Planning a couple of trips...

[chauncey]

I'm planning 2 trips, and I'd like some advice.

 

While I love amuesment parks, I love a lot of other things too, and would be just as happy at a great park as I would be at a great museum, or concert, or just sitting in my room watching a favorite movie.

 

So, to get to the point, and hopefully not sounding like a snob, if a park doesn't have great rides, good food, beautiful scenery, and nice staff, there are probably other things I'd rather be doing.

 

...

 

The first trip will be to the San Francisco area, in Spring 2006, for about a week. My mother has to go for business, and I'd rather be in San Francisco than Florida, so, I'm going to tag along.

 

There's a lot of stuff to do around there that I'll love, but I'd like to do some amuesment parks, too.

 

My questions are:

 

1. What parks are there in the region? What do you think of them?

 

2. Is it worth the travel to go to parks in other areas of California, or near by states? Which ones?

 

...

 

My other trip is one being planned for sometime in either 2006, or 2007. It will be my first big "coaster trip". I'm going to stick to the east, and eastern middle America.

 

The route is to take us out of Florida, up the east-coast, through the north-east, into the great-lakes, down middle-america, into the south-east, and back to Florida.

 

The following parks are more or less decided on:

 

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Dollywood

Hersheypark

Kennywood

Knoebel's

Silver Dollar City

 

My questions are:

 

1. What do you think of these parks?

 

2. What other parks are must-visits along the route?

 

3. How much do you think a trip like this, by car, might cost?

[SonOfBeastSucks]

The two major parks closest to San Francisco are Paramount's Great America and Six Flags Marine World. With your view on the issue, I would say you would have a better time exploring San Francsico than visiting these parks. However, if you are into the beach scene, in nearby Santa Cruz there is a boardwalk that is a lot of fun.

[Bubba Z]

1. all are great parks wouldn't skip any of those.

2. I would hit the major Six Flags Parks SFOG. SFGADV etc. and IOA, BGT of course.

3. 4-5k in gas alone when it hits $5 a gallon.

[chauncey]

The two major parks closest to San Francisco are Paramount's Great America and Six Flags Marine World. With your view on the issue, I would say you would have a better time exploring San Francsico than visiting these parks. However, if you are into the beach scene, in nearby Santa Cruz there is a boardwalk that is a lot of fun.

 

Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks.

 

I would hit the major Six Flags Parks SFOG. SFGADV etc. and IOA, BGT of course.

 

Well, I probably won't be going to parks in Florida, as they're so close to me. I'm not sure about the Six Flags parks. None of them have anything that I would travel for. Maybe if the SFGADV wooden turns out to be good, I'll get a season pass, and do them all.

 

3. 4-5k in gas alone when it hits $5 a gallon.

 

I don't even want to think about that... stupid greedy oil companies! I could post a 5,000 page rant on that... but I won't.

[chauncey]

Okay, so a few updates on this:

 

1. We're not going to San Francisco anymore...

 

2. Instead of doing 1 BIG trip around the country, we'll be making indiviudal trips out to each parks by plane. It will cost the same, and be much faster, and comfortable. It also means I can go by myself (possibly), and, so, that would be even cheaper!

 

However, this means we can pretty much go anywhere in the US (or any other place you can fly to for a similar rate).

 

So...

 

What are the 4 - 8 absolute BEST parks in the country, not counting Florida?

[Bubba Z]

since I'm not a world traveler just an east coast guy. I would say Cedar Point, BGW,Dollywood, SFgadv, SFNE for S:ros, and Hershey.

 

Than again I would rather just fly to Germany for EGF.

 

sorry, I know, I'm no help

[SonOfBeastSucks]

^^ :o ! I am all for parks but San Francisco is amazing! Have fun anyway.

[chauncey]

^^ :o ! I am all for parks but San Francisco is amazing! Have fun anyway.

 

Yeah... it was my mom's decision, not mine.

 

sorry, I know, I'm no help

 

Well, you're much more helpful than the people who aren't responding.

[ParkTrips]

If you go during the summer, look out to see if Independence Air offers a pay-one-price and fly all summer deal. This past summer, for a flat $250 USD, you were able to fly anywhere they fly east of the Mississippi and only pay mandatory fees. Here are some parks within reasonable distance from their destinations:

 

Busch Gardens Tampa

Six Flags Over Georgia

Paramount'c Carowinds

Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

Six Flags America

Paramount's Kings Dominion

Kennywood

Cedar Point

Geauga Lake

Six Flags Darien Lake

SeaBreeze

Martin's Fantasy Island

Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags new England

The Great Escape

Lake Compounce

Canobie Lake

Funtown USA

Camden Park

Dollywood

Six Flags Great America

 

 

The only catch was you had to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, but that could workout well if you fly in Tuesday, get a car, hit the park on Wednesday and fly back home that evening. Or,you could do something like fly out on Wen., hit a park Thursday and then another Friday before flying back Saturday (ie LC-SFNE or SFDL-SB-MFI etc)

 

That's just something to keep an eye out for. That leaves you with "only" lodging, ground transportation, food and admission. If you used it a lot it could really be benneficial.

 

If not, I think Hershey, SF Great Adventure, Lake Compounce, Holiday World, SF Great America, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Dollywood are parks you should look into.

[larrygator]

so you ask - the best eight parks outside of Florida. It all depends on what you want but here are my thoughts on a Top 11 lumped geographically in you take 3 trips.

 

MidWest - SF Great America, Indiana Beach, Holiday World

West - SF Magic Mountain, KBF

East - Cedar Point, Kennywood, Knoebels, SF Great Adventure, BG Williamsburg, HersheyPark

 

If I had to list only 8, I'd take out KBF, SFGAm and Kennywood, but if you are that close to these parks you won't go wrong visting these 3 also.

 

To me Knoebels, Cedar Point and BGW are the ones that have all 3 qualities that you favor: great rides, quality staff, good food and scenery.

 

here are the slight deficiencies i see at each other park if it helps you make a decision:

SFGAm - Scenery

Indiana Beach - Food

Holiday World - coasters are great, but lack of quality flats

SFMM - Food, Staff

KBF - Scenery, lack great variety in flats

Kennywood - Scenery

SFGAdv - Staff, Food

HersheyPark - Scenery