Originally named Ideal Beach, the amusement park began as a small lakeside beach with a bath house and refreshment stand opened by Earl W. Spackman. In 1927, the first thrill attraction opened, and from that point, it began to expand. In the 1930s and 1940s, it was popular for the Ideal Beach Ballroom, featuring well-known bands. In 1961, Indiana Beach added a paddle wheeler boat called the Shafer Queen. This boat operated for 11 years, before being replaced by another paddle wheeler with the same name. In February 2008, it was announced that both the amusement park and Indiana Beach campgrounds had been sold to Morgan RV LLC. On September 1, 2015, it was announced that the park had been sold to Apex Parks Group.