8 quirky US theme parks you have to see to believe
If we were playing a word association game and I said "theme park," you'd probably respond with "Disney World" or "Universal Orlando." That's not surprising considering both parks see millions of visitors each year — but they are far from the only theme parks out there.
In fact, there are parks all across the country that have something the heavy-hitters don't — a quirkiness that makes them possibly even better suited to the term "theme park" than their more widely-known counterparts.
What do Santa, SpongeBob and steer loaders have in common? You can find them all at these eight quirky U.S. theme parks.
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Carousel Gardens Amusement Park
Location: New Orleans, Lousiana.
Cost: $25 for guest 36 inches and up, free for kids under 36 inches, $15 for chaperones accompanying a child and $13 for seniors.
Highlights: Carousel Gardens Amusement Park is located within New Orleans City Park, a 170-year old, 1,300-acre public park in The Big Easy. The park also houses a botanical garden, miniature golf course, paddle boats, an art museum and a Storyland walkthrough park with larger-than-life storybook sculptures.
The 18 family-friendly rides at Carousel Gardens include traditional carnival rides like bumper cars and a tilt-a-whirl and even a small roller coaster. The park's namesake carousel is more than 100 years old and the moss-covered oak trees that surround the park are much, much older, creating the same enchantment and nostalgia that characterizes New Orleans itself.
Enchanted Forest
Location: Salem, Oregon.
Cost: Adult tickets start at $18.25, children ages 3-12 at $16.25, seniors age 62 and up at $16.75 and kids under 2 are free. Save by pre-purchasing online.
Highlights: If you've ever dreamed of going through the looking glass with "Alice in Wonderland" or seeing how the "Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe" decorated her humble dwelling, you can do both at Enchanted Forest.
The park lets you enter real-life versions of favorite fairytale lands, including an Old West town, an idyllic European village and an interactive storybook-themed play area. Within the lands are a variety of kid-friendly rides like a carousel, train and pint-sized Ferris wheel.
Ride tickets must be purchased separately for $1 each; each ride requires between three and five tickets.
The North Pole — Santa's Workshop
Location: Cascade, Colorado.
Cost: During summer and fall, entry is free and you only need to pay for ride tickets. Unlimited ride packages are also available. During the holiday season, admission is $25 per person and reservations are required.
Highlights: Luckily, you don't have to travel all the way to the real North Pole to visit this holiday-themed park. This North Pole is located near the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado — a fitting location for Santa's workshop.
Related: Searching for Santa: A once-in-a-lifetime trip in Finland’s snowy Arctic
The park has more than two dozen rides, mostly geared toward families with young children, with some designed for children to ride by themselves. The Peppermint Slide and Santa's Sleigh Ride tie directly into the park's Christmas theme, but all the attractions have a festive feel thanks to the snow-capped mountain setting.
During your visit, you can also meet Santa, sip hot chocolate or apple cider, and send a letter or postcard back home with a special North Pole postmark.
Nickelodeon Universe
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Mall of America and East Rutherford, New Jersey, at American Dream.
Cost: Ticket prices start at $45 at the Mall of America location and $49 at the American Dream location. Discount tickets are available for children ages 3-9, active duty and veteran military members and seniors age 65 and up. Children 2 years and younger are free.
Highlights: Both Nickelodeon Universe locations are unique in their own right, but there are a number of slime-covered similarities. Both are decked out in Nickelodeon's signature green and orange color scheme and have rides and meet-and-greets themed to Nickelodeon franchises new and old, including "Blue's Clues," "SpongeBob Square Pants," "Fairly Odd Parents" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
They're also easier to get to and less expensive than the all-inclusive Nickelodeon Resorts in Punta Cana and Riviera Maya.
The American Dream location boasts the distinction of being the largest indoor theme park in the Western Hemisphere, while the Mall of America Nickelodeon Universe is located in the largest mall in the U.S.
Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park
Location: Gilroy, California.
Cost: $45 per person when you pre-purchase online; children under 3 are free.
Highlights: Gilroy Gardens is a horticulture-themed amusement park known for its nature-defying "circus trees." The circus trees are real trees whose branches and trunks were shaped and bent as they grew. You can still see them throughout the park and there's even a replica circus tree play structure in the water park.
There's more than just trees at Gilroy Gardens, though. The park has more than 40 family-friendly rides and attractions — some, like the Artichoke Dip and the Garlic Twirl, incorporate the park's garden theme.
Knoebels Amusement Resort
Location: Elysburg, Pennsylvania.
Cost: Admission is free, but you can pay $48 for a "ride all day" ticket for guests 48 inches and up, $32 for guests under 48 inches. Save by purchasing online ahead of time.
Highlights: What's not to love about a park with a chipmunk mascot named Kozmo? Knoebels Amusement Resort has been in operation since 1926 and still retains its old-fashioned charm. In fact, you can visit one of the park's original attractions to this day.
The Crystal Pool spring-fed swimming hole was once accompanied by just a merry-go-round and a collection of food stalls. Today, it is surrounded by a mix of child-friendly and thrill rides, a haunted mansion, carousel museum, mining museum and Knoebels history museum.
Dutch Wonderland
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Cost: $49.99 for guests ages 3 and up, with discounts for military members and first responders. Children under 3 are free.
Highlights: Dutch Wonderland bills itself as a Kingdom for Kids, emphasis on the "kingdom." You enter the park through a large stone castle facade and, once inside, you'll encounter characters like Duke the Dragon and Merlin the magician.
The park is geared toward families with younger children. There's a prehistoric path full of life-size dinosaurs plus a dig area, kid-friendly rides and coasters and a large water play area.
Dig World
Location: Katy, Texas.
Cost: $24.99 for a two-hour pass. Children under 32 inches tall are free.
Highlights: The creative geniuses behind Dig World realized so many of us have driven past a construction site and fought the urge to hop in a bulldozer and start bulldozing. So they built a park where kids and adults and can do just that, but in a safe, supervised environment.
Dig World has a selection of excavators and steer loaders that you can use to drive, dig, fish objects out of the water and pick up cones. If your kids aren't quite ready to operate heavy machinery, there's also gem mining, a playground and lawn games to keep them occupied.
Bottom line
Much like a can't-miss roadside attraction, the U.S. is full of quirky, one-of-a-kind theme parks that can make a vacation (or staycation) memorable and fun.
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Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. In exchange for the annual fee, you'll unlock access to the Amex Membership Rewards program that let you access airline and hotel transfer partners, along with new lifestyle and travel credits. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip.Pros
- The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. TPG values it at $1,600.
- This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. (Enrollment required for select benefits.)
- The Amex Platinum comes with access to a premium concierge service that can help you with everything from booking hard-to-get reservations to finding destination guides to help you plan out your next getaway.
Cons
- The high annual fee is only worth it if you’re taking full advantage of the card’s benefits. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost.
- Outside of the current welcome bonus, you’re only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so it’s not a great card for other spending categories.
- The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards.
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
- Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card®.
- $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card® on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups are excluded.
- American Express has expanded The Centurion® Network to include 40+ Centurion Lounge and Studio locations worldwide. There are even more places your Platinum Card® can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline.
- $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only.
- Get up to $300 back per calendar year on the Equinox+ digital fitness app, or eligible Equinox club memberships when you pay with your Platinum Card. Enrollment required. Learn more.
- Breeze through security with CLEAR® lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card. Learn more.
- $695 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees