Which parks to visit in L.A. area?

We're going on vacation to california again this year and i wonder which parks you think are worth changing our tour-plans for one day or so. Last year we've been to SFMM, Disney, Pacific Park, Primm, Las Vegas.

This Year we plan on going to L.A. (Knott's) then heading Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and San Diego (Sea World).

Which parks would you recommend visiting? What about Pharao's Lost Kingdom - is it worth staying one day? We not only love riding rollercoasters, we like amusementparks in general. What can you tell about Universal Studios Hollywood or Belmont Park? We are also thinking about visiting a water-park - which one would you call the most fun?

Any other "secret" tips for having some extra fun on that tour?

*** This post was edited by ing king on 7/22/2002. ***

Definitely hit Knott's for Xcelerator... you won't be dissapointed.

Unless X is open, and I doubt it will be, there's not a major reason to visit SFMM again.

I personally find USH to be extremely boring. However, you might have fun spending a few hours at USH and then the night at CityWalk.

-Jeff

http://americacoasters.com

If you're heading from LA to Nevada, make a short side trip to Scandia. It's in Ontario, which is pretty far east in the SoCal area. But it's not too bad of a detour when heading east. It's a small park with the Scandia Screamer. It's a Miler coaster and has the best headchopper's ever. They also have some standard flats, golf, go-carts and an arcade. It's really just a family fun center just off the highway. I spent about 2 hours there before heading out to Primm and Vegas last summer. Good time.

The only parks not on your list of "have visited" or "want to visit" that I would suggest are Adventure City, Scandia, and Castle Park.

All three of those can be done in a single day: begin at Adventure City. They offer a 50% discount on admissions for ACE members. Spend an hour riding their mouse and Miler kiddie, then move east to Castle Park. Castle Park offeres a great selection of flats, many of which came from Knotts. There is a nice selection of restaurants near the park, so I'd suggest eating lunch then spending a few hours exploring Castle Park. Then finish your night at Scandia. Its best to visit Scandia on a weekend or weekday night as they require the train on Screamer to be at least 1/2 full to operate it, and its pretty doubtful you'll be able to ride during a typical weekday crowd.

Have fun!

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"There's nothing sweeter than a bowling ball with a liquid center" - Homer Simpson