The Howler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Howler |
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|---|---|
| Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | |
| Location | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari |
| Park section | Fourth of July - Holidog's FunTown |
| Coordinates | 38°07′08″N 86°54′37″W / 38.1189°N 86.9103°W |
| Status | Open |
| Opening date | May 8, 1999 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Zamperla |
| Model | Family Gravity Coaster 80STD |
| Track layout | Oval |
| Lift/launch system | Chain Lift Hill |
| Height | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Length | 262.5 ft (80.0 m) |
| Speed | 16 mph (26 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 0:25 |
| Capacity | 410 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 36 in (91 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 12 riders per train. |
 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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| The Howler at RCDB | |
The Howler is a fun steel roller coaster for families. You can find it at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, USA. It opened on May 8, 1999.
This ride was built by Zamperla as part of a new area called Holidog's FunTown. The Howler is designed to look like Holiday World's friendly mascot, Holidog. Its train has 12 seats, with the front car shaped like Holidog's head and the back car like his tail and back feet!
The Howler is located in the Fourth of July section of Holiday World. Holidog's FunTown is a special play area for kids in the park's southeast corner. Before the Thunderbird roller coaster was added in 2015, The Howler was the only steel coaster at Holiday World. All the other big roller coasters were made of wood.
Contents
History of The Howler
In 1998, Holiday World started getting ready for some exciting new additions. They removed an old roller coaster called Firecracker. In its place, the park planned to build Holidog's FunTown. This new area was going to be a children's play zone with a cool three-story play structure.
As part of Holidog's FunTown, Holiday World decided to buy a small roller coaster. This coaster would be perfect for the whole family, including younger kids. They named the new roller coaster The Howler. The name comes from the sound a dog makes, just like Holidog, the park's mascot!
The Howler officially opened on May 8, 1999. When it first opened, it had one special 12-passenger train. Zamperla custom-made this train to look just like Holidog. The front car was Holidog's head, and the back car looked like his back paws and tail.
How The Howler Works
The Station
The Howler's station is a simple, covered platform. To get on the ride, you walk up a few stairs. Then, you enter a single line that stretches almost the length of the train. At the end of the line, there's a gate to enter the ride. There's also an exit gate on the other side. The ride operator controls are right in the middle. To leave, you can walk down the stairs or use a ramp. The ramp is also used by guests in wheelchairs to enter the station.
The Train
The Howler uses one light brown, 12-passenger train. It's custom-made by Zamperla to look like Holidog. The train has six cars, and each car holds two riders. So, there's one row per car, with two people sitting side-by-side. For safety, each row has a lap bar that both riders share.
The Track
The track for The Howler is made of bright yellow steel tubes. The supports that hold up the track are also made of steel. The entire track is about 262.5 feet long. It includes a fun spiral section called a helix.
The ride starts with a chain lift hill that pulls the train up. The track also has two block sections. These sections make sure that only one train is on a certain part of the track at a time, keeping everyone safe. At the end of the ride, special fin brakes gently stop the train in the station.
Your Ride Experience
Your adventure on The Howler begins in the station, facing away from the "Just for Pups" play area. As soon as the ride starts, the train hooks onto the lift hill chain. This chain pulls you up about 13 feet into the air.
Once you reach the top of the lift hill, the train lets go of the chain. You then zoom down the first drop, which curves a little to the right. At the bottom of the drop, the train goes back uphill. Next, the train makes a right turn going downhill to complete the ride's helix (that's the spiral part!).
After going under its own track at the end of the helix, the train goes straight for a bit. Then, it makes a banked right turn. When the turn is finished, the train rolls right back into the station and stops.
A cool thing about The Howler is that the ride operators often ask if you'd like to go around for another lap! If anyone wants to get off, they let them. Otherwise, you get to enjoy a second ride! After the second lap, the ride ends, and everyone gets off. One lap on The Howler takes about 25 seconds.
