The top 17 theme parks in North America

Magic Kingdom is part of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and opened in 1971. Disney’s first theme park in the state is home to six themed lands, which are Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

The park is contains famous rides and attractions such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant, It’s a Small World, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. Its latest is TRON Lightcycle / Run – the fastest Vekoma coaster at the park, and one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world.

In 2022, Splash Mountain closed to be replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2009 animated film The Princess and the Frog. The attraction will reopen in 2024, when visitors can take a musical adventure through the bayou with Tiana, Naveen and Louis.

2019 attendance – 20,963,000

2022 attendance – 17,133,000

Part of Disneyland Resort in California, Disneyland made its debut as the original Disney theme park in July 1955. Its opening introduced a new concept in family entertainment, launching today’s theme park industry.

Disneyland’s nine themed lands are as follows: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Critter Country, New Orleans Square, Main Street, U.S.A., and Mickey’s Toontown. The latter reopened in 2023 as part of the Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The animated neighbourhood is home to new interactive experiences and the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction.

The resort is planning an expansion – dubbed DisneylandForward – to offer lands and attractions based on Frozen, Tangled, Peter Pan, Zootopia, Toy Story and Tron. “We want to bring more Disney investment to Anaheim,” says the DisneylandForward website.

The proposals aren’t possible “under current inflexible planning restrictions unless we remove and replace treasured rides and attractions in our parks today”, says the website. “Without updates, new Disney experiences and placemaking – created from our beloved stories – will likely never find their way to the Disneyland Resort as they have to other parks throughout the world.”

It adds: “With DisneylandForward and more flexibility within our existing properties, new lands and adventures like those underway at Tokyo DisneySea and Shanghai Disneyland could inspire new experiences here.”

2019 attendance – 18,666,000

2022 attendance – 16,881,000

Animal Kingdom, the fourth gate at Walt Disney World Resort, opened in April 1998. It is Disney’s largest theme park, covering 500 acres and offering animal encounters, exciting attractions and elaborate stage shows. The animal-inspired park is home to 1,500 specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Over the past 25 years, Animal Kingdom has been contributing to the conservation and wellbeing of animals living at the park, and in the local community, the state of Florida, and across the world. Locally, it has worked with partners in Florida to protect nesting habitats for sea turtles, restore and repopulate corals, and rescue and release manatees.

2019 attendance – 13,888,000

2022 attendance – 9,027,000

Opened in October 1982 at Walt Disney World in Florida, Epcot features attractions, shows and performances. In 2022, Epcot’s first-ever roller coaster launched. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind offers an intergalactic chase through space and time. It is part of the park’s ongoing transformation, and boasts the first reverse launch for a Disney coaster.

Epcot will soon include Journey of Water, Disney’s first attraction based on the 2016 animated film Moana. Walt Disney Imagineering‘s lead concept designer Reid Ekman describes the experience as an “immersive exploration trail” that will let guests “explore and engage with water as it travels from our skies to our oceans and back again”.

2019 attendance – 12,444,000

2022 attendance – 10,000,000

Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened in 1989 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Rides include Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a 14-acre Star Wars-themed expansion, opened at the park in 2019. The land is home to two major attractions, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. In 2022, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened, providing an immersive two-night hotel experience. The attraction, which received a Thea Award, is already closing down.

“When people come to visit Disney, they want to enter a world where anything is possible,” said Josh Gorin, who leads Imagineering’s Blue Sky and creative strategy. “As Imagineers, it is our challenge to apply both creative and technical skills to make that magical world come to life. We have to keep upping our game: that means innovation in storytelling and technology.”

2019 attendance – 11,483,000

2022 attendance – 10,900,000

Opened in June 1990, Universal Studios Florida at Universal Orlando is owned and operated by Comcast NBCUniversal. It includes the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley, as well as rides including Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, The Simpsons Ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and Revenge of the Mummy.

The theme park will soon be joined at Universal Orlando by Epic Universe. Universal’s largest theme park in the US will feature a Super Nintendo World, as well as rides and attractions based on Harry Potter and Universal’s classic monsters. Universal is also expanding its parks business to open a horror-themed experience at AREA15 in Las Vegas, and a new family-friendly resort in Texas.

2019 attendance – 10,922,000

2022 attendance – 10,750,000

Universal’s Islands of Adventure is part of Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. The park opened in 1999 and houses immersive rides and attractions such as Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike Adventure, The Incredible Hulk Coaster and Jurassic World VelociCoaster. Lands include Jurassic Park and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade.

Universal Orlando also features the Volcano Bay water park, Universal Studios Florida, and soon Epic Universe. In an earnings call in April 2023, Comcast president Mike Cavanagh said the company’s parks “are resonating with our customers and this segment is clearly on a roll”. He said the “outstanding performance provides us with even more confidence that the investments we are making in new lands and attractions will also generate strong returns and I’m excited for what’s to come”.

2019 attendance – 10,375,000

2022 attendance – 11,025,000

Disney California Adventure joined Disneyland at the company’s original resort in California in 2001. It houses Cars Land and Pixar Pier, as well as the new Avengers Campus. The immersive Marvel land features an animatronic Spider-Man flying through the air, and Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy rides. Since 1955, Disneyland Resort has welcomed more than 800 million guests.

The park’s Pacific Wharf is now being transformed into San Fransokyo from Disney’s 2014 film Big Hero 6. San Fransokyo Square is a fictional combination of two iconic cities – San Francisco and Tokyo. Like Pacific Wharf, the new area will continue to serve mainly as an F&B location. An iconic landmark of San Fransokyo Square is the San Fransokyo Gate Bridge.

Disneyland is also working with James Cameron on a new Avatar experience for the resort, as confirmed by Disneyland president Ken Potrock during the OC Forum event in May 2023. Potrock said the attraction is going to be “really exciting” and “bold”.

2019 attendance – 9,861,000

2022 attendance – 9,000,000

Universal Studios Hollywood is a film and TV-inspired theme park that brings the world of Hollywood to life. Opened in 1964, the park in California boasts world-class rides, attractions and events, including the Simpsons Ride in the immersive Springfield area, Jurassic World – The Ride, and Halloween Horror Nights.

The first Super Nintendo World in the US opened in early 2023 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Its signature attraction is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge ride, which uses cutting-edge augmented reality (AR), projection mapping technology and set pieces. “We hope people of all ages will enjoy visiting the Mushroom Kingdom in real life and experiencing all the interactive surprises this land has to offer,” said Nintendo game developer Shigeru Miyamoto.

2019 attendance – 9,147,000

2022 attendance – 8,400,000

SeaWorld Orlando is owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The park opened in Florida in 1973 and contains various rides and roller coasters. SeaWorld Orlando’s water park, Aquatica, includes wave pools and thrilling slides. Discovery Cove is SeaWorld Orlando’s sister theme park.

After launching the Ice Breaker coaster in 2022, SeaWorld Orlando opened Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, a new surfboard-style coaster with ride vehicles that put riders in a standing position at up to 110 feet in the air. The ‘seats’ rise and fall to give the sensation of riding on a wave. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the new coaster includes five airtime moments and speeds of up to 60 mph. It also includes an innovative ‘wave curl’ inversion.

2019 attendance – 4,640,000

2022 attendance – 4,454,000

Located in California, Knott’s Berry Farm started out as a small berry farm. The theme park, opened in 1920, is owned and operated by Cedar Fair. It now provides world-class roller coasters, family-friendly rides and interactive experiences. Highlights also include the 1800s Ghost Town, the Knott’s Soak City Waterpark, and the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel.

In recent years, Cedar Fair has been posting record revenue and growing attendance. The company owns and operates amusement parks and water parks across North America. Annually, its parks welcome around 28 million guests, and Cedar Fair generates revenue of more than $1.3 billion.

2019 attendance – 4,238,000

2022 attendance – 3,899,000

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a theme park in Tampa, Florida. Owned and operated by SeaWorld, it boasts thrill rides, animal encounters and entertainment. The park, which made its debut in 1959, is home to nearly 12,000 animals. The world’s fastest and steepest hybrid coaster, Iron Gwazi, launched at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in March 2022.

In May 2023, SeaWorld reported its eighth straight quarter of record financial results. “I am very excited about the significant investments we are making and the many initiatives we have underway across our business that we expect will improve the guest experience, allow us to generate more revenue and make us a more efficient and more profitable enterprise,” said Marc Swanson, CEO of SeaWorld.

2019 attendance – 4,180,000

2022 attendance – 4,051,000

Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario opened to visitors in 1981. The theme park, owned and operated by Cedar Fair, has more than 200 attractions. These include 18 coasters, two children’s areas, and the 20-acre Splash Works water park.

For the 2023 season, Canada’s Wonderland added a new 360-degree thrill ride and a new family-friendly launch coaster. Tundra Twister is a giant spinning swing ride that twists and twirls riders at heights of 47 metres and speeds of 75 km/h. Snoopy’s Racing Railway, part of Planet Snoopy, is the park’s 18th roller coaster.

“We’re proud to offer such a diversity of experiences to our guests,” said Norm Pirtovshek, general manager at Canada’s Wonderland. “Through four seasons we have more than 200 attractions at the park, rides for guests of all ages and world-class events and entertainment that can’t be missed.”

2019 attendance – 3,950,000

2022 attendance – 3,768,000

Launched in 1964, California’s SeaWorld San Diego is of course owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Rides include Emperor, the tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster in the state, and the Electric Eel and Manta multi-launch coasters. Family-friendly offerings include Tentacle Twirl and Sea Dragon Drop.

In June 2023, SeaWorld San Diego opened Arctic Rescue, the fastest and longest straddle coaster on the West Coast. Manufactured by Intamin, the new family-friendly thrill ride features snowmobile-style seats. It boasts three launches and top speeds of 40 mph along 2,800 feet of track.

“The ride is an educational opportunity for guests to learn more about climate change, how it impacts animals in the Arctic and what they can do to help the issue,” said Jim Lake, the park’s president (via Times of San Diego).

2019 attendance – 3,731,000

2022 attendance – 3,507,000

Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, contains 70 rides. These range from the family-friendly Snake River Expedition to roller coasters such as Steel Vengeance and Millennium Force. Also available at the park are beach activities, live shows, areas for children and hotels.

Cedar Point, which first opened in 1870, is Cedar Fair’s flagship amusement park. The company is currently retiring and reimagining Top Thrill Dragster, the second-tallest coaster in the world. In 2023, Cedar Point opened the new Wild Mouse coaster. The Zamperla ride is part of the Boardwalk expansion.

“Cedar Point challenged our design team in a lot of ways,” said Adam Sandy, Zamperla’s roller coaster sales and marketing director. “We went back to the drawing board and created a custom layout just for the park. We are thrilled with not only the layout, but the ride as a whole.”

2019 attendance – 3,610,000

2022 attendance – 3,444,000

Opened in 1971, Six Flags Magic Mountain can be found in Valencia, California. The 260-acre park contains 20 roller coasters, which is more than any other theme park in the world. It also boasts the tallest, fastest and steepest coasters in the world, as well as 100 rides, attractions and games. Wonder Woman Flight of Courage debuted in summer 2022 as the park’s 20th coaster. It is the tallest and longest single-rail coaster on the planet.

Six Flags Magic Mountain will soon house California’s largest solar energy project, as the attraction is installing a new 12.37-megawatt solar carport. The solar facility will produce 20.8 million kilowatt hours of energy annually – equivalent to the electricity consumption of 2,874 homes. The solar power produced will offset 100 percent of the park’s energy usage.

2019 attendance – 3,521,000

2022 attendance – 2,993,000

Another theme park in the Cedar Fair family is Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. This park has more than 100 rides, shows and attractions, including 15 coasters. One of these is the Beast – the world’s longest wooden coaster – which broke its own record in 2022. Also available at the 364-acre amusement park are the Banshee, Diamondback and Mystic Timbers coasters.

In 2023, Kings Island is opening a new themed area called Adventure Port with two new family-friendly rides and updated theming for the Adventure Express coaster. “What I love about Adventure Port is that we’ve taken parts of the Adventure Express story and built upon it to create this new themed area,” said Mike Koontz, vice president and general manager of Kings Island.

2019 attendance – 3,485,000

2022 attendance – 3,340,000