Seeking a Thrill: 7 Great Amusement Parks with Nearby Campgrounds

Theme parks and campgrounds are a perfect pairing for family activities. Imagine spending
all day speeding around in rollercoasters, flying down a towering waterslide,
or showing the world of Planet Snoopy to your children, then being able to
keep the family bonding time going by roasting marshmallows and watching the
stars above. Here are just a few suggestions for you to enjoy the
theme-park-campground combination.

Knotts Berry Farm,
Buena Park, California

Knotts Berry Farm really did start as a
berry farm, but is now 160 acres of rollercoasters, water rides and family
entertainment. The park has five themed areas including Ghost Town, Fiesta
Village, The Boardwalk, Camp Snoopy and Indian Trails. Best of all, it’s less
expensive than nearby Disney World. The park’s largest attraction is GhostRider,
a wooden roller coaster that takes riders on a thrill ride through a
mine.

Cedar
Point, Sandusky, Ohio

Cedar Point, located on a mile-long
stretch of beach property on Lake Erie, calls itself the roller coaster
capital of the world. It has 17 roller coasters, including Millennium Force,
voted best steel roller coaster in the world, and kid-sized coasters. It also
includes a waterpark, live entertainment, and a Dinosaurs Alive exhibit,
which features more than 50 life-sized animatronic
dinosaurs.

Mt.
Olympus Water and Theme Park, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Mt.
Olympus, the world’s largest theme park and water park resort, has four areas
including Zeus’ Playground, Neptune’s Water Kingdom, The Parthenon, and
Medusa’s Indoor Waterpark. The outdoor park has 44 slides and water rides,
five rollercoasters and eight go-kart tracks, plus golfing in the fall and
skiing and tubing in the winter. The indoor park has water slides, go-karts
and other attractions
year-round.

Schlitterbahn
Waterpark, Kansas City, Mo.

The Schlitterbahn Waterpark in
Kansas City is home to the brand new, world’s tallest waterslide called
Verruckt (German for “crazy”). This 168 ft. 7 in. tower gives riders a thrill
of their lives while strapped into a three-person raft. The waterpark also
offers a mile-long, interconnected river, water coasters, 13 mini slides, and
a beach with private cabanas, heated pool and swim-up refreshment
bar.

Hersheypark,
Hershey, Pa.

Originally founded as a leisure park for the
employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company, Hersheypark now includes roller
coasters, water rides, and other family rides from mild to wild. Signs at
each ride entrance let you know if a ride is right for you based on your
brand (i.e. height). Brands include Jolly rancher (over 60 inches tall),
Twizzlers, Hershey’s, Reece’s, Hershey’s Kiss, and Miniatures (kiddie
rides).

Busch
Gardens, Tampa, Fla.

Busch Gardens is a 19th century
African-themed animal theme park and zoo with a tropical landscape and more
than 12,000 animals! The park offers thrill rides, live shows, and exclusive
park experiences including a Serengeti Safari—a trek across the wild African
Plain in an open-air touring vehicle, where you can get up close to exotic
animals and feed some by hand.