one too. I could have spent a lot more time in there, but we headed back out onto the boardwalk. Just beyond that were the two Easter Island statue fountains that I remembered from our previous visit. And next to that was the Skyroom, a second-story glass-enclosed and really good restaurant where we had dined during our previous visit. Underneath the Skyroom was a dark alcove that I hadn't remembered. At the end of the alcove was a sign marked Gold Pavilion next to a door. And beyond the door was the Indiana Beach Ballroom, a huge open space with a stage at the far end and hundreds of chairs set up on the dance floor. I never knew that was there. At that point, we were at the northernmost end of the park. To the right was a small waterpark and swimming hole. Nearby was the Boardwalk Shops, so we walked inside and perused the gifts. Like most of the shops along the boardwalk, there was a door at the opposite end and walking through it placed you along a different midway on the western side of the park, as if the midway had been bisected by the row of shops. This stretch of midway gave you access to most of the park's roller coasters, including two that were hidden from view: Steel Hawg and Triple Looper. Those coasters required you to follow an unmarked path beside the flume ride. The Triple Looper was a recent Gene Staples acquisition, a vintage Schwartzkopf steel coaster. But they hadn't finished assembling it. We continued walking south and came to the back of the Fascination concession. A sign there pointed inside to the Indiana Beach Historical Center. So we stopped in. There were numerous photos, banners and paraphrenalia displayed on the walls and in cases. A very friendly woman there said she had been working at the park for 40 years and was happy to answer any questions we had. We chatted with her for a while and then went back out onto the midway. An intersection in the midway led back out onto the east side, and that intersection contained one of my fondest memories of the park: Frankenstein's Castle. This elaborate walk-thru funhouse with its "nearly headless" master of ceremonies out front scared the pants off our kids two decades ago. I marveled at it and thought it was ingenious. One of the attendants would bring you into a large dark room designed to look like a big elevator and tell you a story of the horrors that awaited you. All the while, the room gave the illusion of descending into the depths. Then the attendant would open a door and you were on your way through the dark passages. Karen had no interest in going through it again, so she waited in the shade while I approached the bored-looking cashier. It was one of the only rides open and was a $3.50 upcharge. So I used my I.B. card and the cashier flagged me through the turnstile. This time there was no attendant. I was on my own. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I entered the elevator room, which was nearly pitch dark. The only light was from some thin amber windows and from the motionless elevator dial near the ceiling. There were railings, like you would find in a queue line. I followed them but they led nowhere. I felt around on the walls thinking I would find an opening, but there wasn't one. It took me about five minutes of wandering around and bumping into things before I found the passage into the hallway. Like a proper funhouse, the only light came from blacklights that illuminated creepy neon-colored illustrations on the walls, occasionally with an arrow to help you know where to go next. There were quite a few impressive animatronic scenes (again provided by Sally), such as a troll warning me to go back. There were plenty of jump-scares. And all around you could hear distant screams and moaning. One of my favorite sections was the room of doors. Once you entered, that door closed behind you and couldn't be reopened. You were in a circular room with about a dozen doors, and you had to figure out which one would get you out. It was cleverly designed. While I was in there, I could hear some noises getting closer. A group of teens came busting into the room, one of them holding a phone with its flashlight on. I found the exit and headed out, leaving them behind to figure it out. Eventually they caught up with me, and I let them go on ahead so that I didn't feel rushed. Further on, my favorite stunt was a balcony overlooking a huge atrium where a ghoul rock band was playing. That didn't disappoint, even though I knew the gag. Just the sheer size of the building was impressive. There was one section that went outside onto a balcony, about halfway through the castle, and I waved to Karen below. It took me nearly 20 minutes to finally make it back outside. I told the cashier that this was one of the best funhouses in the country, and she thanked me. I could easily have spent the better part of the day wandering through it and discovering new stuff. By then the rest of the rides in the park had opened. So Karen and I doubled back toward the west side and climbed the long staircase to ride the Hoosier Hurricane. Since there wasn't a lot of real estate in the park, the structures of all the roller coasters were suspended about 15 feet in the air, with other attractions placed underneath them. We arrived at the nearly empty station and queued up for the front seat. I remembered when that coaster debuted. It made the park a must-visit for coaster enthusiasts. We sat down and buckled in. The coaster turned right out of the station, rolled down and long straight stretch of track, then turned right and then left up to the lift. The coaster's structure was painted white, but it was all made of steel which gave it a very spindly appearance. At the top of the lift, the track made a jog to the right and then to the left before we dove down the first drop and up into the second hill. It was a little bumpy and could have used some TLC, but it wasn't painful. The hill gave some gentle airtime. And that's the way this long out-and-back coaster behaved: each drop was slightly rough and each hill had a little bit of airtime. Once they smoothed out the track a bit, it would fit the bill in the park as a fine family coaster. Next door to the coaster was the entrance to Rocky's Rapids Log Flume. Once again we hiked up the stairs, this time not as far, and queued up. There weren't many people in line for this, either, so we were seated within a couple of minutes. It was a pleasant ride, back around the west side of the park and through the support structure of the coasters. There was a short tunnel as well. When we plunged down the big drop, we expected to get soaked. But we just got a light spray of water, refreshing but not drenching. As we exited, I noticed a kiosk near the stairs. For $8, I could get digital prints of us on the ride, as well as a video. So I tried it out. Amazingly, the kiosk offered NFC, so I could use my iPhone. The transaction was simple and quick. I was emailed a link to the collection, which I wouldn't be able to check out until we got back home. For some reason, the link wouldn't work properly on mobile devices. But when I finally got them, they were very well done and pretty humorous, especially the video with us going over the top of the hill in slow motion with a heartbeat as the soundtrack. Nearby was the entrance to my favorite coaster in the park Cornball Express, built by Custom Coasters (the same company that built Hoosier Hurricane) in 2001. We rode it when it was new, and it blew me away. It was an incredible amount of coaster packed into a tiny area, and confusingly was interwoven with the structure of the Hoosier Hurricane. This ride had another daunting climb, but I was able to save my breath -- it wasn't open. So instead we got in line for the Spackman Express, whose station was right there. It formed the border of the park's kiddieland section, which was fairly extensive. Nearby was also the Tig'gr coaster. There was a lot of track packed into that area. The train conductor was very friendly, chatting with all the guests as he waited to depart. The ride was very enjoyable and took us to the southern end of the park, following along under the track of the Hoosier Hurricane. There was even a tunnel near Frankenstein's Castle with a spooky graveyard scene. At the southern end of the park, we paused for a few minutes and then made the return trip back to the north end. It was about noon and we were hungry. So we stopped into the nearby I.B. Yacht Club, which (as you might guess) served fish. The place was empty. We each ordered a fish dinner, which came with fries. They offered a side of "hush pups", basically little balls of fried corn meal. So I got a side of those as well. We sat at a table and rested as they cooked our food. A family entered with a couple of noisy kids and sat at a table across from us. When our food was ready, I was surprised to find just one tiny hush pup in my basket. To me that didn't constitute a "side". It was really good, but I wished there had been a few more. The fish was good too. After that lunch, we walked outside and I spotted another alcove near the restaurant. It contained a bar that was closed. But it also had an assortment of relics from the park's past, including signs and that tank battle ship that our son and I had piloted. I heard a familiar roar nearby. Cornball Express was finally operating. I didn't want to ride it so soon after eating, so instead we walked over to a milder ride, the Den of Lost Thieves. Karen passed on riding it, so I queued up and in a few minutes was riding off into the dark. Like most Sally dark rides, this was a shooting game. The guns had lasers on them and the pinpoint of light was so tiny that it was really difficult to hit any of the targets. But the scenes were amusing and colorful, and overall it was fun. We walked over to the Sky Ride station and boarded that to get back to the south end of the park. The seats were unusually narrow and the individual lap bars seemed too tiny. I felt like I could easily slide out of my seat as we soared high above the boardwalk. We made it safely to the other side where I wanted to start my park walk-thru. Karen waited in the air-conditioned gift shop there. It didn't take me too long to finish the video. when I met back up with her, she pointed out some nice souvenirs in the gift shop. I made a mental note for later. We next queued up for the Antique Autos. The ride attendant seemed really enthusiastic about his job, loudly proclaiming the rules to each set of passengers. While we were in line, a mechanic arrived and began working on a car that was up on jacks in the station. We hopped in our car, listened to the spiel and were sent on our way. I loved how the ride gave us such a close-up view of the Superstition Mountain track. That ride appeared to be down for the day. And looking at the track, I probably wouldn't have ridden it anyway. It had some insanely tight turns and sharp dips. When we arrived back at the station, the enthusiastic attendant had been replaced by someone much more low-key. The air was starting to get a lot hotter and the park was beginning to fill up with guests (which I was happy about). I decided to head back to Cornball Express. I first had to conquer the seemingly endless staircase up to the station. As I arrived, the train pulled into the station and I was second in line for the front seat. It was always both amusing and a little shocking to see the train return, as it suddenly would appear at high speed from below around a tight bend in the track just before the brake run. The guests got off the train and left the station, but then there was a pause in the action. After a few minutes, some maintenance guys arrived and talked with the operators. The ride attendants apologized and said it would be a few minutes before the ride resumed operation. Some of the people in line, including the two in front of me, decided to leave. As I waited, the maintenance guys left to go get a tool kit and returned a few minutes later. Then they proceeded to take apart three of the seats in the train. Guests had told them that some of the seats had come loose. I stood there for about 20 minutes, but it looked like it was going to be a long process. So I descended the long staircase and met back up with Karen. I was craving a milkshake, and nearby was I.B. Dipped, the park's ice cream concession. I asked for a vanilla shake and paid with my I.B. card. They had a peculiar way of making the shake. They used very little milk and didn't blend it very well. They handed it to me with a spoon and a straw. I was basically eating a dish of ice cream; it was impossible to drink. At that point it was after 3:00, and we decided to make our way toward our hotel for the night. I stopped into the Boardwalk Shops to get a t-shirt and some souvenirs. Right when I got there, their payment system crashed and they could take only cash. I didn't have enough cash for a t-shirt. So I bought two banners instead. We stopped at the Crow's Nest gift shop near the entrance, but they too had no payment system. I was going to get some magnets, but they were $10 a piece and I didn't have the cash. So I left with just my two banners. I was really glad we returned to Indiana Beach. I still liked the park a lot. The employees were friendly. It was unique, part seaside boardwalk, part 1960s amusement park. Frankenstein's Castle was fantastic. And there was a good mix of rides for people of all ages. The food was generally good. I was impressed that Gene Staples and his crew had been able to keep the park going after it had been abandoned. When we went back to the parking lot, it was about half-filled. So people were certainly coming out to enjoy it. Maybe like Kings Island, people preferred to come to the park later in the day and into the evening. That would explain why so many rides opened up later on. I hoped the park remained popular and kept growing so that we could return one day to experience more delights along the shores of Lake Shafer.

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