The Raven is a wooden roller coaster situated in the Halloween-themed section of Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana. Designed by Custom Coasters International and opened on May 6, 1995, it takes its name from Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic poem and has grown into one of the most celebrated wooden coasters in the country.
Standing 80 feet tall with an 85-foot first drop and a top speed of 48 mph along 2,800 feet of track, The Raven delivers a surprisingly forceful ride for its size. Its combination of airtime hills, a dramatic low swoop over Lake Rudolph, and a 120-foot enclosed tunnel earned it the Golden Ticket Award for Best Wooden Roller Coaster four consecutive years — 2000 through 2003 — and an ACE Coaster Landmark designation in 2016.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Indiana
- Manufacturer: Custom Coasters International
- Opened: May 6, 1995
- Height: 80 ft (24 m)
- Top Speed: 48 mph (77 km/h)
- Length: 2,800 ft (850 m)
- Inversions: 0
- Duration: 1 min 30 sec
The Ride Experience
The Raven begins with a chain lift to 80 feet before plunging 85 feet into a high-speed run along the hillside. The layout is compact but relentless, stringing together multiple airtime moments and a sweeping banked turn that carries riders low over Lake Rudolph. A 120-foot enclosed tunnel then swallows the train in near-total darkness before ejecting it into the final sequence of drops. The signature double-banked S-curve at the base of the fifth hill — engineered specifically to preserve a stand of trees during construction — remains one of the ride’s most memorable moments.
Two 24-passenger trains built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters handle the crowds, with the capacity reaching 960 riders per hour. The track itself is built from eight layers of Southern yellow pine with steel running surfaces, and a significant 25% track replacement carried out during the 2020–2021 off-season has kept the ride running smoothly.
History and Recognition
Built for approximately $2 million and opened in 1995, The Raven was Holiday World’s first major thrill coaster and helped establish the park as a serious destination for coaster enthusiasts. Designer Larry Bill of Custom Coasters International crafted a terrain layout that punched well above its height, generating forces that consistently surprised first-time riders expecting something more modest.
The coaster’s national reputation peaked in the early 2000s, when it topped Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards for Best Wooden Roller Coaster four years running. Even as taller and faster woodies arrived at other parks, The Raven retained its standing as a benchmark for wooden coaster design. American Coaster Enthusiasts formally recognized its legacy by naming it an ACE Coaster Landmark in June 2016 — an honor reserved for rides of enduring historical and cultural significance.
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The Raven FAQs
Where is The Raven roller coaster located?
The Raven is located at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, inside the park’s Halloween-themed section.
Who built The Raven and when did it open?
The Raven was designed and built by Custom Coasters International and opened to the public on May 6, 1995.
What awards has The Raven won?
The Raven won Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best Wooden Roller Coaster four consecutive years from 2000 to 2003. It was also designated an ACE Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts in June 2016.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.