California's best theme parks

Map key - orange markers are theme parks, mauve markers historic parks. See below

For many people, visiting California means a trip to a theme park, and this is most likely to mean a trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, on the southern fringe of Los Angeles.
  But Disneyland is far from being the only theme park in California.  California was the birthplace of the modern theme park, and if we include all kinds of theme parks, from simple amusement parks to parks  with a special theme, including  water parks, safari parks, and others, then California has more to offer than  any other state - somewhere in the region of fifty places to visit for a good day out – or in some cases far more than just a day out.
  This page takes the expression "theme park" in its full sense; but we've divided the guide into two parts, firstly amusement parks, after that "themed" parks and places, that may or may not also include roller-coasters and other adrenalin-packing rides. In the second part we've also included parks that are themed for young children.
As this guide shows, a family day out at a park is something that can come in at a hefty price-tag, or can also be a lot less demanding on your budget - depending on where you go, how long you stay, and what you do. Theme parks are not all about white-knuckle heart-in-mouth rides.... there can be a lot more to them than that.

The best theme parks in California

Here are the best theme parks in the state of California, listed by category.

Amusement parks

Ticket price information

Information and price comparison: prices indicated are for standard single person 1-day basic admission prices updated for 2024 to park and/or rides. Check out each site for family rates, special offers and other discounted tickets, or check multiple sites with Citypass.

Los Angeles and southern California

• Adventure City.  Anaheim. A small amusement park with plenty of rides. $23.95
• Belmont Park .San Diego.  Opened way back in 1925 and still has some historic rides, as well as much more modern ones.. Free admission.  Rides: $54.49 day pass.
• Disneyland -  165 acres.  Anaheim.  
  Disneyland includes two theme parks - Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. Day tickets start at $104 for one park (which is more than you can do in one day)  Website 
• Knott's Berry Farm - Buena Park, south of Los Angeles.  165 acres. Substantial amusement park with lots of rides. Single day ticket: $75 at the gate or $59.99 online.  Website
• Legoland California -  Carlsbad, north of San Diego.  128 acres. Family orientated. Daily ticket $119 at the gate.  Or $78 online
• Pacific Park - Small 2 acre Seaside amusement park in Santa Monica. Free entry, pay per ride, or day pass to all rides from  $40 online
• Scandia Amusement park, Ontario, greater Los Angeles.
• Six Flags Magic Mountain - Santa Clarita. North of Los Angeles.  262 acres. A lot of rides, including 19 roller-coasters.  Single day ticket: $65 online

San Francisco and Northern California

• Castle Park . 25 acres. Riverside, near San Francisco.  For families. Day pass with unlimited rides from $19.99 at the gate. Cheaper options available, advance booking discounts.
• Gilroy Gardens - near San Francisco. 536 acres.  Family oriented. From $60  (includes 1 adult and 1 child - and is cheaper than the adult ticket without a child, which is $70)
• Great America.  100 acres.  Santa Clara, south of San Francisco.  Day ticket from $39.99
• Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk  -  Historic theme park beside the sea, 50 miles south of San Francisco.  Opened 1907, so over 100 years old. Lots of rides  All-day wristband. From $39.95

Themed historic sites and areas

• Bodie state historic park. Gold rush era ghost town.  ► See Bodie
• Sonoma TrainTown Railroad - 10 acres. model train themed park. Miniature train rides
• Children's Fairyland, Oakland (near San Francisco). Day ticket $16.00.  Theme park for young children, up to age 10 or so. 60 storybook sets, rides for young children, friendly animals, and 10 acres of gardens. Website
• Columbia State Historic Park.  Columbia (2½ hrs east of San Francisco : near Yosemite )The California Gold Rush. Living and working open-air museum with historic reenactments. Free entrance... this is actually a functioning small town, which happens to be  a preserved Gold Rush era town, with 30 historic buildings and  interactive exhibits. Website
• California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento.  Admission $12. The biggest railroad museum in the USA, (complete with heritage train trips  on Saturdays and Sundays)  Website
• Goldbug Park and mine, Placerville, east of Sacramento. Admission $12, under 17s $6. A small mining museum, including a self-guided audio tour in a real former goldmine.
• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Animal theme park, with rides. Between San Francisco and Sacramento.  135 acres.  Single day admission $88.99 at the gate, $40 online. Essentially a standard theme park with animals, including lions and tigers, penguins, aligators and more. Website 
• Universal Studios Hollywood - the classic Hollywood film studio theme park. One day admission from $109. The park includes the sets of various popular movies, movie enactments and also rides. Themed areas include the Harry Potter area and Jurassic park area. Website

Water parks - glorified swimming pools, with a lot more than just a pool to swim in.

• Raging Waters, Los Angeles