Next best attraction in Amusement Park cities

If your spending a couple of days in your favorite Amusement Park, what is the best "other attraction" in that area?

Here are some of mine:

PKI/Coney Island/Americana: Museum Center at Union Terminal. Great for families with 3 seperate museums and an IMAX.

SFSTL: Grants Farm, It's a nature preserve owned by the Busch family (of Budweiser fame). See the Clydesdales and animals from all around the world. Another perk is, it's FREE.

SFKK: Louisville Slugger Museum. If you like baseball this is a must stop. If you don't, you'll still enjoy the factory tour which is an upclose walk through of the actual bat making process.

Take it easy,

DAC

PKI and Cincinnati: Bass Pro Shops is an attraction all on it's own. So is Jungle Jims. Otherwise, I would say the Cincinnati Zoo, The Beach, Newport Aquarium, and anything along the beautiful Little Miami River (a national scenic river.)

:-)

I'll just do my 3 favorite parks

SFGAm: Downtown & the Southside of Chicago. *THE* prettiest skyline in the USA (yes even before 9-11). Wonderful house music. And the only place to get *real* pizza and Harold's Chicken (even Chitown may not know about that one ;))

HersheyPark: Not a damn thing. Take the 2hr drive to DC and see the pretty girls in their 'strech jeans' "shake it fast" at a go-go. Then check out 'Ben's Chilli Bowl' for a late night snack or Phillip's Flagship for a seafood buffet.

Disneyland: While Hollywood is a sleeze fest and Beverly Hills is overated, the LA Metro area can be entertaining. Try and be a guest on "The Price is Right" or something. Oh and make sure to stop by 'FatBurger' and 'Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles' for some "local" cuisine.
lata,
jeremy
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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01

SFEG/Lakeside: If you time it right, some of the ski resorts are still open right when these parks open. There is also the alpine slide, and lodo, and of course all the sports teams. Except it would be a waste of money to see anything except the avalanche.

SFGAm: We got Blue Man Group in Chicago. Best show ever. There is Gurnee Mills like 2 minutes from SFGAm, and it is shaped like a big dollar sign. Click here to see a picture of it. Well, there is the Zion Nuclear Plant that no longer operates due to it was leaking radioactive material a few years back. And hey, I live less than a mile from it. There is also lovely Lake Michigan. Oh and cant forget my second favorite pastime besides coasters, lots of places to go paintballing around here.

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Rob

I HATE SNOW!!! I am boycotting snow, I refuse to have fun in it.

SFGAm: I'd have to go with Chicago. You can never run out of things to do there, it has everything but one thing, Riverview Park...

Big Chief's: Skyscraper! That thing rocks! It's the ultimate ferris wheel on steroids with freely rotating cars!

BGT: I'd have to say it's the port, which gets you on a ship, which takes you to Cozumel, Grand Caymen, and Nawlans, only after making sure you've eaten enough food for 10 people.

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Yatta!
Hey, look, I have a signature now! Even if it is only Yatta...

*** This post was edited by TrBiggar on 3/10/2002. ***

SFA - The mall in Washington. It's not a shopping center. It's the open area between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Tour the Capitol and the White House. Go on the FBI tour. Do we still have this post 9/11?) Top of the Washington Monument. The Vietnam memorial. Ride the rickety old carousel. You can spend a week in the Smithsonian alone. Then there is the Naitonal Zoo up in Rock Creek Park. You can also boogy over to Annapolis and see the academy and the waterfront.

Hershey - Chocolate World and Zoo America can be a little break. The Amish country can also be interesting. If you are in to trains there is the Strasburg railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad museum, and Roadside America.

SFGAm - Why didn't any of you guys mention the Museum Of Science and Industry?

Knobel's - Not even a McDonalds, but who cares with Phoenix, Twister, The Haunted House, and great food right in the park.

PKD - Unless you are a civil war buff Washington is probably the closest place with much else. Williamsburg isn't too far either.

Lakemont - Watch the Altoona Curve play in a beautiful minor league baseball park right next door. A really big homerun could almost hit Skyliner. If you are a train buff, the Altoona curve on the old Pennsylvania Railroad tracks is one of the greatest places in the world to train watch.

BGW - Williamsburg is a national treasure. Virginia Beach is also near by.

Several - If you are cutting between Ohio parks and find yourself near Dayton, don't pass up the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson air base. Hundreds of historic airplanes from every era in beautiful condition and air conditioned comfort.

Oh I forgot, for SFGAm, Navy Pier in Chicago.

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Rob

I HATE SNOW!!! I am boycotting snow, I refuse to have fun in it.

Jim Fisher said:
"SFGAm - Why didn't any of you guys mention the Museum Of Science and Industry?"

Because I grew up (and my parents still live) ten blocks due south of the place and one summer when I was @ day cap at the "Y" we went there *everytime* it rained (back wehn it was still free).

The funny thing is that I have *still* never been in the U-boat or the coal mine (I was always scared of the coal mine...)
jeremy
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"Nobody writes about the planes that land." Steve Salerno Washington Times 7-10-01

I want to go there sometime, but my parents are well, too lazy to get off the butt's and actually do something. And most of my friends arent interested in that kind of museum. Most of my friends are more into art museums. I have lived near Gurnee for about 3 years now, and have only been to Chicago 3 times. First time was to Union (Train) Station and Sears Tower. Second time was with my school to go shopping on Michigan Ave. And third time was to go see Blue Man Group. I am bound and determined to goto the Museum of Science and Industry. I want to go see the U-boat. Partially because my dad was born and raised in Germany, and my Grandmother was in a Nazi concentration camp because her father was outspoken against Hitler. And I also want to go to the u-boat because I love history. Thats one reason I love watching coaster shows when they show like the beginning of coasters. Good stuff there.

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Rob

I HATE SNOW!!! I am boycotting snow, I refuse to have fun in it.

SFMW & PGA: San Francisco is a very fun city. There's tons to do. Like Pier 39, Chinatown, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Go to a Giant's game or an A's game, walk around the city for a day, a ferry ride, the ocean, the list goes on. I have lived here for 13 years and I'm still finding new things to do.

PS: Sorry if that sounded like a travel add :)

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You can't spell my hometown's name with out "Lame"! aLAMEda...:)

Gotta agree with you there SFMWManiac87, PGA was but a *small* part of the trip to NoCal...yet, Stealth WAS the "World's Only Flying Coaster". So happy we got to spend an extra few days in San Fran, even if we DID get a little caught up in the whole tourist thing. (Don't know how you guys do it out there, a visit's one thing, but to LIVE in Earthquake country is a whole other deal...).

DC is not far from SFA and still has all the national treasures...glad work takes us there every year..

Others of note: Hotlanta, LA, Cleveland, (big cities with TONS of stuff)...Williamsburg for history, and while you're on the way to Knoebel's, might I suggest Mauch Chunk! And I've *heard* the ESPN studios are right next to LC...gotta find out for myself..

*** This post was edited by rollergator on 3/10/2002. ***

Jeremy: My relatives also lived pretty close in one of the old World's Fair buildings. I always loved the Museum of Science & Industry when I was a kid. We'd go up from Alton to visit my Chicago relatives, and I'd spend all day there. The U-boat was always a problem since it was a "low capacity ride." My cousin was a guide on the U-boat and would sneak me in on his lunch break. I loved the coal mine and the model railroad.

SFGAm: Downtown & the Southside of Chicago. *THE* prettiest skyline in the USA (yes even before 9-11). 7-10-01

Before and after 9-11, the NYC skyline is reverred as the best in the world...Trust!!!! I guess its just a matter of *your* opinion and sentimental attachments.

*** This post was edited by sigmagammarho on 3/10/2002. ***

The NYC skyline is still the best skyline in the U.S!!!

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800,000 years in 7 seconds: Time Machine the movie or next S&S creation?

CP: Great Bear Lodge

SFWOA: R&R Hall of Fame and the Browns!

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"Yeah, they did it in Superman 3"

hmmm, well, after spendin the day ridin the King of Rock & Roll favorite roller coaster the Zippin Pippin you could visit the King's house.

We also have Beale St in downtown Memphis, the home of the blues and birthplace of Rock & Roll. Memphis has a ton of awesome musicians and bands.

Hottest Memphis band out right now = Saliva!

BGT - The beach isn't that far away. I think the drive from Clearwater was 1 and a half hours only.

Great, now we are going to have a debate on who has the best skyline?

Both Chicago and NYC are pretty impressive in my book. Alot of beautiful architecture in both cities. They are both hard to beat(even without the WTC).

If you are any where in and around Chicago, you definitely have to check out The Museum of Science and Industry. That is one tripped out place. Strange and interesting stuff there. They just opened up a "Hip Hop" section at the museum that I guess shows the history of the music and how it evolved to what it is today. I cant wait to check that out. Grand Master Flash , Kurtis Blow, Run DMC, and others that started it all.

Bottom line, if you are making a trek to SFGAm from out of town, we have alot to offer here in the Chicago area.

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Im going to grab a cold one! WHAT? Walk to my computer! WHAT? Turn the thing on! WHAT? Log on to Coasterbuzz! WHAT? I said log on to Coasterbuzz!! WHAT?WHAT?WHAT?

If you're in Ohio and going to any of the great parks there, you can take a day trip down to Dayton for the National Air Force museum.