The Top 5 Best Amusement Parks in America
After a difficult two years, reports paint a picture of a promising recovery for the amusement park industry in 2022. Amusement parks across the country are seeing early increases in revenue and higher season-pass sales, or, at the very least, anticipating higher attendance than usual. Summer is already well underway, but after crippling shutdowns in 2020 and an uneasy return in 2021 marked by unexpected supply-chain and staffing issues, the most competitive parks in the country need to squeeze every bit of revenue they can out of the season.
We’re taking a look at The Best Amusement Parks In America, according to over 3,000 Ranker fans, and using Ranker Insights to evaluate what kind of visitors each park is effectively attracting, then using that information to suggest ways the parks might expand their reach and maximize their summer 2022 profits.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
#1: Cedar Point — Sandusky, Ohio
Located an hour west of Cleveland on a peninsula of Lake Eerie, Ohio’s Cedar Point is the flagship location of theme park chain Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. The park is widely renowned for its roller coasters, a fact that’s reflected by its #1 ranking not only on this list, but also on our list of The Best Theme Parks For Roller Coaster Junkies (12K votes). In addition, the #1, #2, and #5 coasters on Ranker’s list of The Best Roller Coasters In The World (20K votes) all belong to Cedar Point: Steel Vengeance, Maverick, and Millennium Force, respectively.
Ranker data suggests that, as popular as Cedar Point is, one demographic doesn’t rank the park quite as highly: young people. Cedar Point’s fan base tends to skew older, according to the results of our list, with people over 50 voting for it in higher numbers than any other age group, while those under 30 name Universal Studios Florida as their #1 choice. Social media campaigns centered on coasters like Steel Vengeance directed at young people outside the Midwest could do a lot to introduce this legendary theme park to a younger generation of thrill-seekers.
Photo: Flickr/Shane Adams
#2: Silver Dollar City — Branson, Missouri
The 1880s-themed amusement park Silver Dollar City is renowned as a wholesome destination for family-friendly vacations. The park has a great reputation with Ranker voters, with 87% of all votes cast for Silver Dollar City across Ranker indicating positive sentiment. But the theme park is just 20 minutes outside of Branson, MO, a city that doesn’t enjoy the same popularity with our readership: Branson is sitting in the bottom 12% of our list of The Best US Cities For Vacations (50K votes), ranked #232 out of a total 263 cities. Branson’s tourism board might consider more prominently featuring Silver Dollar City in the final months of summer to improve its status as a vacation destination and drive revenue to both the city and park.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
#3: Kings Island — Mason, Ohio
Taking the #3 spot on this list is impressive enough, but Kings Island is also ranked #2 on The Best Theme Parks For Roller Coaster Junkies, where it sits behind Cedar Point. At Kings Island, also based in Ohio, the most popular coaster is Diamondback (at least it is according to voters on The Best Roller Coasters In The World, who rank it #7), which has a max speed of 80 mph and a 215-foot drop.
Like those who love Cedar Point, fans of Kings Island seem to be proud Midwesterners: besides Kings Island, they’re more likely to love Cedar Point than any other park. It’s the #2 ranked theme park among voters who live in the Midwest. Fans are even 2X more likely than the average Ranker reader to vote up Chicago native Kanye West on our list of The Greatest Rappers Of All Time. As with Cedar Point, Kings Island should be reaching out to thrill-seekers outside the Midwest, drawing adrenaline junkies from across the country who are looking for more than what family-friendly theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios can offer.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
#4: Universal Studios Florida — Orlando, Florida
One of Universal Studios’ two tremendously popular theme parks, Universal Studios Florida doesn’t have the youth problem some locations on this Top 5 deal with: it’s the #1 ranked amusement park among voters under 30. That could be because it’s got themed rides and parks with a strong appeal to millennials and Gen Z, like the Minions and Harry Potter. It’s also the #1 choice among women who voted on our list, and tops the list for voters in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, and Kentucky. Its broad geographical appeal is affirmed by its #6 ranking on our list of Best Family Vacation Destinations (3.5K votes) — that’s one spot behind the city of Tokyo, Japan, and one spot ahead of the city of Dublin, Ireland.
The biggest problem for Universal Studios Florida appears to be the people in its home state, another thing that separates it from parks like Cedar Point and Kings Island. Universal’s Florida location is #6 among Floridians, behind not only Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot, but also out-of-town competitors like Coney Island. Considering the park’s appeal to younger attendees and the fact that Florida has one of the oldest populations of any state in the country, this makes a good deal of sense. To appeal to older customers in Florida, Universal Studios could promote rides featuring IP that baby boomers might recognize, like its E.T. Adventure and Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
