Top 5 Theme Parks in Southern California

There’s so much to love and enjoy about Southern California. The sun is always shining, the ocean is ready for swimming and the mountains are gorgeous. Still, one of the best aspects of Southern California is all the access to theme parks. If you’re planning on visiting California to bask in all the sights and sounds, here are the five best amusement parks you need to visit.

Universal Studios

Tucked away in Los Angeles is Universal Studios Hollywood—a real movie studio and theme park. The park has about 16 rides based on movies, including King Kong, The Mummy, Jurassic Park and more. What makes this so unique is that you can go on tours of old studios and possibly get a glimpse at the studios of current movies. Just outside the park is the CityWalk with live music, movies and shops.

Knott’s Berry Farm

On the site of an old berry farm, the seeds of the modern day amusement park were planted when Walter Knott held fairs on his land. Now the Orange County theme park boasts 40 rides with great rollercoasters and activities. One of the main themes of the park is the old West and quintessential America. This is a really fun park to visit.

Six Flags Magic Mountain

This theme park in Valencia is much more intense and scary than the other parks. Six Flags Magic Mountain is known for its massive rollercoasters that try to spin you around as much as possible while scaring you out of your mind. The park has 52 rides—most of which set the standard for the rest of the rollercoaster-centric theme parks around the world. It is currently developing what will be the third tallest ride in the world that will open in 2013. Since it’s essentially in the desert, avoid going in the height of summer.

SeaWorld San Diego

If you’re not keen on waiting for rollercoasters in the desert, head farther south to San Diego’s SeaWorld. This amusement park combines a traditional theme park with the animals of a zoo. Here you can see exhibits of beautiful animals like dolphins, polar bears, beluga whales and more. They also have eight rides for you to enjoy and several show focusing tricks the animals can do. It’s thoroughly entertaining

Disneyland/California Adventure

Finally, you have one of the most well-known theme parks in the world: Disneyland. The original Disney theme park is filled with magic and unique experiences. Although California Adventure is considered another theme park, it adjoins with Disneyland and you can buy a dual ticket, which is definitely worth it. You have to loose yourself in the world of Disney at least once in your life.

Tim Martinez grew up in Southern California and loves to travel. When he’s not traveling, he writes for the official blog of Camping Gear Outlet.