My Top Traditional Local US Parks

Knoebels, PA

Knoebels is probably debatable as a "small park" but it has that vintage family-run feel that this post is about so here it is. I don't even know where to start with this park because it's just super fab all-round! The rides, atmosphere and food are all top notch. Phoenix is obviously the star coaster but Twister is also great and I shouldn't really have to explain why Flying Turns is a must-do. (The park lovingly brought back an extinct ride type, the wooden bobsled coaster by building an in-house version based on designs from 1920, which is now the only one in the world!) Unfortunately the day I visited Impulse was down but that didn't really bother me because all the classics were open, and really that's what Knoebels is about! Sadly since my visit 1001 nights (or nachts), a Huss classic has been taken out but many of the classic rides still remain such as the roll-o-plane (recommend!) famous ring carousel, where you collect rings as you go around which has been voted a consistent golden ticket winner for years and the flying scooters which are the best snapping scooters I've done. Black Diamond, a relocated dark ride/coaster is also of note. The ghost train is probably one of the scariest I've ever done (let's just say I got neck cramp from jumping at a certain part, those who know, will know) and the park's food is great too. I had some food in one of the diners and had an amazing frozen iced tea (or two) from one of the food stalls so I can back up the claims that the food is great! The park also has an outdoor pool, picnic grove and campground. Everything about this park is great so if it somehow isn't on your bucketlist already, go ahead and add it right now!

Indiana Beach, IN

Oh Indiana Beach, the park that at the time of writing may never open again. So due to that fact maybe I should have omitted this park but I kind of feel like it was the embodiment and inspiration of this post. This park, which opened in 1926, really showed off why it's worth checking out the smaller parks in my opinion. It had charm, history, beautifully quaint surroundings coupled with quirky one-of-a-kind rides and attractions. Lost coaster was the standout for me and had been high on my bucket list after seeing some videos online singing it's praise. Its odd seating arrangement and lift hill were only the beginning of the insanity for the track then dipped round corners, down sudden drops both inside and out. Add in some cave theming and effects and you've got a winner. This is one of those rides that it is impossible not to laugh all the way through on, and in an essence these kinds of rides are arguably the best kind of rides, even better than the record beaters and sky scrapers for that exact reason. I'd recommend backwards over forwards but if it ever re-opens try to do both! Hoosier Hurricane was down the day I visited but I have been informed that Cornball Express was the better of the two anyway and it was an enjoyable ride. The park also had a Jet Star, which being a Schwarzkopf fan I was pleased to ride and there was also an S&S El Loco. The yo-yo out over the lake was quite an experience, as was the classic chair lift along the boardwalk and the strange "LATERALS: THE RIDE" magic carpet ride where you sat facing forwards instead of the more common sideways seating. Hopefully one day they'll be the opportunity to visit this park again because it really was a gem.

Waldameer, PA

Waldameer, whilst not being my favourite of these selections has been a good time on both of my visits. The first time I wasn't really blown away by Ravine Flyer II and thought it was massively overhyped and kind of rough. The second time I visited after dark the next year (I think some track work had taken place over the closed season) and oh my goodness! This ride! Don't miss it! I would best describe it as a mini-voyage as it has that relentless pacing and constant speed along with tunnels and dips. The park as a whole is nice, you get two woodies and some interesting flats along with the classic chairlift ride above the park. There's also a waterpark and picnic area. The park is nicely put together and has a wholesome family feel so if you're ever in the area (e.g. driving from Cedar Point to Canada's Wonderland or even just visiting Kennywood) I would definitely recommend the stop.

Morey's Piers, NJ

This is probably another debatable one for the list but it's somewhere a lot of people don't seem to go and it's definitely got a classic feel to it. The park has been open since 1969 and although the ride selection isn't insane by enthusiast standards it doesn't matter here at all because the setting and quantity of the rides make up for it. There are 3 piers full of rides spread across a boardwalk and beach area with over 100 rides and attractions in total, including 7 rollercoasters! The lighting at night is great, the atmosphere is buzzing and the park has a well kept feel to it without losing it's traditional charm. There's a considerably-sized CCI woodie out over the beach complete with tunnels which was surprisingly good (yet no-one ever talks about it) and the world's only re-rideable SLC. Yes, you read that right! I actually went straight around for a reride!! The SLC, which lies over the waterpark (so that's a rollercoaster over a waterpark, on a pier) has had a retrack and new trains and I am quite certain that it is likely the best one out there. That alone is worth the trip because it really will surprise you! I particularly enjoyed the woodie, Great White and the Flitzer (RIP this has now closed). Make sure you do the haunted ship walk-through scare attraction as this turned out to be one of the scariest scare mazes I've ever done which was completely unexpected! I was one of the only people in the maze at the time so the actors (yes!) certainly concentrated on me but the built in suspense and atmosphere was something else. Definitely do this attraction after dark if you can! The park's presentation and marketing has a nice classy feel to it (almost Scandinavian park style) and just feels like they really care about it. I had a great afternoon and evening here and would recommend it to anyone!

Seabreeze, NY

This park is one of the smaller local parks, similar to Waldameer but it still packs in the rides and classic charm. The Jack Rabbit (not to be confused with Kennywood's) is 100 this year, making it one of the US's oldest coasters and it's still a fun ride today! The other coaster of note here is the hybrid Bobsleds ride (opened in 1954 with alterations in the 60s), which has steel track with wooden supports. It's unusual trains (which reminded me of Blackpool's old wild mouse cars) don't have very restricting restraints so it's quite a wacky ride. There's also a Maurer spinner which is decent too. The park was well presented and has a nice sea view, as you might have expected from the name.

Little Amerricka, WI

My main ambition when visiting this park was to finally get on a chance toboggan. Whilst this was quite the experience (and quite the rare credit these days) it turned out that the park had a loads of other interesting things on offer. Firstly there's a small woodie which is great fun, Meteor (which has been relocated twice!), a Hershell wild mouse from 1960, one of only two remaining in the world, a roll-o-plane (which are great!) and a kiddie cred amongst a few other rides. The toboggan is ridiculous in every conceivable way, as you might expect and is now the only permanent installation of one in the world (this particular ride having been made in 1969!). The Mad Mouse was also pretty interesting (and rare as mentioned previously) and if my memory serves me correctly i'm not sure it even had any sort of restraint! I would say that both this ride and the toboggan are enthusiast must-dos if you're into historic stuff for sure!

Bonus park- Stricker's Grove, OH

I've added this in as a bonus as whilst it's not the most exciting as some of the other local traditional style parks it's a bit more exclusive than most parks and something worth the stop if you happen to be around when it's open. The park is privately owned so is only open on some occasions, such as fairs and festivals so your best best is to check their calendars or even ask permission to attend one of their events (so I'm told). I was lucky enough (by a complete fluke) to be in the area when a fair was taking place so I literally just rocked up and paid the minimal entry fee. The rides were pay per ride including two small woodies, Teddy Bear and Tornado. Both coasters are decent for their size and I remember the larger coaster, Tornado, having some decent airtime and pace. The park has a couple of unusual/old school flats as well and is around 30 minutes from King's Island in Ohio.

Hopefully this post either gave you some inspiration for a trip or brought back some good memories from some lesser known parks!
Thanks for reading!