Darien Lake Theme Park Resort
9993 Allegheny Road
Darien Center, New York 14040
716-599-4641 Local
716-599-4053 FAX
http://www.godarienlake.com

Darien Lake Theme Park Resort is a theme park located between Buffalo, and Rochester, New York and Rochester, New York, off the New York State Thruway. It is considered to be New York’s largest theme park and resort destination.

Darien Lake offers over 100 rides, shows and attractions, plus a newly expanded wet and wild water park. The property includes a 162-room themed lodge and on-site campground. Rides include 7 roller coasters, including the “Viper”, “Boomarang”, and the “Predator”, a world-class wooden coaster. There are also dozens of family and children’s rides.

“The Big Kahuna” is a water tubing experience where guests speed thru triple dips and twisting turns on an alternately open and closed track and then burst into a cool splash pool.

The resort also features a impressive list of shows and entertainment. “Le Grande Cirque” showcases some of the world’s best acrobatics in a spellbinding and mind boggling thrill-a-minute artistic experience that is perfect for the whole family! Join superstars Johnny Rhythm and The Darien Lake Sensations at the Midway Gazebo Stage for a timeless Rock n’ Roll show! At night experience “LaserBlast”, an enhanced state-of-the-art visual display combing the latest in aerial fireworks, pyrotechnics, laser animation, lights, sound and musical choreography at the Lakeside Amphitheater.
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Hersheypark
100 W. Hershey Park Drive
Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033
800-HERSHEY Toll Free
717-534-3090 Local
717-534-8996 FAXhttp://www.hersheypark.com

Hersheypark, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opened in 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of The Hershey Chocolate Company. Today the park has over 110 acres and over 60 rides and attractions. Park admission also includes entry into “ZOOAMERICA”, an adjacent zoo. Also on the property is “Hershey’s Chocolate World”, a company visitors’ center open to the public and featuring shops, restaurants and a chocolate-themed ride. “Chocolate World” and “ZOOAMERICA” are accessible from outside the park boundaries. “Chocolate World” is free admission.

The park features 10 roller coasters, including “Roller Soaker”, where each car holds 16 gallons of water that can be bombed onto riders waiting in line, while water cannons on the ground can be used to spray coaster riders; “Great Bear”, an inverted steel coaster; and 3 wooden coasters including “The Comet”, which opened in 1946.

With over 60 rides and attractions, Hersheypark has something for every age. Traditional amusement park rides can be found in the “Midway America” section. “The Boardwalk at Hershey Park” is a tribute to the legendary beaches of the Northeast including Atlantic City, Ocean City, Coney Island, and Rehoboth Beach. The Boardwalk features five distinctive water attractions, including “East Coast Waterworks”, the largest water play structure in the world! All Boardwalk attractions are included as part of the one –price admission.

Entertainment at Hersheypark includes shows and strolling bands. The amphitheater features world-class entertainers and the park has fireworks every Saturday night during the season. Read more about this park »

Seaworld Orlando
7007 Seaworld Dr
Orlando, Florida 32821
800-327-2424 Toll Free
407-363-2280 Local
http://www.seaworld.com

SeaWorld Orlando is a theme park owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch and located in Orlando, Florida.

The park has 7 rides, “Kraken”, a floorless steel roller coaster with 3 tunnels, a loop, dive loop, zero-G roll, cobra roll, a second loop, and a corkscrew; “Journey to Atlantis”, a water coaster where visitors take a trip to the lost city; “The Shamu Express”, a family coaster and “Wild Arctic”, a flight simulator where visitors take a helicopter trip to a fictional base station at the North Pole. “Happy Harbor”, a section just for kids, includes 3 new sea-themed family rides, including a Carsoule.

The park features dozens of shows and animal attractions… “Believe” is a captivating and visually stunning new Shamu show with acrobatics, original scores, and live underwater video projection. “Elmo and Bookaneers” features Elmo and the gang. “Odyssea” features high-flying acrobatics, dramatic music, and many special effects on an underwater themed set. “Shamu Rocks The World” is a rock n’ roll concert combining improvisational movements of killer whales with music, computer-synchronized lighting, and LED screens that morph into a kaleidoscope of world images.

Seaworld Orlando animal exhibits take your family below the surface, above the waves and beyond your expectations. You can touch and feed dolphins, count the teeth on a shark and feed seals and sea lions. Read more about this park »

Universal Studios Florida
1000 Universal Studios Plaza
Orlando, Florida 32819
407-363-8000 Local
http://www.universalorlando.com/usf_index.html

Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida and part of the Universal Orlando Resort. The park lets visitors “Ride the Movies.” It offers many shows and rides, along with countless other things for guests to see and do. Universal Studios Florida, its sister theme park “Islands of Adventure”, a nightclub/shopping venue “CityWalk”, and several on-site hotels combine to make a complete vacation destination.

Universal Studios Florida host many special events throughout the year, including Macy’s Holiday Parade, Mardi Gras celebrations and Halloween Horror Nights in the fall. Read more about this park »

Disneyworld
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830
407-824-4321 Local
http://www.disney.com

Disney World is a major recreational resort containing four distinct theme parks located in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida, just southwest of Orlando. The four themed parks are: the “Magic Kingdom”, “Epcot”, “Disney-MGM Studios”, and “Disney’s Animal Kingdom”.

“The Magic Kingdom” opened as Disney World’s first themed area on October 1st, 1971. The kingdom has over 20 attractions set in 7 themed lands… “Main Street USA”, “Adventureland”, Frontierland”, Liberty Square”, “Fantasyland”, “Tomorrowland” and “Micky’s Toontown Fair”.

“Epcot” was the second Disney World theme park and was opened on October 1st, 1982. Epcot is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The park consists of two sections: “Future World” and “World Showcase”. Epcot has essentially become a permanent exhibit of the world’s nations.

“Disney-MGM Studios” is the third theme park to open Disney World. Opened on May 1st, 1989, it encompasses 135 acres and is themed around Hollywood classic movies and popular TV entertainment.

Openen on April 22, 1998, “Disney’s Animal Kingdom” is Disney World’s fourth theme park. It is the largest Disney theme park in the world, covering more than 500 acres. It’s the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely around animal conservation, a philosophy once pioneered by Walt Disney himself. Read more about this park »

Busch Gardens Europe
1 Busch Gardens Blvd.
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
800-343-7946 Toll Free
http://www.buschgardens.com

Busch Gardens Europe is the new name for Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. The park was originally known as “The Old Country”. Attractions at this park include “Curse of DarKastle”, “Alpengeist”, “Escape from Pompeii”, “Apollo’s Chariot”, “Loch Ness Monster” and “Big Bad Wolf”. A new roller coaster, “Griffon”, is the tallest dive coaster in the world and the only floorless dive coaster.

Voted one of the most beautiful theme parks in America, Busch Gardens Europe is divided into sections, each themed to a different European country… England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, France and Ireland. With dozens of thrilling rides and attractions, ten main stage shows, a wide variety of authentic foods and shops, and a magical children’s area, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the ticket to a world-class adventure.

Shows and entertainment abound throughout the park from 4-D comedy adventures for the entire family at the Globe Theatre, to high-energy oompah song and dance that will have you dancing up a German storm at “Oktoberfest”. Read more about this park »

Six Flags Great Adventure
Route 537
Jackson, New Jersey 08527
732-928-1821 Local
http://www.sixflags.com/parks/greatadventure

Six Flags Great Adventure is part of the Six Flags chain of theme parks, located in Jackson Township, New Jersey, 75 miles from New York City and 60 miles from Philadelphia. The park consists of a theme park area, a Wild Safari area, and “Hurricane Harbor” water park.

Great Adventure is known for its rollor coaster lineup. “Nitro”, “Medusa”, The Great American Scream Machine”, “Rolling Thunder”, “Batman and Robin: The Chiller”, “Batman: The Ride”, “Superman:Ultimate Flight”, “Kingda Ka”, and “El Toro”. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Six Flags Great Adventure has more rides than any other theme park in the world, with over 70 rides.

The park consists of 12 distinct themed sections. “Main Street”is located at the park entrance. It’s home to shops, eateries, and exhibits, including “Dolphin Discovery”, an exhibit that showcases bottle-nose dolphins and sea lions. The Main Street Fountain is a focal point of the park. Another section, “Fantasy Forest” is the main midway connecting the east and west sides of the park. It includes a number of family rides including “Big Wheel”, “Carousel”, and “Enchanted Teacups”. Read more about this park »

Carowinds
14523 Carowinds Blvd.
Charlotte, North Carolina 28273
800-888-4FUN Toll Free
704-588-2600 Local
http://www.carowinds.com

Carowinds is a 105 acre theme park located on the borderline between North and South Carolina in Charlotte and Fort Mills, respectively.

The park offers more than 100 rides, including 12 roller coasters. Carowinds’ tallest coaster, “BORG Assimilator”, is the world’s first coaster with a ‘Star Trek’ theme. Other high-speed rides include the 50-mph stand-up “Vortex” coaster, the four-G “Jet Coaster” and the ominously named wooden roller coaster,”Hurler”. “Thunder Road” is another wooden coaster where one train runs forwards and the other backwards. The coaster is built over the North Carolina/South Carolina state line so you will actually travel through two states during the ride.

Carowinds offers a great selection of family rides including “Rip Roarin’ Rapids”, a white water rafting expedition down a rugged river course in a 6-person raft; “Scooby-Doo’sâ„¢ Haunted Mansion”, where you climb aboard interactive Mystery Machines and challenge your friends to see who can capture the most ghosts and Scooby Snacksâ„¢; and “WhiteWater Falls”, where you plunge down a 45-foot waterfall and then splash down through a 20-foot wave of water. Get a bird’s-eye-view of the entire theme park and downtown Charlotte from “Carolina Skytower”, as an air-conditioned cabin travels up a 320-foot tower.

Fun for the little ones is guaranteed at Nickelodeon Central. Ride, spin, twirl and hug the day away with your favorite characters from your favorite Nickelodeon TV shows!

Carowinds offers several live stage productions and plenty of characters, the whole park’s a stage.”Nickelodeonâ„¢ Celebration Parade” is highlighted by a colorful convoy of motorized floats, more than 20 Nickelodeon® characters and a cast of nearly 100 performers, the award-winning parade brings families to their feet as they get face to face with the stars of Nickelodeon.

“Boomerang Bay”, is Carowinds’ 16 acre water park and is included in the price of admission. Navigate a four-story rafting adventure; plunge through twisting tube slides; climb, spray, splash on a huge, flowing playground; relax in a heated lagoon; brave wild waves or let the world melt away with a float down a ramblin’ river!

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Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom
3830 Dorney Park Road
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104
610-395-3724 Local
610-391-7601 FAX
http://www.dorneypark.com

Dorney Park is one of the most popular amusement parks on the East Coast and is a popular recreational destination for residents from Philadelphia and New York City, both of which are less than 90 miles away. The park, located just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania, features a large number of roller coasters and children’s rides, and features one of the largest water parks in the country, Wildwater Kingdom.

The park features 9 roller coaster including steel coasters “Hydra the Revenge”, “Steel Force” and “Laser”. “Thunderhawk” is the park’s world-class wooden coaster.

For the kids, “Camp Snoopy” is an interactive play area themed with the popular PEANUTSâ„¢ comic strip characters. There are a variety of attractions that parents and children enjoy together in this 2-acre funland. “Tot Spot” offers the little ones their first thrills on a collection of classic kiddie rides.

Dorney Park’s also offers visitors award winning entertainment. Experience the glamour and glitter of live song and dance revues as talented musicians from across the country perform for you.

Dorney Park’s Wildwater Kingdom, located on the park grounds, is one of the largest water parks in the country, and boasts over a dozen water rides and pools. You’ll find 18 water slides, 3 aquatic playlands for children, a water funhouse, 2 tubing rivers, 2 wave pools, a new six-lane mat racing waterslide, and other water rides. Read more about this park »

Kennywood
4800 Kennywood Blvd.
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania 15122
412-461-0500 Local
412-464-0719 FAX
http://www.kennywood.com

Kennywood Park began in 1898 as a trolley park that catered to local industrial workers and their families. Originally built at the end of a trolley line to encourage ridership, the park began to generate more revenue than the trolley business itself.

The park is locacted near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in the borough of West Mifflin. Kennywood ranked second in the category of “Favorite Park” in Theme Park Magazine’s 2004 Reader’s Choice Awards.

The park features thirty-one major rides, including three water rides, three classic wood coasters, “Phantom’s Revenge” steel coaster, and a one-of-a-kind indoor coaster,the “Exterminator”. “Kiddieland” offers 14 “just for kids” rides. Plus, the park offers 40 games, seven gift shops and two arcades! Kennywood is also famous for their fresh cut french fries at the “Potato Patch” stand.

Entertainment includes the “All American High Dive Show”, the “Celebrate America Festival”, an early July event with craft booths, parade, and fireworks and Fall Fantasy Parades which run from mid August thru September.

Kennywood is one of two amusement parks listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is also one of the few amusement parks that still allow guests to bring their own picnic lunch into the park.
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