3. Hersheypark

Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania

When Milton S. Hershey built his chocolate factory in 1905, the facility included cutting edge mass-production technologies, which turned the iconic Hershey Bar (and in 1907, the machine-dolloped Hershey Kiss) into the first mass-marketed confectioner's product of all time. As workers flooded to the facility smack dab in Pennsylvania's dairy farmland, the company town of Hershey was born as homes, churches, stores, and transportation infrastructure grew around the plant. One convenience afforded to Hershey's workers was Hersheypark – founded in 1906 as a respite for workers' families to enjoy a carousel and miniature railroad.

Like so many parks that developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hersheypark soon became home to bumper cars and wooden roller coasters and funhouses and sunlite pools, growing into a regional attraction far beyond just the workers of Hershey. Though the park experienced ups and downs through the 1900s, there's no doubt that today, Hersheypark is a major player in the "mid-sized" park circuit, and a great compliment to the other parks on our list... 

Of course, we have to forewarn you: Hersheypark probably has less to do with chocolate than you might think. Sure, there are meet-and-greet characters and height requirement designations based on the confectioner's most iconic products (think: Hershey Bar, Reese's Cup, Jolly Rancher, Twizzler, and Kisses) and the occasional candy-themed ride (like the Reese's Cupfusion dark ride)... But in general, Hersheypark looks and feels like a lot of century-old parks... a sort of classic amusement park with plenty of modern thrill rides like the notable Skyrush Intamin mega-lite that co-exists with the 80-year old wooden Comet.

In recent years, the company has certainly decided to lean into its chocolatey allure. In 2020, the park's entrance was restyled as Chocolate Town (complete with its own candy store and table service restaurant) anchored by the Candymonium B&M hypercoaster with milk-chocolate color track that winds around a Kisses-shaped fountain. In 2022, the park rehabbed its classic Vekoma Boomerang into the Jolly Rancher Remix (above), which now shuttles riders through a light-and-scent show as if blasting them with flavor. And with rumors that the park's Wildcat woodie may get the RMC treatment, it's likely that the candy lean will continue.

For those who need their chocolate fix, there's good news. Located right next to Hersheypark is the Hershey's Chocolate World visitor center – really, an attraction in its own right. It's free to enter and includes a free, 10-minute dark ride called Hershey's Chocolate Tour, an actually-incredible, musical, and very entertaining taste of how Hershey's products are made. (And yes, guests get a sample as they exit.) For an additional fee, you can also experience a 4D film, a live stage show, and various "design-your-own candy bar" workshops. There's even a guided trolley tour through the town of Hershey to visit historical sites from Milton's day. 

Hersheypark fits for the bill for our regional destination parks because it's a true historic treasure. From the family friendly Hersheypark Lodge with its Water Works waterpark to the historic, elegant, and luxurious Hotel Hershey and even a campground, Hershey really is a destination in its own right, and a wonderful place to plan a family vacation. 

4. Cedar Point

Location: Sandusky, Ohio

Cliche as it may be, there's no way to compile a list of "destination" parks without including Cedar Point. "America's Roller Coast" has been around for more than a century, and like so many classic picnic parks that grew from dance halls and sunlite pools to gigacoasters, its story could probably populate a PhD thesis. In short, the park is known for two things: its location (on a peninsula jutting out toward Canada in Lake Erie – one of the Great Lakes) and, of course, its coasters.

Especially during the height of the "Coaster Wars" that defined the '90s and 2000s, Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain battled back and forth for the title of "Roller Coaster Capitol of the World." Today, that's not a battle worth fighting. Cedar Point has a solid 15-coaster collection, while Magic Mountain has runaway with 20. But of course, Cedar Point's legendary lineup includes the first roller coasters to shatter the 100, 200, 300, and 400 foot height barriers (though the latter is currently standing-but-not-operating, and signs suggest that Top Thrill Dragster may never operate again).

More to the point, you can't really compete with a coaster lineup that includes Magnum XL-200, Millennium Force, Maverick, Top Thrill Dragster, and Steel Vengeance. Throw in classics like Raptor, Iron Dragon, Gemini, Gatekeeper, Valravn, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and the Blue Streak and you've got yourself an enviable collection.

Don't get us wrong – despite Cedar Point's unique status as a seasonal park that draws international attention and crowds, it's not a perfect park. For years, it won Amusement Today's "Golden Ticket" award for being the Best Theme or Amusement Park on Earth – a wild claim from the get-go, but made all the more questionable when you consider that the park doesn't have a single, solitary dark ride. Not even an indoor coaster! And while the park has certainly made huge efforts to diversify and add entertainment and refocus on seasonal events, Cedar Point is still primarily a "coaster park" defined by amusement park midways and big, bare, steel roller coasters... for better or worse.

But listen – Cedar Point is a living legend. And if it's on your radar for a family getaway to replace a Disney trip, you'll be happy to know that as part of its post-Coaster-Wars re-balancing, Cedar Fair has spent big bucks to re-emphasize the park as being a full resort. For example, major effort has restored the park's beach as a focus of marketing and programming, where you can sail, jet-ski, swim, and relax. It's also got the separately-ticketed Cedar Point Shores waterpark, not to mention the newly-redesigned Castaway Bay indoor waterpark resort. 

Speaking of which, the park has also wrapped up a complete, multi-year refurbishment of every one of its Cedar Point Resorts properties, including the value Cedar Point Express Hotel, the golf resort-stylized Sawmill Creek, and the elegant, Victorian, lakeside Hotel Breakers (dating to 1905) which was recently given a floor-to-ceiling facelift.

As park of the Lake Erie Shores & Islands region, Sandusky also offers ferry rides to Kelleys Island (a 4-square mile island and State Park located 4 miles off the coast; home to bike rentals, a town of restaurants and attractions, and Glacial Grooves State Memorial – living geological evidence of the Ice Age) or Put-in-Bay (a popular destination for wine tasting and breweries; also home to Perry's International Peace Memorial – a 350-foot tall Doric column lighthouse near the US-Canadian border). Basically, Cedar Point should definitely be on your short list of vacations... You'll find a lot more thrills than a Disney trip, and for a lot less money.