Top 10 Theme Parks

What better way to rekindle your youth than to spend the day at a park whose theme had a place in everyone’s childhood? As the name suggests, this string of parks is an incredible showcase of one of the world’s most popular toy brands, which features family-friendly attractions, educational stations and scaled-down replicas of the world’s greatest city skylines. With a handful of locations currently in operation and more on the way, this growing chain of parks may reach heights that surpass the skyscrapers its miniatures are based on.

Think there’s nothing to do in the Midwestern U.S.? Think again! At this location of the family-held and run water-park chain, guests can experience a fun-filled wet day under the sun with its excellent balance of child-friendly areas, wave pools, and thrilling waterslides. The signature attraction here is the Verrückt, which – when it opened – was the tallest and fastest waterslide in the world, with a height of 168’7” that’s taller than even Niagara Falls – sure, it’s not as wide or as wet, but it’s a heckuva lot bigger and more fun to ride!

Want to see the four corners of the globe without the hefty assault to your savings? Then head to Florida and experience this one-of-a-kind theme-park. An acronym for: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, Epcot opened in 1982 as Disney World’s second theme-park, with the idea of celebrating the breakthroughs and heights of the human spirit through technology and culture – almost like a perpetual world’s fair. Double the size of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot is an exciting collection of worlds within a single province as well as a gorgeously designed realm of the future.

Orlando isn’t the only theme-park hot-spot in Florida; at this 335-acre domain, guests are greeted by the cultures and environments of some Africa’s greatest nations, within the framework of a theme-park. That’s in contrast to its sister park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which focuses on Europe in the days of yore. Operated by SeaWorld Entertainment, Busch Gardens Tampa has expanded and evolved significantly since its 1959 opening. Today, it’s one of the 25 most-visited amusement parks around the globe thanks to its exotic sites, animal attractions and thrill rides.

Disney’s parks are world-renowned for their emphasis on family-friendly fun and theming, and this park has taken that business-model to the next level. With the theme of oceanic discovery and adventure in mind, designing this maritime wonder was no walk-in-the-park – pun intended. Costing an estimated US$4-billion, Tokyo DisneySea was the costliest theme-park ever built. But that investment paid off in the form of fantastic lands and attractions that have made Tokyo DisneySea one of the top five most visited theme-parks in the world since its 2001 inauguration.

Live the adventure at this action-dominated thrill seeker’s paradise! Opened in the summer of 1999, Universal’s second project at their Florida resort was built with the adrenaline junkie in mind, and it’s now equipped with such pop-culture themed gems as: Marvel Super Hero Island, Jurassic Park and, of course, a journey featuring everyone’s favorite group of wizards and witches. Having recently added and expanded the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” this park continues to live up beautifully to the adventure mind-frame it was founded upon.

#4: Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson, New Jersey, USA

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Top 10 Bizarre Theme Parks

Islands of Adventure may be home to the best movie-thrills, but it’s in our #4 pick where you’ll find the simple but truly heart-pounding attractions that will leave you breathless the while car-ride home – and beyond. In 2012, Six Flags merged its Great Adventure Park with its Wild Safari animal park to create the world’s biggest amusement park, known as Great Adventure & Safari park. Emphasizing themes and thrills, it boasts over 50 rides, including Kingda Ka, the world’s tallest roller-coaster and Zumanjaro, the world’s tallest drop-tower attraction. Talk about exciting!

Home to a world-record 72 rides, this 364-acre peninsula-slash-theme-park bears the slogan “Roller Coaster Capital of the World,” as it houses a total of 16, making it the theme-park with the third-largest coaster collection. A remarkable tour-de-force with attractions opening or updated annually, Cedar Point has consistently garnered Amusement Today’s Golden-Ticket award for “Best Amusement Park in the World.” Only one other operating U.S. theme-park has been open longer than Cedar Point, as it opened its doors in 1870, and today some of its buildings are even represented on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jump into the action at Universal’s first venture outside its original Hollywood studio and theme-park. Taking cues from its LA sister park and opened in 1990, Universal Studios Florida has likewise thrived on the company’s signature style of constructing innovative and thrilling attractions based on contemporary films and TV shows. Partnering with rival movie-studios and directors, the park also saw the opening of attractions from media outside the Universal banner, including the interactive “Men in Black: Alien Attack,” “Shrek 4D” and “The Simpsons Ride.” Before we take a ride at our top theme park, here are a few honorable mentions: - Efteling Kaatsheuvel, North Brabant, Netherlands - Europa-Park Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany - Dollywood Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA - Disney’s Blizzard Beach Bay Lake, Florida, USA - Alton Towers Resort Alton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Be a guest at not only the world’s most visited amusement park, but also the “most magical place on Earth.” Opened in 1971 to rival Anaheim’s Disneyland operation, the Magic Kingdom may not be the largest Disney park, but it remains one of the more well-rounded and beloved of all the Disney theme-parks, with its variety of both family-friendly and thrill-seeker attractions that feature everyone’s favorite characters. Having recently given its Fantasyland domain a fanciful refashioning, the Magic Kingdom will continue to live up to the Disney name, as well as its own. Do you agree with our list? With dozens of other parks out there, we’re sure we missed some of your favorites; which theme-park has you keeping their turnstiles turning? For more exciting Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com!