Could you hit up all 9 of Illinois Theme Parks this Summer?
There are 9 legendary Theme Parks in Illinois and they are all ready to have visitors this year, so do you think you could visit them all in one summer?
Thrillist.com came out with an article that they call the "Ultimate Guide to Illinois' top Theme Parks" and it breaks down the 9 theme parks in Illinois that you have probably all seen the commercials for. And it got me thinking could you try and hit them all up in one summer? Here are the 9 theme parks that are mentioned in the article...
- Six Flags Great America - is the crown jewel of the theme parks in Illinois and is located in Gurnee.
- Santa's Village Amusement & Water Park - I grew up going to this place with tons of new renovations in East Dundee.
- Raging Waves Waterpark - Massive waterpark in Yorkville.
- Grady's Family Fun Park - The first on the list NOT in the Chicagoland area, located in Bloomington.
- Safari Land - Very kid-friendly and the largest indoor theme park in the state, located in Villa Park.
- Great Wolf Lodge - is a massive indoor waterpark near Six Flags, located in Gurnee.
- Grand Bear Falls - Near Starved Rock State Park in Utica.
- Knights Action Park - Another non-Chicagoland entry, located in Springfield.
- Navy Pier - A must-do in Chicago.
Okay, so those are the 9, so if you are going to try and do all 9 in one summer and you live here in the Tri-States (Quincy/Hannibal area), you definitely will need to spend some time in Chicagoland. Here is how I would do it...
I would use 3 separate day trips to knock out Grady's in Bloomington, Knights Action in Springfield, and Navy Pier in Chicago, using the Amtrak to Chicago and driving to the others. Now for the others, I would break it down into two separate trips. Here is trip one...
Trip one is to drive up to Safari Land and spend an afternoon there before staying somewhere near Raging Waves, spending a day at raging waves, before driving back to Quincy and stopping at Grand Bear Falls on the way back. Here is trip two...
Trip two involves Driving to Santa's Village doing an afternoon there but staying at Great Wolf Lodge for two days, doing one day at Six Flags, the other day at the Lodge, and then driving back.
So is it doable? Yes, and the great thing is besides the nights staying at Great Wolf Lodge and the Gas prices all of these Theme Parks have very reasonable prices, Six Flags starts at around $35, so are you going to try and hit up any of these theme parks this summer?