I can’t break apart WDW, DLR, or Universal because I haven’t spent a full day in all the parks, not to mention a vacation is not complete without me visiting all the parks. Also of note, I’m ranking them based on their summer offerings as that is “the main season” so that greatly helps Sea World Orlando and BGW who have great special summer offerings and hurts places like Dollywood and Silver Dollar City who have phenomenal spring and Christmas festivals and sub par summer offerings. My list is:
Honorable Mentions (in no order): These Parks I would place in the same category as 10-7: Sea World San Antonio and San Diego, Busch Gardens Tampa, Universal Hollywood, Six Flags over Texas, over Georgia, and Fiesta Texas, Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Kennywood, Canobie Lake (this is due to nostalgia though)
10-Hersheypark-The place smells like chocolate, and has a great coaster and flat collection. Weakness are a lack of shows and food quality.
9-Knotts Berry Farm-Halloween is amazing, as is Ghost Town, the Mine Train and Log Ride. The coasters are fun, and the park also has some nice flats. Size limits this park more than anything else.
8-Holiday World & Splashin Safari-I wish it was easier to get here, this park has an a top 5 water park included with admission, an excellent but admittedly small coaster collection, some fun flats and a great dark ride. Free soda and decent food as well. The weakness lies in it being fairly small especially if it’s too cool to swim and a lack of shows.
7-Kings Island-My favorite wooden coaster anchors a really great coaster collection, it’s a very beautiful park, has a nice flat collection and does some good shows. There is no real weak part of this park, but there is no standout like the parks below
The best regional parks-If you can’t afford a trip to the big three, these 3 I feel are clearly better then the rest
6-Sea World Orlando-Blackfish be dammed, this park has great shows, food, and the best coaster collection in Orlando. This park is at its best when it has night shows during Electric Ocean or Christmas festivals.
5-Cedar Point-The roller coaster capital of the world is also my favorite amusement park, unlike a certain park in northern LA in addition to a vast coaster collection, this park has a great flat ride collection, and good shows. It’s also beautifully situated on Lake Erie. While the food situation is improving its still not as good as the parks that follow it and it lacks a dark ride.
4-Busch Gardens Williamsburg-Truly the best regional theme park in the country, fantastic landscaping, excellent shows and theming, and a great coaster collection. The only weaknesses being a low flat ride count and the recent closure of Dakastle.
Cream of the crop-These are the parks that all other parks aspire to
3-Universal Orlando-The last 10 years have been very good to this resort and it’s now at a point where I can spend a full week there, I feel that it now can be mentioned in the same category as Disney parks.
2. DLR-While DL is my favorite Disney park, DLR suffers from only having one other park, not as good a bubble and weaker table service options
Beyond Compare
1-WDW-Nothing can compare, I feel disconnected from the outside world here, it is the pinicle of theme parks in my opinion.
..it helps it is 30ish minutes from my house and we have had season & meal passes for a decade. Sometimes we just go there for the "free" restaurants.
