Top / Best Amusement Park (s)

I'd say probably Kings Island, Six Flags Great Adventure & Six Flags Great America are a tie for me. They have high quality top notch rides, and friendly staff. I absolutely LOVED X-Flight at SFGam., and I love Nitro at SFGadv.

My favorite theme park is Busch Gardens Tampa and my favorite amusement park is Cedar Point. Two very different places, but both succeed at what they do.

I would say that SFOT is my favorite combination of the two...but I can't, because the operations, staff, and clientele there were just far too awful for me to actually enjoy it. Awful. Awful awful.

I've got 5, in no specific order.

Kings Island: I've been going to this park every year since I was 7, so I have many memories. It's a beautiful park with a solid collection of rides, and I have enjoyed seeing it grow throughout the years. I've been REALLY excited to see what the future holds ever since Mr. Ouimet took over Cedar Fair!

Walt Disney World: No one does it like Disney. Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom are all top-notch parks with that rare sense of a true escape from reality.

Holiday World: This is basically my "local" park. I've been visiting every year since 2006, and I'm always guaranteed a good time. Raven, Legend, and Voyage are all fun woodies to ride over and over again, and all of this fun is just 3 hours from my house!

Six Flags Over Georgia: This was my very first park, and in a similar way to Kings Island, I've grown very close to it over the years (hence my user name).

Cedar Point: This is arguably the best ride park in the world in terms of variety: lots of coasters, lots of flats, and lots of fun!

My list has changed a little.

10.) Bobbejaanland (So Unique)

9.) Knotts Berry Farm/Worlds of Fun (Had good days there)

8.) Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

7.) Heide Park

6.) Alton Towers

5.) Six Flags Magic Mountain

4.) Busch Gardens VA

3.) Disneyland Resort

2.) Europa Park

1.) WDW

-- James

My current Top 5:

Hersheypark

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Cedar Point

Six Flags Over Georgia

Kennywood

This is a tough one... I mean, #1 isn't tough at all. That's obvious. But the other 4 are pretty tough.

5) I'm really torn here between Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Dollywood and Six Flags Great Adventure...

I guess if it's Spring then Great Adventure (Festival of Nations at Dollywood sucks and BGW looks much nicer when there are leaves on the trees)

If it's Summer then Williamsburg because summer at Dollywood is hot as balls and summer at Great Adventure is the 7th layer of hell.

If it's Christmas then Dollywood (unless it's below 40 degrees, then Great Adventure... lol).

4) Universal Orlando Resort (I'm treating this as one park because we treat it as one. We always get a 2 park ticket and visit both in the same day)

3) Busch Gardens Tampa

2) Cedar Point

And of course, coming in at #1...

Theme Park:

Tokyo Disney Sea

Disneyland

DCA

Silver Dollar City

Universal Studios Japan

EPCOT

Tokyo Disneyland

Magic Kingdom

Shanghai Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland

Amusement Parks:

Busch Gardens Tampa

Cedar Point

Fuji-Q Highland

Knott's Berry Farm

Kings Island

Holiday World

Nagashima Spaland

Space World

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom

Six Flags Fiesta Texas

I've got 5, in no specific order.

 

Kings Island: I've been going to this park every year since I was 7, so I have many memories. It's a beautiful park with a solid collection of rides, and I have enjoyed seeing it grow throughout the years. I've been REALLY excited to see what the future holds ever since Mr. Ouimet took over Cedar Fair!

 

Walt Disney World: No one does it like Disney. Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom are all top-notch parks with that rare sense of a true escape from reality.

 

Holiday World: This is basically my "local" park. I've been visiting every year since 2006, and I'm always guaranteed a good time. Raven, Legend, and Voyage are all fun woodies to ride over and over again, and all of this fun is just 3 hours from my house!

 

Six Flags Over Georgia: This was my very first park, and in a similar way to Kings Island, I've grown very close to it over the years (hence my user name).

 

Cedar Point: This is arguably the best ride park in the world in terms of variety: lots of coasters, lots of flats, and lots of fun!

I pretty much completely agree with this, except I would also want to add Knoebels.

That still leaves Dollywood and Silver Dollar City which for me could take the place of any of the others you mentioned.

Kennywood and Lake Winnie are two other parks that I think are amazing for what they are, and part of me wants to include them, but they really can't compare across the board with the ones you mentioned. I just love classic parks and charm.

Clearly I just need to stick to a top 10, because 5 is too hard..

Hmmm

1.) Busch Gardens Williamsburg! By far one of the most beautiful parks I have ever had the joy of visiting. They have a great mixture of attractions, the theming is amazing, and don't get me started on how friendly the staff is. I'm very thankful that I now get the pleasure of visiting the park at least once every season!!

2.) Silver Dollar City. Next to BGW, SDC is the second most beautiful park I've ever had the pleasure of stepping through the front gates. The theming is amazing, and the park really does seem to transport you back in time. There is a great collection of rides, and coasters, and again the staff is amazing. . . And the views from Wildfire alone are amazing.

3.) Dollywood?? We have yet to make it out to Dollywood. But thankfully we are going to make it out there in 2017 for my birthday!! I have no doubt in my mind that it will take 3rd place for my favorite park! (Maybe it will even jump to number 1. . . But that will be really hard to do.)

4.) Cedar Point. I do love Cedar Point, and all the great attractions they have to offer. . . But it just can't hold a candle to the feeling you get at BGW or SDC.

I will list my top 5.

1.My favorite of course is Cedar Point! Such an awesome place and a playground for thrill seekers! I would one day love to go to Magic Mountain and Great Adventure as they are known for a lot of thrills as well.

2.Even though I havent been to this park since 2004 Id have to go with Kings Island as my second. They had so many varieties for coasters. I would also like to go back here one day and try out Diamondback and Banshee! They both look really awesome.

3.Six Flags Great America which is my park it may not have the best of the best but it has a Hyper,a RMC,B&M Invert,Flying coaster,drop tower so I cant complain. It's also the park I been at the most.

4.Busch Gardens Tampa has some awesome rides like Falcons Fury Kumba and Sheikra. Sadly Montu was closed down when i went but it really did look like a top notch invert! Also it has animals! Its like an amusement park and big zoo combined so best of both worlds.

5.Universal Studios Orlando/Islands of Adventure 2 in 1 part that has some fun thrill rides and a lot of other unique rides.

Currently these are my top 5:

1. Disneyland

2. Silver Dollar City

3. Holiday World

4. Knott's Berry Farm

5. Cedar Point

I believe this list will see some disruption this year--I'm going to Dollywood and Knoebels!

Time to adjust my list a little, given that Dollywood didn't rank as high as I thought it would.

1.) Busch Gardens Williamsburg! Still number one!! By far one of the most beautiful parks I have ever had the joy of visiting. They have a great mixture of attractions, the theming is amazing, and don't get me started on how friendly the staff is. I'm very thankful that I now get the pleasure of visiting the park at least once every season!!

2.) Silver Dollar City. Next to BGW, SDC is the second most beautiful park I've ever had the pleasure of stepping through the front gates. The theming is amazing, and the park really does seem to transport you back in time. There is a great collection of rides, and coasters, and again the staff is amazing. . . And the views from Wildfire alone are amazing.

3.) Cedar Point. I do love Cedar Point, and all the great attractions they have to offer. . . But it just can't hold a candle to the feeling you get at BGW or SDC.

4.) Universal Orlando. As much as I love Disney, Universal edges them out a little. Great theming, great shows, and great attractions!

Yep, definitely some disruption.

1. Disneyland

2. Dollywood

3. Silver Dollar City

4. Knoebels

5. Holiday World

My top 10:

1. Phantasialand

2. Europa Park

3. Dollywood

4. Knoebels

5. Hersheypark

6. Disneyland

7. Busch Gardens Williamsburg

8. Busch Gardens Tampa

9. Carowinds

10. Six Flags Over Texas

Honorable mentions go to Cedar Point, Epcot, and KIngs Island. I judge my parks mostly based on how well they balance park experience with thrill rides.

My top 7

1. Cedar Point

2. Phantasialand

3. Knoebels

4. Magic Mountain

5. Kings Dominion

6. Kings Island

7. Europa

Top 5

Hershey

Busch Williamsburg

Cedar Point

Six Flags Over Georgia

Kennywood

1. Knoebels

2. Busch Gardens Tampa

3. Six Flags Great Adventure

4. Busch Gardens Europe

5. Cedar Point

6. Kings Dominion

7. Kennywood

8. Dorney Park

9. Michigan's Adventure

10. Darien Lake

1. Knoebels!!!

2. Cedar Point

3. Kennywood

4. Busch Gardens Williamsburg

5. Dollywood

6. Hersheypark

7. Kings Island

8. Kings Dominion

9. Canobie Lake Park

10. Morey's Piers

My current list would be:

1) Cedar Point

2) Busch Gardens Tampa

3) Hersheypark

4) Kings Dominion

5) Kennywood

6) Knoebels - this would be higher but I just haven't been able to spend as much time there as I would like.

7) Busch Gardens Williamsburg

8) SFOG

9) Carowinds

10) Dollywood

01. Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland

02. Knoebels

03. Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Florida*, and Islands of Adventure*

04. Busch Gardens Tampa

05. Cedar Point

06. Dollywood

07. Silver Dollar City

08. Hersheypark

09. Mitsui Greenland

10. ???

*Based on a 2012 visit, not my current opinions of the parks.

1. Cedar Point

2. Phantasialand

3. Europa Park

4. Silver Dollar City

5. Busch Gardens Tampa

6. Hersheypark

7. Knoebels

8. Holiday World

9. Kings Dominion

10. Busch Gardens Williamsburg

1. Europa-Park

2. Phantasialand

3. Disneyland Paris

4. Efteling

5. PortAventura Park

6. Liseberg

7. Tivoli Gardens

8. Toverland

9. Nigloland

10. Parc Astérix

Disney ~ Sea

Disney ~ Tokyo

Disney ~ Land

Disney ~ World (4)

Disney ~ Calif.Adventure

Disney ~ Paris (2)

Disney ~ Hong Kong

My Top 11.

So, what's to discuss?

~ My Non-Disney List ~

Europa

Grona Lund

Anywhere Olympic Looping Coaster Is

Efteling

Cedar Point

Tivoli, Denmark

Phantasialand

Mirabilandia

Walibi Holland

Alton Towers

Honourable Mentions: Blackpool Pleasure Beach; Liseberg; Tusenfryd.