Best amusement parks in New York
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.
Stacker compiled a list of the best amusement parks in New York 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.
#27. Highland Park Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (18 reviews)
- Address: Highland Park Endwell, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#26. Harris Hill Amusement Park
- Rating: 4/5 (36 reviews)
- Address: 557 County Road 55 Elmira, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#25. Kenwal Day Camp
- Rating: 5/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 100 Drexel Ave. Melville, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#24. Playland Park
- Rating: 3.5/5 (418 reviews)
- Address: 1 Playland Pkwy Rye, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#23. Huck Finn's Playland
- Rating: 4/5 (45 reviews)
- Address: 25 Erie Blvd. Albany, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#22. The Castle Fun Center
- Rating: 4/5 (89 reviews)
- Address: 109 Brookside Ave. Chester, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#21. Midway State Park
- Rating: 4/5 (102 reviews)
- Address: 4859 Route 430 Bemus Point, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#20. Roseland Waterpark
- Rating: 4/5 (113 reviews)
- Address: 250 Eastern Blvd. Canandaigua, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#19. Darien Lake Amusement Park
- Rating: 3.5/5 (949 reviews)
- Address: 9993 Alleghany Road Darien Center, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#18. Ross Park Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: Ross Park Binghamton, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#17. George W. Johnson Park Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (31 reviews)
- Address: George W. Johnson Park Endicott, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#16. Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park
- Rating: 4/5 (125 reviews)
- Address: 1025 Riegelmann Boardwalk Brooklyn, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#15. Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor
- Rating: 3.5/5 (1,449 reviews)
- Address: 1172 Us-9 Queensbury, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#14. Adventureland Long Island
- Rating: 4/5 (283 reviews)
- Address: 2245 Broad Hollow Road Farmingdale, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#13. C. Fred Johnson Park Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: C. Fred Johnson Park Johnson City, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#12. Catamount Aerial Adventure Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (85 reviews)
- Address: 3200 State Route 23 Hillsdale, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#11. West Endicott Park Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (55 reviews)
- Address: West Endicott Park Endicott, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#10. Magic Forest
- Rating: 3.5/5 (466 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#9. Recreation Park Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (106 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#8. Eldridge Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (135 reviews)
- Address: 96 Eldridge Park Drive Elmira, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#7. Adirondack Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (160 reviews)
- Address: 2 Depot St. Saranac Lake, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#6. Luna Park in Coney Island
- Rating: 4/5 (816 reviews)
- Address: 1000 Surf Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#5. Antique Carousel
- Rating: 4.5/5 (157 reviews)
- Address: Front St. Mitchell Park Greenport, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#4. LEGOLAND New York Resort
- Rating: 4/5 (1,055 reviews)
- Address: 1 Legoland Blvd. Goshen, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#3. The Cyclone
- Rating: 4.5/5 (137 reviews)
- Address: 1000 Surf Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#2. Seabreeze Amusement Park
- Rating: 4.5/5 (680 reviews)
- Address: 4600 Culver Road Rochester, New York
- Read more on Tripadvisor
#1. Enchanted Forest Water Safari
- Rating: 4.5/5 (445 reviews)
- Address: 3183 State Route 28 Old Forge, New York
- 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.
