7. Dollywood

© Herschend

Location: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Park Map: Interactive 

Tucked away in the Great Smoky Mountains, this wilderness retreat headed by country music superstar Dolly Parton is very difficult to describe. Dolly – born and raised in the area and always saddled with poverty – has tried to recreate the authentic experience of the region with real local craftsmen selling their wares in wonderfully accurate lands based on the Smoky Mountain states. She’s also mixed in a heaping helping of imaginative and optimistic entertainment that tells her story and the story of the hardworking folks from the area. Then, she’s mixed in coasters that send riders on adventures through the unforgettable scenery of Tennessee. Of course, you can also expect home cookin’ and a warm, welcome, family feeling.

Signature Attractions: Half of Dollywood’s main attraction is the list of revolving shows that pass through the park, each musical and emotional and outrageous, like Dolly herself. The park also features quite a few very unique coasters. The twisted Mystery Mine is quite unlike anything else in the U.S. while the new Wild Eagle soars over the park’s forested terrain with winged trains and giant, weightless inversions. Equally fun is 2014’s Firechaser Express, a family coaster that packs a few explosive surprises as it navigates the park’s rugged terrain en route to a flaming fireworks factory.

8. Warner Bros. Movie World

© Village Roadshow Theme Parks

Location: Oxenford, Queensland, Australia
Park Map:  Interactive

In the early 1990s, it was all the rage to build movie-studio themed theme parks. First, the slogan practically writes itself when guests can “ride the movies.” There's no need to mess with original stories or creative characters - folks already know and love Scooby Doo, so the character does the marketing for you. As well, forget Disney-level theming... Since the park is meant to represent a "studio," rides can be placed in box square showbuildings that look like movie soundstages, saving big money! Intrigued by the idea, movie studios jumped into the industry following the lead of Disney (Disney-MGM Studios, 1989) and Universal (Universal Studios Florida, 1990). MGM hopped on board with their own short lived park in Vegas (MGMG Grand Adventures, 1993) and Paramount bought in by purchasing a collection of five sister parks and re-branding them with movie-tie ins (also 1993).

Not to be left out, Warner Bros. opened Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast in Australia in 1991, trying their hand at a German version shortly thereafter. In the mid-2000s, global economic downturn led to many businesses selling off non-core assets. Somehow, Warner Bros. Village Roadshow Theme Parks division kept hold of the Australian park, which continues to spread movie magic to this day.

Signature Attractions: It seems that Movie World takes its DC Heroes branding a little more seriously than Six Flags. Instead of just naming any old coaster after the hero,  Superman: The Escape is a very cool dark ride that suddenly and unexpectedly evolves into a launched coaster when Superman himself pushes your subway train to safety. The park also has Justice League: The Invasion 3D, a one-of-a-kind interactive shooting dark ride featuring all your favorite DC Comics Heroes who appear via animatronics figures and 3D screens somewhat like Universal's Spider-Man... we'd love to see something like it make its way to Six Flags parks in the US. Fans of the world’s bravest Great Dane will appreciate Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster, a dark ride / Wild Mouse coaster that recreates the famous Spooky Island Castle from the 2002 live action film.

9. Six Flags Great Adventure

© Six Flags

Location: Jackson, New Jersey
Park Map: Interactive

Located in the woods of New Jersey, Six Flags Great Adventure is certainly the largest Six Flags on Earth, and indeed bills itself as the largest theme park period. Great Adventure is also dripping with theming and is divided into well-done lands like Fantasy Forest, Adventure Alley, Movie Town, and Plaza del Carnival. In the typical style of old Six Flags leadership, some of the lands are mish-mashed thanks to odd and out-of-place additions (like the superhero-themed Bizarro in the Frontier Adventures area), but new management has made earnest efforts to make the park a beautiful, family one.

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Signature Attractions: In 2005, the park opened an incredible new themed land called The Golden Kingdom. Based on a misty Asian jungle, its signature attraction is Kingda Ka, the tallest roller coaster on Earth. In 2014, the world's tallest drop tower, Zumanjaro, was affixed to Kingda Ka, creating one mechanical contraption of terror. The park's coasters are its highlight. The incomparable El Toro does things totally unexpected of wooden coasters, and even ranked in our Top 15 Coasters as voted by our readers. In 2012, Six Flags closed the separate Six Flags Wild Safari drive-through animal park located Next to Great Adventure. Instead of letting the safari park disappear, it was combined with Great Adventure in 2013 as the Safari Off-Road Adventure ride in the style of Disney's Kilimanjaro Safaris.

10. Canada’s Wonderland 

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Location: Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
Park Map: Downloadable

Located just outside of Toronto, Canada’s Wonderland is no doubt Canada’s premier park. Born of the same minds that built the Kings parks, Wonderland features very similar Royal Fountains. Instead of the Eiffel Tower, however, they lead to the mysterious Wonder Mountain. Wonderland’s themed areas include International Street, Action Zone, White Water Canyon, and Medieval Faire, with top-notch theming here and there, thanks to the earlier success of Kings Island and Kings Dominion relaxing the budgets for a third park. Like the rest, Wonderland was owned by Paramount just long enough for a few movie themed rides, and has since been put back in the fast lane for massive coaster installations that are more Cedar Fair’s speed and style.

© Cedar Fair

Signature Rides: Wonderland built Canada’s tallest and fastest coaster with Behemoth, named after the mythical ancient land creature said to tower over mountains. The blazing orange track of the super-smooth B&M 230-foot first hill dominated the park’s skyline for just a few years. In 2012, Behemoth was overshadowed by a coaster based on its real, legendary water equivalent: Leviathan. At 306 feet tall, the ride is the fourth giga-coaster in the world, and obviously Canada’s tallest. 2014 saw the opening of yet another coaster, this one located inside Wonder Mountain and called Guardian. The ride is half coaster, and half interactive dark ride in the style of Disney’s Toy Story Mania as riders blast through mythical creatures to find a dragon hidden in the mountain’s core.

11. Ocean Park Hong Kong

© Ocean Park

Location: Southern District, Hong Kong
Park Map: Interactive

Opened in 1977, Ocean Park in Hong Kong is a mega-park that’s often overlooked. Located fairly close to Hong Kong Disneyland, international interest in the Chinese park was renewed when tourists started traveling to visit Disney’s resort. However, Ocean Park has been going strong all along. The park is actually located in two areas divided by a mountain. Guests enter at the Waterfront where many of the park’s zoological animal exhibits are located including pandas, birds, pinnipeds, and alligators. Then, guests must take either a cable car or a train around the mountain to reach the second area. The Summit contains many of the park’s thrill rides, located on a steep cliff overlooking Deep Water Bay.

© Tamir Oron

Signature Attractions: The Wild West Mine Train put Ocean Park on many enthusiasts’ maps when it opened in 1999, precariously perched high up in the Summit. 2011’s B&M floorless Hair Raiser (modeled after Luna Park at Brooklyn’s Coney Island) used a similar cliff-side vantage point to truly thrill guests. 

12. Chessington World of Adventures

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Location: Chessington, England, UK
Park Map: Downloadable 

Located just a few minutes south of Central London, Chessington began its life in the 1930s as a zoo. Over the years, a few amusement rides were added, culminating in its official rededication as a theme park in 1987. Today, the zoo and park continue to coexist, though the latter has greatly outgrown the former. The park itself contains wonderfully themed areas: Mexicana, Forbidden Kingdom, Mystic East, Market Square, Transylvania, and Land of Dragons. Decidedly a family park (sort of on par with LEGOLAND), Chessington continues to thrive as it transforms into a full resort with a new on-site hotel and a SeaLife aquarium.

© Merlin

Signature Attractions: Since it’s owned by the same forces behind Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, Chessington follows in their footsteps with family attractions that are decidedly well themed for such a park. Tomb Blaster in an interactive dark ride located in the Forbidden Kingdom section of the park. Nearby is the new Scorpion Express family mine train coaster. The new Wild Asia area contains the dizzying Kobra spinning flat ride, while Transylvania is home to the fan-favorite Vampire suspended swinging family coaster. The park’s big addition for 2013 was ZUFARI: Ride into Africa, an off-roading JEEP adventure through very real animal habitats – homage to Disney’s fabled Kilimanjaro Safaris and a testament to the park’s zoological origins.