Find out some of the best Amusement Parks Near Me where you can experience various attractions as well as events for entertainments.
Meaning Of Amusement Parks ?
According to Wikipedia, An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes.
A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often featuring multiple areas with different themes.
Unlike temporary and mobile funfairs and carnivals, amusement parks are stationary and built for long-lasting operation.
They are more elaborate than city parks and playgrounds, usually providing attractions that cater to a variety of age groups.
While amusement parks often contain themed areas, theme parks place a heavier focus with more intricately-designed themes that revolve around a particular subject or group of subjects.
Amusement parks evolved from European fairs, pleasure gardens, and large picnic areas, which were created for people’s recreation.
World’s fairs and other types of international expositions also influenced the emergence of the amusement park industry.
Lake Compounce opened in 1846 and is considered the oldest, continuously-operating amusement park in North America.
The first theme parks emerged in the mid-twentieth century with the opening of Santa Claus Land in 1946, Santa’s Workshop in 1949, and Disneyland in 1955.
Best Amusement Parks Near Me
• Disneyland Park
Disneyland is an amusement park in Anaheim, California, which opened in 1955. It is the only one designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney.
Walt Disney came up with the concept of Disneyland after visiting various amusement parks with his daughters in the 1930s and 1940s.
He initially envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to his studios in Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit; however, he soon realized that the proposed site was too small.
After hiring the Stanford Research Institute to perform a feasability study determining an appropriate site for his project, Disney bought a 160-acre (65 ha) site near Anaheim in 1953.
The park was designed by a creative team hand-picked by Walt from internal and outside talent. .
Since opening, Disneyland has undergone expansions and major renovations, including the addition of New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country in 1972, Mickey’s Toontown in 1993, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019. Opened in 2001, Disney California Adventure Park was built on the site of Disneyland’s original parking lot.
Disneyland has a larger cumulative attendance than any other theme park in the world, with 726 million visits since it opened (as of December 2018).
In 2018, the park had approximately 18.6 million visits, making it the second most visited amusement park in the world that year, behind only Magic Kingdom, the very park it inspired.
According to a 2005 Disney report, 65,700 jobs are supported by the Disneyland Resort, including about 20,000 direct Disney employees and 3,800 third-party employees (independent contractors or their employees).
Disney announced “Project Stardust” in 2019, which included major structural renovations to the park to account for higher attendance numbers.
• The Walt Disney World Park
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee.
Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is owned and operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a division of The Walt Disney Company.
The property covers nearly 25,000 acres (39 sq mi; 101 km2), of which half has been used.
The resort comprises four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom), two water parks (Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon), 31 themed resort hotels, nine non-Disney hotels, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the outdoor shopping center Disney Springs.
In 2018, Walt Disney World was the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an average annual attendance of more than 58 million.
• Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando or simply Universal, formerly Universal Studios Escape, is an American theme park and entertainment resort complex based in Orlando, Florida.
The resort is operated by Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of Comcast’s NBCUniversal.
Universal Orlando is the second-largest resort in Greater Orlando, after nearby Walt Disney World Resort. Universal Orlando covers 541 acres of land.
• Cedar Point Park
Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce.
Cedar Point is owned and operated by Cedar Fair and is the flagship of the amusement park chain.
Known as “America’s Roller Coast”, the park features 16 roller coasters – third-most in the world behind Canada’s Wonderland (17), Energylandia (17), and Six Flags Magic Mountain (19). Its newest roller coaster, Steel Vengeance, opened to the public on May 5, 2018.
The park has reached several milestones. It is the only amusement park in the world with five roller coasters that are at least 200 feet (61 m) in height – Magnum XL-200, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Valravn, and Steel Vengeance – as well as the only one with roller coasters in all four height classifications.
Cedar Point also received the Golden Ticket Award for “Best Amusement Park in the World” from Amusement Today for 16 consecutive years from 1997 to 2013.
The park is in the top 20 amusement parks in the United States with an estimated 3.6 million visitors in 2017.
The park also has several buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Magic Kingdom Park
Magic Kingdom Park is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida.
Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, the park opened on October 1, 1971, as the first of four theme parks at the resort.
The park was initialized by Walt Disney and designed by WED Enterprises. Its layout and attractions are based on Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, and are dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.
The park is represented by Cinderella Castle, inspired by the fairy tale castle seen in the 1950 film.
In 2019, the park hosted 20.9 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the world for the thirteenth consecutive year and the most visited theme park in North America for at least the past nineteen years.
• Hi- Impact Planet Park
Hi Impact Planet (also known as the Hi Impact Amusement park) is an amusement, theme park and resort on the outskirts of Lagos but located in Ogun State along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway ibafo it opened to the public in December, 2015.
• Six Flags Magic Mountain Park
Six Flags Magic Mountain, formerly known simply as Magic Mountain, is a 262-acre (106 ha) theme park located in Valencia, California, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
It opened on May 29, 1971, as a development of the Newhall Land and Farming Company and Sea World Inc.
In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name “Six Flags” to the park’s name.
With 19 roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the world record for most roller coasters in an amusement park.
In 2017, the park had an estimated 3.3 million visitors, ranking it sixteenth in attendance in North America.
• Knott’s Berry Farm Park
Knott’s Berry Farm is a 57-acre (23 ha) theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair.
In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year.
The park features 40 rides including roller coasters, family rides, dark rides, and water rides.
• Universal’s Islands Of Adventure Park
Universal’s Islands of Adventure (also known as Islands of Adventure or IOA), originally called Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida.
It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an expansion that converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort.
The resort’s slogan Vacation Like You Mean It was introduced in 2013.
• Dollywood Park
Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment.
It is located in the Knoxville-Smoky Mountains metroplex in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Hosting nearly 3 million guests in a typical season from mid-March to the Christmas holidays, Dollywood is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee.
It has won many international awards.
• Six Flags Great Adventure Park
Six Flags Great Adventure is an amusement park located in Jackson, New Jersey. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park complex is situated between New York City and Philadelphia and includes a water park named Hurricane Harbor.
It first opened to the public as Great Adventure in 1974 under the direction of restaurateur Warner LeRoy. Six Flags acquired the park in 1977.
In 2012, Six Flags combined its 160-acre (65 ha)[2] Great Adventure with its 350-acre (140 ha) Wild Safari animal park to form Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari park. At 510 acres (210 ha), it is the second-largest theme park in the world following Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
• Disney Resort
The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California.
It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks (Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure), three hotels, and a shopping, dining, and entertainment district known as Downtown Disney.
• Hersheypark
Hersheypark (known as Hershey Park until 1970) is a family theme park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles (24 km) east of Harrisburg, and 95 miles (153 km) west of Philadelphia.
The park was founded in 1906 by Milton S. Hershey as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company.
It is wholly and privately owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. Hersheypark has won several awards, including the Applause Award.
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg Park
Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly known as Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens:
The Old Country) is a 422-acre (1.71 km2) amusement park located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.
Located approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Virginia Beach, the park was developed by Anheuser-Busch (A-B) and is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
It opened on May 16, 1975, adjacent to Anheuser-Busch’s brewery and near its other developments including the Kingsmill Resort complex.
• Dreamworld Africans Park
Dreamworld Africana is an amusement and theme park situated in Lekki, Lagos State.
Established in 2018, Dreamworld covers an area of 10 acres (4 ha) and re-opened to the public in 2013.
The park is one of the main amusement parks in the city. The park provides many attractions to keep its visitors excited.
The attractions include wet and dry facilities, bumper cars, carousal, roller coaster, trains, merry go-rounds, toddler play areas and many others.
The park was initiated by private sector investors in the 2010s based on economic development funding from Lagos State Government. There are plans to expand the parks entertainment facilities and attractions.
• Carowinds Park
Carowinds is a 407-acre (165 ha) amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
However, it has an official Charlotte address, and its business offices are located on the Charlotte side of the park.
The park opened on March 31, 1973, at a cost of $70 million. It is the result of a four-year planning period spearheaded by Charlotte businessman Earl Patterson Hall. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, Carowinds also features a 27-acre (110,000 m2) water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included with park admission.
The park has a Halloween event called SCarowinds and a winter event called WinterFest.
• Efeling Park
Efteling is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore.
The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature park with a playground and a Fairytale Forest into a full-sized theme park.
It now caters to both children and adults with its cultural, romantic, and nostalgic themes, in addition to its wide array of amusement rides including six roller coasters and four dark rides.
It is the largest theme park in the Netherlands and one of the oldest theme parks in the world.
It is twice as large as the original Disneyland park in California and predates it by three years. Annually, the park has more than 5 million visitors.
In 2020, it was the most visited theme park in Europe, before Disneyland Park (Paris).
• SeaWorld Orlando Park
SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park and marine zoological park, in Orlando, Florida. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
When combined with its neighbor Discovery Cove and Aquatica, it forms SeaWorld Parks and Resorts Orlando, an entertainment complex consisting of the three parks and many hotels.
In 2018, SeaWorld Orlando hosted an estimated 4.594 million guests, ranking it the 10th most visited amusement park in the United States.
• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Park
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre (136 ha) African-centered animal theme park located in Tampa, Florida. Owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the park has an annual attendance consistently exceeding 4 million, often ranking second among SeaWorld parks behind SeaWorld Orlando.
The park has featured conspicuous roller coasters with thrill rides over the years, including a Dive Coaster named SheiKra, a launch coaster called Tigris, and Montu, the tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened.
• Apapa Amusement Parks
Apapa Amusement Park is an amusement park in Lagos, Nigeria. The park was built in 2008 and it spans an area of approximately 7.7 acres.
The park reopened after a three-year closure and complete makeover in 2015. Here are compiled list of games offered at the Amusement Park.
• Europe Park
Europa-Park is the largest theme park in Germany, and the second most popular theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Paris.
Europa-Park is located in Rust, south-western Germany, between Freiburg im Breisgau and Strasbourg (in neighbouring France).
The park is home to 13 roller coasters, the oldest, which opened in 1984, is the Alpenexpress Enzian, which is a powered coaster that speeds through a diamond mine.
Europa-Park has very high capacity roller coasters and attractions, meaning the park can accommodate approximately 60,000 guests per day.
The park counted 5.75 million visitors in 2019. It is also the location of the Euro Dance Festival.
• Port Harcourt Pleasure Park
Port Harcourt PLEASURE PARK is a public recreation park in Niger-Delta’s oil rich garden city of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
It is strategically located along the major Aba Road, and flanked between the Army Barracks (a.k.a. Bori Camp) and Air Force base junction, on an expansive open land with 24-7-365 internal security.
The park is serving as both a tourist destination and a revenue generator for the state, operated by an international staff of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
The park boasts a wide range of facilities for all ages including a 5-star Cinema and an International restaurant launched to complement the facilities at the park.
With an excellent cleanliness record of all amenities maintained, the Park’s natural and peaceful environment will give you the much fun, excitement and relaxation you desire.
• King’s Island Park
Kings Island is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located 24 miles (39 km) northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States.
Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company.
It was part of a larger effort to move and expand Coney Island, a popular resort destination along the banks of the Ohio River that was prone to frequent flooding.
After more than $300 million in capital investments, the park features over 100 attractions including fourteen roller coasters and a 33-acre (13 ha) water park.
• Knoebels Amusement Park
Knoebels Amusement Resort (/kəˈnoʊbəlz/) is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America’s largest free-admission park.
The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden roller coasters, three steel roller coasters, a 1913 carousel, and a haunted house dark ride.
• Alton Towers Resort
Alton Towers Resort (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton.
The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, spa, mini golf and hotel complex.
• SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is an animal theme park, oceanarium, outside aquarium and marine mammal park, in San Diego, California, United States, inside Mission Bay Park. It is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division.
Based on a concept by Marty Sklar, Randy Bright, and Michael Eisner, the park opened on May 1, 1989, as the Disney-MGM Studios (Theme) Park, and was the third of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World. Spanning 135 acres (55 ha), the park is dedicated to the imagined worlds from film, television, music, and theatre, drawing inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
• Disney California Adventure Park
Disney California Adventure Park, commonly referred to as California Adventure or by its acronym DCA, is a theme park located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division.
The 72-acre (29 ha) park is themed after the history and culture of California, which celebrates the adventure of the state through the use of various Disney, Pixar and Marvel Studios properties.
The park opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney’s California Adventure Park and is the second of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort complex, after Disneyland Park.
• Beto Carrero World Park
Beto Carrero World is a theme park located in Penha, Brazil. The park is considered to be one of Santa Catarina’s signature amusement parks.
It is the largest theme park in Latin America occupying 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi) divided into 7 theme areas.
• Tokyo Disneyland Park
Tokyo Disneyland Park is a 115-acre (47 ha) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo.
Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States and it opened on April 15, 1983.
The park was constructed by WED Enterprises in the same style as Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland in California.
It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company.
Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks not wholly or partly owned by The Walt Disney Company (however, Disney has creative control).
• King’s Dominion Park
Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, 20 miles (30 km) north of Richmond and 75 miles (120 km) south of Washington, D.C.
Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the 450-acre (1.8 km2) park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features over 60 rides, shows and attractions including 13 roller coasters and a 20-acre (81,000 m2) water park.
Its name is derived from the name of its sister park, Kings Island, and the nickname for the state of Virginia, “Old Dominion.”
• Shanghai Disneyland Park
Shanghai Disneyland is a theme park located in Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort.
The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Shanghai Shendi Group, through a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Shendi.
Construction began on April 8, 2011. The park opened on June 16, 2016. The park operated in its first half-year with a visitor attendance of 5.60 million guests.
• Six Flags Great America Park
Six Flags Great America is an amusement park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. Originally opened in 1976 by the Marriott Corporation as Marriott’s Great America, Six Flags has owned and operated the park since 1984.
It features four themed areas and fifteen roller coasters, as well as a 20-acre (81,000 m2) water park called Hurricane Harbor Chicago.
Over 3 million guests visited Six Flags Great America in 2017, ranking it among the top 20 amusement parks in North America for attendance.
• Universal Studios Florida Park
Universal Studios Florida (also known as Universal Studios or USF) is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida.
Primarily themed to movies, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry, the park opened to the public on June 7, 1990.
It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal and features numerous rides, attractions and live shows.
Universal Studios Florida was the first component of the larger Universal Orlando Resort to open, ranking eleventh in the world and sixth in North America for attendance among amusement parks in 2019 while hosting approximately 10.9 million visitors.
• Disney Animal Kingdom Park
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando.
Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the largest theme park in the world, covering 580 acres (230 ha).
The park opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998, and was the fourth theme park built at the resort.
The park is dedicated and themed entirely around the natural environment and animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself.
• Silver Dollar City Park
Silver Dollar City is a 61-acre (25 ha) amusement park in Stone County, Missouri, near the cities of Branson and Branson West.
The park is located off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. Silver Dollar City opened on May 1, 1960.
The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson’s vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm.
Silver Dollar City’s operating season runs from March until December, with the park closed for two months. Silver Dollar City is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment.
• Six Flags New England Park
Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup’s Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996-1999), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts, a western suburb of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Opening in the late 19th century, it is the oldest amusement park in the Six Flags chain, acquired by Premier Parks in 1996 and rebranded Six Flags New England in 2000.
Superman the Ride is among the park’s most notable rides, having appeared as a highly ranked roller coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today since the ride opened in 2000.
• Epcot Park
EPCOT is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division.
Inspired by an unrealized concept developed by Walt Disney, the park opened on October 1, 1982, as EPCOT Center, and was the second of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World, after Magic Kingdom Park. Spanning 305 acres (1.23 km2), more than twice the size of Magic Kingdom Park.
Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture, and is often referred to as a “permanent world’s fair.
• Thorpe Park Resort
Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England.
It is operated and owned by Merlin Entertainments and includes rides, themed cabins, live events and Stealth, the UK’s fastest rollercoaster.
In 2019 Thorpe park was the UK’s third most visited theme park (1.9m) behind Alton Towers.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 the park only had a 125-day operation season along with limited capacity.
As a result of this the park had a huge decrease in attendance. However Thorpe park was the second most attended park in the UK behind Alton Towers in 2020.
• Kennywood Park
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh.
The park first opened on May 30, 1899, as a trolley park attraction at the end of the Mellon family’s Monongahela Street Railway.
It was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan, both of whom later formed the family-owned Kennywood Entertainment Company.
The company later sold Kennywood, along with four other parks, in 2007 to Parques Reunidos, an international entertainment operator based in Spain.
The amusement park features various structures and rides dating back to the early 1900s. Along with Rye Playland Park, it is one of only two amusement parks designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Kennywood is also one of only thirteen trolley parks in the United States that remains in operation.
• Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. About 70% of the studio lies within the unincorporated county island known as Universal City while the rest lies within the city limits of Los Angeles, California.
It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketing headline is “The Entertainment Capital of LA”.
It was initially created to offer tours of the real Universal Studios sets and is the first of many full-fledged Universal Studios Theme Parks located across the world.
