Health, Weight Loss & Diet Plans General Blog: 10 Best US Theme Parks

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10 Best US Theme Parks for 2014</h1>
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             A visit to a theme park is a quintessential part of any 
all-American summer, and with warm weather on the horizon, locations 
across the country are upping the ante with a host of new attractions 
vying for a spot on thrill seekers’ must-ride lists. Though the season 
has yet to start, it’s already clear that this is going to be a 
record-breaking year, with new rides that push the limits of speed, 
height, and imagination. From drops that will leave you dizzy to fantasy
 worlds designed for visitors of all ages, these 10 theme parks are the 
ones with the best renovations, expansions, and re-openings that you 
won’t want to miss in 2014.<br />

<h3>
Universal Orlando: Orlando, FL</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/1-diagon-alley-wizarding-world-harry-potter-universal-orlando.jpg"><img alt="1-diagon-alley-wizarding-world-harry-potter-universal-orlando" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-448" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/1-diagon-alley-wizarding-world-harry-potter-universal-orlando-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

Muggles will rejoice as Universal Orlando’s star attraction, <a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/" target="_blank">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</a>,
 gets a hotly anticipated expansion this year with Diagon Alley, set to 
open this June. The themed area that brings the Harry Potter series to 
life is nearly doubling in size; visitors will ride the Hogwarts Express
 (perhaps departing from Platform 9¾?) from Hogsmeade Village in the 
Islands of Adventure theme park to the expansion at <a href="https://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Parks/Universal-Studios-Florida.aspx" target="_blank">Universal Studios Florida</a>.
 The new area will feature Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, a
 new “multi-sensory, multi-dimensional” roller coaster that promises to 
expand the limits of interactive media and wizardly thrills.<br />

<h3>
Six Flags Great America: Gurnee, IL</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2-goliath-six-flags-great-america-chicago.jpg"><img alt="2-goliath-six-flags-great-america-chicago" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-447" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2-goliath-six-flags-great-america-chicago-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

A triple-record-breaking ride named Goliath is the top new attraction at <a href="https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica" target="_blank">Six Flags Great America</a>
 this summer (opens May 31). The name is no joke: On the world’s tallest
 (180 feet), fastest (72 mph), and steepest (85 degrees) wooden coaster,
 riders will experience an inverted Zero-G stall and a 180-degree Zero-G
 roll, among other thrilling features. The park is already one of the 
country’s best, as Goliath joins an impressive roster of coasters 
including the mind-bending X Flight, one of the first wing coasters in 
the country, and American Eagle, the world’s tallest, fastest, and 
longest twin-racing wooden coaster.<br />

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<h3>
King’s Island: Mason, OH</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/3-banshee-kings-island-sandusky-ohio.jpg"><img alt="3-banshee-kings-island-sandusky-ohio" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-452" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/3-banshee-kings-island-sandusky-ohio-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

The Midwest’s largest amusement and water park, <a href="https://www.visitkingsisland.com/" target="_blank">King’s Island</a>,
 boasts an incredible 13 roller coasters and now welcomes its 14th: the 
towering Banshee, which opened in April. Credited as the world’s longest
 inverted roller coaster, riders fly through 4,124 feet of track at 
speeds up to 68 mph. With seven, heart-pounding inversions, screams from
 riders will be heard far and wide. Also a must on any amusement park 
enthusiast’s list, King’s Island’s signature coaster, aptly named The 
Beast. This wooden monster, now over 30 years old, still holds the 
record as the longest wooden roller coaster in the world, offering more 
than four minutes of adrenaline-producing thrills.<br />

<h3>
Busch Gardens Tampa: Tampa, FL</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/4-falcons-fury-busch-gardens-tampa.jpg"><img alt="4-falcons-fury-busch-gardens-tampa" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-451" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/4-falcons-fury-busch-gardens-tampa-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

Prepare to leave your sunglasses on the ground and your stomach in the sky as the new Falcon’s Fury plummets into <a href="http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-tampa/" target="_blank">Busch Gardens Tampa </a>in
 May. Falcon’s Fury features North America’s tallest free-standing drop 
(335 feet) and will be the first-ever drop tower to send riders down 
with seats that tilt forward 90 degrees, pushing riders face-down during
 the drop. Busch Gardens Tampa also features the stealth and sleek 
Cheetah Hunt, a steel roller coaster that launches riders at speeds up 
to 60 mph through its winding track. Don’t miss the accompanying exhibit
 to Cheetah Hunt called Cheetah Run, featuring five live cheetahs in a 
natural habitat.<br />

<h3>
Magic Kingdom: Lake Buena Vista, FL</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/5-seven-dwarfs-mine-train-magic-kingdom-disneyworld.jpg"><img alt="Seven Dwarfs Mine Train" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-444" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/5-seven-dwarfs-mine-train-magic-kingdom-disneyworld-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

Fantasyland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom has been undergoing 
major renovations, with about two years remaining, but that hasn’t 
stopped them from unveiling the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, expected to
 open this summer. Disney’s Imagineers have developed a steel coaster 
with mine cars that independently sway side-to-side. Expect dazzling 
gems and family-friendly thrills on this Snow White-inspired ride. In 
recent years, the popular Disney park has continued to stay at the 
forefront of family amusement, recently adding Enchanted Tales with 
Belle and The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, two immersive 
attractions that transport visitors into two of Disney’s most beloved 
animated films.<br />

<h3>
Six Flags New England: Agawam, MA</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/6-skyscreamer-six-flags-new-england.jpg"><img alt="6-skyscreamer-six-flags-new-england" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-450" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/6-skyscreamer-six-flags-new-england-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

<a href="https://www.sixflags.com/newengland" target="_blank">Six Flags New England</a>
 will break records and aim to shock visitors when it unveils the 
SkyScreamer in late May. Reaching a top speed of 35 mph, SkyScreamer 
will lift riders up in a circular-spinning chassis offering unparalleled
 views of scenic Massachusetts and Connecticut. The park also boasts an 
impressive assortment of thrill rides including the world-renowned steel
 coaster, Bizzaro, which takes riders on an exciting, hair-raising trip 
with steep drops and tight turns. Also don’t miss the one-of-a-kind 
Pandemonium, a steel coaster with cars that spin freely along the track,
 making each ride unique.<br />

<h3>
Six Flags Great Adventure: Jackson, NJ</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/7-six-flags-great-adventure-jackson-new-jersey.jpg"><img alt="7-six-flags-great-adventure-jackson-new-jersey" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-443" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/7-six-flags-great-adventure-jackson-new-jersey-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

Few thrill rides can compare with the gut-wrenching, gravity-defying 
rush of Kingda Ka, the world’s tallest roller coaster and also its 
second-fastest, which leads an already-impressive pack of coasters in 
what has recently become the world’s largest amusement park, <a href="https://www.sixflags.com/greatadventure" target="_blank">Six Flags Great Adventure</a>.
 This season’s newest addition, Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom (opens in late 
May), will be added onto the structure of Kingda Ka and become the 
tallest drop tower in the world as it scales the Kingda Ka’s frame up to
 415 feet in the air. Prepare, if you dare, to be dropped at a 
mind-blowing 90 mph.<br />

<h3>
Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay: Louisville, KY</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/8-kentucky-kingdom-louisville.jpg"><img alt="8-kentucky-kingdom-louisville" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-449" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/8-kentucky-kingdom-louisville-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

<a href="http://www.kentuckykingdom.com/" target="_blank">Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay</a>
 finally reopens its gates on May 24th (after several failed attempts to
 revive the former Six Flags park), touting Lightning Run as its new 
centerpiece attraction. This coaster will lift riders up a chain-lift 
hill to a 100-foot drop, followed by inversions, banked turns, and 
stomach-turning bunny hills. While admiring the fresh coats of paint 
around the revitalized park, make sure to ride Thunder Rock, Kentucky 
Kingdom’s newly refurbished 3,000-foot-long wooden roller coaster 
featuring a 74-foot drop and enough negative air to make you question 
gravity.<br />

<h3>
Universal Studios Hollywood: Universal City, CA</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/9-despicable-me-minion-mayhem-universal-studios-hollywood.jpg"><img alt="9-despicable-me-minion-mayhem-universal-studios-hollywood" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-445" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/9-despicable-me-minion-mayhem-universal-studios-hollywood-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

Already running to rave reviews in Universal Studios Orlando, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem has now arrived at <a href="http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/" target="_blank">Universal Studios Hollywood</a>.
 The new attraction, a 4-D simulator that’s perfect for families, has 
riders don the signature “Minion Goggles” (3-D glasses) as you enter 
into a test to see if you are fit to become a minion. Sit back and 
prepare to be transported on a journey through their training facility 
as you encounter high-flying obstacles and hijinks. While there, don’t 
miss Transformers: The Ride, an incredible, immersive 3-D experience 
that throws you into the middle of an intergalactic war.<br />

<h3>
The Adventuredome: Las Vegas, NV</h3>
<a href="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10-el-loco-adventuredome-las-vegas.jpg"><img alt="10-el-loco-adventuredome-las-vegas" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-446" height="367" src="http://tihe.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10-el-loco-adventuredome-las-vegas-560x367.jpg" width="560" /></a><br />

Las Vegas, long the city of gambling thrills, is quickly becoming known for roller coaster thrills as well. <a href="http://www.adventuredome.com/" target="_blank">The Adventuredome</a>,
 located on the Circus Circus property, has taken a big step into the 
roller coaster pantheon. Their new steel coaster, El Loco opened this 
past February and is garnering much acclaim for its remarkable turns, 
which bank outside at a 45-degree angle. Paired with a jaw-dropping, 
90-plus-degree drop, this is a coaster experience you will not soon 
forget. While at the Adventuredome, it’s hard to miss the original, 
twisting Canyon Blaster, running daily, rain or shine (because it’s all 
indoors).</div>
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10 Best US Theme Parks

10 Best US Theme Parks for 2014 A visit to a theme park i...