Best amusement parks in California
When you hear the phrase "amusement park," chances are the first thing that comes to your mind is Disney; however, in 2023, nearly 600 businesses described themselves as amusement parks in the United States. There are places to enjoy thrill rides, view animal shows, swim, and play in nearly every state across the country, and one that might be near and dear to your heart may be unfamiliar to someone else, depending on where you live.
For instance, Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, holds the title of America's oldest amusement park. It's been in continuous operation since first opening to the public in 1846 when local scientist Samuel Botsford demonstrated electricity experiments for entertainment, but if you don't live nearby, chances are you don't know it (unless you're an amusement park or history buff).
On the flip side, there are behemoth parks that are destinations all their own. People travel from all over the world to visit Disney's and Universal's theme parks in California and Florida. If you're a thrill ride, water park, or roller coaster junkie, Six Flags is another huge name, with 24 parks scattered throughout the U.S. These types of parks truly transport you to another world and are full of their own kind of magic, but the quaint or historic parks like Lake Compounce are just as special—if not more so—to locals.
Stacker compiled a list of the best amusement parks in California using data from Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor ranks businesses using a combination of metrics, including overall rating, reviews, and number of page views. As a result, a business with a 5 out of 5 overall rating might rank lower than one with a 4 out of 5. Data is as of April 2024.
Read on and see how many of these local amusement parks you've visited.
#25. Boomers! Palm Springs
- Rating: 3/5 (123 reviews)
- Address: 67700 East Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#24. Giant Wheel at Irvine Spectrum Center
- Rating: 4/5 (64 reviews)
- Address: 670 Spectrum Center Drive Irvine, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#23. Pixieland
- Rating: 4/5 (71 reviews)
- Address: 2740 East Olivera Road Concord, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#22. Castle Park
- Rating: 3.5/5 (133 reviews)
- Address: 3500 Polk St. Riverside, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#21. Giant Dipper Roller Coaster
- Rating: 4/5 (57 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#20. Boomers Irvine
- Rating: 3.5/5 (128 reviews)
- Address: 3405 Michelson Drive Irvine, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#19. Redwood Valley Railway
- Rating: 4.5/5 (31 reviews)
- Address: 2537 Grizzly Peak Blvd. Orinda, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#18. Raging Waters
- Rating: 3.5/5 (111 reviews)
- Address: 2333 South White Road Tully Road off Capitol Expressway San Jose, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#17. Funderland Amusement Park
- Rating: 4/5 (99 reviews)
- Address: 1350 17th Ave. William Land Regional Park Sacramento, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#16. Balboa Fun Zone
- Rating: 3.5/5 (274 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#15. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters
- Rating: 4.5/5 (356 reviews)
- Address: 1313 Disneyland Drive in California Adventure Park, in CarsLand Anaheim, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#14. Adventure City
- Rating: 4.5/5 (171 reviews)
- Address: 1238 South Beach Blvd. Anaheim, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#13. Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain
- Rating: 4/5 (314 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#12. Children's Fairyland
- Rating: 4.5/5 (243 reviews)
- Address: 699 Bellevue Avenue Oakland, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#11. California's Great America
- Rating: 4/5 (653 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#10. Pacific Park
- Rating: 4/5 (1,046 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#9. Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (463 reviews)
- Address: 3050 Hecker Pass Hwy Gilroy, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#8. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
- Rating: 4/5 (1,867 reviews)
- Address: 1001 Fairgrounds Drive Vallejo, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#7. Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Rating: 4/5 (5,524 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#6. Knott's Berry Farm
- Rating: 4/5 (4,551 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#5. SeaWorld
- Rating: 4/5 (10,339 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#4. LEGOLAND California
- Rating: 4/5 (9,493 reviews)
- Address: 1 Legoland Drive Carlsbad, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#3. Disney California Adventure Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (15,748 reviews)
- Address: 1313 Disneyland Drive Anaheim, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#2. Disneyland Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (28,054 reviews)
- Address: 1313 Disneyland Drive Anaheim, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#1. Universal Studios Hollywood
- Rating: 4.5/5 (37,505 reviews)
- Address: 100 Universal City Plaza Los Angeles, California
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Katrina Sirotta, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 45 states.
