England (Alton Towers): There is some debate as to the best theme park in England, but a strong argument could be made for Alton Towers. It is the most proper theme park in the country, and it also has 9 roller coasters for adults. "Th13teen" is "the world's first vertical freefall drop roller coaster, on which the track and train freefall approximately 15 feet in darkness. The park also has dark rides including Gangsta Granny (seen below) and Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back. Germany (Europa-Park): Typically ranked #2 in annual attendance for European theme parks, Europa-Park has over 100 attractions. Much of its theming is country-specific, which makes it similar to Busch Gardens Williamsburg with some nods to Epcot, especially with its own geodesic dome. The park is known for its coasters, but it also has some dark rides. Most notable of these is ARTHUR (2014), which, along with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom, 2014), set the benchmark for story-telling coasters. France (Disneyland Paris): Disneyland Paris is a bit different than the the three Disney castle parks that preceded it. It is a beautiful park, especially in winter (which is when I was able to visit). It is full of details including walk-through exhibits including the dragon beneath the castle. Its Frontierland and Discoveryland (essentially its Tomorrowland, but based more on Jules Vernes' vision of the future). Big Thunder Mountain, which whisks people under the river to an island, is probably the best version in the world. Phantom Manor takes more of a western feel compared with the similar Haunted Mansion rides throughout the world. And Space Mountain includes an outdoor launch and indoor inversions, which makes it rather thrilling, especially for a Disney park. South Korea (Lotte World): Ahnyeong haseo! When I spent a month in Korea in summer 2012, it was prior to theme parks becoming a huge passion for me. Needless to say, I did not visit any theme parks while I was over there. Anyways, Lotte World has both an indoor section ("Adventure," which was the world's largest indoor theme park until Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi surpassed it in 2019) and an outdoor section ("Magic Island"). It even contains a castle that is reminiscent of Disney parks. As I understand, many people wear school uniforms (even buying them) to go to the park. The park has a mix of family rides as well as roller coasters. Pharaoh's Fury is a dark ride similar to Indiana Jones. Denmark (Tivoli Gardens): Walt Disney was partially inspired by Tivoli Gardens when he was designing Disneyland. From what I understand, the beauty of the park rivals most other parks worldwide. The park boasts of a 1914 coaster called Rutschebanen that relies on an operator to provide the braking on it. Demon, which opened in 2004, is a floorless coaster that includes an Immelmann loop, a vertical loop, and a zero-G roll and provides a VR experience as an option.
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