Thrilling rides at a theme park can make any day exciting, but rides are only a small portion of what theme parks offer groups. Enjoy a day or even a whole week on the grounds of one of the following six theme parks and discover droolworthy food, educational attractions, remarkable museums and live entertainment.
The parks below offer group discounts, as well as catering or special packages for individual group needs.
Cedar Point
Sandusky, Ohio
For seekers of the ultimate thrill, Cedar Point is one of the best places to visit. With 16 different roller coasters, the park has a ride for every kind of adventurer.
And for guests’ convenience, the coasters have a thrill rating. The corkscrew, for instance, is rated five, for an “aggressive thrill.” It is the first roller coaster to invert riders three times during the ride and the first to corkscrew over the park midway, allowing guests and riders to see each other while the coaster is running.
The Jr. Gemini, on the other hand, is rated two for a “mid thrill.” The ride is a miniature version of the Gemini that gives kids a chance to experience a rush with smaller hills and turns.
HalloWeekends take place through October.
“We want to stay true to our mission,” marketing programs manager Bryan Edwards said. “During the day, it’s all kid-friendly. There is a kids’ costume contest and a parade every Saturday and Sunday. When the sun goes down is when we bring out the scary stuff.”
“Halloween Hullabaloo” is one of the park’s shows during HalloWeekends.
“It’s like a music review with all Halloween songs, like ‘Thriller,’” Edwards said. And a show called “Skeleton Crew” in the middle of the park features acrobatics.
Sea World
Orlando, Florida
Sea World allows visitors to view animals of the ocean and learn about some of their underwater environments.
“The park is about inspiring guests with animals and making connections that live with them beyond a single day visit,” associate manager of marketing communications Mari Delgado said. “It’s those experiences that inspire them to care about the world we all share.”
In May, Sea World opened the largest expansion in the park’s history to tell the story of penguins.
“When you step through Antarctica, you are transferred into a different realm. What’s incredible is you can go on the journey of the penguin — you can choose a mild or wild experience — and you see it through a very special penguin called Puck,” Delgado said.
At Dolphin Cove at Key West, guests are able to see dolphins above and below the water, and visitors can experience even more at the Dolphin Nursery, where bottlenose dolphin babies play.
Other shows are “Pets Ahoy,” a comedy show with animals rescued from shelters, and “Blue Horizons” and “One Ocean,” the dolphin and killer-whale shows.
For Sea World’s Halloween Spooktacular, the park is transformed into an underwater fantasy.
“It’s a family-friendly daytime event, so it’s perfect for parents with little ones so they don’t have to worry about missing bedtime,” Delgado said.
