You can have a great time at any amusement park, from the smallest putt-putt/batting cages combo to massive theme parks with towering roller coasters, and Upstate NY has plenty of variety.
Not every attraction is created equally, however, and while some shine for variety of offerings and great value, other amusement parks get low marks for poorly maintained facilities and bad customer service.
The list below ranks 17 Upstate NY amusement parks, including the region's most popular parks, according to data from Yelp.com. Take a look and see where your favorite park landed on the list.
METHODOLOGY
This is a list of the best amusement parks in Upstate New York, according to Yelp. All the businesses on this list are in the "Amusement Park" category on Yelp. "Best" is measured using an algorithm that looks at the number of reviews, star rating for a business and number of negative reviews.
For the purposes of this list, no business with fewer than 3 reviews was included in the ranking.
#17 Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom (Warren County)
2.5 stars, 109 reviews
One customer says: "Compared to Great Adventure (a larger park located closer to NYC), The Great Escape is smaller in scale and has less intense rides. This makes it more family friendly and, at least on the day we went, less crowded."
1172 State Rt 9
Queensbury, NY 12804
#16 Fantasy Island (Erie County)
2.5 stars, 40 reviews
One customer says: "Fantasy Island has always been a sad little park where things just aren't quite right. As a kid, I found it enchanting. As a parent, I'm really wondering what the hell is going on here!"
2400 Grand Island Blvd
Grand Island, NY 14072
#15 Cooperstown Fun Park (Otsego County)
2 stars, 8 reviews
One customer says: "It's a great team-building place to unwind and have some fun. Food was not very good and the service was a little iffy, but the fun the boys had overshadowed this. I would eat before you go and you'll find this a more enjoyable experience."
4858 State Highway 28
Cooperstown, NY 13326
#14 Funplex Fun Park (Rensselaer County)
2.5 stars, 23 reviews
One customer says: "A multi-activity outdoor amusement center which has very good variety of activities and friendly staff but somewhat indifferent maintenance and middle of the road bargain for the buck in terms of entertainment value."
589 Columbia Tpke
East Greenbush, NY 12061
Other categories: Mini golf, go karts
#13 Darien Lake Theme Park (Genesee County)
2.5 stars, 83 reviews
One customer says: "I've been going to Darien Lake since I was a little girl, I've seen it go through many different owners and through different themes throughout the years. The park is enjoyable for all ages, they have a children's section, a water park, intense rollercoasters for the big kids and beer for the bigger kids."
9993 Alleghany Rd
Darien Center, NY 14040
#12 Thunder Island (Oswego County)
3 stars, 3 reviews
One customer says: "The water slides/kiddie lazy river are well maintained and very nice. I thought my 5 year old might run out of things to do but he loved doing the few slides over and over for 4-plus hours happily."
21 Wilcox Rd
Fulton, NY 13069
Other categories: Venues & event spaces
#11 Calypso's Cove (Herkimer County)
3 stars, 5 reviews
One customer says: "After my friends and I enjoying the arcade, we went for the go-karts sine that was really the only thing open at the time. The karts were powered by lawnmower engines so even though I went fast, it wasn't fast enough for me! I lost the run against ALL of my friends but I still had an enjoyable time."
3183 State Route 28
Old Forge, NY 13420
#10 SplashDown Beach (Dutchess County)
3.5 stars, 38 reviews
One customer says: "Awesome place for families/kids for sure but also adults who like to have fun! Cabanas are very cool, hidden and not pricey. 89$ during the weekday for up to 6people. Very clean, fair prices, very nice layout, friendly staff, super soft and clean sand, a lot of tanning chairs by every attraction just overall a very nice amusement park/beach."
16 Old Rte 9 W
Fishkill, NY 12524
Other categories: Water parks
#9 Sylvan Beach Amusement Park (Oneida County)
3.5 stars, 15 reviews
One customer says: "This was a nice bit of nostalgia. If you want a flash back to the lovely little lake side amusement park, then you definitely need to stop here. The setting is lovely. There are kiddie rides and rides for the older crowd. There are plenty of little games to do as well. I was surprised to see a fascination game room."
112 Bridge St
Sylvan Beach, NY 13157
#8 House Of Horrors & Haunted Catacombs (Erie County)
4 stars, 6 reviews
One customer says: "The makeup on the actors were so spot on. I have never ran so fast through a tunnel when one of them were coming after me. I wasn't trying to play the part of being scared, i was actually really scared. The sound effects and the lightings were perfect."
3757 Union Rd
Cheektowaga, NY 1422
#7 The Castle Fun Center (Orange County)
4 stars, 45 reviews
One customer says: "We came for the July 4th promo (4 hours of fun for just $35 each!) and had THE best day we've had in way too long! With a family ranging in ages there was something for everyone. The staff was amazing, the food in Jesters was great and the activities are a blast! Not sure we've laughed and played so hard in years!"
109 Brookside Ave
Chester, NY 10918
Other categories: Venues & event spaces
#6 Magic Forest (Warren County)
4 stars, 42 reviews
One customer says: "Great place for the family ! Been around for generations & generations! Yes it's a little bit outdated and pricy but it puts smiles on kids faces! The staff is pretty friendly and the rides are fun! Even for some adults like me!"
#5 Huck Finn's Playland (Albany County)
4 stars, 6 reviews
One customer says: "The roller coaster looks great, and it's one heck of a bone shaking little ride, just as it always was. The ferris wheel now gives you a great view of downtown Albany at it's apex. They've even brought over the old diner-car like concession stand from Hoffman's. And just as I did to my father more than 40 years ago, my daughter spies the bags of cotton candy hanging in there and starts nagging me to buy her one."
25 Erie Blvd
Albany, NY 12204
#4 Rockinghorse Ranch (Ulster County) - $$$
4 stars, 98 reviews
One customer says: "The activities were endless; our girls did the paddle boating, bungee jumping, tubing, gem mining, bonfire, building full of bouncy houses, playgrounds, swimming in the indoor pool with slide and outdoor pool. The also have a banana boat, mini golf and basketball courts. In the basement the children enjoyed the comedy show at night with popcorn and drinks and a 'baby club' which I believe was until 12am."
600 State Rt 44/55
Highland, NY 12528
Other categories: Hotels, Bowling
#3 WonderWorks Destiny USA (Onondaga County)
4 stars, 29 reviews
One customer says: "Attended an event at WonderWorks for the very first time. Had soooo much fun! The event only lasted 2 hours and that did not give me enough time at all to experience all the cool things this place had to offer. Began with Laser Tag...which I enjoyed far more than I believed I would. I had never done laser tag before in my life. I loved it! It certainly brought out the competitive side of me. The 4D Theatre was awesome. Really, everything I did was fun."
9090 Destiny Usa Dr
Syracuse, NY 13290
#2 Seabreeze Amusement Park (Monroe County)
4.5 stars, 44 reviews
One customer says: "I was surprised at how much bigger the water park is compared to when I was last here. Also there are quite a few new rides like the Time Machine. Fortunately the best ride is still up and running - the Jack Rabbit."
4600 Culver Rd
Rochester, NY 14622
#1 Big Don's Wild River Mini Golf (Onondaga County)
4.5 stars, 14 reviews
One customer says: "Big Don's is an awesome place for the whole family I've been coming here since I was a kid. The new outdoor laser tag is awesome! You play tactical missions in a post apocalyptic setting. The way it's set up is a lot like paintball but the technology enables a lot of different game structures. Me and my college buddies had a blast. Will definitely come back!"
8408 Button Rd
Cicero, NY 13039
Other categories: Mini golf, laser tag
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