Showing posts with label Illinois. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Illinois. Show all posts

Sunday, October 21, 2012

2012 Best Amusement and Water Parks



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.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Follow The Celebs To: Chicago IL For Food & Sports

Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip . . . with Recipes! (Food Network)Love watching the Food Network shows like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and The Best Thing I Ever Ate? It's time to follow Guy Fieri and all the other Food Network celebs, and try out the food they are raving about.

Chicago, the Windy City, is the 3rd largest city in the U.S., and home to not only a lot of good food, but also lots of sports too.  In fact, Chicago has been named "Best Sports City" numerous times over the years.

So if you're going to or from a game, and you're starving for something different, find the closest restaurant on our map below.

Updated June 3, 2011 to include eight more restaurants visited by Guy Fieri.

View Larger Map
View Larger Map

If you want some non-sports activity between meals, Viator is a comprehensive resource for travelers to research, plan and book destination activities. Here are a few things to consider: