5. Knott's Berry Farm

Location: Buena Park, California

Knott's Berry Farm is owned by Cedar Fair – the same company that owns Cedar Point – but its path to being part of the amusement park operator's family is different. When Walter and Cordelia Knott started selling chicken dinners at their berry farm in the height of the Great Depression, they were a hit. By 1940, Walter has constructed a "Ghost Town" depicting an old Californian Gold Rush town for visitors to explore while they waited for their tables. Especially when Disneyland opened in 1955 (just a neighborhood away), Knott's Berry Farm took off. In 1960, the iconic Calico Mine Ride opened; in 1969, the Timber Mountain Log Ride; in 1975, the beloved, classic Lost Legend: Knott's Bear-y Tales.

Knott's Berry Farm grew into a modern theme park based around California's rich history until 1997, when Cedar Fair bought the park from the Knott family. In the 25 years since, coasters have unsurprisingly become the name of the game, with bare steel supports bursting up from the historic park's beautiful little areas. Rides like GhostRider, Silver Bullet, Xcelerator, and the newest, Hangtime, are all part of that M.O.

But especially in the last decade, Cedar Fair has tempered its thrill pursuit (perhaps a little too much for some fans, who would prefer for Knott's Berry Farm's skyline to gain a gigacoaster), and classic dark rides like the Calico Mine Ride, Timber Mountain Log Ride, and – in a roundabout way – Bear-y Tales have all been granted elaborate refreshes.

Unlike the other parks on this list, Knott's isn't really a self-contained resort or a destination that's worth flying to for its own sake. But as an alternative to a high-priced Disney Park, it's already being re-discovered. After all, like Disney World, Disneyland is using a Park Pass Reservation system that even the highest-tier, highest-price annual passes can't escape from. It's especially a bummer at Disneyland, whose parks were often used by AP-equipped locals as an after-work hangout no different from going out to dinner elsewhere. Luckily, the highest-priced, all-inclusive pass at Knott's is $250 a year (it includes access to every Cedar Fair park, including Knott's' waterpark) – less than a two-day ticket to Disneyland.

Sensing an opportunity, Knott's has moved quickly to build its local audience and its regional one, banking big on nostalgic ride refurbishments, seasonal festivals (like the Boysenberry Festival), and entertainment offerings... paired with major events like Knott's Scary Farm and Knott's Merry Farm, it's interesting to see the California-park-that-could return to being a destination... and wow is it a park with visiting and appreciating. 

6. Kings Island

Location: Mason, Ohio

In that "middle tier" of parks across the country – the ones that aren't-quite-Disney, but more-than-an-amusement-park – Kings Island is certainly a star. The third Cedar Fair park on our list and the second in Ohio, Kings Island is the textbook example of a park built A.D. – that is, After Disney.

Unlike the century-old picnic parks or roadside parks that grew naturally over decades, Kings Island has a firm opening date – 1972 – and all the benefits of the Disney formula: a "Main Street" (here, the fountain-lined International Street) leading to a park icon (a 315-foot tall Eiffel Tower) and pathways that branch off of a central hub to themed lands (today, Action Zone, Oktoberfest, Coney Mall, Rivertown, and Planet Snoopy).

Kings Island is also unique is that it's passed through a number of different, prominent owners, each with very definitive – and sometimes opposed – plans for what it should be. Its first twenty years, it was the embodiment of the '70s Technicolor whimsy of the Taft Broadcasting Company and Hanna-Barbera. It was an era when the Racer and The Beast (above) ruled the midways. 

In 1993, Kings Island (and its four sister parks) were purchased by Paramount Pictures, who'd been convinced to jump into the rapidly-consolidating "studio park" business thanks to the success of Disney and Universal's entries, plus Warner Bros.' Six Flags. Paramount's era brought simple-but-impressively-decorated experiences like TOP GUN: The Jet Coaster, Nickelodeon Universe, and Drop Zone: Stunt Tower. Under Paramount, Kings Island also welcomed a few jaw-dropping, legitimately-Disney-level additions like The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear, the Italian Job: Stunt Track, and the Lost Legend – TOMB RAIDER: The Ride, not to mention the cinematic sequel Lost Legend: SON OF BEAST.

Cedar Fair acquired all five Paramount Parks in 2007, and though the "de-theming" of the parks was somewhat... clumsy (The Top Gun coaster was renamed "Flight Deck." Need we say more?)... it's probably been worth it. Yes, Cedar Fair quickly set about adding (you guessed it) roller coasters to up the thrill levels, and that's given Kings Island the B&M hyper Diamondback, the B&M invert Banshee, the GCI woodie Mystic Timbers, and the B&M giga Orion. But it's also restored a lot of quality back into the park... It wasn't wonderful to see TOMB RAIDER toppled or SON OF BEAST closed, but it's not really clear what state the park would be in at all if Paramount were still at the helm... 

So with 14 coasters (just one less than its sister, Cedar Point), Kings Island is inarguably a world class thrill park all its own. But more to the point, it's something more thanks to its modern origin and its cinematic era. Maybe it's a weird mutt, mixing the best and worst of Taft and Paramount and Cedar Fair... but it all adds up to something great. Don't get us wrong the other three parks that have gone through the same pattern – Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and Canada's Wonderland – are great in their own ways, and have some of the same DNA. But Kings Island was Taft's first park – its "Disneyland" – and Paramount's flagship, and it shows.

The Point

Our point here is simple. It doesn't have to be Disney. If you feel like you've been "priced out" of Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Orlando, why not look a little closer to home, or even plan a roadtrip to check out one of these destinations? Sure, you won't find a massive, multi-park complex like Walt Disney World anywhere in the country... but that doesn't mean you won't find something else you love, too.

These parks aren't your run-of-the-mill, local amusements. They're destinations in their own rights. And believe us when we say – they're worth a visit.