California is loaded with amusement and theme parks. The state is home to almost every major
US theme park chain. You have two Disney parks, the original Universal park, two Six Flags
parks, three Cedar Fair parks, a SeaWorld park, a Legoland park, and several independent
parks. And I have had the opportunity to visit almost all of these parks. So in this video,
I will countdown my top 15 favorite amusement parks I have personally visited in California.
Before starting, I need to note the one that I have yet to visit in Gilroy Gardens. When
I was in California for an internship, I couldn’t find a way to get to Gilroy Gardens using
public transit. And on my return trips to the Bay Area, Gilroy Gardens was closed for
the season. The park looks beautiful and I hope to make it there someday.
I also want to note that I will be ranking the parks overall and also providing a sub-ranking
on four key categories- roller coasters, non-coasters, atmosphere, and operations.
15) Oakland Zoo in Oakland- This is mostly a zoo, but they do have a small amusement
area called Adventure Landing. Unfortunately, the Tiger Trek kiddie coaster was closed the
day I visited and none of the other rides were appealing to me. As for the zoo, it was
pretty average with a large assortment of animals.
14) Adventure City in Anaheim- This children’s park is adorable. The park has all sorts of
rides themed to transportation and construction. The park is extremely small though at just
2 acres in size so the ride lineup is understandably limited. But for coaster enthusiasts, you
have Rewind Racers, a family shuttle coaster, and Freeway Coaster, a Miler kiddie coaster
that goes over a tree branch. And if you’re a card carrying coaster enthusiast, you get
discounted admission. I have a separate review on this park if you want to learn more.
13) Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier- This is one of the most iconic parks out there.
However, the park is more famous for the beach and pier that it is located on. Like Adventure
City, Pacific Park is extremely small. But the lively atmosphere from the pier carries
over into the park and the park looks great at night with all the lights. The park has
a few interesting flats, including a Gyro Loop, but the star here is West Coaster, a
Morgan coaster that circles the whole park. And if you ride in the back, you get some
airtime on the two largest drops. The rest of the ride lineup consists of some basic
flat rides. 12) Belmont Park in San Diego- This is another
seaside park with a great atmosphere, as the park feeds off of Mission Bay area. This is
yet another park hamstrung by its small size, as Belmont Park only has a limited ride offering.
Giant Dipper is a historic wooden roller coaster, but it’s unfortunately rather rough. The
best attractions here are a trio of thrilling flats in Control Freak, which is a gyro loop,
the Octotron Chance unicoaster, and the Beach Blaster frisbee. Then you have a few family
entertainment center style offerings scattered about like arcades, mini golf, and a ropes
course. 11) Scandia in Ontario- This park closed in
early 2019, but it was an interesting place. The park had some great miniature golf courses
and a small, but solid amusement ride lineup. The highlight was Scandia Screamer, but it
was a royal pain to ride. The ride had a minimum rider limit and there were barely enough people
in the park to satisfy it, but thankfully I rode this supersized Miler coaster and was
treated to some shockingly strong airtime. The park also had some great flats including
an ARM drop tower and a bizarre screamin’ swing.
10) Legoland California in Carlsbad- The original Legoland is the best one in my opinion. It’s
among the larger parks in the chain, so each themed area has plenty of space for rides
and decorations. The Lego theming is fantastic in the themed lands and then you have Miniland
USA to showcase some of the most detailed Lego models ever created. In terms of rides,
a majority of the attractions are meant for kids and families, but there are quite a few
I enjoy. I love the Ninjago dark ride with the hand-based controls, even though it does
have a learning curve. The Submarine Adventure dark ride is cool too, mixing animals and
Legos characters. You also have some roller coasters. Nothing too wild, but my favorite
is the Dragon because of the medieval themed dark ride section preceding the outdoor coaster
segment. But the most thrilling ride here is Knights Tournamnet, the Kuka robot arm.
If you choose the highest setting, you can invert well over a dozen times on one of the
craziest flat rides in America. Many of the signature rides at this park do not have the
best capacities, but the staff loads them as quickly as possible and they’re super
friendly. 9) Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo-
This should be one of the best parks in the Six Flags chain. It has a major advantage
of having an extensive zoo in addition to the rides. But this park is held back by some
poor operations. Most of my visits have been defined by slow dispatches, one train operations,
and ride closures. Which is a shame because I really like the ride lineup here. Joker
is an underrated RMC with some powerful airtime and two of my favorite elements anywhere with
that twisting first drop and the zero-G stall. Medusa is one of the best floorless coasters
with the airtime on the first drop and the seven forceful inversions. Flash Vertical
Velocity is a unique impulse coaster with an inline twist on the forward spike. The
other coasters are clones of varying quality. Superman, the Premier Sky Rocket II, and Batman
the Ride, the S&S free spin, are two I enjoy. But the other coasters tend to be rough. For
non-coasters, you have a few decent flats like the Wonder Woman Giant Frisbee, but the
animal exhibits and shows are the most notable attraction once you get past the coasters.
This is another park I have a separate review on if you want to hear more.
8) Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz- This is a fantastic beachside amusement park.
The views of the beach are beautiful and the park has a lively atmosphere. This park is
extremely well taken care of and there are a ton of rides packed into this park. This
park is also home to a Giant Dipper, except this one is smooth and filled with some nice
airtime. You also have a solid Maurer spinner in Undertow that has some enjoyable elements
like the first drop and horseshoe turn. But this park especially excels in the non-coaster
department. This park has two dark rides in Haunted Castle and Cave Train Adventure that
are quite good for a regional park. There’s also a log flume with a different layout and
a decent drop at the end. And then you have an extensive flat ride collection with rides
that are both new and old. The best is the classic carousel with the brass rings, but
you also have a thrilling indoor Huss breakdance called Wipeout, an S&S double shot that provides
great views, and a forceful KMG Fireball frisbee with some good airtime.
7) Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles- The original Universal park has a very odd
set-up. The park is separated into two halves. You have the Upper Lot atop the hill. And
then you have the Lower Lot a good 200 feet below you at the bottom of the hill. Plus
this one is actually a movie studio, which is why the best ride may be the World Famous
Studio Tram Tour, which is an hour long journey through the backlot with several ride showscenes
like King Kong and Fast and Furious. But you also have several other attractions you can
find at other Universal parks. The Wizarding World section is the park’s best themed
area and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is just as great. I love how this dark ride
blends physical sets, screens, and the Kuka robot arm to provide a wild and visually stunning
adventure. You also have other favorites like the Simpsons Ride motion simulator and Transformers
the Ride motion simulator dark ride. You can also find Revenge of the Mummy here, except
this one has a much different layout than the others with a longer backwards section.
This park also rethemed their Jurassic Park River Adventrue to Jurassic World. While I
haven’t ridden the latter, I always loved River Adventure for its sets and thrilling
drop at the end. Last but not least, this park has some great shows such as Waterworld.
6) SeaWorld San Diego in San Diego- This is the most underrated park in the SeaWorld chain.
The park has to get creative because of their height and education restrictions, but the
ride lineup is solid. Manta is a fantastic Mack multi-launch coaster with several nice
pops of airtime. Electric Eel is a fun Premier Rides Sky Rocket II with some thrilling elements.
Then Journey to Atlantis and Shipwreck Rapids are potential soakers that are refreshing
on hot days. The park’s ride lineup is limited beyond that with just a few other flat rides,
but the park supplements these rides with a bevy of animal exhibits and shows. All of
the exhibits are extremely well landscaped and the shows are quite entertaining. I have
a separate review on this park as well if you want to hear more.
5) California’s Great America in Santa Clara- This Cedar Fair park improved significantly
over the past decade, as it received its two best attractions. RailBlazer is a thrilling
RMC Raptor with perfect pacing and some aggressive airtime moments. Gold Striker was a bit shaky
when I last rode it in 2018, but it has a fast-paced layout with lots of airtime pops.
These supplemented some of the older rides like Flight Deck, which is a short but intense
B&M invert. The rest of the coaster lineup is ok at best, but the park has some good
non-coasters like the soaking Rip Roaring Rapids, the snappable Flying Eagles flying
scooters, and the thrilling Intamin Drop Tower. And the park looks great. It may not have
much in terms of theming, but the park is very clean and well-taken care of. Operations
as a whole are pretty good at this park, but there are a few rides that have inherently
low capacities or routinely run just one train. 4) Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park- This
is one of the best Cedar Fair parks. It’s definitely the chain’s best themed park.
The Ghost Town area in particular stands out and feels like something you’d see at a
Herschend park like Silver Dollar City. The other areas don’t have the same level of
theming, but they’re clean and have a pleasant atmosphere. And this park compliments the
looks with an impressive ride lineup. Knott’s has the second best coaster lineup in the
state. GhostRider is one of the best wooden coasters in the world with its pacing, but
you also have some good steel coasters like Xcelerator, Silver Bullet, and Hangtime. Sierra
Sidewinder and Montezooma’s Revenge are good too. For
non-coasters, you have Timber Mountain Log Ride, Calico River Rapids, two dark rides,
and some decent flats. Operations at this park can be slow, especially on GhostRider,
which can be problematic for the crowd levels this park gets. And don’t miss the chicken
dinner restaurant. That’s the reason this park even exists and the food is delicious.
3) Disney California Adventure in Anaheim- The second gate at the Disneyland resort is
often overshadowed by the original park, but it’s a really strong park. California Adventure
is loaded with E-ticket attractions, many of which you can only find here. Cars Land
is the best area with the shops and giant façade. The anchor of this land- Radiator
Springs Racers- is one of the best rides in the world with the dark ride and high speed
segment. Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout is the world’s best drop tower and I like
it more than Tower of Terror because of the more chaotic ride program. The most iconic
ride at this park is Incredicoaster. This Intamin launch coaster is one of the longest
coasters in the world with several drops, turns, and a forceful vertical loop. Grizzly
River Run is a great river rapids ride with two soaking drop.s You also have some dark
rides you can find elsewhere like the Little Mermaid, Soarin’, and Toy Story Mania. At
night you have World of Color and the park has incredible operations like any Disney
park. I have a separate review on this park if you want to learn more.
2) Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia- This park not only has the best coaster lineup
in California, but it has one of the best coaster lineups in the world. For me, it trails
just Cedar Point. The highlight is Twisted Colossus, the RMC hybrid loaded with airtime.
And if you’re lucky, you will duel. X2 is one of the craziest coasters in the world
with a vertical drop, forceful inversions, and flipping seats. Tatsu is one of the best
flying coasters in the world with a great setting and one of the most intense elements
in the world in that giant pretzel loop. West Coast Racers is a fun dueling coaster with
countless near misses. Full Throttle is a unique launch coaster with a picturesque top
hat. Superman and Goliath are there if you crave height and speed. Apocalypse was recently
retracked so it’s a smooth, fast-paced GCI. And then you have several looping coasters
and family coasters that round out the coaster lineup. The non-coaster lineup is strong too.
Lex Luthor is one of the best drop towers with its sheer size. CraZanity is a giant
frisbee with some decent airtime. Justice League Battle for Metropolis is a fun shooting
dark ride that’s better than the other installations. And then you have Jet Stream and Roaring Rapids
on a hot day. The park does have weaknesses beyond the rides though. I love the park’s
365 day operations, but you will likely find multiple rides closed each visit with no refurbishment
calendar. The park is also tricky to navigate with the central hill and sheer size. The
park is working to improve its overall appearance as each new addition is coming with a revamp
to that general area. 1) Disneyland in Anaheim- This is not only
my favorite park in California, but it is also my favorite park in the world. There
is just something magical about this place. I have a separate review on this park, but
I love the elaborately themed lands and how dense this ride lineup is. It has the most
rides of any Disney park and you get the same high-quality attractions. Star Wars Rise of
the Resistance is one of the best rides in the world. This ground-breaking trackless
dark ride is a royal pain to ride with the boarding passes, but it’s worth all the
hassle for the immersion and visuals. Indiana Jones Adventure is a rowdy adventure based
on one of my favorite films with some thrills and grand set pieces. Splash Mountain is the
best log flume in the world with an extensive show scene, infectious soundtrack, and thrilling
drops. For coasters, you have a trio of mountains. Space Mountain is a pitch-black coaster with
some thrilling laterals. And then both the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Big Thunder Mountain
have sudden turns and quick drops while weaving through beautiful mountains. You also have
some classic dark rides such as Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It’s a Small
World that will never get old. Fantasyland is also home to several classic dark rides
that have been plussed over the years. And then there are several other great rides I’m
not mentioning. This park is a haven for dark ride enthusiasts. For shows you have fireworks,
parades, and Fantasmic. The latter is my favorite show anywhere with its music, effects, and
character appearances. Disneyland has top notch customer service and operations. The
park can feel crowded with its size and popularity, but MaxPass and single rider lines can help
you avoid any major waits. So those are my top 15 favorite amusement
and theme parks in California. What is your favorite park in California or what do you
think about any of the parks in the Golden State? I would love to hear your thoughts
down in the comments below. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if you
gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more
roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!