OT: Best Amusement Park in the Southeast

[tarheelmjfan]

Last night my DS(15) said he wished we lived near a Six Flags, because they have so many big coasters. We live 15 min. from Busch Gardens Tampa, a little over an hour from WDW, & less than 1 1/2 hrs. from Universal & Sea World. All of those are out. He wants to go somewhere that has more coasters, & that he hasn't been to numerous times. We're planning a trip to GA in August, but we've been to SF Over GA & didn't really care for it. I wasn't real fond of the atmosphere. Maybe, it's changed. It's been a few years.

I'd like to surprise him with a weekend getaway, but don't know where to go. Cedar Point would be ideal, but that's too far for now. It needs to be within reasonable driving distance from Tampa, FL. Does anyone have any recommendations for an amusement park geared toward those in search of thrill rides that also has a decent atmosphere (not dirty or with questionable patrons)? I know there has to be some parks in the Southeast that I'm not aware of. TIA for any suggestions you may have.

 

[palavra]

My 4 year old DD loves Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia.In fact, she has said several times that she doesn't want to go to Disney and Universal, just Wild Adventures! Of course, she hasn't been to the other places, so she may change her mind. It is a great place with lots of rides. It does have several coasters, 7 that I can think of off the top of my head. It also has an onsite waterpark that is included with the price of admission. Last year, you could get two days of admission for one price. it was a really good deal. I don't know if they still have it or not.

 

[alloyd1170]

Theres Carowinds near Charlotte NC (never been, but you could check out their website). Another popular area is in TN (Pigeon Ford I think-where Dollywood is ??). Again, Ive never been there, but people like it.

 

[leanan]

I think it is a case of the commons. Having grown up in the Orlando area I know how your little one feels. You have seen it over and over. You want something new and different. I hated theme parks for a few years. Regardless of what park you go to, there will never be enough coasters for the thrill seekers. Even though that is the big draw, space and money keep it down to a minimal amount.

Now I will admit even after living in Atlanta on and off for 9 years I never went to SF. My ex was convinced they did not take proper care of their rides. He was just a social phobic, agoraphobic, hates to travel lulu head. Yep and thats me being nice. I did not really see them as having more or better coasters than the parks down here. Although reports from other theme park enthusiests tell me they have one far more intense than anything we have here. Mind you that not all of my theme park enthusiest friends will even ride that one.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for the suggestions. Wild Adventures wouldn't be that far at all. I'll check their website. If they've got some big, steel coasters, he'll be all for it.

My DH & I both grew up in NC. I hadn't even thought about Carowinds. We used to go there often. I remember the lines used to be 2 hrs. long for the big coasters. I wonder if they still are. WDW's fastpass system & especially staying onsite at UO has spoiled us about standing in long lines. We go to NC fairly often, but not to Charlotte. I wonder how far it is. I'll have to MapQuest it. That would be a nice walk down memory lane.

We definitely want to go to Pigeon Forge sometime. We haven't been there, since our DS was very young. That was before Dollywood expanded so much. It may not have even been called Dollywood yet. It's definitely on our list of places to visit, but I want to go there when we have a week to stay & enjoy the whole area. There's just so much to see & do there now compared to what it used to be like when I was younger.

 

[agentpleakley]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (our favorite park next to WDW)

Kings Dominion, Ashland, VA (north of Richmond)

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I think it is a case of the commons. Having grown up in the Orlando area I know how your little one feels. You have seen it over and over. You want something new and different. I hated theme parks for a few years. Regardless of what park you go to, there will never be enough coasters for the thrill seekers. Even though that is the big draw, space and money keep it down to a minimal amount.

Now I will admit even after living in Atlanta on and off for 9 years I never went to SF. My ex was convinced they did not take proper care of their rides. He was just a social phobic, agoraphobic, hates to travel lulu head. Yep and thats me being nice. I did not really see them as having more or better coasters than the parks down here. Although reports from other theme park enthusiests tell me they have one far more intense than anything we have here. Mind you that not all of my theme park enthusiest friends will even ride that one.

That's exactly it! It's fun to go someplace new. BG has some of the best coasters of any amusement park, but he can ride those anytime. (Not that we're complaining. ) I can totally understand him wanting to experience something new though. I get bored doing the some old thing all the time myself.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (our favorite park next to WDW)

Kings Dominion, Ashland, VA (north of Richmond)

We lived in Richmond for a couple years, but it's been several years since we went to either of those parks. I don't remember much about KD, but I remember loving BG. I'm not sure I can talk my DH into driving that far though. It's worth a try.

 

[Princess Roo]

Ugh - I hate our Six Flags, too. In the summer it is full of kids with season passes dropped off by their parents as daycare The only time I'll go is when school is still in session. But if you've been to Disney a lot, nothing is going to have the same cleanliness/atmosphere. I haven't been to many amusement parks in the SE, but in the NE growing up nothing was anywhere near as well cared for as Disney.

 

[ADP]

Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN is very nice and growing every year.

This might not be considered Southeast, but we really like Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN. It's in the extreme southern part of IN. they have 3 great wooden roller coasters and a nice family feel. They have a great water park! Free soft drinks and sun tan lotion too!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I don't have any suggestions, but just wanted to add if your DS loves coasters you have to make that truck to Cedar Point, that place is awesome for coasters.

 

[earlydisneyfan]

Wild Adventures isn't far from here and they do have several coasters. There is The Hangman (steel coaster) and the Cheetah (wooden coaster), which I think are the biggest at the park. There are several others, including a few for the younger kids, but I can't remember what they are. We go for the concerts (I'm not much for riding something that will make me sick!).

The cost for the annual pass is pretty reasonable, too, and I think the pass is also good for its sister park, Cypress Gardens.

 

[Ellester]

I would also suggest Carowinds. They do have some nice coasters now. Top Gun is one of my all time favorites. It is by the same maker as Montu at BG. They also have the Borg, which used to be in California as Batman and a fun wild mouse called Ricochet. I think they are up to 14 coasters now, counting a few kiddie ones. We didn't go last year, but had season passes for the five years prior. The park is pretty clean and is not too busy on Sundays. Saturdays can be busy though. Cedar Point just bought it last year, we haven't been since it changed hands but I would imagine its pretty much the same. Admission to the water park, Boomerang Bay is included in the admission too. I have also heard that Wild Adventures is fun. We may try to check it out this summer since we're so close now.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks again for all the great suggestions. Living in the middle of theme park heaven does kind of spoil you for other parks. Not only WDW & UO, but BG & SW are also very clean parks. I guess they have to be to try to keep up with the competition.

Wild Adventures is a definite. That's close enough to easily go over the weekend. I used Mapquest to chart the distance to the others. They're a little far for a weekend, but we could possibly add a day & go to Carowinds.

We'll have to plan an amusement park road trip soon, & try to go to Holiday World & Cedar Point on the same trip. It may take me a while to convince my DH to do that though. The term "road trip" is worse than a 4 letter word to him.

I definitely want to take our DS to Dollywood. We will want to go during off season, whenever that is. I remember how bad the traffic was, when I was growing up. I can just imagine it now.

 

[seawitch0313]

Since Cedar Point is on the list I have to add Kings Island to it as well. One plus to living in Ohio is all the coaster parks within driving distance Its also in Ohio but is further south towards Cinci. I love that place, we used to go every summer. Its got tons of cool coasters, my fav is the Vortex, everyone else seems to love the Beast which at one time was the longest wooden coaster (maybe still is? Its like a 4 minute ride and is a thriller for sure with a huge hill and a double trip underground into a tunnel) A few years back they built the Son of the Beast, which was the first wooden coaster with a loop (seemed like a bad idea to me, but it sure was a fun ride!) There was an incident last year with it getting jerky and giving people neck injuries so its shut down now and they're removing the loop. Glad I got to ride it before they removed it. They have a Top Gun ride too and its pretty fun and usually has a short wait nowdays. Face Off is fun but takes forever cause theres one coaster and it goes thru the track forwards and backwards. The Italian job ride is way lame. Another I cant remember the name of (the space ride? Indoors? Near the flying swings?)*Looked it up, Flight of Fear; is easy to miss cause its tucked back a bit but it is super fun. It goes from zero to 60 in like 4 seconds and is really cool.
Its also got a kiddie land (Hannabarbara land with alot of Nick characters) a mall, and a water park which I usually skip cause I'm all about the coasters.
Okay you got me on a coaster roll, so sorry its so long They have a cool new hotel they built near there that everyones talking about now, but I hear its way pricey. Apparently at this hotel is like a mini trip itself, Great Wolf lodge or something?
Both coaster parks are fun, but I've always favored Kings Island. Maybe cause its closer, and maybe cause Cedar Point is on the lake and every time I go its like may fly season big time and they're all over the place. But Cedar point has more of a 'county fair' feeling and I think Kings Island is a little cleaner. I do love the Raptor at CP tho, and the indoor coaster they have as well.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Since Cedar Point is on the list I have to add Kings Island to it as well. One plus to living in Ohio is all the coaster parks within driving distance Its also in Ohio but is further south towards Cinci. I love that place, we used to go every summer. Its got tons of cool coasters, my fav is the Vortex, everyone else seems to love the Beast which at one time was the longest wooden coaster (maybe still is? Its like a 4 minute ride and is a thriller for sure with a huge hill and a double trip underground into a tunnel) A few years back they built the Son of the Beast, which was the first wooden coaster with a loop (seemed like a bad idea to me, but it sure was a fun ride!) There was an incident last year with it getting jerky and giving people neck injuries so its shut down now and they're removing the loop. Glad I got to ride it before they removed it. They have a Top Gun ride too and its pretty fun and usually has a short wait nowdays. Face Off is fun but takes forever cause theres one coaster and it goes thru the track forwards and backwards. The Italian job ride is way lame. Another I cant remember the name of (the space ride? Indoors? Near the flying swings?)*Looked it up, Flight of Fear; is easy to miss cause its tucked back a bit but it is super fun. It goes from zero to 60 in like 4 seconds and is really cool.
Its also got a kiddie land (Hannabarbara land with alot of Nick characters) a mall, and a water park which I usually skip cause I'm all about the coasters.
Okay you got me on a coaster roll, so sorry its so long They have a cool new hotel they built near there that everyones talking about now, but I hear its way pricey. Apparently at this hotel is like a mini trip itself, Great Wolf lodge or something?
Both coaster parks are fun, but I've always favored Kings Island. Maybe cause its closer, and maybe cause Cedar Point is on the lake and every time I go its like may fly season big time and they're all over the place. But Cedar point has more of a 'county fair' feeling and I think Kings Island is a little cleaner. I do love the Raptor at CP tho, and the indoor coaster they have as well.

Thanks for the info. KI sounds like a really fun park. Hopefully, we can fit in a road trip to IN & OH soon.

 

[southcarolina4]

Carowinds is good....the waits can be long....
Our family goes to the Dollywood area every year at least for a few days....
My Kids did not like Dollywood and we were not very fond of it either....alot of height restrictions....the people that worked there were rude and on top of that it rained...thunderstorms..lightning....with not much shelter....
we ended up getting our money back and left after 90 min....My Kids enjoyed just the main strip in pigeon Forge...Nascar Speedway..arcades..pavillions.... and the Gatlinburg stuff...ripleys,aquarium,hollywood car mueseum,earthquake,etc....

we always stay at the place right beside the aquarium..you buy discounted tickets to Dollywood and Dixie Stampede and the aquarium from the Hotel....but you can do that on almost every street corner from somebody...

But it is a fun place...FOR FAMILIES BUT IT ISN'T A MECCA FOR THRILL RIDES

 

[jlovesee]

Please don't flame me, but I would never recommend Wild Adventures. (and yes and I have visted probably about 100 different parks). Especially for a 15 year old thrill lover. While they have a lot of coasters, none of them except for Boomerang and Cheetah are anything above family-oriented, the coaster collection is very similar to Cypress Gardens.

If you are looking for a park that has a lot of good thrilling rides, for the 15 year old set I would definitly recommend Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, They have Loch Ness Monster, Big Bad Wolf, Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot and they opened the new Griffon this year. A few of the coasters (Alpengeist and Griffon) will be similar to coasters at Busch Gardens Africa, but the other three are not and are all very good (and thrilling) examples of their breed.

Carowinds is another good option they have two great thrillers there, Borg Assimilitor (A Vekoma Flying Coaster) and Top Gun, which is somewhat similar to Montu but in my opinion a bit better. Plus they have several other older but no less fun thrill coasters there. It is located just south of Charlotte NC, on the NC/SC border (the park actually straddles the border!)

If you can though get to Cedar Point, none of these parks holds a candle to the mecca of thrill riding. They now have 17 coasters, and just added Maverick which I rode for the 1st time last wednesday. It's not massive but it packs quite a punch for its size. Plus of course there is Millinnium Force and Top Thrill Dragster! Southwest Airlines has been lately having super cheap flights to Columbus, OH which is about 2 hours out of Sandusky, OH. (where CP is located)

If you are comparing parks and roller coasters a good website to check out is www.rcdb.com it has been around since 1997 and is literally an encyclopedia of parks and roller coasters.

Jennifer

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Carowinds is good....the waits can be long....
Our family goes to the Dollywood area every year at least for a few days....
My Kids did not like Dollywood and we were not very fond of it either....alot of height restrictions....the people that worked there were rude and on top of that it rained...thunderstorms..lightning....with not much shelter....
we ended up getting our money back and left after 90 min....My Kids enjoyed just the main strip in pigeon Forge...Nascar Speedway..arcades..pavillions.... and the Gatlinburg stuff...ripleys,aquarium,hollywood car mueseum,earthquake,etc....

we always stay at the place right beside the aquarium..you buy discounted tickets to Dollywood and Dixie Stampede and the aquarium from the Hotel....but you can do that on almost every street corner from somebody...

But it is a fun place...FOR FAMILIES BUT IT ISN'T A MECCA FOR THRILL RIDES

Dollywood's height restrictions wouldn't be a problem for us. When we go there, we'll probably have his cousins meet us there, which will automatically make it more fun for our DS.

I was hoping the lines weren't as bad at Carowinds as they were, when I was young. His cousins could meet us there too though. I'm sure that would make the lines more bearable.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Please don't flame me, but I would never recommend Wild Adventures. (and yes and I have visted probably about 100 different parks). Especially for a 15 year old thrill lover. While they have a lot of coasters, none of them except for Boomerang and Cheetah are anything above family-oriented, the coaster collection is very similar to Cypress Gardens.

If you are looking for a park that has a lot of good thrilling rides, for the 15 year old set I would definitly recommend Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, They have Loch Ness Monster, Big Bad Wolf, Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot and they opened the new Griffon this year. A few of the coasters (Alpengeist and Griffon) will be similar to coasters at Busch Gardens Africa, but the other three are not and are all very good (and thrilling) examples of their breed.

Carowinds is another good option they have two great thrillers there, Borg Assimilitor (A Vekoma Flying Coaster) and Top Gun, which is somewhat similar to Montu but in my opinion a bit better. Plus they have several other older but no less fun thrill coasters there. It is located just south of Charlotte NC, on the NC/SC border (the park actually straddles the border!)

If you can though get to Cedar Point, none of these parks holds a candle to the mecca of thrill riding. They now have 17 coasters, and just added Maverick which I rode for the 1st time last wednesday. It's not massive but it packs quite a punch for its size. Plus of course there is Millinnium Force and Top Thrill Dragster! Southwest Airlines has been lately having super cheap flights to Columbus, OH which is about 2 hours out of Sandusky, OH. (where CP is located)

If you are comparing parks and roller coasters a good website to check out is www.rcdb.com it has been around since 1997 and is literally an encyclopedia of parks and roller coasters.

Jennifer

Thanks for all the great info. I didn't know about that site.

Unfortunately, flying to OH or VA isn't an option for us. We have a mini-pin that we take everywhere we can. She doesn't go to kennels. When we cruise, we drive her to NC to stay with my sister. If it wasn't for leaving her, we'd fly everywhere.

I'm really hoping to find some parks that are an easy drive from here. We'll have to plan a long road trip to hit the parks farther away. Next summer, we're planning to go to Myrtle Beach to go to Hard Rock Park. Hopefully, we'll be able to take the other trip after that.

Obviously, you know a lot about Amusement Parks. All suggestions are more than welcome.