California theme parks are famous the world over for being the most fun and lively places to spend part of your summer vacation. From the white-knuckle roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia to the ever popular Disneyland resort, theme parks in California are some of the most exciting, heart pounding experiences you will ever have, and are among the top ten theme parks in the country.

California amusement parks are spread out all over the state, but most of the popular ones are in Southern California. Aside from the endless miles of Southern California beaches and Hollywood, these are some of the most heavily visited California attractions.

If you love the magic of Hollywood, you will enjoy visiting Universal Studios Hollywood, which is an unbeatable combination of movie magic and the thrills of one of the best California theme parks. There are no big roller coasters here, but there is a great waterfall ride called Jurassic Park, which drops you 80 feet. Or, you can soar through the air on the E.T. Adventure. After you\'re done touring the Movie Studios in the area and have spent a day at Universal Studios Hollywood, make sure you visit Citywalk, which has some of the best restaurants in the area. There are excellent stores to buy souveniers at, and even a movie theatre. Close to one of the most popular theme parks in California, this is a great place to have a meal and extend the fun even further after a long day of fun in the sun.

California Map

You could spend an entire weekend alone here at one of the top California theme parks, especially when you buy the ticket that gives you admission to the nearby Disneyland California Adventure park. Disneyland is the second most visited theme park in the country, and is the most well known of all the theme parks in California, so summers here are very busy.

There is a resort you can stay in at Disneyland. While it costs more to stay here, at one of the biggest theme parks in California than it does to stay in nearby hotels, when you take into consideration factors like parking and transporation, this can add a great deal of convenience to your vacation. If you\'re not staying in the resort, there is a shuttle service for Anaheim that you can catch along its eight different routes. It runs every 20 minutes, so if you plan ahead you won\'t have to wait long for an easy ride to Disneyland without the hassle of parking. You can save even more on when you buy a multi-day pass.

It\'s worth the extra $20 to buy the combination ticket which gives you admission into the Disneyland California Adventure. With thrilling rides like Soarin\' Over California to California Screamin, you can add even more excitement to your trip to one of the great Califronia amusement parks. You will want to give yourself at least one full day for this park, since you will undoubtedly want to go on rides like Mulholland Madness and the Grizzly River Run over and over again. Attractions like Paradise Pier and Golden Dreams give you a break from the madness of the rides of one of the most exciting California theme parks. You can tour the Boudin Bakery and Mission Tortilla Factory if you want to see how some of the staples of the Californian diet are made, and enjoy some free samples.

If you don\'t care about theme California amusement parks and you just love rollercoasters, you should make the drive to Valencia, which is about 30 miles north of Los Angeles. Some of the biggest, most heart stopping roller coasters can be found at Six Flags Magic Mountain. There is an unbeatable arsenal of spine tingling roller coaster which will blow you away. If you enjoy the sun, great food, and the wind blowing through you hear as your heart beats a mile a minute, you will have a great time visiting the great California theme parks.