2025 DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS – ORLANDO, FL

Favorite rides/attractions: Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Rise of the Resistance

Tips for visiting: We unintentionally went on Star Wars day (May the 4th) so the park was quite crowded with Star Wars fanatics, but it made for good people watching with all the costumes! We had a slower start to the day, getting to the park around 11, and were still able to do all the rides we wanted in about seven hours. The order ahead dining was pretty clutch as food lines were quite long at all of the restaurants.

2024 SIX FLAGS – ST. LOUIS, MO

Tips for visiting: A Sunday in early April was a great time to go from a crowd perspective. The weather was pleasant but scattered storms in the area kept us from a couple rides we wanted to check out. It is ~40 minutes outside of downtown St. Louis so plan to have a car or build in Uber fees.

2023 EFTELING – THE NETHERLANDS

Favorite rides/attractions: Baron 1898, De Vliegende Hollander, Vogel Rok

Tips for visiting: Efteling was a quick train/bus ride from Utrecht and a really fun day trip. There’s plenty of attractions and the lines weren’t terribly long, even on a busy weekend. It was cool to experience our first amusement park in a different country.

2022 KINGS DOMINION – RICHMOND, VA

Favorite rides/attractions: Twisted Timbers, Dominator, Backlot Stunt Coaster

Tips for visiting: We went on a Friday and all the rides were open but the park wasn’t terribly crowded. Most rides we could walk straight on without waiting in line. We really enjoyed the Scott’s Addition District in downtown Richmond and did a progressive dinner through the various restaurants, after a round of shuffle board at Tang & Biscuit.

2021 HERSHEY PARK – HERSHEY, PA

Favorite rides/attractions:​ Unfortunately, a lot of the rides weren’t open since we went on a weekday early in the season during a pandemic, but we did get to enjoy a few coasters like Fahrenheit and Sooper Dooper Looper.

Tips for visiting: We went on a Friday thinking it would be less crowded, which it was, but many of the rides were not operating. We drove by on Saturday and they all seemed to be up and running then. Make sure to swing through Chocolate World when visiting Hershey!

2020 COVID-19

Unfortunately, our plans to go to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA got canceled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Under stay-at-home orders, we celebrated this year with takeout on the couch.

2019 DOLLYWOOD – PIGEON FORGE, TN

Favorite rides/attractions: Lightning Rod – maybe one of our favorite rides of all time, Thunderhead, Firechaser Express

Tips for visiting: Our trip to Dollywood was perfectly timed. It was still the off-season, so we got a discount on tickets. The forecast looked bad, but after a morning downpour, the park was nearly empty. With minimal waits (15 minutes max), we packed in plenty of rides (and Fruity Pebble funnel cake) in just 4-5 hours.

2018 CAROWINDS – CHARLOTTE, NC

Favorite rides/attractions: Fury 325, Plants vs Zombies, Vortex, Afterburn, Boo Blaster on Boo Hill (mostly because we just like saying the name)

Tips for visiting: Check for online discounts and buy tickets in advance. I got a deal through Duke’s employee benefits site. The park was busier than expected, so after a long wait for our first ride, we splurged on Fast Lane passes. They cost about as much as another ticket but were totally worth it; we walked onto every ride for the rest of the day.

2017 BUSCH GARDENS – WILLIAMSBURG, VA

Favorite rides/attractions: Verbolton, Apollo’s Chariot, Tempesto, Griffon, Le Scoot

Tips for visiting: Groupon was running a deal on admission tickets, so we purchased our tickets through their site to save a little money. We’ve been to Busch Gardens several times over the years and really enjoy their roller coaster rides and walking around the different European themed lands. The fall is a great time to visit when they have their Howl-O-Scream event going on.