Ranking My Favorite Amusement Parks Across the Country

I love amusement parks. As I’m sure most people do, and I’ve been lucky to have gone to some all across the United States and I thought it would be a fun exercise to rank them. So without further ado…

19. Water country
New England’s most famous waterpark. It’s not a lot to write home about, but it’s cute. Its lazy river and wave pool are great as they are at most water parks. I enjoy their two big attractions Dr. Von Dark’s tunnel of terror and the dragons den, kind of the icons of the park. I’m gonna be honest though. I’ve been to a lot of amusement parks and for the most park water country is a nice run of the mill water park, you take your family too to get out of the sun.

18. Canobie Lake Park
If you grew up in Northern Mass/New Hampshire, you went here a lot of summers. It’s not the most thrilling place in the world, but it has a great quaintness to it. It leans into its New England roots with its cobblestone roads and rides such as “the Boston tea party” (kind of an everyman’s splash mountain) or yankee cannonball (one of the oldest functioning wooden coasters in the country). It’s mostly a nostalgic place for me and it’s ranked this low for lack of thrills and ambiance, but it definitely has some fun things to offer.

17. Santa’s village
Full disclosure. I’ve only been here once with my wife. It’s very cute and great for little kids. The place is supposed to be a representation of Santa clause’s North Pole. The rides aren’t very thrilling, but it has fun stuff like feeding reindeer carrots and meeting Rudolph here.

16. Six Flags New England

Six Flags are fun and this one is always a great day for me. The Superman ride and the Batman ride I’m always excited to ride every time I go, also a fun thing is six flags New England is in the same neighborhood as the basketball hall of fame. It’s a very fun park, but I’ve just been to better.

15. Six flags San Antonio

Not much better than the New England six flags, but the thing I do appreciate about this place is it more heavily steers into its Texas (especially in the San Antonio La Fiesta part of it) roots and has it as a part of the aesthetic of the park.

I especially loved their “Iron Rattler” roller coaster, a reference to the many rattlesnakes in Texas that was also barrels of fun. This also had the best food of any Six Flags I’ve been too. They had a nice little Chinese food place right next to the rattler I quite enjoyed.

14. Aquatica, Orlando
I only ever went here once and I might be grading it on a curve based on memories. I went there during a wrestling tournament called “Disney duals” and we went there as a team which was a nice bonding experience.

The rides were super fun here though, and honestly the lazy river was the best lazy river I’ve been on. I highly recommend here for families in Orlando that want a more relaxed day than say Disney or Universal, but still want to get out of the hotel.

13. SeaWorld San Diego
Honestly. This might be a little low, I only went here a couple times but I quite enjoyed it. Some great rides such as manta and electric eel and they had a very fun otter exhibit I very much appreciated. And the food was the best of both SeaWorld’s I’ve been too. Also Miles met a whale here. And the whale seemed to like him. So that was nice.

12. Busch Gardens, Williamsburg
I was honestly was not expecting this to be as fun as it was. I’ve never been to Busch gardens in Tampa bay but I’ve heard great things that I figured a Busch Gardens in random Williamsburg, Virginia wouldn’t be much to write home about and rather like a glitzy six flags. Which don’t get me wrong it is a little bit of that, but it’s more six flags on steroids than six flags with some glitter.

A better comparison would be a less pretty Epcot which is actually a compliment. I say this because it has a theming of around the world. Where you are “visiting” countries like Italy, England, Ireland and Germany. Which leads to some good food and merchandise. Also the “Verbolten” ride is one of my favorite rides I’ve ever been on.

Maybe coolest of all though is while Tampa Bay Busch gardens has more of a zoo, Busch Gardens has a Virginia esque type zoo where you can meet Clydesdale horses, Highland cows, and border collies. And you can see grey wolves put on a show and they even got bald eagles.

11. Aquatica, San Antonio
Just the cooler Aquatica than the Orlando one to me, not only because of the ability to meet sting rays/wade in the water with them. Which was my favorite experience of this park. And one of my favorite experiences I’ve had at any park. But a lot of their water rides were some of my favorites

Ihu’s breakaway falls was a very fun experience that Courtney and I got to experience together with our friend Krysta who was trying to push her limits so it was fun to help with that. And then stingray falls is probably the coolest water ride I’ve ever been on as you go down a slide that goes through an aquarium with stingrays.

A lot of memorable experiences.

10. Sea World, San Antonio
I’m ranking this this high because of the fact that I’m acting like discovery cove is technically a part of SeaWorld. I got to swim with the dolphins here and they were lovely. One even wished me happy birthday.

There was also a nice little aquarium in discovery cove that I liked walking in. Sting rays and sharks galore. And the shows at this SeaWorld were awesome.

I do want to make a point that SeaWorld has become increasingly demonized over the years because of internet activists, but it’s often forgotten how killer whales are one the most intelligent mammals on Earth. If they don’t want to perform they won’t. Which was evidenced by multiple shows we went to, they decided to just not do it.

I can’t speak for how sea world has always been but it felt when I went the animals were well treated. Also you could feed sea lions and seals here so that was fun and the rides were amazing. By far the better rides of the two sea world’s I’ve been too.

9. Animal kingdom

Now this is where things started getting tough for me, once I get an Orlando park in here I knew I was gonna be getting into the nitty gritty. The safari park is iconic and I love how it’s technically the one ride that’s gonna be different each time because you can’t predict how animals will be. Which is always fun.

Also Expedition Everest is iconic (even with a broken yeti). The tree of life is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a Disney park and Pandora is truly a surreal almost ethereal like experience.

8. Six flags New Jersey
The fact that this snuck in to the level of the Orlando and California parks shows you how great this six flags is. I would venture to guess it’s the best six flags out there. Not only does it have a drive through safari with some very interesting animals with bison, lions
and tigers.

The real reason I love this place though is it’s the best roller coasters ever. Kingda Ka (RIP homie) is the best roller coaster I’ve ever been on. Skull mountain is a great indoor coaster. I also loved green lantern, a roller coaster that has you strapped in while standing. Sadly, also taken down. I’m hoping all the rides that this six flags has taken down will lead to some great new rides soon.

7. Epcot
Only Orlando and California from here, and we’ve got a good one to begin. Epcot is probably one of the most iconic amusement parks on earth and definitely in the United States. It’s sad Epcot never got to be Walt Disney’s full ambition of a perfect living utopia, but I’m sure he still would’ve loved what became of that dream. For it’s still pretty utopic.

Of course everybody loves the pavilions (I might have to rank those one day), but Epcot is more than those, as fun as they are. The guardians of the galaxy ride is one of the most inventive rides I’ve been on. Frozen is a fun ride for kids. Soarin’ is a fan favorite, and of course nobody hates fast track.

Also probably the best food of any park and definitely the best quick service of any park.

6. Magic kingdom
Now this IS the most iconic amusement park in the world, everybody knows about Cinderella’s castle and people come from all over to see it, and no matter how many times I see it. I still get happy when I see it again. It’s straight serotonin to the brain. Tomorrowland is one of my favorite parks within a park. Space mountain always comforts me, same as buzz lightyear and carousel of progress.

Crystal Palace is one of my favorite restaurants in any Disney park. And I just have a great happiness walking down main street. And of course, Happily Ever After is one of the best shows of all time (although my wife will always say she misses Wishes).

5. Universal studios

I love Harry Potter, I love New York and I love Hollywood. This park has references to all those things and more. Universal Studios park is to Universal what DisneyLand is to the Disney company. The one that started it all, with ET and Jaws and Back to the future rides kicking off Steven Spielberg’s ideas to compete with Walt Disney. Only one of those rides still exists in ET (which much like the movie still hits) but the park has only gotten better. With its New York land holding the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket roller coaster (soon to be taken down, I’ll miss it, but glad I got listen to Humble by Kendrick Lamar on it one last time) and Jimmy Fallon’s late night. it also has currently a Saturday Night live 50th anniversary store currently.

Simpsons Springfield where you can get a Krusty burger, Duff beer and Homer’s donut. Hollywood has Mel’s diner which I love and maybe the best show in universal with animal actors on location. As well as the horror make up show.

Recently, DreamWorks land has popped up there where you can go see Shrek at his swamp and
meet Po the kung fu panda at his dojo, among other fun things. They have a temporary wicked pop up that I’m assuming will be staying till Wicked: For Good comes out and finally. Diagon Alley, one of the biggest W’s Universal got in their Cold War with Disney was their ability to obtain the amusement park rights to Harry Potter. And they’ve utilized it and walking past the brick wall in London Square and seeing that dragon on top of gringotts gives me joy each time.

4. Disneyland
Some people would say Disney land is just teeny tiny Magic Kingdom, to those people I would
say you’re wrong. It is smaller, but that honestly helps with the ambiance of it. The interactions with characters here are unlike any Disney park I’ve been too, they just be walking around like nothing. The freedom for them is so refreshing. Also, there are rides here you can’t get at Magic Kingdom, notably the Indiana jones ride, the Matterhorn, Mr. Toad’s wild ride, and finding Nemo submarine.

Toontown is a very fun addition that’s sweet to walk through and great for the kids, and Star Wars being in the main park instead of Hollywood studios like on the east coast actually worked for me more. Mostly, I like how the only people that really come here are either huge Disney fans or California residents so it never felt too insane.

3. Hollywood studios

Anybody that knows me, knows I’m a HUGE Hollywood nerd. I love everything about it. If I could have any job in the world it would be acting and screenwriting (low key admitting this on here for some manifestation points) and for anybody that loves movies and loves Hollywood, they’re gonna love this place.

The first time I ever went over here on my own while my wife was working her college program and I was visiting, I walked down the “street” that heads to the “tower of terror” and I knew I was in love with this park. It literally felt like in that moment I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard and I had the biggest smile on my face.

Tower of terror is so fun and Hollywood studios has kind of been Disney’s growth ground the past couple of years as they put Star Wars land, Toy Story land, and an upcoming Monster’s inc land here. Here’s hoping for an announcement for a Percy Jackson land.

2. Islands of adventure

I love this park is kind of like an 8 year old playing in their bedroom and just thinking of all their favorite things and having world’s of them. Like Hogwarts/Hogsmeade, Jurassic Park, Marvel comics, Dr. Seuss, King Kong, old newspaper comics, and Atlantis all have nothing in common. Yet these are all world’s at this place. Or rather islands and the idea is you are hopping from island to island as you walk through this park (if I was universal and could go back in time I’d probably name this epic universe and name epic universe islands of adventure and say the portals are your ways to traveling to the other islands, but I digress) and as much as it does feel like an 8 year old playing in their room. I’m reminded every time of how fun it was to be an 8 year old playing in my room.

Being at Marvel Island gets me feeling like the 9 year old I was reading the comics, being at Hogwarts/Hogsmeade (which I prefer to Diagon Alley) gives me the feeling of reading those books at 11, being at Seuss island gives me the feeling of having those books read to me at 6, and being at Jurassic Park reminds me of seeing those movies at 13 for the first time. The Hulk, Velicoaster, and Hagrid’s Motorbike are all in the top 10 of the best roller coasters I’ve ever been on.

The shopping here is top level because of its wide array of offerings of different IP’s. And people like to say this epic universe is where Universal has caught up in the fight with Disney, I disagree I think Islands was where they showed they could punch with them in creating worlds.

1. California Adventure

And my number 1… If I love Hollywood Studios because of its Hollywood inspiration, well
California adventure is Hollywood studios juiced to the gills. I loved everything about this place.

I had never gotten emotional in a Disney park or universal park before. I had seen all the videos of people crying seeing Cinderella’s castle or Hogwarts castle and just thought “that’s nice, but I don’t get it really.” That is until I heard the avengers theme music and walked into the avengers campus for the first time. While I didn’t cry. I did get a little wispy. Those movies matter to me a lot and it was just cool to see it in real life.

The storylines didn’t always make sense but I didn’t care. I was just so happy to be in that world. The guardians of the galaxy ride was so awesome I didn’t care that it had replaced Tower of Terror (I think it also helps that it’s still on the east coast). Also the quick service here was great. The Pym Particle Bar and restaurant had a great large pretzel and getting a flight there came with fun souvenirs of measuring cups and a big ruler holding them.

As much as I loved Avengers campus, Pixar Pier was beautiful visually (see picture at bottom) as well as extremely entertaining (Incredicoaster is by far the best Disney roller coaster I’ve been) and there was some great quick service there as well (Jack Jack’s cookie was exquisite) and Radiator Springs is so fun. It’s so well, Californian hence the name of the park. I want to go back so bad. I yearn for it sometimes.