The Ultimate Guide to Florida’s Top Theme Parks
From thrilling rides at Universal Studios to roller coasters at Disney to Harry Potter, here's a comprehensive guide to the best theme parks in all of Florida.
Though our license plates may say “Sunshine State,” to much of the world Florida is the theme park state. Yes, we boast an abundance of beaches and some other spectacular sites, but the state’s number one draw still remains our theme parks, both in Walt Disney World and beyond. The three-to-four hour trek up the Turnpike is never not filled with child-like anticipation, as even if you’re long past being excited to take your picture with Mickey, you’re still giddy to spend a few days reveling in child-like fun. If you’re new to Florida, or just need a refresher on what the best parks have in store for 2022, here's a guide to the top theme parks in Florida.
Lake Buena Vista
Ticket price: $109
As if the park that once housed the Golden Girls house—and still boasts Muppet Vision 3D—needed anything more than a functioning restroom to be the best park in Florida, it added Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to its roster in 2019 to take a clear top spot. Even those not shelling out three grand a night to stay at the Star Wars Hotel will never be disappointed with rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
After 2019’s Star Wars hoopla, the new stuff at Hollywood Studios is pretty much limited to a BBQ spot in Toy Story Land and an updated Fantasmic! show. There’s still the Tower of Terror, the best drop ride on the planet, though. And Aerosmith’s Rock n’ Roller Coaster is like the Blizzard ride at Santa’s on steroids.
Orlando
Ticket price: $109
Ahh EPCOT, the park once envisioned as Disney’s educational look at the future that’s morphed into a place people go to drink in 11 countries at once. Not that the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow isn’t a convenient way to learn a little about global culture, but the big draw is its convenient world tour to pair French wine with German beer and sake. That’s why the annual Food and Wine Festival is a better deal than a lot of the events at SOBEWFF, even if you do have to pay for everything a la carte.
This year, EPCOT lands Disneyworld’s biggest new ride of 2022, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Slated to open May 27, the enclosed roller coaster is rumored to be the biggest of its kind in the world. It’ll feature a reverse launch and rotating vehicles, and takes over the old Universe of Energy Pavillion.
Tampa
Ticket price: $124.99
The best theme park outside Orlando is a decidedly more-adult experience that offers a beautiful confluence of flowing beer and world-class roller coasters. This year’s new headline grabber is Iron Gwazi, a 206-foot behemoth that may take over the title of best coaster in the state. The high-speed coaster drops riders at 91 degrees at 76 miles an hour, and includes three inversions and 12 opportunities to catch air.
That'll be two minutes of your day. The rest you can fill with other lunch-launching rides like SheiKra, which drops you 200 feet and lets you experience 4Gs. Or take a spin on Cheetah Hunt, a nearly-mile-long track with a 30 mph launch and a 130-foot drop. Busch Gardens also offers a fantastic opportunity to cool off along the Congo River Rapids, easily the best whitewater you’re finding south of Georgia. Just remember to lock up your phone before you board.
Orlando
Ticket price: $109
Most water parks have a lazy river where people who are tired from climbing waterslide stairs can float along using minimal energy. Volcano Bay, however, boasts a Fearless River, which is basically like getting tossed out of the raft on a whitewater trip and fending for yourself. That about sums up Volcano Bay, a waterpark that’s more about the thrills than the splashes and is one of the best parks of its kind for adults.
Its signature ride is the Ko’okiri Body Plunge, America’s tallest plunge slide that drops you 125 feet down a 70-degree angle, coasting over all the ‘fraidy cats in the wave pool below. There’s also two other 125-foot slides, which though not as steep are equally adrenaline-pumping. Relaxing this park is not, but for waterslide enthusiasts nothing in Florida comes close.
Lake Buena Vista
Ticket price: $109
There’s not all that much cutting edge about Florida’s home of Tomorrowland. But, whether you’re speeding into Space Mountain or rumbling down the Big Thunder Railroad, the Magic Kingdom is where childhood memories are made. And for that, it will always rank among the best.
This year, the Magic Kingdom gets a little jolt of futuristic fun with the addition of the TRON Lightcycle Run, which puts guests on a two-wheeled, LED-lit coaster similar to the one at Shanghai Disney. No opening date has been set, but Disney did post this cool Vehicle in Motion video on its Instagram to whet our collective appetites.
Orlando
Ticket Price: $109
Islands of Adventure has transformed from an extreme coaster park to a literal mecca for Harry Potter fans, as its mocked-up Hogwarts has brought many a Potter-head to Butterbeer-induced tears. And, yes, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure might be the best new ride to hit this park in decades. But you’d be remiss to skip stuff like the Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls, and the face-peeling fun of the Hulk Coaster.
Hulk may be knocked off its top thrill ride perch this year with the addition with Universal Studios' addition of the Velocicoaster, a clever play on words featuring two high-speed launches and loads of velociraptors. The 100 second journey is filled with barrel rolls, steep drops, and dramatic music, all themed after the Jurassic World franchise.
Orlando
Ticket Price: $109
Islands of Adventure has transformed from an extreme coaster park to a literal mecca for Harry Potter fans, as its mocked-up Hogwarts has brought many a Potter-head to Butterbeer-induced tears. And, yes, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure might be the best new ride to hit this park in decades. But you’d be remiss to skip stuff like the Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls, and the face-peeling fun of the Hulk Coaster.
Hulk may be knocked off its top thrill ride perch this year with the addition of the Velocicoaster, a clever play on words featuring two high-speed launches and loads of velociraptors. The 100-second journey is filled with barrel rolls, steep drops, and dramatic music, all themed after the Jurassic World franchise.
Winter Haven
Ticket price: $84.99
An entire park based around the bane of your foot’s existence might seem a little extra. But this park isn’t really so much for you as it is for your kids, where they can dip their toes into the world of suspension coasters on the Flying School. Or start their career as a talented Florida driver at the Ford Driving School, where no cars come with turn signals.
Legoland is adding more cool new stuff this year than any other park, starting with the Peppa Pig Theme Park. The new park includes three rides: Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride, Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride, and Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster. The other top newcomer is Pirate River Quest, a sort of Lego Pirates of the Caribbean that’s slated to open later this year.
Orlando
Ticket Price: $94.99
No water park in the world mixes animal encounters with high-speed waterslides like Aquatica, SeaWorld’s entrant into the Orlando water park scene. Its new Reef Plunge slide is the coolest ride here, where you’ll speed through an underwater world inside a glass slide, careening past dolphins and other tropical sea creatures. That park’s lazy river also takes you past Flipper and his friends, giving you an up close dolphin encounter, minus the fish breath.
Aquatica also brings a pretty solid whitewater experience in Roa’s Rapids, a more-aggressive lazy river with no animals to observe. It’s also home to Ihu’s Breakaway Falls, the steepest multi-drop tower in Orlando where you and your friends can face each other and watch as each of you drops into a watery oblivion.
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