Local Places Discussions

we have gone to maney amusement parks.

       kennywood {pittsburgh pa}   cedar point (ohio}  bush gardens(fla) 6 flags ohio but the best park for us was hershey park (in harrisburgh) we liked it so much we are going there again this summer.... i really recommend it

Cedar Point all the way - best rides and tons of them.  Not to mention, just a hop skip and a jump from me :)  Finally, they have lots of discounts, usually each summer u can find great coupons on pop cans :)

My favorite is Disney World.  I have been there 3 times and went back there last July and still enjoy it very much.

I haven't ever been to Cedar Point but I'll have to remember that if I'm ever up your way!

I'm glad Disney World added the Fast Passes so that you don't have to stand in such long lines.

I'm glad to hear that Hershey Park is still around--that was one of my favorite childhood memories!

All we did for 6 summers is go to Amusement Parks. My kids loved them. I held my breath the entire time because I'll just do Dumbo and Epcot. But there is also above what is listed Sesame Street in PA, Darien Lake in NY, the First Flag chain which wasn't around back then. There is a great boardwalk/amusement park - Santa Cruz, CA. I'm not sure there are any we've missed on the east coast except in Cape May. For some reason we never went to that one in NJ.

Oh and discounts - go after 5:00p.m.

Yea--I have seen some pretty deep discounts for Amusement Parks too (such as going later in the day as Jo mentioned):

• I think you can get into Disney World for free on your birthday
• Some of these sales pitches for time shares will offer a free admission to an amusement park
• Some offer a discount if you get a two-day pass (I think Sea World did that)
• If you have a friend with a season pass, you might be able to get in for a discounted rate on certain dates if you accompany that person (I know Carowinds does this)
• Some products (like fast food restaurants or soft drinks, etc.) will offer discounts for certain dates--you might be able to check the amusement park's website to see if they have any special offers
• Some offer discounted season passes later in the season

Do you guys know of others????

Holiday World, in Southern Indiana. This park is great for family's. Parking is easy, they offer shuttle rides to park. Also, they have available at the front entrance sooters and wheel chairs for the handicap and those in need, and wagons for the children. This park may not be as big as some of the others butm, they have some great coasters that are very scary!

The really great thing is they offer free drinks and  free sunscreen. That's right free! Two things that are very important if your going to be out in the sun and heat all day.. You can get refreshed and lathered with sunscreen as often as you want anytime!

Holiday World also offers a really awsome water park, that your sure to have fun in!

This park is a very clean well kept, friendly park. Our family has returned every year for six years now and we have asked others to join us for a very fun exciting day!

We have returned to this park every year for six years now.

So far, DisneyWorld and Universal Studios in Orlando, FL have trumped all. I went 12 years ago, so I can't even imagine what kinds of crazy/awesome attractions they have now.

As for local amusement parks, my area (Twin Cities) has Valleyfair and Nickelodeon Universe (formerly known as Camp Snoopy, then The Park at MOA).

I like Ghost Town in the Sky. It's a small park and is good for a half day trip. The shows are fun. It's probably best for little kids though.

I live in Pa. and a good one here is Knoebel's.(Elysburg) It is free to park and free to get in. You can buy a handstamp or tickets depending on how much you want to spend. If you go after 6 on a Wednesday or Friday you can get a very dicounted handstamp and the kids can ride until usually 10. It is the only park my family goes to as we can not afford any other. i have 3 kids aged 17, 11 and 6 and they can ride on the discount nights for under $25. I take a packed picnic lunch and  our own sodas. A cheap fun time. We went 4 times this year.

Thank you to everyone sharing your favorites. You are giving me good ideas on what park to visit next!

Knoebel's Grove is a lot of fun, love the free admission. 

I'm not too big on amusement parks, but I like Six Flags in Jackson, NJ because there's a drive-thru Safari with it. And there's always the zoo at Hershey Park, PA.

Thanks so much for posting lots of helpful information. I'll have to check back into this discussion before making plans for another amusement park.

I had never heard of an amusement park offering free admission, drinks, or sunscreen. That would be a great idea for other amusement parks to offer, especially with the economy woes of today.

I live in Kansas City and we have two major ones, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, they're great but once you go every year a couple times for 24 years, they kind of get old even though they add a new ride or two every year!

They are still in the process of building a new water park (Schlitterbahn) in Kansas City, KS and it seems to be pretty neat. I can't wait until the whole park is open next year!

Im from Central Cali and have been to several of our amusement parks but my favorite of all time would have to be Disneyland.  I cant count the number of times Ive been since I was a child and I still love it every time we get a chance to go.  Some money saving tips that we've learned over the years is that we stay at a lower priced motel in walking distance so we dont have to pay for parking.... which last time we were there was $12 a day.  The motel is not by any means lux but honestly its just a place to sleep and shower anyway cuz we are all about the parks when we are there.  Also, eating in the park is expensive and the food is not the best unless you eat at Blue Bayou or one of the better resturants.  So its less expensive to eat a big breakfast outside the park then leave mid afternoon and eat a big meal to cover both lunch and dinner.  Snacks can be brought inside the park in back packs that can be left in the lockers too. 

Knobeles in Elysburg, Pa, Always free parking and no admission cost just pay for the rides eithier w tickets per ride or an all day hand stamp. I always loved this place as a kid and now love taking my kids. They also have deals through out the week :)

I can't wait to take my children to Disneyland. I went to Disneyland 4 times when I was little and DisneyWorld twice. I don't remember much except throwing up on the teacups... lol and the churros we ate.. Those were the best!!

There is a fun family amusement park called Lake Winnie its in the hills in north west in a town called Ft. Oglethorpe its family owned and opperated an its fun for all ages check it out

Kings Island in Ohio is a great park, The Son Of Beast is a great ride!

For us it's Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. You can spend all day cooling off in the water park then enjoy the rides when it's not so hot. There are rides for all ages and it's a lot of fun, the shows are good and it's not nearly as expensive as DisneyWorld. 

You guys are posting such a nice mix of ideas. I'll just have to go on a cross-country trip some time and try out all of these cool places! The money-saving tips are great too. If you guys have time-saving tips, that's helpful too. We went to Disney World a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the Fast Pass option so that we didn't have to stand in all the long lines. It didn't cost anything and it helped us to enjoy much more of the park.