Planning a trip

[JohnB]

Hi everyone, the last couple years I’ve been taking my family on some pretty long road trips during the summer. 2 years ago we did the southwest and California. Last year we did the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. This summer my kids want to go on a trip to visit a bunch of amusement parks. Our other trips we did very little planning. We just loaded up the SUV and went. This one I feel like I should try to plan out as much as I can. We like to do everything at a park, shows, exhibits, water parks, and of course the rides. So I’m looking for information on how many days to spend at each park in order to experience everything, also looking for what order to do the parks in, any suggestions for parks I don’t have listed, and other fun stuff to do along the way on rainy days or weekends for a family with 12 and 9 year old kids. Personally I love Kennywood. That’s my favorite park. I know it doesn’t have the best rides and it isn’t the prettiest. But it has that classic feel of Americana. So if there are any classic parks out there that are not on the list I would really like to know about them.

We live in the Detroit area and a lot of the parks on their list are located in the Midwest, northeast, mid Atlantic, and southeast. So I would appreciate it if suggestions were limited to those regions.

So here is the list of parks my kids want to visit:

Canada’s Wonderland, Cedar Point, Six Flags Great Adventure, Hersheypark, Carowinds , Kings Island, Six Flags over Georgia, Kings Dominion, Six Flags New England, Dollywood, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kennywood, Six Flags Darien Lake, Six Flags America, Indiana Beach, New Jersey Boardwalk Parks, Kentucky Kingdom, Knoebels, Holiday World, Six Flags Great Escape. 
 

We have already been to all the Florida parks, so we aren’t looking to go that far south.

We’re also a big movie watching family. So if there are any cool and/or old fashioned classic movie theaters by any of these parks that could be a way we kill time on a rainy day or a weekend. Because I know some of these parks will probably be very busy on weekends. So we’re trying our best to avoid super busy days. But at the same time if you guys could maybe recommend some smaller parks not on this list I feel like those could be good options to visit on weekends. I know I’ve asked a lot already but we are planning on leaving in mid June so we will be on the road during the 4th of July. That’s our favorite holiday so do any of these parks have a really special or unique way to celebrate the 4th? 
 

alright I think I’ve asked enough questions. I’m looking forward to the responses. Thank you all in advance! 

[pryonisys]

If you're doing Kennywood, Darien Lake and Cedar Point, I'd recommend a few hours at Waldameer.
It wouldn't be to far off your route it seems and you don't have to pay to park or enter the park.  If you choose to do everything at Waldameer and hit it on a calm day you could probably be done in a few hours.  I know I've done the whole water park in about 35 minutes on a slow day.
You can choose to pay for what you want to ride and if you need a break from the car Presque Isle is right there and has some great Lake Erie beaches.

Darien Lake is typically a half day park if you are only doing the dry side, it's been years since I've done the water park, just be careful to try to avoid a concert day unless you want extended waits, they only have one train for all of the roller coasters (except Tantrum).

[JohnB]

Thanks for the suggestion. Waldameer looks old school, the kind of parks I like. 

[PeggedSole]

Some smaller parks you might be interested in:

Between SF over GA and Dollywood is a small/old amusement park "Lake Winnepesaukah" you might like?  Fun Spot Atlanta isn't too far from SF over GA.  It might be worth a quick stop to ride the AirieForce RMC coaster if you're in the area.  If passing through KY, you might want to briefly hit Beech Bend (Kentucky Rumbler coaster)?  When driving through PA, maybe short stops at Lakemont and Dorney?  (Waldameer was already mentioned).  Quassy and  Lake Compounce in CT?  

[prozach626]

The only Six Flags parks I would keep are Great Adventure (reluctantly) and Georgia. Kentucky Kingdom really isn't that great. You're not missing anything by skipping it. Dump those and spend time at other parks. Or, break up the monotony and see a few other things along the way.

[Dunlaopeeker]

It's one of those places where you can have a blast without breaking the bank, which is always a plus in my book. And yeah, hitting it on a quiet day means you can breeze through everything pretty quickly. As for Darien Lake, I totally agree about avoiding concert days if you're not into waiting forever in lines.