From younger youngsters stepping by way of the gates for the primary time donning a “First Go to” button to curler coaster fans wanting so as to add a couple of extra rides to their coaster rely, California’s theme parks have one thing for everybody. Many are clustered in sunny Southern California, however you will additionally discover some gems as you head north.
This record is hardly exhaustive, nevertheless it ought to offer you an concept of the range California’s theme parks have to supply. Throughout your subsequent go to to the Golden State, add one or two of those theme parks to your record for an thrilling day of rides, characters and an entire lot of guffaws.
Disneyland
Location: Anaheim
Value: Tickets begin at $104 plus tax for a one-day ticket for adults and $98 for youngsters ages 3 to 9. Kids ages 2 and beneath are free.
Highlights: Whether or not you might be charmed by basic Disney points of interest like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, otherwise you favor the magic of a galaxy far, far-off, all your favourite characters and tales are on show at Disneyland. Disneyland spans about 500 acres, together with two theme parks — Disneyland Park and Disney California Journey — and three on-site resorts.
Youthful youngsters will benefit from the out of doors play areas, Mickey and Minnie meet-and-greets and kid-friendly rides within the not too long ago refurbished Mickey’s Toontown. Older youngsters can group up with their favourite Marvel superheroes at Avengers Campus or be a part of the Resistance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
When you time your journey proper, you may go to throughout one in every of Disneyland’s annual festivals or particular occasions, just like the after-hours Oogie Boogie Bash at Halloween or the park’s festive vacation celebrations.
Knott’s Berry Farm
Location: Buena Park
Value: A one-day ticket begins at $60 plus tax. Kids 2 and youthful can enter the park totally free.
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Highlights: Knott’s Berry Farm has a singular historical past that’s nonetheless represented within the park in the present day. Knott’s started as a berry farm (therefore the identify) within the early 1900s, finally including points of interest like a prepare trip and a ghost city to maintain prospects coming by way of the gates. You may nonetheless trip the Calico Railroad and go to the park’s Calico Ghost City in the present day, however Knott’s now has 4 themed lands with a mixture of family-friendly rides and thrilling coasters. Foodies will need to go to in the course of the park’s annual Boysenberry Pageant, when you will get just about any meals or drink you may consider with a boysenberry twist.
Legoland California
Location: Carlsbad
Value: A one-day ticket begins at $89. Kids ages 2 and youthful get in free.
Highlights: Lego might promote its kits as being designed for youths ages 4 by way of 99, however Legoland California theme park was constructed only for youngsters. The park’s rides, actions and play areas have been made particularly for youths ages 2 by way of 12, together with a couple of not-so-scary curler coasters and interactive rides like a submarine treasure hunt, a driving college and an Egyptian treasure hunt. Legoland can be house to the Sea Life Aquarium and the Legoland Water Park, although you will seemingly want a number of days to do all three. Legoland’s two on-site resorts even have immersive Lego theming and enjoyable surprises like an in-room scavenger hunt and nightly leisure.
Common Studios Hollywood
Location: Hollywood
Value: A one-day ticket begins at $109. Kids 2 years or youthful can enter totally free.
Highlights: Think about flying over Hogwarts with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Or being caught in a fierce standoff between a Tyrannosaurus rex and an Indominus rex. Or becoming a member of Mario and Luigi to face off in opposition to Bowser in a Mario Kart race. You are able to do all of it — and rather more — at Common Studios Hollywood. Not solely are you able to be a part of your favourite film and online game characters on their adventures, however you may as well see how films are made on the behind-the-scenes Studio Tour, the park’s longest-running attraction. The Studio Tour takes company by way of 13 metropolis blocks of units and particular results from blockbuster movies like “Jaws,” “Jurassic World,” “Psycho” and extra. When you go to in the course of the Halloween season, you may expertise a darker aspect of Common throughout Halloween Horror Nights. The individually ticketed after-hours occasion consists of terrifying haunted homes and a spooky model of the world-famous Studio Tour.
Associated: The most effective resorts close to Common Studios Hollywood
Sesame Place San Diego
Location: San Diego
Value: A one-day ticket begins at $63. Kids beneath 3 can enter totally free.
Highlights: In case your preschooler cannot cease watching “Sesame Road,” they’ll go to the true factor at Sesame Place San Diego. You will not discover any wild coasters or towering drop rides right here, simply colourful characters, family-friendly rides and a life-sized, interactive model of the well-known 123 Sesame Road (you may knock on Oscar the Grouch’s trash can or ring Bert and Ernie’s doorbell for a shock). You should definitely pack your swimsuits as a result of there are water points of interest like slides, a wave pool, a splash playground and a lazy river positioned across the park. In case your youngsters cannot get sufficient of their favourite fuzzy characters, you may as well begin your day at breakfast with Elmo and his pals.
Kids’s Fairyland
Location: Oakland
Value: A one-day ticket begins at $16. Company beneath the age of 1 are free.
Highlights: Kids’s Fairyland is likely one of the nation’s oldest themed points of interest, predating Disneyland by 5 years. Kids’s Fairyland might have even offered a little bit of inspiration for Disneyland. The storybook-themed park has life-sized units from favourite childhood tales like “Alice in Wonderland, “Peter Pan” and extra. There are additionally pint-sized points of interest like a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round. Whenever you go to Kids’s Fairyland, you may pay $3 for a “Magic Key” that unlocks musical surprises on the storybook units all through the park.
SeaWorld San Diego
Location: San Diego
Value: A one-day ticket begins at $68. Kids ages 2 and beneath are free.
Highlights: SeaWorld San Diego is greater than a theme park. Sure, it has the tallest, quickest and longest dive coaster in California and the quickest and longest straddle coaster on the West Coast. Nonetheless, it additionally serves as a analysis, rescue and training facility for dozens of species of fish, marine mammals, birds, amphibians and extra. You may see many of those animals all through the park, however you may actually rise up shut and private by reserving a tour. SeaWorld gives quite a lot of excursions, together with a Rescue Tour, that mean you can be taught what it takes to look after these creatures and what you are able to do to assist guarantee their security within the wild. SeaWorld San Diego’s new Final VIP Tour helps you to benefit from the park’s rides with skip-the-line entry and customizable animal encounters primarily based on who you need to see most.
Gilroy Gardens
Location: Gilroy
Value: A one-day ticket is $50. Youngsters beneath 3 are free.
Highlights: When Gilroy Gardens claims to be the park the place “enjoyable grows on bushes,” they don’t seem to be simply being intelligent. This park is thought for its “circus bushes.” The branches and trunks of those actual bushes have been purposely formed and bent as they grew to create whimsical pure wonders. You may nonetheless see them all through the park, and there is even a duplicate circus tree play construction within the water park. The park additionally has greater than 40 family-friendly rides and points of interest — some, just like the Artichoke Dip and the Garlic Twirl, incorporate the park’s horticultural theme.
Backside line
Whether or not you search thrills or rides the entire household can take pleasure in, you will not have any downside discovering a theme park in California that feels prefer it was made only for you. Additionally, with so many theme parks to select from, you in all probability will not must journey far to seek out what you might be in search of.
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