The best amusement parks in the U.S. you need to visit for thrill-seeking fun

The ultimate day of thrills awaits at Universal Islands of Adventure. This is where you'll find Universal's most exciting roller coasters, like the Incredible Hulk Coaster, Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure, and the thrilling Jurassic World Velocicoaster. When it's time to grab a bite to eat, be sure to head to the Three Broomsticks, located in the Hogwarts-themed section of the park. Here, you can get authentic British fare served in a casual setting that looks like it's jumped out of the pages of the Harry Potter books.

Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World is one of the most visited parks in the world. This is the place where you'll find some of the most iconic Disney attractions, including Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Of course, no visit to the park is complete without a tasty frozen pineapple Dole Whip treat. The park is set to open its newest attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on June 28. The ride features characters from Disney’s animated movie The Princess and the Frog and is a fun new addition to the park for families. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure replaced Splash Mountain but still features the thrilling drop from the former attraction.

Disneyland is easily the most recognizable of the theme parks in the United States with its cute pink castle at the end of charming Main Street USA. There's no denying this is the place to be in Anaheim. The park is home to California's version of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, which boasts the same attractions as its sister site in Orlando. Disney fans who want to step into a bit of history will want to book a tour to see Walt Disney's apartment, which sits over the fire department on Main Street USA. The night here ends with a bang as Fantasmic! brings Mickey Mouse face-to-face with some of the most daunting villains in Disney lore.

Chocolate lovers, Hersheypark is a playground made just for you. The exciting theme park has plenty of attractions themed after candy, including the park’s longest coaster, Candymonium, which reaches speeds of 76 miles per hour. One place to be sure to visit is Chocolatetown Treats, which makes delectable hand-formed pretzels served with various dipping sauces. When the day is done but you're still craving chocolate, The Chocolatier has you covered with over-the-top desserts and plenty of chocolate-laced cocktails!

A wild day awaits at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. The family-friendly park is great if you're traveling with kids who love getting up close to animals. Don't miss out on the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction, which takes you on a ride through a very realistic African savanna to see animals like giraffes and rhinos. For more thrills get in line for Expedition Everest, which is a roller coaster themed to Mount Everest, where you may even encounter the elusive yeti.

Disney California Adventure is the second gate at the Disneyland Resort, where you'll find the Avengers Campus. Here, you can dine like a superhero inside an Ant-Man-themed restaurant or sling webs with Spider-Man on the Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure attraction. A casual stroll around Pixar Pier will bring you to some of the most iconic attractions at the park, like the Incredicoaster and the Pixar Pal-A-Round. For a delicious bite to eat, stop at the Cozy Cone to get a bread cone filled with gooey macaroni and cheese as you explore Carsland.

The park features a West Coast version of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where you can ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. One thing that we absolutely love about this park is the studio tour, which takes you behind the scenes at a real working lot to see how movies and shows are made. The newest area at the theme park is Super Nintendo World, which looks like it was plucked right out of the Mario Brothers video game, complete with interactive games, a Mario Kart-themed ride and the chance to meet Mario and Luigi face-to-face.

Who wouldn't want to visit a theme park that's entirely the brainchild of America's icon, Dolly Parton? Dollywood celebrates life in the Great Smoky Mountains with more than 40 different attractions and an onsite water park. Those who want the full Dolly experience can even stay at one of the three accommodations, two resort hotels or rustic cabins. One thing not to miss at Dollywood is the delicious cinnamon bread. We promise that you'll smell it wherever you are in the park, and it will draw you in with its sweet smell.

Knott's Berry Farm is one of the more unique California theme parks, entirely themed after the humble boysenberry. The theme park has four themed areas, including one very authentic 1800s ghost town. Kids will enjoy Camp Snoopy, the first-ever theme park area made just for kids. Throughout the year, Knott's hosts a variety of seasonal activities like spooky haunted Halloween events, festive Christmas parties, and the popular Boysenberry Festival, which draws in thousands of guests a day. If you want to stay close by, check in at the Knott’s Hotel, which recently got a multi-million dollar renovation, including redesigned guest rooms and new food concepts.

Star Wars fans will want to make their way to Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World for an epic adventure inside Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. The theme park land is a favorite among guests who can't get enough of piloting the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run or trying to escape the clutches of Kylo Ren on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Other big attractions in the park include the adorable family ride, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, and the kids-sized coaster, Slinky Dog Dash.

This is the park where adults are often seen trying to catch a brief breather and kids are begging to go another round on the Frozen-themed attraction. EPCOT recently completed a multi-year transformation to bring more life to the front of the park and more Disney stories into the overall feel. Guests can now enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in World Discovery; Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in World Showcase; Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana in World Nature; and a new nighttime show, Luminous in World Showcase.

Adults and older kids will have a great time at Universal Studios Florida, where attractions are fast, thrilling, and perfectly themed to iconic movies. One of our personal favorites is The Mummy, a high-speed coaster themed to the movie of the same name. Even if you don't have kids, you're still going to want to ride the adorable E.T.-themed attraction, where you must get the adorable alien back to his home planet. And, of course, no trip to Universal Studios Florida is complete without a journey into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley to save Harry and his friends from Gringotts Bank. And if you do happen to be traveling with younger kids, step into the all-new DreamWorks Land, where the stories of Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda come to life.

For more than 45 years, Carowinds has been offering guests the best of the Carolinas through an amusement park. The park is home to nearly 60 rides, a water park, and seasonal events. Kids will love Camp Snoopy, where rides are themed to the lovable Peanuts and created with kids in mind. Thrill-seeking adults will find that there’s plenty for them as well, with dozens of high-speed rides like roller coasters and giant swings.

Families looking for a more reasonably priced amusement park will want to head to LEGOLAND Florida Resort, where a kid ticket starts at $29 for visits now through August. The resort boasts three different hotels, an amusement park, a water park, and the toddler-focused Peppa Pig Theme Park. After getting your fill of rides, stop by and see the water stunt show at the lake that backs up to the amusement park.

Deep in the Ozark Mountains is Silver Dollar City, an amusement park themed after an 1880s mining town. The park has 40 live shows daily, 10 yearly festivals, 18 restaurants, 40 rides, and demonstrations from 100 craftsmen. The newest attraction is the family coaster Fire In The Hole, the largest indoor family rollercoaster in the region. The park also features the White Water Water Park, which has a wave pool and lazy river among its 10 attractions.

For more than 150 years, Cedar Point has been welcoming guests to its amusement park. With more than 70 rides that range from family-friendly fun to high-speed thrills, there’s something for everyone here. The amusement park has a whopping 18 rollercoasters, many of which can be seen from the nearby highway to amp up your excitement level for the day. When it’s time to take a break, consider sitting back and enjoying a ride on a real coal locomotive and watching reenactments of life on the American frontier.

Holiday World is a fun amusement park loosely based on favorite holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day. While at the park, guests won’t have to pay for parking, sodas, or sunscreen, which are all included in the price of admission. Holiday World is home to an all-new Thanksgiving-themed coaster called Good Gravy, where riders sit in a gravy boat-themed ride car to help save Thanksgiving dinner. Over at Splashin’ Safari Water Park has the world’s longest water coaster. Mammoth Water Coaster, which is about a third of a mile long. Both of these rides are worth the cost of admission alone, then add in the adorable kid's rides and you’re set for a fun day.

This year, Knoebel’s Amusement Resort is set to open for its 98th. One unique thing about this amusement park is that admission and parking are free, but the park still uses old-school ticket books just like what used to be used at Disneyland Park when it opened in 1955. The ticket books allow you to use a ticket to gain entry to rides and are based on a set price per ride. For instance, the bumper cars cost $3.50, while the carousel is $3. Alternatively, starting in the 2024 season, you can purchase an all-day pass where you can buy a ticket to ride all of the rides for a set price. The passes must be purchased at least one day before your visit to the parks. This park has a nice combination of family-friendly rides and thrill rides so everyone can pick and choose what they want to do.

SeaWorld Orlando is the spot for thrilling coasters in the City Beautiful. The park has six death-defying coasters and a seventh on the way. Penguin Trek will be a new family coaster showcasing Antarctica's landscapes. Those traveling with little kids will want to step into Sesame Street Land, where all of your favorite characters like Elmo and Cookie Monster live. No day at SeaWorld is complete without seeing animals, and at the park, families can encounter alligators, flamingoes, sharks, beluga whales and more.

Kings Island is a staple mid-west amusement park. Since opening in 1972, the park has continued to expand, adding more rides and entertainment than ever before. If you’re traveling with kids then you’ll want to be sure to get over to the Camp Snoopy area where there are more than 20 Peanuts-themed attractions and live shows, including a new family roller coaster called Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers. When the heat really gets to be too much splash down at Soak City Water Park, which has an impressive 36 water slides, two wave pools, and a kid’s play area.