05/11/2024

Travel Mate

Travel Smarter, Not Harder

The Best Amusement Parks: Bring Out the KID in You!

The Best Amusement Parks: Bring Out the KID in You!

I have been a roller coaster junkie since I was seven years old. I would eagerly wait for summer for a day of sheer fun at the amusement park in a town nearby; the carousels, the water rides, the bumper cars and of course, the lip-smacking junk food always seemed to be the perfect way to chase those grade school blues away! Why not take some time out now and pay homage to some of the best amusement parks around the globe? Folks, pack your bags and hop on for a spin you are not likely to forget soon!

Up first is the roller coaster capital of the world, Cedar Point at Sandusky, USA. Action packed rides such as the Blue Streak, Corkscrew and Disaster Transport can only mean one thing: An adrenalin rush is guaranteed. Combine that with a golf course, a go-karting circuit and over 73 roller coasters and you are sure to have a rollicking time! Next on the list is Xetulul in Guatemala, which many consider to be the country’s biggest attraction! Located in the forest amidst the foliage, this gem of a park features not just insane rides and glorious entertainment but also an elaborately designed water park combined with an erupting volcano! How’s that for a rush now? Hop across the pond to England and check out Pleasure Beach for its mind-boggling jumble of wooden roller coasters, absolutely stunning rides and screaming derby racers! Spend a day here and get acquainted with the term “adrenalin-pumping”! Check out the award-winning Six Flags Park in the USA featuring the tallest, the fastest and the largest rides and spectacular themed areas with heaps and heaps of action to make your heart skip a beat or two! With over five roller coasters that operate in any weather and at nights too, the avant-garde Fuji Q Highlands’ claim to fame is the Eejanaika, a 4D roller coaster, one of the two on this planet, probably designed for thrill-seeking lunatics who seem to arrive here in large numbers! Certainly not for the timid! Ocean Park in Hong Kong is also a must-try, solely because it combines nerve-wracking entertainment of the rides amidst the serenity of nature! Dare yourself to try out the twists, the turns and the loops on any of their spectacular rides and once done, step into the calming canopy of their aviary! Five million visitors cannot be wrong, can they?

Everland in South Korea (run by Samsung) is another amusement park ever popular with families for it features an exhaustive collection of floats, parades and some insane rides designed to bring out the thrill-seeker in you! With over five sections designed solely to entice, this amusement park is home to Eagle Fortress, Asia’s first hanging coaster and the Rolling X-Train, for some action-packed entertainment! Certainly not for the weak of heart! While you have no doubt heard of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark, do check out the Luna Park in Melbourne, Australia. Frequently referred to as the “Tivoli of the Southern Hemisphere”, this grand daddy among parks is undoubtedly one of the well-known and widely visited leisure hotspot Down Under!

Top that off with a visit to the Europa Park, in Rust, Germany, the second largest amusement park in Europe! Well known for its immaculate landscaping and eye-popping displays, experience the thrills on the Poseidon and the Eurostat as the carnivals, dances and duels happen nearby! Heck, it might take you more than a day to just explore the beautifully manicured gardens and visit its famed shows! No wonder this amusement park is the envy of all other parks and will remain so for years to come!