Busch Gardens' Adventure Parks comprise two family-vacation destinations with widely divergent themes. The Williamsburg, Va., park has an Old World theme, and the Tampa park has an African wildlife theme. This year saw the debut of the Cobra's Curse ride in the Egypt section of Busch Gardens Tampa. The spin coaster features a vertical lift and reaches speeds of 40 mph.
The 85-acre Disneyland Park is Walt Disney's original theme park, welcoming more than 700 million guests since 1955. It has since expanded into a 500-acre destination with two Disney theme parks (the original Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park), three hotels and Downtown Disney, a shopping, dining and entertainment district. The park will invest at least $1 billion on park improvements, to begin by the end of 2017.
Whether riding a manta ray, counting the teeth on a shark or feeding seals and sea lions, visitors have thrilled to SeaWorld's offerings since the opening of its first park in San Diego in 1964. Parent company SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment announced in March that it will shut down its orca breeding program. For its remaining orcas, SeaWorld will debut a new experience in San Diego in 2017 that will provide a more natural setting for guests to interact with the creatures; its San Antonio and Orlando parks will follow suit in 2019.
Six Flags is the world's largest regional theme park company, with 18 parks across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Beginning in 1961, Six Flags has entertained millions of families with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling water parks and unique attractions including up-close animal encounters and its seasonal Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park. This year its Justice League: Battle for Metropolis ride, featuring Batman, Superman and other DC Comics characters, debuted at its Chicago-area and Mexico City parks; Atlanta's Six Flags Over Georgia and New Jersey's Six Flags Great Adventure will get the attraction next year.
Universal Studios markets itself as the No. 1 movie-and-TV-based theme park operator in the world. Universal Orlando offers three parks in one venue: Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and Wet 'n Wild. Next year Universal Orlando will see the opening of the Fast & Furious: Supercharged ride as well as Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. Also opening next summer, Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay water park will offer guests a high-tech bracelet, called a TapuTapu, enabling them to avoid long lines.
Walt Disney World is a nearly 40-square-mile entertainment and recreation destination with four theme parks (the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom); two water adventure parks; more than 30 resorts, including eight Disney Vacation Club resort properties; four golf courses; Disney's Wedding Pavilion; ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex; and Disney Springs, an entertainment/shopping/dining complex.