If your family is looking for thrills this summer without a jump scare at the bill, there is an amusement park vacation under $100 per person — and it’s not in Florida.
Vacation home rental site HomeToGo has released its list of the most affordable theme parks to visit this summer, with about 40 locations across more than 20 states to choose from.
Analysts looked at three factors to determine which parks were the best bang for your buck — the price of admission, parking and nearby accommodations.
While Florida is known to be a hit with kids looking to meet their favorite Disney characters and ride attractions inspired by their favorite Universal Studios films, families looking for the most affordable option will have to travel further north along the East Coast.
Quassy Amusement Park
Quassy Amusement Park in Connecticut was ranked No. 1 on HomeToGo’s list. You pay just $33 for an adult ticket, $9.40 for a day of parking and $34.03 for accommodations for a grand total of $76.43.
The accommodation price for each park on the list was calculated by using the median nightly cost per person for a vacation rental on HomeToGo.
Located on Lake Quassapaug in Middlebury, Quassy Amusement Park offers dozens of amusement park rides and a waterpark with waterslides and splash zones.
Fun Spot America Themepark
If you love the Florida sunshine, but don’t want to pay the steep admission fee for Orlando’s more popular parks, Fun Spot America Themepark may be the place for you.
It costs $59.95 for a ticket to the Orlando amusement park, and there’s no parking fee, according to HomeToGo’s list. Factoring in the $57.61 for accommodations, the total daily cost to go to Fun Spot America Themepark is $117.56 per person.
The park is also home to Orlando’s only wooden roller coaster, dubbed White Lightning, along with bumper cars and multi-level go-kart tracks.
Castles N’ Coasters
You’ll have to visit the West Coast for the third most affordable theme park on HomeToGo’s list — Castles N’ Coasters in Arizona.
It costs just $31 for a ticket to the Phoenix theme park and parking is free. But nightly accommodations are a tad pricier at $98.63 per person, bringing the total cost to $129.63.
Castles N’ Coasters offers several classic rides, along with other attractions such as a zip line, mini golf and a more than 10,000 square-foot arcade.
If you are looking for parks that may be more familiar to your family, nine Six Flags locations from across the country made it on HomeToGo’s list, including Six Flags Frontier City in Oklahoma, which took the No. 5 spot.
Country music icon Dolly Parton’s Dollywood in Tennessee placed 26th on the list.
Several Disney and Universal Studios parks made the list, including Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, tying at No. 32 and Disney’s Epcot and Hollywood Studios, tying at No. 34.
