Theme Parks/Amusement Parks

Especially for families, amusement parks the world over are a big part of vacations. Cutting-edge and old-fashioned, corporate behemoths to modest mom-and-pops - that's our focus here.

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Busch Gardens in ´6 of Virginia´s Top Destinations´

BuschGardens.com Just five miles southeast of Colonial Williamsburg (see below), this 42-acre amusement park is divided into ten “villages” inspired by a a half dozen European countries/cultures. Just a sampling: in Banbury Cross (representing England,), you can catch a show in a replica of Shakespeare´s Globe Theatre. Aquitaine, themed after Belle-Époque France, has among other things the Griffon roller coaster, with a 205-foot drop and speeds up to 75 miles per hour. Down beer and Teutonic…

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4 of the world´s top roller coasters

If you're an amusement park geek, you've probably mused at some point about what makes one roller coaster better than others. You've tried to answer this question logically with various rankings and lists, but they just don't gel, because roller coasters are very subjective. Two coaster enthusiasts could experience the same ride and come away with entirely different opinions on its quality. So how do we really know what the best roller coaster in the world is? read post

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Walt Disney World in 'Travel Companies Taking the Lead in Environmental Protection'

As Daniel and Martha Everett and their two children enjoyed a trip to Florida's Walt Disney World, their focus was on entertainment and excitement rather than the environment. And when Barbara and Andy Allen checked into a Boston hotel, they wanted to fit as many sights as possible into their two-day visit. They gave little thought to how their stay might impact the ecosystem. But...read post

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The past comes vibrantly to life in Williamsburg, Virginia

Humberto Moreno Actual historical figures played parts in the fascinating tableau that makes Colonial Williamsburg - Virginia's first capital, located just under an hour from current state capital Richmond - a perfect place to relive pages from the past. Presentations by authentically attired re-enactors, tours led by factually based characters and a wide variety of other interpretive programs combine to involve visitors in the interest, information and fun. Williamsburg’s meticulously…

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Maria de los Angeles October 10, 2025 at 7:41am

Travel+Leisure´s list of the world´s top theme and amusement parks mentions all the usual suspects, of course, but also includes a few you may never have heard of: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/amusement-parks/best-a...
Jorge Carlos Tejada Sobrino October 6, 2025 at 11:52am

The recent news that Disney is planning to open its latest and most cutting edge park in Abu Dhabi underscores how the emirate is becoming a theme park "power" soon to rival Orlando: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/20/travel/abu-dhabi-world-theme-par...

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/20/travel/abu-dhabi-world-theme-park-capital?cid=ios_app
Helen Brown September 30, 2025 at 6:06pm

South Africa has so much else going for it, you probably wouldn´t think of it in terms of amusement parks - but it turns out there are some pretty cool ones here, too! https://travelnoire.com/south-africas-best-theme-parks-that-are-wor...

South Africa's Best Theme Parks - Travel Noire
David Paul Appell December 31, 2024 at 11:40am

Now this theme park in Romania is (literally) deeply cool! https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/europe-indus...

See relics of Europe’s industrial past reimagined as amusement parks

Human activities have scarred the landscape in ways that could take decades or even centuries to repair, but some have found promise in the destructi…
Ken Kok Lee December 7, 2023 at 10:40am

Parks themed around the Buddhist concept of hell are a thing across Asia, and this National Geographic article explains them, with Singapore´s very own Haw Par Villa prominently featured: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/buddhist-hell-par...

Open a portal to the underworld at these Buddhist ‘hell parks’

Found across Asia, these popular theme parks began as temple gardens that warned visitors of Buddhism’s many levels of hell—and the gruesome fates th…
José Balido July 28, 2023 at 11:26pm

I visited Dollywood many years ago to write a travel article, so I was interested to read this review from a first-time visitor: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/theme-parks/2023/05...
Barbara Necker March 11, 2023 at 12:06pm

Are you a U.S. rollercoaster fan? Might want to have a read of USA Today's preview of a dozen anticipated coasters opening across the country this year: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/theme-park...

'A really exciting time': 12 of the most anticipated new roller coasters opening in 2023

Serious roller coaster fans plan whole trips around new rides, but even casual theme park visitors can appreciate these 12 coming attractions.
Helen Brown February 17, 2023 at 11:00am

Wow, the Caribbean's first theme park, called Katmandu, is set to open in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, next month! https://www.travelandleisure.com/katmandu-punta-cana-opening-date-d...

The First Theme Park in the Caribbean Announces Opening Date, Details on Rides

The world’s first theme park in the Caribbean, Katmandu Park Punta Cana, will open on March 15, 2023.
Jordan Simon January 8, 2023 at 12:35pm

An LA Times look at Universal Studios' Super Ninendo World, opening next month as the first major video-game-driven land in a U.S. theme park (a larger one opened last year at Universal Japan): https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-12-29/univers...

First look: Universal Studios Hollywood powers up with Super Nintendo World

Universal Studios Hollywood's Super Nintendo World -- home to the ride Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge -- promises to be the most interactive theme pa…
Max Pesling November 2, 2022 at 10:35am

The world's newest theme park has opened east of Nagoya City, Japan - by train, less than two hours north of Tokyo and less than an hour from Osaka and Kyoto. But Ghibli Park is fairly narrow in its focus on the animated movies and series of Ghibli Studios, and it has no rides, but is rather a 17½-acre indoor indoor "town" filled with streets, exhibits and famous scenes from Studio Ghibli's films including Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ghibli-park-japan-opens/inde...

Japan's long-awaited Ghibli Park is now open

Japan's new Ghibli Park features scenes from the popular animation studio's famous productions, including 'Totoro" and "Spirited Away." Here's a firs…