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Amusement Parks have always been a top vacation destination - the theme park business grows bigger and bigger, with new parks opening each year and new rides being built at favorite parks around the country. We have spotlighted our top 12 picks for best theme/amusement parks:

1) Cedar Point, Sandusky Ohio - This action-packed park seems to hit many “top park” lists - with 13 roller coasters and over 68 total rides, this park has something for every guest. Thrill seekers love the coasters, the newest being The Maverick, a $21 million dollar coaster that debuted at the park in May of 2007.

2) HersheyPark, Hershey Pennsylvania - For 100 years HersheyPark has been around entertaining guests of all ages. The park hosts 8 roller coasters and over 20 kiddie rides - they even added a water section in 2007 with water attractions. Coaster lovers enjoy the Great Bear coaster, a steel inverted ride that hits a maximum speed of 61mph.

3) Universal Studios, Orlando Florida - This park hosts top attractions based on hit movies, such as Shrek, Men in Black and Twister. Guests experience multi -million dollar attractions that bring you inside the movies. Favorite attractions here include Jaws, Terminator and Revenge of the Mummy.

4) Universal Islands of Adventure, Orlando Florida -This second park was opened by Universal after the success of Universal Studios Florida. This park hosts several “islands” or areas of the park, with different themes. Superhero Island has thrill rides including The Hulk coaster and The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. Seuss Landing has several children’s rides, based on kid favorites such as The Cat in the Hat.

5) Disney World - Magic Kingdom, Orlando Florida - This magical theme park hits the top of the list when it comes to popularity and guest attendance. Young and old flock here to experience such top attractions as Pirate of Caribbean, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Rides and entertainment options make this park great for guests from ages 3 to 99.

6) Six Flags Magic Mountain, Los Angeles California - Thrill lovers will find 15 of the fastest, tallest and scariest rides here. Younger kids enjoy the Bugs Bunny entertainment shows and character greetings. This park is ideal for the entire family, with kiddie rides, moderate thrill rides and top shelf thrillers.

7) Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson New Jersey - With 14 thrill rides, including some of the top roller coasters in the US, this park is an amusement park lovers favorite. Coaster lovers have a problem choosing their favorite among Superman, El Toro, Kingda Ka and Nitro. The park is located on I-95 between New York City and Philadelphia.

8 ) Disney World - MGM, Orlando Florida - This popular theme park hosts two of Disney’s best attractions, Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. Both are usually very busy with lines, but are worth the wait. Younger children enjoy the Playhouse Disney attraction and The Beauty and the Beast Show.

9) Disneyland, Anaheim California - Opened since 1955 this park is still one of the most popular in the United States. Top ride attractions here are Indiana Jones Adventure and Splash Mountain. Guest young and old can be found enjoying the rides, character greetings, parades and entertainment shows.

10) Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, Florida - Busch Gardens offers the best of what families are looking for in a theme park. Exciting thrill seeker rides and family fun and entertainment. Two top attractions are SheiKra, the nations first dive coaster and Gwazi, one of the nations fastest and longest double wooden coasters.

11) California Adventure, Anaheim California - This second addition to the Disneyland park allows guest to experience such attractions as California Screamin, a high speed roller coaster and Soarin over California, a revolutionary, multi sensory ride. Guests will find many favorite Disney attractions and characters here.

12) Sea World, Orlando Florida - While this park is not filled with high speed thrill rides (it has one super coaster and one roller-coaster/log flume ride) - it still draws big crowds each year. The draw of Sea World is the ability to see Shamu (killer whale), dolphins and sharks. Sea World does have interactive exhibits that allow guests to touch sea creatures, such as Stingrays. Located between Disney World and Universal, it is easy to spend a day here on your next trip to Orlando.

(photo credit flickr cc) - cedar point, (photo credit flickr cc) - Hershey Park, (photo credit flickr cc) - Universal Studios, (photo credit flickr cc) - Islands of adventure, (photo credit flickr cc) - Magic Kingdom, (photo credit flickr cc) - Magic Mountain, (photo credit flickr cc) - Great Adventure, (photo credit flickr cc) - MGM Studios, (photo credit flickr cc) - Disneyland, (photo credit flickr cc) - California adventure, (photo credit flickr cc) - sea World

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2007 and is filed under Travel Trends & Hot Spots.