Best and Worst SoCal Parks?

[2012jarrett]

So I was planning a trip to Vegas in May and my cousin and her husband (who I'm staying with) were going to spend two days in the SoCal area to pick up some of those credits in addition to all the Vegas ones. However, I was wondering what the general consensus among enthusiasts was about that area because unlike Central Florida, nobody really "sees" these five parks as competitors.

 

So, here are the parks I was thinking of as "grouped:"

*Six Flags Magic Mountain- More coasters than anywhere else on the planet, plenty of unique ones including X2, Tatsu, Green Lantern, and Goliath.

*Disneyland- The original Disney, they have Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Soarin' over California, plenty of good stuff.

*Disney's California Adventure- Who HASN'T seen pictures of iconic California Screamin' and its surrounding boardwalk area?

*Knotts Berry Farm- The more family friendly park on the scale of SFMM, but it still has Silver Bullet and Xcellerator.

*Universal Studios Hollywood- I think the only well known rides here are Mummy and Jurassic Park but park size is just a number.

 

So of all of these, which ones are good and which ones are bad? I hear plenty about them but none ever compared to each other like Disney World/Universal/BGT are.

[BotanicalStig]

Don't bother with universal, I went three times when I lived out there and regretted it every time. It just isn't a fun day.

 

Knott's is a MUST, my #1 favorite park in so cal, nice atmosphere and great rides. I left the state before the recent refurb but I wish I could go back to see it.

 

If you want the coasters, head to MM. They do have a lot of credits, but they aren't great credits. You'll have fun... maybe not a whole lot of fun. Don't go for the sake of X, ride the manhatten express in vegas and call it done, it's practically the same thing

 

Disneyland/CAA, both nice. You wont be able to do everything at both parks in one day, so that's up to you. They're both great parks, and there are some attractions in each you wont want to miss.

 

If I had two days in the area, I'd spend a day at knott's, and a day between the disney parks. If I had one day for parks... It'd be knott's, but that's just me. If you want MM and another park... again, it's knott's

[Top Thrill Dragster]

If I had to rank the five parks:

 

1. Disneyland.

 

 

2. Disney Caifornia Adventure

 

3. Universal Studios Hollywood

 

 

 

4. Knott's Berry Farm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Six Flags Magic Mountain.

[aCoasterStory]

Here are my thoughts. I've been to SoCal twice. The first time, I visited all 5 parks. The second, I only hit Knott's and SFMM.

 

I didn't think Universal was anything really all that great. I'm much more of a fan of coasters than 3-D movie rides.

 

I enjoyed Disneyland/DCA. I was there from 8AM opening to after the 12 Midnight closing, and did generally feel like I was able to do everything, but Cars Land wasn't open yet, and Matterhorn Bobsleds were in the middle of their refurb, so YMMV. I do think Soarin' is overrated, though; don't wait more than 30 or 45 mins for it.

 

Knott's was cool, but I don't think you need an entire day there, especially if you're looking for more thrilling coasters. Silver Bullet isn't the best invert (though it is fun), and GhostRider isn't as great a woodie as some people have it rated. XCelerator is good fun, but other than that, they've got a Boomerang, a Wild Mouse, and a few more family-oriented coasters.

 

If you're looking for atmosphere or theming or cleanliness or friendliness, then SFMM probably isn't going to win any contests, but they do have the best coasters in SoCal, even if some of them aren't all that spectacular. X2 is a really cool experience that needs to be done at least once, preferably in the front. Tatsu is generally well regarded, though I do prefer SFoG's Superman, personally. Ninja is a good suspended coaster--better than Iron Dragon, but not as good as Flight Deck/The Bat. Viper is your typical Arrow Mega-Looper. Apocalypse was fun when I was there 2 years ago, but was closed last summer for a bunch of work; I've heard it's gotten rough. IMHO Riddler's Revenge is the best stand-up coaster in the US. B:TR is your typical Batman clone. Green Lantern is another unique experience; some love it, some hate it. It's one of the most intense coaster experiences I can remember. Superman:EFK is pretty cool, but the acceleration isn't all that extreme. Scream is a forceless B&M floorless that's literally sitting on top of an old chunk of un-landscaped parking lot. Colossus isn't really that good or bad. Goliath has some nice positive G's. Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom is cool. Revolution is historic, even if the OTSR's make it unpleasant. Gold Rusher is okay. I can't speak to the kiddie coasters.

[jarmor]

Well I have only recently been to knotts and universal so I can really only speak on them but it seems like you want to do the coasters only since that what you pointed out. Now, if that isnt a problem I would probably stay in the knotts area. you have 3 world class parks, knotts, disneyland and california adventure, and the little unique coaster opening up at the adventure park. not to mention the beach which is less than 15 miles away. Yeah SFMM has the most coasters but really, how many of them are "world class" coasters? If I only had 2 days I would do what I mention. It would be such a shame to travel all the way there just to say you only rode roller coasters and thats it!

[CPSFMMCW]

^ I disagree, I would love to go and tell people that that's practically all I did! That's my kind of vacation!

 

My rankings on how I would visit:

1. Six Flags Magic Mountain

2. Knotts Berry Farm

3. Universal Studios Hollywood

4. California Adventure

5. Disneyland

[Superbatboy]

Atmosphere, variety, food, and historics-Knott's

 

Experience, cleanliness, friendly staff-Disney/CA

 

Best non-coaster rides, shows-USH

 

Upping your coaster count-SFMM

[Gearhart]

If you are primarily interested in riding as many coasters as possible I'd say SFMM and Knott's for sure, otherwise Disney and Knott's. Universal is good only if you have the extra time. You could probably see the best, though not anywhere near all, of Disneyland and California Adventure with a park hopper, a good fastpass strategy, and a full open to close day.

[XYZ]

My rankings on how I would visit:

1. Six Flags Magic Mountain

2. Knotts Berry Farm

3. Universal Studios Hollywood

4. California Adventure

5. Disneyland

 

My list is the complete opposite of this.

[Invertalon]

We went to all of them last January and our list would probably be (best to worst)...

 

1.) Six Flags Magic Mountain (X2 was the highlight of our entire trip)

2.) Disney's California Adventure

3.) Disneyland

4.) Universal Hollywood

5.) Knotts

 

Note, they were all really good... Not that far between any of them. We enjoyed all of them in different ways.

[ThemeParkFan08]

I haven't been to Magic Mountain but I did the other four last summer. Thoughts:

-Universal was much better and more enjoyable than I expected, but the tram tour and Transformers are about the only things that would pull me towards recommending the studios. In your case I don't think that's enough to make it worth it.

-Knott's has variety, but I didn't think the rides were that great (and Ghostrider was TERRIBLE) and I was ready to leave after about 5 hours. That being said, I wasn't feeling well that day and Xcelerator and Montezooma were down for rehab (in JUNE?), so it was kind of a combination of factors that weren't entirely the park's fault. I think you could go and have a great time, just know that the coaster collection isn't all that and a bag of chips.

-Disneyland alone has enough to potentially occupy you for two days, and you can hop over to California Adventure as well. I think the combination of rides, service, and intangibles makes it the top pick. DL Park in particular has crazy long hours so you could do a heck of a lot in one day if you plan it right. You could even head to the resort for a few hours after Knott's closes easily if you wanted to.

 

I would recommend either a 2 day parkhopper at Disney, or a day at Knott's and a day at Disney.

[WFChris]

As you can see, it depends on what your looking for, and who is visiting the parks.

 

Generally for a tourist, I would recommend:

 

DL, DCA, SFMM, USH, KBF

 

For a coaster enthusiast, I would recommend:

 

SFMM, KBF, DL, DCA, USH

 

Look, I get all the love for KBF (I love it myself), but for an out of towner, the park resembles so many other parks, and the coasters are not all that unique to the rest of the nation. Plus, it's kinda tiny. As locals, we love it because it is a 'real' and 'traditional' park. But from a lifetime of experience, KBF is not really the park that out of town people enjoy to get their 'LA experience.'

 

Disneyland Resort will blow people away from a theme park as a whole experience. If your visitors are into movies, then USH is obviously going to be a hit for them. If they want a wild crazy roller coaster day, SFMM is the choice. If they want to go to a theme park that feels like home, or traditional, KBF is it.

 

As you mentioned, it is difficult to side-by-side compare our parks. They are all for such a different demograph it makes it hard to made a definitive list. Los Angeles is a city that requires its visitors to know what they want and follow their instinct. That being said, figure out which offerings best suit your needs, and you should have a natural fit and a good time.

 

My personal list would be:

 

DL/DCA, SFMM, KBF, Castle Park, Scandia, Pacific Pier, USH.

[goldenstate5]

Atmosphere, variety, food, and historics-Knott's

 

Experience, cleanliness, friendly staff-Disney/CA

 

Best non-coaster rides, shows-USH

 

Upping your coaster count-SFMM

 

This is pretty much dead-on for my thoughts. I worked for both SFMM and USH, so my thoughts on those two are a bit tainted. (although Six Flags truly is the worst theme park company to work for, period)

 

Knott's is great but it's really more enjoyable as a group, whereas Disney works both on a personal level and in a group as well.

[Eaglefan9727]

Just note that if you to go to Disneyland/California Adventure. Last time I heard, Soarin and Grizzly River Run are expected to be down in May for a refurbishment. Of course, Things can change, So I would check out what is down and what isn't before I decided on going to Disneyland/California Adventure.

[susie zueck]

Since your a visitor to SoCal, I would have to recommend these parks in order:

 

1.) Disneyland

2.) Disney California Adventure

3.) Six Flags Magic Mountain

4.) Universal Studios Hollywood

5.) Knott's Berry Farm

 

The reason why I chose Disneyland as first is because the overall experience of Disneyland is truly outstanding. The staff at Disneyland is friendly, the park creates a magical atmosphere, there are many tremendous shows, there are a variety of rides that range from family to young adults, the park is open until midnight on the weekends, great food within the park, and the park really makes you feel special. Also, the hotels that surround Disneyland are absolutely stunning like the Grand Californian and the Paradise Pier Hotel. The atmosphere outside of Disneyland is also stunning because after you want to take a break at the park, you can stroll out of the gates to Downtown Disney, where you can eat, shop, and play at amazing restaurants. Overall, I know that Disneyland is a bit pricier than the other theme parks, but trust me the money is well worth it. However, I know that many on this thread are huge "Knotts" fans, but I would highly NOT recommend Knotts as a park to visit for tourists because Knotts does NOT WOW anyone with an overall experience. Knotts is great if you are a local, but the only thing Knotts is good for is a few thrilling coasters, but other than that the park is very tiny and you will probably run out of things to do within the first 5-6 hours. Plus the area outside of Knott's gate is truly ugly because there are no hotels (other than the Knotts Berry farm Hotel) and there are no shops around. Once outside the gates of Knott's, you will feel like you are in any other suburban city, whereas outside of Disney you will feel like your at a resort. Also, most of the food at Knott's isn't descent except for Johnny Rockets. Universal is good because they have pretty good customer satisfaction and the studio tour is unique, but the park does only have a few attractions, which can lead you to become bored in a few hours. Six Flags is good too, because their coasters are some of the best in the country, but the overall experience at Six Flags is dampered by the unfriendly staff and the HORRIBLE food. Six Flags, like Knott's, also mainly caters to the locals and just gives rides, opposed to a great overall experience.

 

All in all, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are the ways to go and since you will be in SoCal for two days, I would recommend purchasing a two-day park hopper ticket because both parks will easily keep you entertained for more than two days, whereas with the rest of the parks, you will find yourself bored quite quickly.

-Hope this helps.

[The49er]

Okay, just a heads-up: I am a HUGE Disney geek.

 

DLR: My obvious favorite. Space Mountain and California Screamin' are surprisingly intense, but still not to the level of most coasters in that respect. Everything is impeccably detailed and themed; I've gone 20-ish times and I'm still discovering new gags and theming elements. The food is great, as is Downtown Disney and the nearby hotels.

 

KBF: I can't rate it fairly, as I only visited when I was a rather small 6-year-old.

 

SFMM: I haven't been on all the coasters, but most we're quite fun. Personally, Tatsu is my top coaster (I didn't get to try X2), and Goliath etc. are really enjoyable. That being said, if you're looking for theming, you will be disappointed (though I think it's still better than SFDK for that and other reasons).

 

USH: I'm probably in the minority here, but I was not very impressed with USH. Call it a case of Disney fandom, but I just couldn't find any way in which it would beat DLR.

 

You'd have a good day at any of these, but if I had to choose one park it would be Disneyland. Beyond that, DCA>SFMM>KBF?>USH.

[XYZ]

Since I live in Southern California, I'll put my opinion on the parks:

 

Disneyland Resort: Two amazing parks that really blow away every park in the West Coast with spectacular theming. Not much more to say as this is the expected.

 

SeaWorld San Diego: I'm always relaxed in this park and feel like it is very well taken care of. The staff is great and very friendly and the park features some really good theming, especially Wild Arctic and Shipwreck Rapids. The operations on Manta are great, allowing me to easily go on it over ten times in the row during offseason mornings. It's only been a short amount of time since I've been going to SeaWorld frequently, but I'm really enjoying what I'm seeing.

 

LEGOLAND California: This is the park that I loved as a child and still love it to this day. It has great atmosphere and, honestly, you don't need to be a child to enjoy this park. The staff is great and friendly and the park, like SeaWorld, feels well taken care of. I've been going to this park religiously in the last few years, so they are certainly doing something very well.

 

Knott's Berry Farm: Knott's had some rough times recently, though I applaud them on their efforts in improving the park, and they're doing a great job at improving! The operations are nothing amazing, though they are rather good. The park has a very balanced collection ranging from Disney-level rides (Log Ride) to, in my opinion, the best coaster in California: Xcelerator. This park has a ton of things to do, heck you can easily spend hours looking through Ghost Town. Who knew that there is dinosaur poop, shark eyes, and a toothpick Eiffel Tower all in different locations in Ghost Town. (For those who are going to Knott's soon for the first time, spend time in Ghost Town. Once, you look closely through it, you can see the greatness of this area of the park.)

Honestly, I don't understand why many people say this park has nothing to offer after half a day as I can easily spend ten hours in the park and still have more to do. (I went to Knott's for over ten hours many times.)

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain: The park features a decent collection of coasters, though they do suffer in mediocre operations. The park does have a good amount of shade and does provide a ton of exercise. The park has lately been not focusing on some of its older attractions, making many of them seem like they are in disrepair. While it does not serve quality well at all, if you prefer quantity for whatever reason, than this park has all the quantity to offer! (Though, there is so few things to do other than wait in line for coasters.)

 

Hooray for posting about the San Diego County parks. They are in Southern California too!

[rcdude]

As a local, I visit most of these parks regularly, so here's my take. If you just want rankings, look at the bottom of the post.

 

Disneyland: Of all the Southern California parks, this is the only one I would consider travel-worthy on its own (well, this and DCA combined). Disneyland is a great park with a number of attractions not found at any other Disney park (at least in the US). You could easily spend two days here and not run out of stuff to do, especially if it is a new park and/or you have never visited WDW. Unless you are only looking for coasters, I would not recommend visiting Southern California for parks and not spending a day here.

 

Disney California Adventure Park: Disneyland's sister park, DCA is still riding the popularity wave from Cars Land and its entire refurbishment. While the park has just as good of an attraction selection as Disneyland (including a better collection of thrill rides) and now features enough for a full day, I wouldn't recommend spending a day here over a day at Disneyland. If you want to do this park, either do both parks in one day or spend both days at the Disneyland Resort.

 

Knott's Berry Farm: Knott's is a nice park, one I would definitely recommend. The park does have a good coaster collection (although the only top tier coaster is Xcelerator), some very historical rides (namely the Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain Log Ride), and overall is just a nice place to spend a day. However, for the well-traveled enthusiast it probably isn't the best option as most of the park's other rides are fairly standard.

 

LEGOLAND California: LEGOLAND California is geared towards kids, and while there is still plenty for adults to do it is more of a niche park. Unless you are really into Legos, it is hard to justify spending more than a half day here. The park does have a number of unique attractions, but keep in mind that a thrill ride by LEGOLAND standards would be a family ride by Disneyland standards.

 

Universal Studios Hollywood: This park is really annoying because they have some of the best attractions in the area (in fact, there isn't a bad ride at the park), but there just isn't enough there to justify the cost. I prefer to think of this place as more of a tourist attraction than a theme park. If you've been to Universal Orlando, I do not recommend wasting time here, but if you haven't been and can find a discount it is worth a visit. Just remember that you'll spend more time watching shows than riding rides here.

 

SeaWorld San Diego: In my opinion, this is actually one of Southern California's better parks just because of the setting and unique attractions. Unfortunately, it is quite a bit of driving to day trip it from the LA area and is somewhat overpriced (though not as badly as USH). I would definitely recommend this park if your trip brought you to San Diego, but otherwise it's probably not worth the drive.

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain: I do not understand all the hate that this park gets. Yes, the park has issues (including lack of non-coaster rides, below average operations, and poor upkeep in some areas), but I still think it is a better park than many other Six Flags properties and I have yet to find a park with a better coaster selection. Apocalypse, Full Throttle, Goliath, Riddler's Revenge, Tatsu, X2...most parks would be lucky to have one of these, and SFMM has all six. If you are looking for a day full of riding coasters, SFMM is your park.

 

Overall, I would rank the Southern California parks in the following order:

 

1. Disneyland

2. Six Flags Magic Mountain

3. Universal Studios Hollywood

4. SeaWorld San Diego

5. LEGOLAND California

6. Knott's Berry Farm

7. Disney California Adventure Park

 

Since you only have two days for parks, I would recommend spending one day at the Disneyland Resort (your choice: both parks or just Disneyland) and one day at Six Flags Magic Mountain. None of the parks in Southern California are bad choices, but I think these are probably the most worthy parks for a traveling enthusiast.

[dippindotsguy8]

My personal list as a local:

 

1. Disneyland

2. Knotts

3. California Adventure

4. Magic Mountain

5. USH

 

 

As others have said, if you're just looking for credits, hit Knott's and Magic Mountain. If you're looking for a full theme park experience, do Disney and Knott's. If you have extra time, you could hit Universal. Honestly though, I tend to only visit that park during horror nights. Otherwise, there really just isn't that much to do.

[DBJ]

If you are on a coaster trip, then

 

1.) SFMM - not sure if they will have reversed Batman by the time of your visit.

2.) DL & DCA ( 1 day parkhopper), and looks like Big Thunder is back up very shortly with some new effects.

3.) Universal

4.) Knotts

 

USH is only impressive if you haven't seen Despicable Me or Transformers in Florida. If you have not, then I would recommend the park because it does offer attractions not found elsewhere locally. Knott's I don't think is unique enough in it's attraction selection, outside of Halloween season, to recommend it. I would only recommend Knott's if someone is coming to CA for the Disney parks, and wants another park to visit that is close by.

[BackseatBoss]

We did something similar this summer. I would definitely recommend a day at Disney (I'm a Disney lover) and Magic Mountain. You'll get the magic of Disney, plus the thrills of Magic Mountain. We weren't too impressed with USH besides their studio tour and mummy, but if you like 3D attractions and shows then this might be for you. Unfortunately though, we haven't been to Knott's, so I can't say much about that. But Disney and SFMM, in my opinion, would be a great combination.

[Someotherguyuser]

My personal list of SoCal parks (Best to Worst):

 

-Disneyland

-California Adventure

-Knott's Berry Farm

-Universal Studios Hollywood

-Sea World San Diego

-Legoland California

.

.

.

.

.

.

-Six Flags Magic Mountain.

 

I feel like I'm in the minority when I say that SFMM is the worst park in SoCal. It's a depressing park that feels like a chore to do. It has some descent coasters, but that's it. Everything is in disrepair, the theming is poor and has gotten worse with YOLO, there's hardly anything to do besides the coasters, and it takes FOREVER to get from point A to point B. Also, the food is overpriced and terrible. I won't be going back until WCB. I have no incentive to renew my pass at this point.

[805Andrew]

Okay, here's my two cents. If I was going to LA for the first time ever and only had two days for theme parks I would go to Disneyland and DCA most likely. Another option I would consider is one day Disneyland/DCA park hopper and one day at SFMM (not on a Saturday!). If you are a hard core roller coaster enthusiast/adrenaline junkie than Magic Mountain is a must for one of your two days. If you are more of a theme park enthusiast I would stick with the Disneyland CA resort for two days. If you are a movie buff and have never been to Universal Orlando then I would consider a day at Universal Studios Hollywood since they have the Backlot Tram Tour. Knott's is a nice park, but if you only have two days to go to parks on your first visit to LA I wouldn't pick it over Disneyland/DCA or SFMM.

 

My Personal Ranking of LA area parks I've been to:

1. Disneyland

2. Six Flags Magic Mountain

3. Disney California Adventure (this may go up once I experience Cars Land)

4. Knott's Berry Farm

5. Universal Studios Hollywood (haven't been there in several years, this may go up once I experience new additions).

 

Don't go for the sake of X, ride the manhatten express in vegas and call it done, it's practically the same thing

What the hell are you talking about? X2 and Manhattan Express are nothing alike. That's probably the worst roller coaster comparison I've ever seen.

 

Six Flags Magic Mountain: I do not understand all the hate that this park gets. Yes, the park has issues (including lack of non-coaster rides, below average operations, and poor upkeep in some areas), but I still think it is a better park than many other Six Flags properties and I have yet to find a park with a better coaster selection. Apocalypse, YOLOcoaster, Goliath, Riddler's Revenge, Tatsu, X2...most parks would be lucky to have one of these, and SFMM has all six. If you are looking for a day full of riding coasters, SFMM is your park.

Thank you! SFMM has its problems but it has an awesome coaster selection. I also think out of towners would prefer SFMM over Knott's.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Disneyland: very nice park, the atmosphere is great and the attractions are with very high quality even though some of them are from Vekoma. Corn dogs did not disappoint but things are way too expensive. Indiana Jones crew needs to figure out a way to match the capacity (or is it originally has a low capacity?)

 

DCA: Family friendly enough while thrilling enough. Has a great atmosphere just like Disneyland but still lacks a thrilling ride. ToT might be the best ride there for the surprises and the simple restraints. California Sleepin' is a huge disappointment. If you don't want airtime and positive G's, go for B&M!!! Plus they really need to take the loose article policy seriously as there are people taking POV's on nearly every train without any protection.

 

Universal Studios Hollywood: Very nice themed but overcrowded, overpriced and overrated! Love Mummy and House of Horror and that's it. Didn't get a chance to do Studio Tours and Transformers as the line was nearly three hours.

 

SFMM: my first time to visit a place like this, very good coaster collection and reasonable merchandise price compared to Disneyland and USH. Sure there are a lot of things need to improve but which parks all have their flaws.

[pianojohn]

I've taken 2 trips out to CA in the last year. Here are my thoughts:

 

1) Disneyland/DCA

I could spend a week there. I had the best time, and this is from someone who works at WDW. There is so much history and theming at these two parks, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of my time spent there.

 

2) Knotts

Fun rides, very relaxed, and I was able to do everything in a matter of hours.

 

3) Universal

Eh....it was ok. But until they open Despicable Me and the new Harry Potter, it is at most a half day park.

 

4) SFMM

Don't even bother. I had the worst time there with a handful of coasters (X2, Tatsu, Colossus) not running, and those that were running had long lines. And the park was dead. Just not worth the time it takes to get there.