10 WORLDWIDE THEME PARKS WITH THE MOST THRILLING RIDES

More than 500 amusement parks claim space in the world. Theme parks revolve around a fantasy of a Chicago-based dreamer park full of thrilling record-breaking rides and those that pull inspiration from real-life locations, centering their thematics around countries in the world to entertain people worldwide. Theme park enthusiasts base their next trip depending on their interests. However, most adrenaline-hungry guests congregate toward the parks with the most intense, well-thought-out, thrilling rides. I’ve compiled personal experience at these blood-curdling destinations with hours of research to discuss the theme parks with the most thrilling rides in the world. 

1. Six Flags Magic Mountain, Los Angeles, California

Six Flags Magic Mountain stands tall on every amusement park roundup, introducing itself as the theme park with the most roller coasters (and the most inventive) in one place. Holding the record, Magic Mountain has 20 roller coasters adorning the 262-acre Adventureland, from the world’s first official looping coaster (The New Revolution), The Riddler’s Revenge, to The Twisted Colossus. The Riddler’s Revenge coaster crosses the threshold as the tallest stand-up coaster in the world at 156 feet tall and launching guests at high speeds of 67 MPH. The Twisted Colossus, one of the world’s longest hybrid coasters, averages a 4,325-foot track, seeing patrons almost intertwining with the opposite track. 

Magic Mountain continues to dazzle patrons with thrilling rides like X2, a fifth-dimension roller coaster, teleporting between five dimensions with blaring music, blasts of fire, and interspersed sound effects during the 360-degree seat escapade over a 3,610-foot track. Drop towers and enormous pendulum swings decorate the scene, providing a thrilling ride for each guest. The Lex Luthor Drop of Doom mounts 40 stories, opening up to a crystalline view of the 400 feet dancing below them before slinging them down at 85 MPH. The tallest pendulum swing on the West Coast, CraZanity, oscillates riders 170 feet high at speeds of 75 MPH. 

2. Canada’s Wonderland, Vaughan, Ontario

Tourists at Canada’s Wonderland enjoy a selection of 18 different roller coasters, pendulum rides, drop towers, rapids, and hanging attractions. One famous gripping roller coaster at this park is the Yukon Striker. The Canada-based coaster etches out its backstory for riders. The year is 1897, and Canadian citizens hope to find gold in the Yukon. They must trudge through icy mountain trails, climb over backcountry trails, and finally uncover the gem they seek. The coaster hurls through four loops, a tunnel, and a 245-foot drop at a pace of 80 MPH in search of gold. 

Behemoth, a pale yellow coaster, snakes through 5,318 feet of track, asking riders for a commitment to a 75-degree angled 230-foot drop at 77 MPH. Behemoth is the second-largest coaster in Canada, other than the Leviathan, another popular Canada‘s Wonderland coaster. Leviathan transports passengers 306 feet high, earning their trust before a stunning 80-degree drop reaching 91 MPH. Leviathan doesn’t turn upside down but engages in multiple banked turns and airtime hills. If roller coasters aren’t for you, try out the Riptide, a rotating gondola ride hovering above a fountain, spraying every guest during the two-minute ride, or hop on the Tundra Twister, another gondola ride with a built-in 360 swing and uncontrollable rotations at speeds at 46 MPH.

3. King’s Island Amusement Park, Mason, Ohio

King’s Island covers 364 acres of a Cincinnati suburb with 49 rides and 14 roller coasters. Begin your day with a visit to the World’s Longest Wooden Roller Coaster: The Beast. The Beast unfolds over 7,361 feet of track, instituting numerous drops like a 137-foot drop at a 53-degree angle followed by an underground tunnel, a 141-foot drop following an 18-degree angle, multiple banked turns to shake up riders, and a memorable 540-degree helix tunnel, all at 65 mph. The Orion is another staple King’s Island Coaster. During the two-minute ride, the Giga coaster drops 300 feet on its initial descent at a steady pace of 91 mph.

Will you suffer from vertigo after a ride on Invertigo? Branded as the “only face-to-face inverted roller coaster in the Midwest,” the coaster tracks up to 50 mph speeds over the two-minute jaunt. The seat you pick doesn’t affect your experience, as the coaster sets out through the three loops, forward then backward, granting each person the feeling of flying forward and back while screaming toward the strangers sitting opposite them. Double-check your fear of heights on the Windseeker, a swing ride staggering 30 stories high for a 30 MPH rotation, and the Drop Tower, a 26-story dive at 67 mph. 

4. Energylandia, Zator, Poland

Over 140 rides permeate Energylandia’s plot of land in Zator, Poland. The most notable fall between Apocalypto, Aztec Swing, and Hyperion. While onboard the Apocalypto, you may assume the apocalypse will ensue. The ride straps 18 courageous people to the floorless gadget, spinning them at random intervals. The Aztec Swing finds 32 people in the apparatus, swinging the colossal pendulum back and forth.

In contrast, the circular seating arrangement spins independently of the swing. The Hyperion mega coaster opened in July 2018, beckoning enthusiastic coaster riders to board Europe’s highest and fastest coaster. Hyperion zips through tunnels at 88 mph, nosedives down 269 feet at an 85-degree angle, and hurtles through loops, bank hills, and drops, opening visitors to unparalleled park views. 

Four years after the park’s grand opening, Energylandia founded a novel ride—a water coaster called Speed. Speed carries a reputation as the fastest water coaster in the world, plunging through water at a speed of 68 mph. The ride fuses water rides and coasters for those looking to generate heat and cool off on the same ride. 

5. Prater, Vienna, Austria

Prater, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, opened to the public in 1766 as a hunting ground. A century later, in 1895, the amusement park cemented itself as such, and two years later, construction workers assembled the centerpiece Ferris wheel, catching every passerby’s eye. Today, a reconstruction of the original Ferris Wheel welcomes guests and passengers to the park’s combination of haunted attractions, adrenaline-fueled rides, and kid-friendly games. 

Jumping off the haunted attraction point, Prater hosts a Great Ghost Train, a clown-decorated adventure, and a cart ride named Hotel Psycho. The Great Ghost Train is a 700-foot-long track adorned with ghosts, goblins, and witches, but this attraction doesn’t serve to scare its visitors. Instead, it delights them with gorgeous depictions of monsters. A clown affixes itself to Spectacolo’s entrance, deterring Coulrophobic guests and interesting clown fanatics in the free fall funhouse ride. Hotel Psycho traverses a track with petrifying goblins and ghouls.  

Prater’s other thrill rides cater to those hoping to trump their previous times at amusement parks. The Black Mamba, designed after the serpent, swings guests sky-high at 50 mph, instituting random directional changes with each sway. The Ejection Seat emulates a rocket launch experience, perfect for those thinking of working for NASA. Aspiring astronauts glide almost 400 feet up at 31 mph. Looking for an adrenaline-infused ride sans the sickness spawned by a twisting, looping attraction? The Prater Tower raises visitors 384 feet in the air for a 360-degree swing-view of Prater and the outskirts of Vienna. 

6. Europa Park, Rust, Germany

This European-themed German amusement park has over 100 rides, 13 roller coasters, and 18 themed areas. Europa Park stands out from other theme parks with a VR roller coaster entitled the Alpenexpress Coastiality and an alpine bobsled track called the Swiss Bob Run. On the Alpenexpress Coastiality, guests place a headset over their eyes and pulse through a winding track full of twists, turns, stops, and visceral VR imaging. The Swiss Bob Run catapults bobsledders down a metal track at 31 mph. Without a secure attachment between the track and coaster, riders trust gravity will keep them glued to the ride. 

Have you ever felt a speed rush of 0 to 62 mph in under three seconds? The Blue Fire Megacoaster in the Icelandic area of Europa Park does just that. After firing ticketholders into the beginning of the ride, passengers roll through corkscrew loops, the highest catapult coaster loop in Europe at 105 feet, and a heartline roll—a maneuver where the coaster inverts, but the rider’s heart remains the center of gravity. The steel Silver Star coaster clambers 240 feet toward the sky for an 81 mph drop. Visitors also flock to the Matterhorn Blitz, an unsteady mountain-themed expedition containing thematic imagery of 1700 Switzerland, a Parisian-inspired dance coaster, and a Greek mythology-based water coaster. 

7. Six Flags Great Adventure Park, Jackson Township, New Jersey 

Six Flags is the largest regional amusement park company with 27 locations dotting the U.S. and one of the scariest, 70 miles outside New York City in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Fourteen roller coasters dwell inside Great Adventure Park’s gates; the most iconic, Kingda Ka, generates millions of visitors annually. The green monstrosity holds the record for the tallest roller coaster in the world at 456 feet, or 45 stories, making for an unforgettable journey toward the sky. El Toro, the wooden roller coaster, acquires its name from the primitive sport of bull taming. Yet, the passengers attempt to conquer the bull (aka the coaster). The engineers behind this vision decided to fuse old-world activities (bull riding and taming) with new-world designs, negating a wooden roller coaster ride that replicates a shaky, uncomfortable experience but instead exudes a clean, fast-paced expedition down a 76-degree fall covering 19 stories. 

Don’t limit your adrenaline intake to roller coasters at Great Adventure Park. Embark on a stomach-churning, anti-gravity excursion on the Cyborg Cyber Spin. Three separate axes rotate, forcing individuals to hold onto their safety bars and hold down their lunch. If spinning while rotating upside down doesn’t pull you in, Great Adventure offers a skydive simulation, a slingshot ride, a vertical drop tower, the world’s largest pendulum ride, and an airborne swingset.

8. Aldeia Das áGuas Park Resort, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Can you handle the world’s tallest and fastest water slide? Kilimanjaro ascends into the sky, hiding behind clouds and decorating the sky at 164 feet, daring courageous patrons to test their luck on the record-breaking descent. Trek up the endless stairs—pausing every few minutes to peek at the unforgettable scenery surrounding this gorgeous aquapark in Brazil—take a deep breath, cross your arms, and brace yourself to inhale water at 57 mph. You may want to plug your nose for this one. 

Aldeia das Águas stretches over 81 acres of Brazilian land, giving room to the multitude of slides, rivers, and ramps populating the waterpark. After conquering Kilimanjaro, move to the Side Winder. The two-person tube ride propels guests up and down a 34-high wall or the in-park zipline, allowing visitors to soar above the park, soaking in the views and the sun. Aside from the thrilling rides, Aldeia das Águas’ patrons adore unwinding on the Yuppie Ramp, an eclectic water incline where passengers drift down the 114-foot slant, gulping the astounding scenery, a 23-foot waterfall surrounding the attraction.

9. Chimelong Water Park, Guangzhou, China

Chimelong Water Park welcomes the most people to any water park each year. With over two million guests, the family theme park attracts worldwide guests of all ages to the 450-acre renowned water park. Chimelong understands its impact on the environment and the possible detrimental effects on ticketholders and those outside of the park, so it maintains healthy, filtered air through an ozone filtration system. Breathe in the fresh air on a blue and yellow funnel slide, which tests your age-old fear of heights. Up to four people board the yellow tubes, six stories above ground, which cruise through a path leading to a colossal funnel. Screams, shrieks, shouts, and hollers fill the open air, terrifying the next guests of their turn.

Chimelong’s annual two million guests met the world’s first rotating water slide in 2018. The variegated waterslide boasts polka dots, stripes, and a rotating device to rattle up riders. Four people gather in a tube, and set off down a continuously looping amalgamation of water slides as the tubes rock back and forth, disorientating individuals in the tunnel. Once the water slide completes a rotation, the moving vessel attaches to a stationary track, releasing tubes to complete the ride. Chimelong also has one of the largest wave pools at 91,000 sq. feet and the longest lazy river in Asia at 2,625 feet. 

10. Noah’s Ark Waterpark, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

The largest water park in America houses 51 water slides strewn across a 70-acre plot of land. The Scorpion’s Tail waterslide breaks a record as “the world’s first nearly looping vertical waterslide.” Courageous riders step on a platform built ten stories above ground and brace for the ultimate drop. A ride attendant pushes a button that unlatches the platform, firing down the patrons at a whopping 50 feet per second, then looping around in the record-breaking contraption. 

Another extreme thrill ride is the Time Warp, “the World’s first Bohemeth Bowl Ride.” Four passengers pile into a raft, traveling back and forth through time thanks to a darkened, enclosed, tubular slide. The darkness confuses guests, making them ponder their location as they wrap around a bowl structure with an opening in the middle. Following a few rotations, the bowl pulls them into their final pool. 

Another record held by Noah’s Ark is the World’s Largest King Cobra slide. This slide resembles the scaly creature with intricate serpent patterns weaving throughout the track. A lengthy water coaster, or the Black Anaconda, slithers up to speeds of 30 mph, and The Point of No Return, a near vertical chute. Noah’s Ark bases ride names from the Biblical story, equating daunting creatures to the most intense rides, so if you fashion a fear of snakes, sting rays, or scorpions, this park may scare you before you board the metaphorical Ark. 

Where Will You Visit?

Will you fly out of the country for a pop in China’s largest waterpark and a foray into a legendary rotating water slide, or will you lay back and peruse the differently-themed countries inside Germany’s Europa Park? You may remain in the U.S. and head to the top-ranked amusement park with the most thrilling rides, one that goes by the sobriquet of Six Flags Magic Mountain. Whichever you choose, remember to bring your sunscreen, closed-toed shoes (or water shoes), and your thrill thermometer to measure each park’s adrenaline meter.

2023-12-22T13:56:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd