Best amusement parks in Florida
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.
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Stacker compiled a list of the best amusement parks in Florida 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.
#26. Snowcat Ridge
– Rating: 3/5 (806 reviews)
– Address: 27839 Saint Joe Road Dade City, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#25. Andretti Thrill Park
– Rating: 3.5/5 (319 reviews)
– Address: 3960 South Babcock St. Melbourne, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#24. Laguna’s Beach Bar + Grill
– Rating: 4.5/5 (93 reviews)
– Address: 460 Pensacola Beach Blvd. Pensacola Beach, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#23. Race City PCB
– Rating: 4/5 (392 reviews)
– Address: 9523 Front Beach Road Panama City Beach, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#22. Dezerland Park Orlando
– Rating: 4/5 (89 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#21. Crocodile Crossing (at Alligator Farm)
– Rating: 4.5/5 (197 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#20. Wild Willy’s Adventure Zone
– Rating: 4.5/5 (370 reviews)
– Address: 1306 Miracle Strip Pkwy Southeast Fort Walton Beach, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#19. Orlando StarFlyer
– Rating: 4.5/5 (174 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#18. Old Town Sling Shot & Vomatron
– Rating: 4.5/5 (214 reviews)
– Address: 5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#17. Swampy Jack’s Wongo Adventure
– Rating: 5/5 (110 reviews)
– Address: 284 Powell Adams Road Panama City Beach, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#16. ICON Park
– Rating: 4.5/5 (1,751 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#15. Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
– Rating: 4.5/5 (6,601 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#14. Old Town
– Rating: 4/5 (7,138 reviews)
– Address: 5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#13. Legoland Florida Resort
– Rating: 4/5 (9,201 reviews)
– Address: 1 Legoland Way Winter Haven, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#12. Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
– Rating: 4.5/5 (9,187 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#11. Busch Gardens
– Rating: 4/5 (18,469 reviews)
– Address: 10165 North McKinley Drive Tampa, Florida
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#10. Fun Spot America
– Rating: 4.5/5 (5,127 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#9. Epcot
– Rating: 4.5/5 (29,730 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#8. SeaWorld
– Rating: 4.5/5 (33,945 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#7. Walt Disney World Resort
– Rating: 4.5/5 (34,319 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#6. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
– Rating: 4.5/5 (34,812 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#5. Universal Studios Florida
– Rating: 4.5/5 (41,301 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#4. Magic Kingdom Park
– Rating: 4.5/5 (69,574 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#3. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort
– Rating: 5/5 (41,324 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#2. Discovery Cove
– Rating: 5/5 (17,664 reviews)
– Read more on Tripadvisor
#1. Universal Islands of Adventure
– Rating: 4.5/5 (52,353 reviews)
– 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.
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