THE BEST AMUSEMENT PARKS IN EACH U.S. STATE
Are you prepared to have some fun? There are more than 500 amusement parks in the United States, but the list below highlights the very best amusement parks in each U.S. state. Along the way, I mark which amusement parks I consider to be the top 100 amusement parks in the country.
If any of these amusement parks permanently close or are re-branded, please send me an email so that I can update this page.
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GREAT AMUSEMENT PARKS IN EACH U.S. STATE
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You can find great amusement parks all over the United States. Here are the best amusement parks in each of the U.S. states:
♥♥♥ = my choices for the top 100 amusement parks in the United States
ALABAMA
✮ Alabama Adventure & Splash Adventure, Bessemer
✮ OWA Parks & Resort, Foley
✮ Point Mallard Park, Decatur
✮ Spring Valley Beach, Blountsville
✮ OWA Parks & Resort, Foley
✮ Water World, Dothan
✮ Waterville USA, Gulf Shores
ALASKA
✮ None
ARIZONA
✮ Castles-N-Coasters, Phoenix
✮ Enchanted Island Amusement Park, Phoenix
✮ Funtasticks Family Fun Park, Tucson
✮ Golfland Sunsplash, Mesa
✮ Mattel Adventure Park, Glendale - expected to open in 2025 and will be a top 100 amusement park in the country when that happens
✮ Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Glendale ♥♥♥
✮ Waylon's Water World, Yuma
ARKANSAS
✮ Alma Aquatic Park, Alma
✮ Funtrackers Family Fun Park, Hot Springs
✮ Holiday Springs Water Park, Texarkana
✮ Magic Springs Water & Theme Park, Hot Springs ♥♥♥
✮ Parrot Island Waterpark, Fort Smith
CALIFORNIA
✮ Belmont Park, Mission Beach, San Diego
✮ California's Great America, Santa Clara ♥♥♥
✮ Castle Park, Riverside
✮ Children's Fairyland, Oakland ♥♥♥
✮ Disneyland California Adventure Park, Anaheim ♥♥♥
✮ Disneyland Park, Anaheim ♥♥♥
✮ DryTown Water Park, Palmdale
✮ Funderland Amusement Park, Sacramento
✮ Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, Gilroy
✮ Island Waterpark, Fresno
✮ Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park ♥♥♥
✮ Legoland California Resort, Carlsbad ♥♥♥
✮ Pacific Park, Santa Monica
✮ Raging Waters, San Dimas
✮ Raging Waters, San Jose
✮ Roseville Golfland Sunsplash, Roseville
✮ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz ♥♥♥
✮ SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego ♥♥♥
✮ Sesame Place, San Diego
✮ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Concord
✮ Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia ♥♥♥ - has the most rollercoasters of any park in the United States (20!)
✮ Universal Studios, Hollywood ♥♥♥
✮ WaterWorks Park, Redding
COLORADO
✮ Elitch Gardens Theme Park, Denver
✮ Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Glenwood Springs - you could probably call this a 'family fun center' instead of an 'amusement park'
✮ Lakeside Amusement Park, Denver
✮ North Pole-Santa's Workshop, Cascade ♥♥♥
✮ Water World, Federal Heights ♥♥♥
CONNECTICUT
✮ Lake Compounce & Crocodile Cove, Bristol ♥♥♥
✮ Quassy Amusement and Waterpark, Middlebury
DELAWARE
✮ Funland, Rehoboth Beach
✮ Jungle Jim's, Rehoboth Beach
✮ Midway Speedway Park & White Water Mountain Water Park, Rehoboth Beach
✮ Viking Amusements and Thunder Lagoon Waterpark, Fenwick Island
FLORIDA
✮ Adventure Island, Tampa ♥♥♥
✮ Aquatica, Orlando ♥♥♥
✮ Big Kahuna's Water & Adventure Park, Destin ♥♥♥
✮ Busch Gardens, Tampa ♥♥♥
✮ Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Beach
✮ Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista ♥♥♥
✮ Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, Orlando ♥♥♥
✮ Disney's Epcot, Lake Buena Vista ♥♥♥
✮ Disney's Hollywood Studios, Lake Buena Vista ♥♥♥
✮ Disney's Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista ♥♥♥
✮ Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Orlando ♥♥♥
✮ Fun Spot America, Kissimmee
✮ Fun Spot America, Orlando
✮ Give Kids the World Village, Kissimmee
✮ Legoland Florida, Winter Haven ♥♥♥ - about 90 minutes southwest of Orlando
✮ Old Town, Kissimmee
✮ Peppa Pig Theme Park, Winter Haven - about 90 minutes southwest of Orlando
✮ Rapids Waterpark, West Palm Beach ♥♥♥
✮ SeaWorld, Orlando ♥♥♥
✮ Shipwreck Island Water Park, Jacksonville
✮ Splash Harbour Water Park, Indian Rocks Beach
✮ Sun Splash Family Waterpark, Cape Coral
✮ Universal Studios Florida, Orlando ♥♥♥
✮ Universal's Epic Universe, Orlando - this theme park is expected to open in 2025
✮ Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando ♥♥♥
✮ Universal's Volcano Bay, Orlando ♥♥♥
GEORGIA
✮ Fun Spot America, Atlanta
✮ Lake Winnie Amusement Park, Rossville (near Chattanooga, TN)
✮ Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags White Water, Marietta ♥♥♥
✮ Splash in the Boro, Statesboro
✮ Summer Waves Water Park, Jekyll Island
✮ Wild Adventures Theme Park, Valdosta ♥♥♥
HAWAII
✮ Wet 'n' Wild Hawaii, Kapolei
IDAHO
✮ Olympic Swimming Complex, Lava Hot Springs
✮ Roaring Springs Waterpark, Meridian
✮ Silverwood Theme Park, Athol ♥♥♥
ILLINOIS
✮ Knight's Action Park, Springfield
✮ Magic Waters Waterpark, Cherry Valley
✮ Raging Rivers, Grafton
✮ Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park, East Dundee
✮ Six Flags Great America, Gurnee ♥♥♥
INDIANA
✮ Deep River Waterpark, Crown Point
✮ Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus ♥♥♥
✮ Indiana Beach Boardwalk Resort, Monticello
IOWA
✮ Adventureland, Altoona ♥♥♥
✮ Arnolds Park Amusement Park, Arnolds Park
✮ Huck's Harbor, Burlington
✮ Lost Island Waterpark, Waterloo ♥♥♥
KANSAS
✮ None
KENTUCKY
✮ Beech Bend Park & Splash Lagoon, Bowling Green
✮ Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay, Louisville ♥♥♥
✮ Kentucky Splash Water Park and Campground, Williamsburg
✮ SomerSplash, Somerset
✮ Venture River Family Water Park, Eddyville
LOUISIANA
✮ Blue Bayou Waterpark & Dixie Landin', Baton Rouge
✮ Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, New Orleans
✮ Splash Kingdom Waterpark, Shreveport
✮ Storyland, New Orleans
MAINE
✮ Aquaboggan Water Park, Saco
✮ Funtown Splashtown USA, Saco ♥♥♥ - the largest amusement park in Maine; includes both an amusement park and a sizable water park
✮ Palace Playground, Old Orchard Beach - the largest beach-front amusement park in New England; includes several small roller coasters
MARYLAND
✮ Adventure Park USA, Ijamsville
✮ Chesapeake Beach Water Park, Chesapeake Beach
✮ Jolly Roger Amusement Park, Ocean City
✮ Six Flags America, Bowie ♥♥♥ - closing at the end of the 2025 season
✮ Splash Mountain Water Park, Ocean City
✮ Sun Outdoors Frontier Town Water Park, Berlin
✮ Trimper Rides, Ocean City
MASSACHUSETTS
✮ Cape Cod Inflatable Park, West Yarmouth - one of the largest inflatable parks in the U.S.
✮ Davis Farmland, Sterling
✮ Edaville Family Theme Park, Carver
✮ Six Flags New England, Agawam ♥♥♥ - largest theme park in Massachusetts
✮ Water Wizz of Cape Cod, East Wareham - largest water park in southern New England
MICHIGAN
✮ Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, Boyne Falls
✮ Bavarian Inn and Lodge Water Park, Frankenmuth
✮ Cedar Valley's Wild Frontier Fun Park, Comins
✮ Great Wolf Lodge Water Park, Traverse City
✮ Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon ♥♥♥ - this is Michigan's largest theme park
✮ Wildwater Adventure, Muskegon
✮ Zehnder's Splash Village Hotel and Water Park, Frankenmuth
MINNESOTA
✮ Bunker Beach Water Park, Coon Rapids
✮ Cascade Bay Waterpark, Eagan
✮ Como Town Amusement Park, St. Paul
✮ Nickelodeon Universe, Mall of America, Bloomington ♥♥♥
✮ Valleyfair, Shakopee ♥♥♥
✮ Wild Mountain, Taylors Falls
MISSISSIPPI
✮ Buccaneer Bay Waterpark, Waveland
✮ Geyser Falls Water Theme Park, Choctaw
✮ Grand Paradise Water Park, Collins
✮ Gulf Islands Water Park, Gulfport
MISSOURI
✮ Big Surf Waterpark, Linn Creek
✮ Branson Coaster, Branson
✮ Runaway Mountain Coaster, Branson
✮ Silver Dollar City, Branson ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags & Hurricane Harbor St. Louis, Eureka ♥♥♥
✮ Splash Country Indoor & Outdoor Waterpark, Branson
✮ White Water, Branson
✮ Worlds of Fun Oceans of Fun, Kansas City
MONTANA
✮ Big Sky Water Park, Columbia Falls
✮ Splash Mountain, Missoula
NEBRASKA
✮ Fun Plex, Omaha
✮ Island Oasis Water Park, Grand Island
✮ Pawnee Plunge Water Park, Columbus
NEVADA
✮ Adventuredome, inside Circus Circus, Las Vegas
✮ Big Apple Coaster, outside New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
✮ Cowabunga Bay Water Park, Las Vegas ♥♥♥
✮ Wild Island Family Adventure Park
NEW HAMPSHIRE
✮ Canobie Lake Park, Salem ♥♥♥
✮ Santa's Village, Jefferson ♥♥♥
✮ Story Land, Jackson ♥♥♥
✮ Water Country, Portsmouth ♥♥♥
✮ Whale's Tale Waterpark, Lincoln
NEW JERSEY
✮ Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach Waterpark, Seaside Heights
✮ Diggerland, West Berlin
✮ Land of Make Believe & Pirate's Cove, Hope
✮ Morey's Piers & Beachfront Water Park, Wildwood ♥♥♥
✮ Mountain Creek Water Park, Vernon Township
✮ Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream, East Rutherford ♥♥♥
✮ Playlands' Castaway Cove, Ocean City
✮ Ocean Oasis Waterpark, Wildwood
✮ Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson ♥♥♥
✮ Splash Zone Waterpark, Wildwood
✮ Steel Pier Amusement Park, Atlantic City
✮ Storybook Land, Egg Harbor Township ♥♥♥
✮ Thundering Surf Waterpark, Beach Haven
✮ Totally Tubular Aqua Park, Ocean City
NEW MEXICO
✮ Cliff's Amusement Park, Albuquerque
NEW YORK
✮ Adventureland, Farmingdale (Long Island)
✮ Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, Brooklyn
✮ Enchanted Forest Water Safari, Old Forge ♥♥♥
✮ Huck Finn's Playland, Albany
✮ Legoland New York Resort, Goshen ♥♥♥
✮ Luna Park, Coney Island
✮ Magic Forest, Lake George
✮ Playland Park, Rye (Long Island)
✮ Roseland Waterpark, Canandaigua
✮ Santa's Workshop, Wilmington
✮ Seabreeze Amusement Park, Irondequoit ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags Darien Lake, Corfu ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags Great Escape, Queensbury ♥♥♥
✮ SplashDown Beach, Fishkill
✮ Splish Splash Water Park, Calverton (Long Island)
✮ Zoom Flume Water Park, East Durham
NORTH CAROLINA
✮ Carolina Harbor, Charlotte
✮ Carowinds, Charlotte ♥♥♥
✮ Frankie's of Raleigh, Raleigh
✮ H2OBX Waterpark, Powells Point
✮ Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park, Wilmington
✮ Santa's Land Fun Park & Zoo, Cherokee
✮ Tweetsie Railroad, Blowing Rock
✮ Water Boggan, Emerald Isle
✮ Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe, Greensboro ♥♥♥
NORTH DAKOTA
✮ Raging Rivers Waterpark, Mandan
OHIO
✮ Cedar Point, Sandusky ♥♥♥ - currently has 16 roller coasters!
✮ Cedar Point Shores, Sandusky ♥♥♥
✮ Coney Island Park, Cincinnati
✮ Kalahari Waterparks, Sandusky ♥♥♥
✮ Kings Island, Mason ♥♥♥ - currently has 15 roller coasters!
✮ Pioneer Waterland & Dry Fun Park, Chardon
✮ Soak City, Kings Mills
✮ Stricker's Grove, Hamilton
✮ Zoombezi Bay, Powell
OKLAHOMA
✮ Frontier City, Oklahoma City
✮ River Country Water Park, Muskogee
✮ Safari Joe's H2O, Tulsa
✮ Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Oklahoma City
✮ Water-Zoo Indoor Water Park, Clinton
OREGON
✮ Enchanted Forest Theme Park, Salem ♥♥♥
✮ Oaks Amusement Park, Portland
✮ Wings and Waves Waterpark, McMinnville
PENNSYLVANIA
✮ Camelbeach Mountain Outdoor Waterpark, Tannersville ♥♥♥
✮ Delgrosso’s Park & Laguna Splash Water Park, Tipton
✮ Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Allentown ♥♥♥
✮ Dutch Wonderland, Lancaster ♥♥♥
✮ Hersheypark, Hershey ♥♥♥
✮ Idlewild & SoakZone, Ligonier ♥♥♥
✮ Kalahari Resort, Pocono Manor
✮ Kennywood, West Mifflin ♥♥♥
✮ Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg ♥♥♥
✮ Lakemont Park, Altoona
✮ Sesame Place, Langhorne ♥♥♥
✮ Splash Lagoon, Erie ♥♥♥
✮ Waldameer Park, Erie ♥♥♥
RHODE ISLAND
✮ None
SOUTH CAROLINA
✮ Family Kingdom Amusement Park, Myrtle Beach ♥♥♥
✮ Myrtle Waves Water Park, Myrtle Beach
✮ Neptune Island Waterpark, Hartsville
✮ Whirlin' Waters Adventure Waterpark, North Charleston
✮ Wild Water & Wheels, Surfside Beach
SOUTH DAKOTA
✮ Rush Mountain Adventure Park, Keystone
✮ Rushmore Tramway Adventures, Keystone
✮ Storybook Island, Rapid City ♥♥♥
✮ Storybook Land, Aberdeen ♥♥♥
✮ Wild Water West, Sioux Falls
TENNESSEE
✮ Dollywood, Pigeon Forge ♥♥♥
✮ Dollywood's Splash Country, Pigeon Forge ♥♥♥
✮ Lake Winnie Amusement Park, Chattanooga
✮ Soaky Mountain Waterpark, Sevierville ♥♥♥
✮ Wild Bear Falls Water Park, Gatlinburg
✮ Wild Water Dome Indoor Waterpark, Sevierville
TEXAS
✮ Aquatica, San Antonio ♥♥♥
✮ Bahama Beach Waterpark, Dallas
✮ Big Rivers Waterpark & Adventures, New Caney
✮ Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark, Grand Prairie
✮ Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Galveston
✮ Hurricane Harbor, Arlington
✮ Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah
✮ Morgan's Wonderland, San Antonio - the "world’s first theme park designed with individuals with special needs in mind"
✮ Pirates Bay Water Park, Baytown
✮ Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Galveston ♥♥♥
✮ Schlitterbahn Waterpark, New Braunfels ♥♥♥
✮ SeaWorld, San Antonio ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio ♥♥♥
✮ Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown, Spring
✮ Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington ♥♥♥
✮ Splashway Water Park, Sheridan ♥♥♥
✮ Typhoon Texas Waterpark, Katy
✮ Typhoon Texas Waterpark, Pflugerville
✮ Wonderland Amusement Park, Amarillo
✮ ZDT's Amusement Park, Seguin
UTAH
✮ Cowabunga Bay Water Park, Drapeg ♥♥♥
✮ Evermore Park, Pleasant Grove
✮ Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington
✮ Splash Summit Waterpark
VERMONT
✮ Jay Peak Pump House, Jay
✮ Santa's Land USA, Putney
VIRGINIA
✮ Atlantic Fun Park, Virginia Beach
✮ Busch Gardens, Williamsburg ♥♥♥
✮ Great Waves Waterpark, Alexandria
✮ Great Wolf Lodge, Williamsburg
✮ Kings Dominion & Soak City, Doswell ♥♥♥
✮ Massanutten Indoor WaterPark, Massanutten
✮ Ocean Breeze Waterpark, Virginia Beach
✮ SplashDown Waterpark, Sudley
✮ Water Country USA, Williamsburg ♥♥♥
WASHINGTON
✮ Slidewaters, Chelan
✮ Surf 'n Slide Water Park, Moses Lake
✮ Wild Waves Theme & Water Park, Federal Way
WEST VIRGINIA
✮ Camden Park, Huntington
✮ Splash Zone, Clarksburg
WISCONSIN
✮ Bay Beach Amusement Park, Green Bay ♥♥♥ - outdoor amusement park
✮ Kalahari Indoor Waterpark, Wisconsin Dells ♥♥♥ - indoor and outdoor water park (it's mostly indoors)
✮ Little Amerricka, Marshall - outdoor amusement park
✮ Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park - outdoor amusement park and water park
✮ Noah's Ark Water Park, Wisconsin Dells ♥♥♥ - outdoor water park; likely the largest water park in the U.S.
✮ Quarry Beach Amusement Park, Sheboygan - outdoor inflatable aqua park
✮ Wilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells - indoor and outdoor water park; you must stay at the resort in order to use the water park
WYOMING
✮ None
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TOP AMUSEMENT PARKS IN THE U.S.
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Here is a list of the very best amusement parks in the United States. I consider all of these parks to be world-class amusement parks.
Western U.S.
✮ Disneyland Park (Anaheim, CA)
✮ Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA)
✮ SeaWorld San Diego (San Diego, CA)
✮ Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA)
✮ Universal Studios Hollywood (Universal City, CA)
Central U.S.
✮ Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (Santa Claus, IN)
✮ SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
✮ Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO)
✮ Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, TX)
Eastern U.S.
✮ Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay, FL)
✮ Busch Gardens (Williamsburg, VA)
✮ Carowinds (Charlotte, NC)
✮ Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH)
✮ Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN)
✮ Hersheypark (Hershey, PA)
✮ Kings Island (Mason, OH)
✮ Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg, PA)
✮ SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, FL)
✮ Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson Township, NJ)
✮ Universal Islands of Adventure (Orlando, FL) - includes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Hogsmeade
✮ Universal Studios Florida (Orlando, FL) - includes The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley
✮ Walt Disney World parks (Lake Buena Vista, FL) - includes four major theme parks plus other parks and attractions
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TOP WATER PARKS IN THE U.S.
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Here is a list of the very best water parks in the United States:
✮ Aquatica (Orlando, FL)
✮ Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park (Bay Lake, FL)
✮ Noah's Ark Waterpark (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
✮ Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort (New Braunfels, TX)
✮ Splashway Waterpark (Sheridan, TX)
✮ Water Country USA (Williamsburg, VA)
✮ Water World (Federal Heights, CO)
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TOP AMUSEMENT PARKS FOR ROLLERCOASTERS
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Here is a list of the very best amusement parks for rollercoasters in the United States:
✮ Carowinds (Charlotte, NC) - currently has 14 rollercoasters
✮ Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH) - currently has 16 rollercoasters
✮ Hersheypark (Hershey, PA) - currently has 14 rollercoasters
✮ Kings Island (Mason, OH) - currently has 15 rollercoasters
✮ Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL) - currently has 16 rollercoasters
✮ Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ) - currently has 14 rollercoasters
✮ Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA) - currently has 20 rollercoasters
✮ Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX) - currently has 14 rollercoasters
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TOP U.S. STATES FOR AMUSEMENT PARKS
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When it comes to amusement parks, these U.S. states rule them all:
✮ California
✮ Florida
✮ Pennsylvania
✮ Texas
✮ Virginia
If I had to choose one state, I would say Florida is the king of amusement parks. You could easily spend 2 weeks exploring the various world-class amusement parks there. In fact, we all seem to know someone who spends a week or more there every year!
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