Best amusement parks in Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania 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.

1 / 25

#25. Hershey Sweet Lights

- Rating: 2.5/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 100 West Hershey Park Drive Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

2 / 25

#24. Bushkill Park

- Rating: 5/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: 2100 Bushkill Park Drive Easton, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

3 / 25

#23. Caddie Shak

- Rating: 3.5/5 (54 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor

4 / 25

#22. Carousel at Pottstown

- Rating: 4.5/5 (19 reviews)
- Address: 30 West King St. across from Manatawny Park Pottstown, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

5 / 25

#21. Arnold's Family Fun Center

- Rating: 3/5 (84 reviews)
- Address: 2200 West Drive Oaks, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

6 / 25

#20. Grange Fairgrounds

- Rating: 4.5/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 237 South Hoffer Ave. Centre Hall, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

7 / 25

#19. Lahey Family Fun Park

- Rating: 4/5 (69 reviews)
- Address: 500 Morgan Hwy Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

8 / 25

#18. Challenge Family Fun Center

- Rating: 4/5 (76 reviews)
- Address: 366 Middletown Road Hummelstown, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

9 / 25

#17. Lakemont Park

- Rating: 3.5/5 (216 reviews)
- Address: 700 Park Ave. Altoona, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

10 / 25

#16. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia

- Rating: 3.5/5 (196 reviews)
- Address: 500 West Germantown Pike Plymouth Meeting Mall Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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11 / 25

#15. Adventure Sports in Hershey

- Rating: 4/5 (128 reviews)
- Address: 3010 Elizabethtown Road Hershey, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

12 / 25

#14. Conneaut Lake Park

- Rating: 3.5/5 (255 reviews)
- Address: 12382 Center St. Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

13 / 25

#13. MagiQuest

- Rating: 4/5 (190 reviews)
- Address: 1 Great Wolf Drive Scotrun, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

14 / 25

#12. Land of Little Horses

- Rating: 4.5/5 (233 reviews)
- Address: 125 Glenwood Drive Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

15 / 25

#11. Camelback Mountain Adventures

- Rating: 4/5 (325 reviews)
- Address: 243 Resort Drive Tannersville, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

16 / 25

#10. Idlewild & SoakZone

- Rating: 4/5 (694 reviews)
- Address: 2574 U.s. 30 Rt. 30 East Ligonier, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

17 / 25

#9. DelGrosso's Amusement Park

- Rating: 4.5/5 (351 reviews)
- Address: 4352 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd. Tipton, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

18 / 25

#8. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

- Rating: 4/5 (1,660 reviews)
- Address: 3830 Dorney Park Road Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

19 / 25

#7. Crayola Experience

- Rating: 4/5 (1,619 reviews)
- Read more on Tripadvisor

20 / 25

#6. Kennywood Park

- Rating: 4/5 (1,381 reviews)
- Address: 4800 Kennywood Boulevard West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

21 / 25

#5. Waldameer & Water World

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,070 reviews)
- Address: 220 Peninsula Drive Erie, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

22 / 25

#4. Sesame Place Philadelphia

- Rating: 3.5/5 (3,119 reviews)
- Address: 100 Sesame Road Langhorne, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

23 / 25

#3. Dutch Wonderland

- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,411 reviews)
- Address: 2249 Lincoln Hwy East Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

24 / 25

#2. Knoebels Amusement Resort

- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,516 reviews)
- Address: 391 Knoebels Blvd. Elysburg, Pennsylvania
- Read more on Tripadvisor

25 / 25

#1. Hersheypark

- Rating: 4/5 (7,852 reviews)
- Address: 100 West Hersheypark Drive Hershey, Pennsylvania
- 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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