Indiana Beach

Despite having returned home from Florida's sand and surf less than a month before, some friends and I decided to visit another beach at the end of August - Indiana Beach, that is. The four of us woke up early and drove the four hours to Monticello, Indiana, the home of this small amusement park.

The park is surrounded by water, creating for interesting visuals on all the attractions.

The first ride we saw was Steel Hawg, a unique steel roller coaster.

The ride features sharp turns, sudden drops, and insanely banked angles.

There is also an 120-degree drop, one of the steepest on the planet.

The attraction suffers from low capacity, but the long wait is definitely worth it.

Indiana Beach is home to five other roller coasters, many which are awkwardly built above pathways and other structures.

The whole park is reminiscent of a Roller Coaster Tycoon game, where pathways and coaster tracks are elevated above the ground without any consideration of realism.

Another coaster is the Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, a bizarre family ride with sharp twists and turns.

The ride vehicles are extremely compact and feature forwards-facing and backwards-facing seats.

For obvious reasons, I am required to photograph and to ride the swinging ship.

Several rides are built above the water, such as the park's Scrambler.

The park's small water park also stretches over the lake.

Double Shot is a short launched free-fall that I personally find more thrilling than most gyro-drops.

Frankenstein's Castle, a waste of both money and time. And a massive fire hazard.

Although there were plenty of rides, our group spent a concerning amount of time playing Fascination, an addicting game where competitors can win prizes.

One last shot, showing the park's midway.