5. Silver Dollar City

Best described as the park that made Branson, Missouri, a tourist destination, Silver Dollar City is much more than a clever, catchy name. The 19th century frontiersman vibe permeating throughout the facilities fosters a feeling of Manifest Destiny for park adventurers seeking to know what it was like to become an explorer back in the day.

Silver Dollar City’s positives for the Most Beautiful Theme Parks list are myriad. Like several others listed here, it has the benefit of a scenic mountain view. In this case, the Ozarks provide the ambience, and the park capitalizes on one of finest naturally occurring aspects of these mountains.  Marvel Cave, a National Natural Landmark, was the original impetus for Silver Dollar City. Hugo and Mary Herschend leased the cave, and then they created a tourist attraction known as 1880s Ozark Mountain Village. It was intended to attract consumers to its retro mining town feel, and it even used the foundation of an actual town to perfect the realism. Fast forward to today, and you can still tour Marvel Cave for free as an extra bonus for your Silver Dollar City ticket. It’s one of the most unique and thematic amusement park incentives in the world, as well as the fitting point of origin for the rustically attractive Silver Dollar City.

6. Holiday World

The pride of Santa Claus, Indiana, this park is the reigning champion in the category of Cleanest Park. The employees of Holiday World take pride in the appearance of their park, because they know how pretty it looks as long as they do their jobs. The entire premise of Holiday World is that if children visit a town with a name brimming with yuletide, they should feel like they’re re-living December 25th over and over again. That concept carries over to the park thrown together over the otherwise flat lands of Indiana. In combination with its companion water park, Splashin’ Safari, Holiday World is visible for miles as a seemingly out of nowhere man-made marvel of architecture. It is indelibly tied to the city of Santa Claus itself, and its attractiveness and attention to detail feels like a celebration of all things Kris Kringle.

7. Six Flags Great Adventure

While pretty may not be the first word that pops in your mind when you think of New Jersey, Six Flags Great Adventure still deserves selection. Recently tethered to its sister animal park, Great Adventure now holds a claim as the largest theme park in the world at 510 acres. It has also suffered from negative headlines lately for a decision to build a solar farm to attain sustainable energy at the cost of many trees in the area.

Despite all the negative press about its developers intentionally destroying some of its natural beauty, Six Flags Great Adventure has always claimed a spot as one of the most beautiful parks in the world due to its placement in Jackson Township, New Jersey. This area features forestry and waterfront areas so impressive that original owner Warner LeRoy had even grander plans for his new land. Basically every portion of Six Great Adventure offers a treat for the eyes in some way, a rarity for a region largely perceived as a punchline for neighboring New York. It is a vibrant, sweeping tract of land teeming with resplendent views of the surrounding forestry and waters.