Credit: Disney DiningTripAdvisor’s “Best of the Best” amusement park rankings arrive every year and they reliably generate conversation, but this year the list produced a result that genuinely surprised people outside the enthusiast community. The top spot did not go to Magic Kingdom. It did not go to Dollywood or Universal. It went to a family-owned park in rural central Pennsylvania that most of the country has never heard of, and the people who know it were not surprised at all.
Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, took home the top prize on TripAdvisor’s recently released “Best of the Best” amusement park list, earning a 4.7 rating from nearly 3,000 reviewers. TripAdvisor’s description of the park captures what makes it unusual in the current theme park landscape: “Family-owned and operated since 1926, Knoebels Amusement Resort, located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, is America’s largest free-admission amusement park. It’s got it all: roller coasters, kid-friendly rides, bumper cars, a haunted mansion, swimming, camping, a mining museum, and even a championship 18-hole golf course. The accommodating staff, clean facilities, and fun attractions make for a memorable family-friendly visit.”
Dollywood came in second. Magic Kingdom took third. Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure rounded out the top five.
When Knoebels shared the news on social media, the reaction from its community was immediate and unsurprised. “We knew it all along,” the American Coaster Enthusiasts for Eastern Pennsylvania wrote in response. “Been going since 1996,” added another. These are not the reactions of a fanbase discovering something new. They are the reactions of people who have known for decades that their park is exceptional and have been waiting for the rest of the country to catch up.
What Knoebels Actually Is
The detail that defines Knoebels more than anything else is the one that sounds impossible for a park of its size: admission is free. The resort opened in 1926 and remains family-owned, and it has maintained a free-entry model throughout its nearly century-long existence. Guests pay for individual rides rather than an upfront gate ticket, which means families can visit, walk the grounds, enjoy the atmosphere, eat, and leave without spending anything beyond what they choose to spend. For a park that offers more than 100 rides ranging from family attractions to thrill coasters, that model is extraordinary.
The ride lineup is genuinely impressive for a park operating on this model. The Impulse roller coaster is one of the park’s signature thrill experiences, featuring upside-down twists and a 90-degree free fall. The Phoenix is a classic wooden coaster with a specific and beloved history: it originally opened in 1947 in Texas, was relocated to Knoebels in 1985, and has been thrilling guests there ever since. Wooden coaster enthusiasts consistently rank it among the best in the country.
For guests who prefer something gentler, Knoebels delivers there too. The antique cars attraction lets guests drive a Model-T replica through the woods and underneath the Phoenix roller coaster, which is exactly the kind of experience that does not exist anywhere else. The Grand Carousel is a historic ride that includes a game on each turn: whoever catches the ring gets a free ride. These are the kinds of details that accumulate into the character of a place, and they explain why people who grew up going to Knoebels have such a specific and fierce attachment to it.
The Full Top 10 and What It Says
Knoebels took first. Dollywood came second. Magic Kingdom was third. Disney’s Hollywood Studios fourth. Universal Islands of Adventure fifth. EPCOT sixth. Legoland California seventh. Universal Studios Florida eighth. Disneyland Park ninth. Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri closed out the top ten.
That is a list with three Disney parks, two Universal parks, one Legoland, and three independent regional parks. Knoebels, Dollywood, and Silver Dollar City all making the top ten alongside the largest theme park operators in the world says something about what guest satisfaction actually measures. It is not scale. It is not budget. It is whether the experience delivers on what it promises and whether guests leave feeling like the visit was worth their time and money.
Dollywood’s second-place finish continues a streak of recognition for Dolly Parton’s Pigeon Forge park that has made it one of the most decorated regional parks in the country. TripAdvisor’s description noted the downhome atmosphere, singalongs, a museum dedicated to Parton’s life, glass blowing and pottery artisans, high-velocity roller coasters, and the option to stay at the park’s two resorts. Dollywood earns its recognition through a combination of authentic regional identity and consistently strong operations.
How This Affects a Disney Vacation
For Disney guests, the TripAdvisor rankings are both validating and informative. Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios in the top four confirms what regular visitors already know: these are world-class parks that belong in any conversation about the best theme park experiences on the planet. EPCOT and Disneyland in the top ten reinforces that the Disney portfolio remains the benchmark against which other parks are measured.
The presence of Knoebels at the top does not diminish what Disney does. It contextualizes it. Guests who have been to Magic Kingdom and assume it represents the ceiling of what an amusement park can deliver are getting an incomplete picture if they have not considered what a well-run independent park with a century of history and a free admission model can produce in terms of genuine guest satisfaction.
For families with flexible vacation planning, the list is a useful reference for trip options beyond the major Florida and California resort destinations. A Knoebels visit is a completely different experience from a Walt Disney World trip, but the two are not mutually exclusive for families who take multiple park vacations a year. Knoebels is particularly compelling for families with younger children who want a relaxed, unhurried experience without the cost and logistics of a full Disney resort week.
For Disney-focused families, the list confirms that Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are ranked where guests expect them to be. EPCOT and Disneyland in the top ten rounds out a strong showing for the Disney portfolio even without holding the top spot.
If Knoebels is new to you and the free-admission model sounds like something worth exploring, their official site has full ride information, camping details, and everything you need to plan a visit to Elysburg. For Disney guests, Magic Kingdom holding the third spot on TripAdvisor’s list is useful context for trip planning conversations with people who are skeptical about the cost of a Disney vacation. The rankings back up what experienced guests already know about the quality of the experience. Use them accordingly.
