Worlds of Fun theme park, located in Kansas City, MO, originally opened in 1973, themed to the book, "Around the World in Eighty Days." The unique park features themed areas not commonly found in North America, such as Scandinavia and East Asia. Worlds of Fun is home to Patriot, which opened as the tallest, fastest and longest inverted coaster in the region. In 2009, the park opened the Prowler wooden roller coaster, which was awarded "Best New Ride of 2009" by Amusement Today. In 2023, Zambezi Zinger opened as the world's first ground-up GCI Titan Track wooden coaster.

Adventureland Resort, located in Altoona, IA, opened in 1974, marking this year as its 50th anniversary celebration. The theme park's design has several nods to Disneyland, such as the entrance area train station with two tunnels and a full Main Street thoroughfare. Adventureland is home to seven roller coasters and a total of fifty attractions, water park included. Over the last decade, the park has seen a high level of investment in new attractions, including The Monster, Dragon Slayer, Flying Viking and a major refurbishment of The Underground roller coaster.

Lost Island Theme Park, one of North America's newest parks, opened in 2022 in Waterloo, Iowa. The park is themed to an enchanted tropical island with incredibly immersive areas and rides to match. To date, Lost Island is home to three roller coasters, including Nopuko Air Coaster and Matugani and an award-winning dark ride, Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol. During our visit, the park announced their 2025 addition, a RMC Raptor roller coaster named Fire Runner.

Valleyfair theme park, located in Shakopee, Minnesota, first opened in 1976 with one roller coaster being its star attraction. In 1978, Cedar Point purchased Valleyfair and would go on to create the Cedar Fair theme park chain. Today, Valleyfair is home to eight roller coasters, including Wild Thing and Renegade, several flat rides and the Soak City water park.

Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, is a large indoor theme park that originally opened in 1992 as Knott's Camp Snoopy. In 2008, the park would transform into Nickelodeon Universe that overhauled its theme. Today, Nickelodeon Universe features five roller coasters, a heavily themed log ride, and over two dozen other rides and attractions.

Hurricane Harbor Arlington, the largest water park in North Texas, is thrilled to announce its largest investment in park history with the debut of Splash Island and a variety of new guest amenities set for 2025. This expansion introduces a vibrant coastal-themed area featuring colorful slides and a multi-level interactive play structure, perfect for young guests.

Peppa Pig Theme Park DFW, scheduled to open this year, will be a standalone theme park experience featuring a children's roller coaster, flat rides, entertainment and play areas. Located in North Richland Hills, the new theme park will immerse visitors into the world of Peppa Pig and several other related characters from the popular television series. Join us for a quick look at the park's construction progress.

Adventureland Amusement Park, located on Long Island, opened its doors in 1962 and was a product of the area's increasing population. Situated on only twelve acres of land, the park has an impressive showcase of over thirty rides and attractions. Adventureland features three roller coasters, including the rare Fireball, and Turbulence, a high-thrill spinning coaster. The park is currently in the middle of a $10 million project for their Legacy Corner area with Wave Twister making its debut in 2025.

Opened in 1909, Fort Worth Zoo is located in Fort Worth, Texas and features 7,000 native and exotic animals. It has been ranked among the top zoos in North America by USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and Family Life magazine. Today, the Fort Worth Zoo spans 64 acres and is home to over 500 species.

What is now known as the San Antonio Zoo officially began in 1914. Over its 100 years, the 57-acre zoo has grown to feature 750 species of animals and over a million annual visitors. The San Antonio Zoo is involved with the protection and breeding of many endangered species, including the black rhino, the golden lion tamarin and the dama gazelle. Today, guests can experience and learn about over 3,500 animals during their visit.

Carowinds theme park, which originally opened in 1973, is a unique attraction located on the border of North and South Carolina. The name Carowinds is in reference to the winds that blow across the two states. The park's original theme was centered around the history and culture of the Carolinas. Today, Carowinds is home to several high-thrill and record-breaking attractions, such as Intimidator and Fury 325. For its 50th anniversary, Carowinds debuted the Aeronautica landing area with a refreshed theme and several new attractions.

The Wild Stallion Mountain Coaster at SkyLand Ranch opened near the end of 2022 and features a track length of 6,600 feet, making it the longest attraction of its kind in the southeast. The Wild Stallion Mountain Coaster gives riders scenic views of the Smoky Mountains during the day and views of the illuminated Sevierville, TN surroundings at night.

The Goat Coaster at Goats on the Roof opened in 2015, making it one of the original mountain coasters of the area. The attraction features a track length 3,061 feet and takes riders up the side of the Smoky Mountains. Reaching a top speed of nearly 30 miles per hour, the Goat Coaster can be controlled via manual brakes or riders can opt to travel as fast as possible down the mountain. The bonus? Visitors can also enjoy actual goats on the roof!

Hawaiian Falls Waco is a local water park in Waco, Texas that features a dozen water slides, an 800-foot lazy river, central Texas' first large-scale wave pool and several other family-friendly attractions. In 2023, Hawaiian Falls Waco was named one of the best water parks in the United States by The Edvocate.

Originally opened in 2001, Dollywood's Splash Country is a 35-acre water park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that features 16 attractions. These include the high-thrill Fire Tower Falls body slides, the TailSpin Racer racing slides and the award-winning RiverRush water coaster. Dollywood's Splash Country was also recognized as the Best New Water Park in America, along with the most Must-See Water Park by IAAPA.

Opened in 2019, Rowdy Bear's Ski Lift Shootout Coaster is one of Pigeon Forge's most unique ride experiences. Suspended below a track, riders are able to enhance their ride experience by aiming and shooting at various targets throughout the layout. Standing up to 60 feet tall with a track length of 1,300 feet, the Ski Lift Shootout Coaster is also America's first-ever alpine flyer. The attraction is one of many that can be enjoyed at Rowdy Bear Mountain in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Opened as the Power Coaster in 2021, the Avalanche Snow Coaster is the world's first and America's only powered alpine coaster (as of the release of this video). Riders board their own powered vehicle and trek along 2,200 feet of track. The unique attraction also allows for side-by-side seating with the main passenger able to control the speed of their vehicle throughout the ride experience. Avalanche Snow Coaster is one of multiple attractions found at Rowdy Bear Mountain in Pigeon Forge, TN.

Dollywood Theme Park first opened in 1961, focusing mostly on a railroad theme. In 1976, the Herschend family purchased the park and it would eventually transform into Silver Dollar City. Fast forward to 1986 and Silver Dollar City would become Dollywood, with part of its ownership being purchased by Dolly Parton. Today, Dollywood has nine roller coasters, including the iconic Lightning Rod and Tennessee Tornado. On top of that, the park features great theming, festivals, award-winning entertainment and the all-new Big Bear Mountain coaster and Wildwood Grove area.

Anakeesta Adventure Park, located in Gatlinburg, TN, is a prime destination for amazing views of the mountain landscape and surrounding areas. Anakeesta features several attractions, including ziplines, a mountain coaster, observation tower and more. Join us for a look at the park's experimental sensory garden walk, Vista Gardens, along with the Treetop Skywalk, which features over 800 feet of hanging bridges. One of Anakeesta's prime attractions, Astra Lumina, is also now open. Astra Lumina features eight extraordinary sections that feature cutting-edge multimedia, audio and lighting effects.

Originally opened as the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster in 2014, the Moonshine Mountain Coaster is a high-thrill attraction that features 2,500 feet of track. The Moonshine Mountain Coaster has won a number of local awards, including Best Mountain Coaster of 2021 by Best of Pigeon Forge, Top Mountain Coaster by Visit My Smokies and Most Thrilling Mountain Coaster by the Stony Brook Cabins blog.