This is it, the final showdown. At the beginning of the season, hundreds of parks were vying for the chance to be crowned “Park of the Year”. Now, after weeks of polling each section of the country, only eight parks remain. Voting started several weeks ago as we divided part of the country into four separate regions. The top two of each region are here today, each to battle it out in one last fight of the year. Which park is the park of the year? That’s for you to decide!
Park of the Year is usually a very predictable category, with many perennial favorites making it in, year after year. This year, however, it was anything but predictable, as several parks beat the odds in the playoffs to make a final appearance in the finals.
This year’s Finalists are:
Region One
This year’s finalists are:
- Universal Studios Florida
- Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
For the first time in several years, Dollywood did not make the finals. The two major Florida theme parks, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, made a one-two punch to dominate the playoffs in Region One. Can they take the whole bag? That depends if they can garner the votes!
Region Two
This year’s finalists are:
- Sesame Place-Pennsylvania
- Quassy Park-Connecticut
Talk about a shocking twist! Fans of both Sesame Place and Quassy Park shut out favorites like Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Six Flags and Kings Dominion. The fan base roared to make their voices heard, but can they make them winners?
Region Three
This year’s finalists are:
- Silver Dollar City-Missouri
- SeaWorld San Antonio-Texas
Silver Dollar City had fans come out of the woodwork and vote daily to dominate the polls. Now they have a chance at taking home the title of Park of the Year once again. Meanwhile, SeaWorld Texas, riding off of the 50 year wave, overtook Cedar Point. First Cedar Point misses the Golden Ticket for Best Theme Park, and now this. Talk about a shocking turn of events!
Region Four
This year’s finalists are:
- SeaWorld San Diego
- Disneyland
We told you it was a shake up! SeaWorld parks need a little boost, and it appears those who stand with SeaWorld gave it to them. The parks have been under fire due to the “Blackfish” backlash, but there’s still those out there that loves SeaWorld. Disneyland, however, is an American institution. This year the park has seen tons of Frozen Fun, Marvel meet and greets and more plans on the way. Can the happiest place on Earth be The Park of the Year?
Those are the top eight theme parks as voted by you! Now it’s time to choose the best of the best!
[polldaddy poll=8507374]
Congratulations to all of the nominees! We recommend that all nominated parks and fans share on Twitter, Facebook and other Social Media outlets. This poll will determine the Park of the Year in Region Two and which two parks will move on to compete in our Finals for Park of the year for our annual “Thrill Weekly Awards” which are to be announced on January 5th, 2015. The poll will be open until 11:59 p.m. EST on December 14th, 2014.
Stay tuned for more theme park fun, and be sure to get social with us on Facebook, and follow along with us on Twitter @BehindThrills for the latest updates!
Good luck and have fun!
