The IT Trader

I’ve come to realize that, if you are a roller coaster lover, Southern California is the place to visit. In particular, Orange County and Los Angeles County are home to two of the best theme parks for thrill rides. No, Disneyland is not one of them, although it (and its adjacent sister park Disney’s California Adventure) does offer some exciting action rides worthy of a visit.

Here we’re speaking of Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain (aka Magic Mountain to the locals). The SoCal Guru notes that these two destinations have focused directly on roller coasters and thrill rides to differentiate themselves from Disneyland.

You won’t find any place with more edgy thrill rides and coasters than Six Flags Magic Mountain. If you are visiting with folks who don’t care as much about thrill rides, you’ll still find plenty to do; check out the Southern California Vacation Guru for useful ideas.

The second Southern California theme park with a strong emphasis on roller coasters is Knott’s Berry Farm, although it too offers many activities such as Ghost Town. My daughter worked on the new Silver Bullet ride and she says that is one of several coasters that will really help you lose your dinner.

One place at Knott’s Berry Farm that you don’t want to miss is the World-famous Chicken Dinner Restaurant. For like 70 years or more this establishment has been delighting tens of thousands of diners with down-home cooking. There is also good information at the SoCal Vacation Guru on Knott’s Berry Farm. The site covers hotels near the park, and provides useful information about other theme parks and vacation opportunities in SoCal.

No doubt you are aware that there are other great parks nearby, and you can find useful information at the Guru website. Those parks offer many great attractions and some good thrill rides, but not as many as at Knott’s and Magic Mountain. I hope this is helpful if you love coasters!