While Disney and Universal parks are typically the biggest crowd pleasers, thrillseekers focused on roller coasters are likely looking in other directions.
For quite some time as a young kid, roller coasters were only something to be fascinated by – not something to ride and experience myself.
First developing my interest on the iconic Little Dipper at the defunct Kiddieland in Melrose Park, Illinois, I wanted to know more and more about coasters as I got older and visited more parks, despite my developing fear for larger coasters.
The more I learned about rides, the more afraid I was of them – something that dominated my first visit to Six Flags Great America as a child in August 2003. After looking up how tall and fast these coasters were, I preferred to stay back and watch from afar.
That’s ultimately how things stayed for around seven years. I greatly enjoyed visiting theme parks and riding coasters that were under 100 feet in height, but anything that eclipsed triple digits seemed too scary for me to entertain the idea of getting on them.
Thankfully, that eventually changed during a visit to Six Flags Great America with my childhood best friend and his dad in June 2010, when I finally got on all of the rides that proved to be far too intimidating before – leading me to want to seek out as many roller coasters as possible.
In the years since, I’ve visited over a dozen theme parks and have gotten to ride nearly 100 roller coasters, experiencing a wide range of different rides at varying intensities that a younger version of myself likely could never imagine.
While there are still a good handful of notable amusement parks that I have yet to visit, I’ve come across four parks that stand on a tier above the rest – places that I would choose if I could only pick four parks to visit for the rest of my life.
After previously showcasing my Mount Rushmore of video game consoles, here’s a look at what it looks like for amusement parks:
1. Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
I mean, what else could possibly lead off this list?
Affectionately nicknamed “America’s Roller Coast,” Cedar Point sits on a picturesque peninsula that emerges past the city of Sandusky, Ohio and into Lake Erie, with water surrounding the massive theme park and water park on all sides.
Having long held a reputation for being at the forefront of thrills in the U.S. and the world, Cedar Point maintains one of the most stacked coaster lineups on the planet, containing several amazing rides that I experienced myself in past visits along with a handful I’d love to ride in the future.
Headlining the park’s current lineup is Steel Vengeance, the Rocky Mountain Construction conversion of an old wooden roller coaster that boasts a 90-degree drop, several inversions and a record amount of airtime for riders.
Of course, there’s still Millennium Force and Top Thrill 2 standing out as the tallest and fastest rides in the park, while Valravn also serves as a highlight – at least for myself as I’m still waiting to ride my first dive coaster.
For those that prefer older coasters, there is still plenty of that at Cedar Point as well – with the 62-year-old woodie Blue Streak leading the way in this regard. More casual enthusiasts also shouldn’t pass up Gemini – a racing steel coaster on a wooden structure that packs enough excitement to keep thrillseekers engaged while remaining lax enough to attract more of the general population.
2. Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)
Perhaps just as stacked as Cedar Point, Six Flags Magic Mountain, aptly nicknamed the “Thrill Capital of the World,” offers a wide range of thrills for the West Coast crowd that can’t exactly make it out to Ohio on a moment’s notice.
The park currently offers a lineup of 17 roller coasters, tied with Cedar Point and Canada’s Wonderland for having the second-most coasters of any amusement park in the world. While seen by some as a top-heavy lineup, Magic Mountain has plenty of offerings that can please those that aren’t into the most intense of rides as well.
Of course, when it comes to intensity, the park is not at all letting off the gas – leading the way with X2, regarded by many to be the most intense roller coaster on the planet – perhaps maybe just a bit too intense, as the coaster has been closed for much of this summer after a rider was reportedly unconscious following a ride in early July, sparking an investigation.
Admittedly, even I have skipped out on X2 on previous visits, knowing its routinely long lines would give me ample time to become anxious enough. Regardless, coasters such as Tatsu, The Riddler’s Revenge and Twisted Colossus provide more than enough thrills to keep the most fervent of the adrenaline junkies engaged.
The park does incredibly well at appealing to the general population as well, with rides like West Coast Racers, Scream and Apocalypse: The Ride offering exciting rides while not exactly making anyone feel like their death is imminent.
To add to the seemingly endless lineup of amazing coasters, Magic Mountain’s backdrop and setting is idyllic, with views of the surrounding landscape centered on the namesake Magic Mountain, located in the western San Gabriel mountains that are visible from the park.
With great weather, great views and great coasters, it’s hard to think of a much better atmosphere for a theme park.
3. Kings Island (Mason, Ohio)
Having visited this park on a family vacation in July 2002 when I was just six years old, Kings Island will always hold a special place in my heart, being the first location that I saw massive roller coasters with my own eyes at.
While my older sister, who was 13 at the time, was riding everything there was to ride in the park, including the infamous Son of Beast, I was mostly confined to the kids’ area sans a single ride on the iconic Racer, which stood out as the tallest roller coaster I rode as a young child.
Of course, this was 24 years ago – and the park has changed drastically since, which made a visit to the park in June 2024 all the more enjoyable.
Today, Kings Island’s lineup is headlined by a core group of five coasters – The Beast, the park’s signature coaster that is nestled within the woods of the back of the park, fellow woodie Mystic Timbers, Bolliger & Mabillard hypercoasters Diamondback and Orion and B&M invert Banshee, which stands out as one of the tallest and fastest coasters of its kind in the world.
Although I did miss out on Banshee on my latest visit, the other four aforementioned coasters alone made the park worth a visit, with a nighttime ride on The Beast being an absolute must for anybody who even remotely considers themselves a roller coaster enthusiast.
Excluding those coasters, there is still plenty offered at Kings Island, with The Bat, a suspended roller coaster, and Queen City Stunt Coaster, a family-oriented launched coaster standing out as the best of the rides that are more angled towards the general population.
Located not too far outside Cincinnati, those traveling from out-of-town have plenty of options to make a trip out of the visit, with my wife and I checking out a Reds game at Great American Ball Park during our time there.
4. Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Illinois)
I am obviously biased. This was my home park from my childhood all the way up until just last year, and it stands out as the place that I fell in love with roller coasters at.
With all that being said, it’s just a really fucking good amusement park with perhaps the most well-rounded coaster lineup one could find in the country.
If you’re visiting the park and are not one for the most thrilling and intense of rides, there is plenty at Great America to have a great time. In addition to the Whizzer, which is still perhaps the best family coaster in the country, rides like Viper, Demon and The Dark Knight Coaster are excellent options for those that are perhaps afraid of larger rides.
For more of the general population that enjoys coasters but won’t exactly seek out the most intense of thrills, offerings like the wing coaster X-Flight, historic woodie American Eagle and longtime crowd-pleaser Raging Bull are perfect for striking that delicate balance, mixing thrills and adrenaline with comfort and fun.
When it comes to the most intense of rides, Great America certainly doesn’t let its foot off the gas. There’s of course MaxxForce, with a 0-to-78 mph launch in under two seconds. There’s the RMC-built Goliath, with one of the more intimidating lift hills and drops one can find on any coaster, reaching speeds of 72 mph on an 85-degree plunge. I also couldn’t possibly forget Wrath of Rakshasa the dive coaster new to the park for 2025 that I have yet to ride, with that coaster sending riders on a beyond-vertical 96-degree drop of 171 feet.
Sure, this park won’t turn many heads for its scenery, and the weather can be anywhere from incredibly unpleasant to downright disastrous. But if you happen to be at the park on a nice day, there just aren’t many places that can top what Great America has to offer.
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