These 3 California theme parks among best in America: report

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Published  October 7, 2024 10:32am PDT
FOX 11
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LOS ANGELES - When it comes to theme parks, California is home to many - Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and SeaWorld just to name a few. 

Three of the top 10 "must-visit" amusement parks in the U.S. are in California, according to a new report by Hello Millions.

More than 500 amusement parks across the U.S. were analyzed against seven factors including Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor ratings as well as TikTok posts with relevant hashtags. The study did not include Disney or Universal-owned theme parks.

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In California, three theme parks made the top 10 - Knott's Berry Farm (#4), SeaWorld San Diego (#9), and Six Flags Magic Mountain (#10).

"These findings highlight many amusement and water parks across America that are often in the shadow of Disney or Universal parks. The parks listed in this study offer different themes and atmospheres that can provide a unique experience compared to Disney or Universal," said Joerg Nottebaum with Hello Millions.

Nationwide, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio took the top spot as the best non-Disney/Universal theme park in America. More commonly known as "The Roller Coaster Capital of the World," the 364-acre park is known for its variety of tall and fast coasters as well as its next-door water park. 

Here's the full list of rankings along with their index scores:

  1. Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio)
  2. SeaWorld Orlando (Orlando, Florida)
  3. Kings Island (Mason, Ohio)
  4. Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, California)
  5. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay, Florida)
  6. Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
  7. Aquatica San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas)
  8. Dollywood's Splash County (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
  9. SeaWorld San Diego (San Diego, California)
  10. Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, California)