Belmont Park - San Diego's only beachfront amusement center and home of the historic Giant Dipper Roller Coaster and Plunge. Belmont Park carries on the tradition of old-time family fun featuring The Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, Vertical Plunge, Bumper Mania, Tilt-A-Whirl, Liberty Carousel, Crazy Submarine, Thunder Boats, Baja Buggies, Sea Serpent, and Pirates Cove, San Diego's largest and most adventurous indoor children's play center.
Disneyland - Southern California's most popular amusement park. Emphasis on theme attractions and rides. Disneyland is a "must see" attraction. You will feel the magic of Disneyland as soon as you enter the park! Plan on spending a whole day (or longer, if possible). Follow the link to find more info and a Disneyland Photo Gallery.
Disney's California Adventure - Disney's California Adventure park is now open, so come celebrate the fun and adventures of California -- Disney style! You'll be immersed in the California spirit through the magic of Hollywood, the thrills of a beachfront boardwalk and the adventures of the great outdoors.
Hurricane Harbor - From thrilling speed slides to cool kids' areas to gallons of water adventures, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is a tropical paradise and the perfect place to cool off and work on your California tan. [Santa Clarita, near Magic Mountain].
Knott's Berry Farm - Large theme park with an emphasis on theme attractions and rides. There is an adjacent shopping district that you can visit for free. Some thrill rides. If you like slower rides where you can look at animated characters and other scenarios, try Knott's. This is a good place for kids. The park and the shopping district follow an old western (cowboy) theme, plus features Snoopy and other Peanuts characters.
LegoLand California - Near San Diego. Theme park dedicated to Lego toys. Virtual tour, online tickets, park hours and other information.
Los Angeles Zoo - Hours, history, management, location, prices, and general Zoo information.
Magic Mountain - If you like roller coasters then try Magic Mountain. Emphasis is on Thrill Rides, with some theme attractions, plus carnival games, arcades, food. Also has family attractions such as shows and entertainment [Santa Clarita, northern LA County].
Pacific Park in Santa Monica
Pacific Park, Santa Monica - Located on the world famous Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park is the family place to play! It's the West Coast's only amusement park located on a pier.
Raging Waters - California's largest water theme park featuring a 50-acre aquatic recreation park which includes water slides, speed slides, rides, chutes, lagoons, children's activity pools and beaches for sunbathers. Open during the summer months. Click on the link for their San Dimas facility.
San Diego Wild Animal Park - Located 32 miles northeast of the San Diego Zoo near the city of Escondido in north San Diego County, the San Diego Wild Animal Park is 20 times larger than the Zoo. It is also a completely different experience than a visit to the Zoo. The 1,800-acre wildlife preserve allows visitors to view herds of exotic animals as they might have been seen in their native Asia and Africa. The Park has over 3,500 animals representing 260 species, and is also an accredited botanical garden.
San Diego Zoo - The San Diego Zoo cares for more than 4,000 individual animals representing 800 different species. Its collection of animals, as well as its plant collection of over 6,500 species, is acknowledged as one of the finest in the entire world.
Soak City - Located just beside the Knott's Berry Farm theme park, Soak City is one of Southern California's largest water parks. High-speed slides, 4-person rafts, single-rider inner tube slides, enclosed slide flumes, a lazy river, wave pool, and a family fun house featuring a variety of water activities.
Sea World - At their Home Page, click on "San Diego". Sea World is about a two hour drive south of downtown Los Angeles. See dolphins, polar bears, whales, sharks and other aquatic animals in exhibits and performances.
Speedzone - a park built around speed and competition, incorporates real racing action, indoor interactive entertainment and great food to create a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Situated on approximately 12 acres of land. Pilot a NHRA Top Fuel Dragster, spin wildly in a go-kart on the finely polished concrete surface Slick Track, race Grand Prix cars and more.
Shrek at Universal Studios
Universal Studios Hollywood - The world-famous movie studio and theme park featuring movie studios, tours, attractions, rides, restaurants and more. Get a behind-the-scenes look at special effects techniques. See what life's like on a movie back lot.
