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.

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.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas heads into their second decade of operation in the 2000s with the addition of the record-breaking Superman Krypton Coaster. Other large additions to Fiesta Texas during this decade include multiple water slide attractions, Tony Hawk's Big Spin and Goliath. Live entertainment was a staple of the park during the 2000s as they'd produce over a dozen shows each season and take home Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Award for "Best Theme Park Shows" on numerous occasions.