GoCampingAmerica.com | Posted July 6th,
    2014

    Seeking a Thrill: 7 Great Amusement
    Parks with Nearby Campgrounds

    Happy Camper Blog

    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.