4. Cedar Point $72

Image: Cedar FairI won’t lie. My heart belongs to Cedar Point. Outside of the Orlando parks and the number one entry on this list, I’ve visited Cedar Point by far the most. It’s my happy place due to the presence of several sublime roller coasters, including my favorite attraction on the planet, Millennium Force.

Cedar Point is the pride and joy of the company that owns it, Cedar Fair, as reflected in their name. They treat it as the crown jewel of the dozen amusement parks that they own and operate. They even base their headquarters in the same city, Sandusky, Ohio. I mention all of this to explain why Cedar Fair invests so much in maintaining the excitement quotient at Cedar Point.

Seemingly every year, this park gains a new attraction. Usually, this ride breaks a world record or two, also. The self-professed roller coaster capital of the world, Cedar Point’s held a claim to that title since at least the debut of Magnum XL-200 in 1989. Today, they somehow manage to offer 72 rides, 16 of which are roller coasters, for a modest admission fee of $72. With all due respect to the other parks listed above and below it, the bang for the buck at Cedar Point destroys almost everything on this list save for the park with the cheapest admission price.

3. Dollywood $69

Image: DollywoodDolly Parton is a local institution in East Tennessee. She famously pays for children’s educations. She even donates to those in need when tragedy strikes. And she once purchased a flagging amusement park called Silver Dollar City, evolving it into one of the best run facilities on the planet.

As I type this, Dollywood is either a former or current champion in the Golden Ticket Awards categories of Best Christmas Event, Best Food, Best Show, and Friendliest Park.  That’s an amazing demonstrated of cross-category dominance in a hyper-competitive industry. Dollywood also sports 27 rides, eight of which are very good roller coasters.

The park planners at Dollywood have emphasized adrenaline rush attractions in recent years, including the Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle. They’re also adding eight more attractions in coming years, which will make the park that much better in terms of value. Until then, the rides are a bit top-heavy, with several great ones and a string of mediocre ones. The award-winning shows elevate Dollywood over some of its peers on this list, though.