Since the establishment of Lake Compounce, the United States has built some of the most iconic and renowned amusement parks in the world. But which ones stand out as the very best? The team at Florida Rentals has crunched the numbers and evaluated factors such as ticket prices, number of attractions, park size, and average review scores to determine the best amusement parks in America.
It probably won’t come as a surprise that 8 of the top 20 amusement parks belong solely to one state: Florida. The other twelve top theme parks can be found scattered around the country in states such as California, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. With world class theme parks such as Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando, the Sunshine State is definitively the best state to visit to find the best theme parks in America.
For the self-professed daredevils and thrill-seekers, roller coasters are a fun and safe way to capture that rush and excitement. As mentioned previously, Cedar Point’s roller coasters, Steel Vengeance and Millennium Force, are widely considered some of the very best America has to offer, with Steel Vengeance commonly referred to as the best roller coaster in the world. The Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Florida, ranked number 12 on our list, is yet another world-class roller coaster. Other honorable mentions belonging to parks on our list are Six Flags Great Adventure’s El Toro, Kings Island’s Mystic Timbers, and Universal Islands of Adventure’s Jurassic World VelociCoaster.
1. Cedar Point - Located in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Point was chosen as the number one theme park in the United States, with a final score of 61.08. Cedar Point even won the Guinness World Record for the most rides in an amusement park in the world, with 72 different mechanical rides at the time it was awarded in 2014. The Ohio amusement park was created in 1870, making it North America's second-oldest amusement park. Some of Cedar Point’s most notable rides include Steel Vengeance, Maverick, Gatekeeper, Millennium Force, and Raptor.
2. Six Flags Great Adventure - In second place is Jackson, New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure. With a total of 58 rides and 2.5 million visitors a year, it has a final score of 60.49. The park opened in 1974 and grew rapidly in popularity. In 2024, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation merged with another amusement park company, Cedar Fair, making Six Flags the largest park operator in the United States. Kingda Ka, El Toro, Nitro, Jersey Devil, and Medusa are some of Six Flags Great Adventure’s most iconic attractions.
3. Six Flags Great America - Gurnee, Illinois theme park Six Flags Great America is rated as the third-best amusement park in the United States, scoring 57.94. With 46 attractions spread over 304 acres, the park received a total of 3 million visitors in 2023. If you are able to go to Six Flags Great America, consider rides such as Goliath, Raging Bull, X Flight, Maxx Force, and American Eagle.
4. Kings Island - In fourth place, with a score of 57.78, is Kings Island. Kings Island is located in Mason, Ohio, and opened in 1972. Kings Island, along with Cedar Point in first place, belonged to the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company until being acquired by Six Flags in 2024. The Beast, Diamondback, Orion, Mystic Timbers, and Banshee are a must-try if you can visit Kings Island.
5. Disney’s Animal Kingdom - A likely familiar name coming in fifth with a score of 56.50 is Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, Florida. With an attendance of 8.77 million people in 2023, it is the most visited amusement park out of the top five. It is one of four parks that make up the entirety of Florida’s Disney World: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If you go to Animal Kingdom, rides like Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, Avatar Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, and Kilimanjaro Safaris are highly recommended.
Another unique perk of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is that it is neighbors with a multitude of other top amusement parks in Florida such as Busch Gardens, Universal Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld Orlando, and Universal Studios Florida.
However, Florida’s highly acclaimed amusement parks are just one of the reasons millions of tourists flock to the state every year. The state is renowned for their family friendly vacations, lively cities, warmer temperatures, and lovely beaches. Whether it is to lay out in front of your beach house, experience the finer luxuries, spend the day riding attractions at the best theme parks in the U.S., or simply relaxing while you escape the winter in your home state, you will surely find something there for you.
The best amusement park in the U.S. was determined by analyzing the 20 amusement parks with the highest attendance in 2023. Each of the 20 popular amusement parks was scored on six factors: its size, ticket prices, the number of roller coasters and attractions, and how many themed lands it has to entertain guests. Thousands of amusement park guests’ opinions were also considered by scoring the parks on their average rating of reviews across Google, Trip Adviser, and Yelp. The opinion of park guests is the most important factor in determining which amusement park is the best, so the final factor’s score was weighted heavier than the rest to reflect this.
| Amusement Park | Location | 2023 Attendance (in millions) | Park Size (in acres) | Total Number of Attractions | Number of Roller Coasters in Operation | Number of Themed Lands/Areas | Adult One-Day Ticket Price Listed on Website (before any offers) | Average Rating of Google Reviews (out of 5) | Average Rating of TripAdvisor Reviews (out of 5) | Average Rating of Yelp Reviews (out of 5) | Final Score (out of 70 points) | |
| 1 | Cedar Point | Sandusky, OH | 4.05 | 364 | 71 | 18 | 7 | $99 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 61.08 |
| 2 | Six Flags Great Adventure | Jackson, NJ | 2.5 | 510 | 58 | 14 | 13 | $100 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 60.49 |
| 3 | Six Flags Great America | Gurnee, IL | 3 | 304 | 46 | 15 | 12 | $90 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 57.94 |
| 4 | Kings Island | Mason, OH | 3.49 | 364 | 49 | 15 | 9 | $99 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 57.78 |
| 5 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | Bay Lake, FL | 8.77 | 580 | 46 | 1 | 7 | $109-164 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 56.50 |
| 6 | Hersheypark | Hershey, PA | 3.32 | 121 | 75 | 14 | 7 | $87 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 55.09 |
| 7 | Six Flags Magic Mountain | Valencia, CA | 3.4 | 209 | 35 | 20 | 11 | $120 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 52.60 |
| 8 | Disneyland | Anaheim, CA | 17.25 | 100 | 52 | 4 | 9 | $104-206 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 50.22 |
| 9 | Disney’s Magic Kingdom | Lake Buena Vista, FL | 17.72 | 107 | 45 | 5 | 6 | $129-189 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 47.82 |
| 10 | Disney California Adventure | Anaheim, CA | 10 | 72 | 34 | 2 | 9 | $104-206 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 46.74 |
| 11 | Knott’s Berry Farm | Buena Park, CA | 4.23 | 57 | 43 | 10 | 4 | $100 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 46.48 |
| 12 | Busch Gardens Tampa Bay | Tampa, FL | 4 | 335 | 29 | 10 | 4 | $140 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 45.78 |
| 13 | Epcot | Bay Lake, FL | 11.98 | 305 | 31 | 1 | 4 | $119-179 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 44.76 |
| 14 | Universal Islands of Adventure | Orlando, FL | 10 | 110 | 18 | 5 | 7 | $119-179 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 43.90 |
| 15 | SeaWorld Orlando | Orlando, FL | 4.34 | 200 | 17 | 8 | 3 | $65-115 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 43.45 |
| 16 | Universal Studios Hollywood | Universal City, CA | 9.66 | 415 | 10 | 2 | 3 | $109-154 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 41.99 |
| 17 | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk | Santa Cruz, CA | 3.99 | 24 | 35 | 3 | 1 | $40 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 40.91 |
| 18 | Universal Studios Florida | Orlando, FL | 9.75 | 108 | 15 | 4 | 10 | $119-179 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 40.86 |
| 19 | Disney's Hollywood Studios | Bay Lake, FL | 10.3 | 135 | 18 | 2 | 7 | $129-184 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 40.33 |
| 20 | SeaWorld San Diego | San Diego, CA | 3.99 | 189 | 16 | 5 | 0 | $123 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 38.76 |
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