tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: ChangChienFu at English Wikipedia / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Playland Park, often called Rye Playland, opened on May 26, 1928 along the Long Island Sound in Rye, New York. Built by Westchester County government, it was the first amusement park in the United
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: Zotdragon at en.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Darien Lake is a large amusement park and resort in Darien Center, New York, roughly midway between Buffalo and Rochester and about 45 minutes from Niagara Falls. The park opened in May 1981 as
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: USGS / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Elitch Gardens is a 65-acre theme and water park in Denver, Colorado, with roots going back to 1890, when it opened northwest of downtown as a combination zoo, botanic garden, and amusement park. The park relocated to
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Lagoon Amusement Park sits in Farmington, Utah, about 18 miles north of Salt Lake City, and traces its roots back to a lakeside resort called Lake Park that opened in 1886.
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: TheCatalyst31 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Adventureland is a family-owned-turned-corporate amusement park in Altoona, Iowa, just northeast of Des Moines. Founded by Jack Krantz and opened in August 1974, the park grew from a modest local attraction into one of the Midwest’s
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: Cards84664 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Waldameer Park & Water World sits at the base of Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, where it has drawn lakeside crowds since 1896. Originally a picnic ground called Hoffman’s Grove, the site was leased
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Lake Compounce sits on the Bristol-Southington town line in Connecticut and holds a unique title in American amusement history: it has been operating continuously since 1846, making it the oldest continuously operating amusement park
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: Rich Anderson from Philadelphia, PA, United States of America / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Knoebels Amusement Resort has welcomed guests to Elysburg, Pennsylvania since it first opened on July 4, 1926, and the Knoebel family still owns and operates the park a
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tz
/ July 11, 2026
Photo: Detroit Publishing Co. / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Kennywood opened on May 30, 1898, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just southeast of Pittsburgh, growing from a trolley-line picnic ground into one of the country’s most celebrated regional amusement parks. In 1987 it became one
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tz
/ July 9, 2026
Photo: Jeremy Thompson / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Michigan’s Adventure sits just outside Muskegon, Michigan, and holds the title of the largest amusement park in the state, spreading across roughly 250 acres alongside its adjoining water park. What began in 1956 as a
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tz
/ July 8, 2026
Photo: Chad Davis from Minneapolis, United States / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Valleyfair opened on May 25, 1976, in Shakopee, Minnesota, with 20 rides spread across 26 acres. Nearly five decades later, the park has grown to 90 acres and now anchors the
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tz
/ June 30, 2026
Six Flags Over Georgia opened on June 16, 1967, in Mableton, Georgia, becoming the second park in the Six Flags chain after the original Six Flags Over Texas. Spanning 290 acres near Atlanta, the park made history at launch as the first theme park operator
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tz
/ June 22, 2026
A day at an amusement park is basically a marathon with roller coasters: ten-plus hours on your feet, baking in the sun, packed into lines, and strapped into rides that fling loose items into the void. What you wear makes the difference between a great
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