Every year when summer ends, Amusement Today conducts an international poll to find out what were the best amusement parks and water parks around the world. This is not an easy task.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) says that there are more than 400 amusement parks and attractions in the United States, and approximately 300 amusement parks in Europe. And according to the World Waterpark Association, there are over 1,000 waterparks in North America, and about 600 around the rest of the world. That's a lot of fun to judge.
The Amusement Today awards are called the Golden Ticket Award, and they identify the top winners in 23 categories. Categories include not only Best Park and Best Waterpark, but also Best Children's Park, Friendliest Park, Cleanest Park, Best Shows, Best Kids Area, and Best Indoor Coaster. You can find all the winners, and see what categories they won, on our map below.
For even more choices to have fun, last year we looked at the most & least expensive amusement parks, as well as the parks that had the most inversions (going upside down) from the Roller Coaster Database.
Zoom the map out to see the winners in Europe and Japan.