Amusement Parks in Los Angeles
As the home of some of the most famous amusement parks in the world, the Los Angeles area knows how to do fun right. While most amusement park adventures usually end up taking a chunk out of your budget with ride fees or food or game tokens, there are still different options at different price points for those who want to feel like a kid again.
Affordable Amusements: The smallest of the bunch can be found on the famous Santa Monica Pier, which is easily recognizable from the Ferris Wheel and roller coasters jutting out into the glistening Pacific Ocean. While most of the rides on the pier are made so that kids can enjoy them, visitors of all sizes will love riding the famous Ferris Wheel, which looks out over the coast and provides gorgeous views. For some indoor amusement, head to the large arcade, which provides classic video games and arcade games like skee-ball. A short walk up the pier and you’ll find Santa Monica’s historic indoor carousel, which runs every day. Being on the pier gives you the feeling of what people might have done for fun before the age of high-tech rides and gadgets. Face painters, cotton candy carts and other vendors line the pier as you stroll through. The pier can get quite crowded on weekends, so expect lines for most rides. The park also requires that you buy tickets for each of the rides or games, which can add up after a full day playing on the pier.
Value Amusements: Although Six Flags has set up shop around the country, its Southern California version is one of its best. Magic Mountain, located in the city of Valencia, has been the subject of some rumors about its closing for some time now, but for now it’s still in the business of fun. For tickets between $30 and $40, visitors can have unlimited access to some of the scariest rides around. One of the most thrilling rides is X2, which even the most seasoned roller coaster riders will tell you makes their stomachs drop. There are plenty of attractions for the kids as well, including plenty of mild rides and a daily show starring Bugs Bunny and other famous characters.
Only in Los Angeles can the business of moviemaking be made into a fun-filled trip for the whole family. The masterminds at Universal Studios have transformed their lot into a full-blown amusement park complete with rides that reflect the studio’s film projects and television shows. Among the highlights of Universal Studios are a “mega-attraction” based on the hit show “The Simpsons” and a roller coaster based on “The Mummy” move series. For those who want to know a bit more about the business of Universal Studios, the park also offers studio tours, where visitors can get a glimpse of the backlots and learn some special effects secrets. Admission is steep at $67 for adults, but the good news is that the ticket comes with a second day’s admission for free.
Big Time Parks: All of those other options are great fun, but let’s get real — when people think of amusement parks in Los Angeles, they’re really thinking of the Disneyland empire. Disneyland, in the city of Anaheim, is the first of Walt Disney’s international collection of theme parks and perhaps the most famous. Open since 1955, the park has not lost any of its magic, with its towering Sleeping Beauty Castle, flying Dumbo rides and friendly characters wandering the park. The park is laid out into equally exciting sections, including Frontierland and Tomorrowland, where all the rides have a futuristic theme. For $70, an adult can go into Disneyland for one day, or for a bit more can choose a city-hopper pass, which allows visitors to see California Adventure, Disney’s newer addition next door. California Adventure provides more full-blown roller coasters and embraces the state theme, so that you can visit San Francisco in miniature if you don’t have time to go there in person.