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.

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.