Want to see a great park.. where should I go?

I'm in Connecticut so I'd like something within a day drive (8 hours or so one way at the most).. any ideas? Of course we've done SFNE, and all the ones in CT..

Thanks :)

BG Williamsburg. It is conviniently 8 hours and 6 minutes from Hartford.

I'd suggest, as ramblinwreck mentioned, busch gardens williamsburg. Hersheypark is also a great time and a little closer.

Danielle, as you might have figured, your original request was a little vague...within 8 hours you have roughly 40-50% of all the amusement parks in the country. Can you narrow it down a little? Personally, I'd recommend spending some time in PA, some fantastic smaller parks there as well as some of the medium-sized *chain* parks.

bill, noticing that "all the ones in CT" isn't really putting in a lot of travel compared to some...

You've got lots of choices. Lake Compounce is in Connecticut, and Boulder Dash is supposed to be a great ride. But take that with a grain of salt because I've never visited.

Here you go.

The first 4 pages (give or take depending on your driving) lists all the parks/locations with a roller coaster that are roughly 8 hours or less from Lake Compounce.

Let the research begin! :)

I haven't traveled alot :) The most I've been to is LC and then SFNE and then a few in FL when we visit.

I've heard great things about Hersheypark :) I don't mind a drive as long as its worth it is all I was saying. I do like boulder dash, just hate the lines.. I seem to pick the busiest days to go!

if you do Hershey you could also do Knoebels

I think Cedar Point is an obvious choice. It is about 650 miles but you can do it in a day.

The problem with this kind of thread is that everyone has a different opinion of what a "great park" is. Unless CtCoaster can be more specific in what he/she is looking for none of us is gonna be of any help [well, except for Gonch's excellent reply].

HP and Knoebels' would make a FINE weekend for me....if I could DRIVE there on a given weekend....;)

Do NOT skip Hi-Speed Thrill Coaster...looks can be deceiving...:)

CP, Kennywood (cant believe no one has mentioned this one yet,) BGW and Hersheypark are among the gold standards for amusment parks in this country and have loads of coasters I highly suggest visiting them.

Also, consider this, if you buy a Six Flags pass you can get into SFNE, SFGAdv, SFDL, and SFA for free and they are all within driving distance of your home.

Kennywood - 8 hours(or so) from LC. Same company too :)

Driving at 65 mph, I count 126 parks within 8 hours while staying within the US. Of those parks, here are the biggest/most popular/most talked about (sorted by nearest to furthest):

-SFNE
-Great Escape
-SFGAdv
-Knoebels
-Hershey Park
-SFA
-SFDL
-PKD
-BGW
-Kennywood
-Cedar Point

Of course the last couple may be over 8 hours, my calculations only pulled in all parks within 520 miles (8 hours at 65 mph), but that is by way the crow flies, not actual driving times. I'd say check out all their park websites, decide how far you're REALLY willing to drive and go from there. Another thing is how much you're willing to dpend and how long you are going. If you have a SF season pass, you could probably hit SFNE, GE, SFGAdv, and SFA right down the East Coast. All depends on what you're looking for...

Am I the only one who thought that she only wanted one park? With everyone suggesting things like a Six Flags tour, I just wanted to see if this is true...

She wasn't specific...typically that is the problem with questions like this. If we're not told specifically who is on the trip and what kind of experience they're looking for all you're going to get is people responding with a suggestion to visit parks THEY enjoy.

What good is that?

You are right, I just read "a great park" and saw it was singular and questioned some of the suggestions.

CtCoaster, you could help us a bit more you know.. preferences would be cool.

And I hope you don't mean you want to drive there and back in a day, or SEEING the parking lot is all you'll get to do. Drive-by anybody?

And I can't believe nobody mentioned Dorney yet. (Like say around May 21.) I'm biased, but my votes are always for the eastern PA Big 3-- Knoebel's, Hershey, Dorney. In any combination.

Oh yeah, forgot one thing...

If someone hopes to average 65 mph driving in the NE, they better plan to go around PA-- the orange cone capital of the world-- state mottoes "Single Lane Ahead," and "Road Construction Next (fill in blank) Miles."

If you really want to have a true coaster vacation, Cedar Point is where you should go.

If you want to try out some new parks and rides, like everyone has said, check out Pennsylvania and hit Dorney Park, Kennywood, Hershey, ect.