Theme Parks to Visit

Theme parks are perennial winners with kids, but grown-ups can also have a blast on Ferris wheels, zip lines and roller coasters.

DOLLYWOOD PARKS AND RESORTS, Pigeon Forge, Tenn.: Beyond rides and attractions, it boasts live music and shows sure to entertain every member of the family.

SIX FLAGS over Texas in Arlington or St. Louis: Take your pick – either offers every ride you could think of.

SEAWORLD in San Antonio: New this summer is Catapult Falls, the world’s first launched flume coaster featuring the steepest flume drop on Earth.

SILVER DOLLAR CITY: An essential part of the Branson experience.

GLENWOOD CAVERNS treehouse and a glass chapel. Another top Arkansas attraction is the Cosmic Cavern near Eureka Springs. e walking tour lasts about an hour and features two bottomless cave lakes and the Silent Splendor section, where many of the formations are transparent.

ADVENTURE PARK: Yet another reason to cool off in the Colorado mountains.

Traveling Tips

No family vacation is perfect. But if you do some research before you go and follow basic safety rules, your trip can deliver the stress-free days you’re hoping for.

• Investigate your lodgings when you arrive for any possible security issues, and don’t leave anything in your car.

• Know before you go if your chosen attractions offer public restrooms, plenty of parking spaces and on-site refreshments.

• Be wary of public WiFi, and make copies of things like admission tickets and boarding passes in case you lose cell phone service.

• Try not to act like a tourist. Force the pickpockets to find another line of work!

Colorado

Widely regarded as Colorado’s most celebrated piece of architecture, the amphitheatre at Red Rocks State Park is an acoustically perfect venue for acts ranging from the Colorado Symphony to Sting to the world’s greatest opera singers.

At 6,450 feet above sea level, the park is where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains and where visitors can see plants, birds and other animals of both regions.

is summer’s musical line-up includes Duran Duran, the Avett Brothers, Tori Amos and My Morning Jacket.

A visit to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park starts with a gondola ride to the top of Iron Mountain. e western-themed mountaintop park o ers Colorado’s rst alpine coaster, along with a cli hanger roller coaster, the Soaring Eagle Zip Ride and the Glenwood Canyon Flyer.

e Trail Ridge Road soars to an elevation of 12,183 feet and is one of the best ways to see the Continental Divide as it cuts through Colorado.

e two-hour drive passes through Rocky Mountain National Park between the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve o ers the tallest dunes in North America and is an international dark sky park. Activities include sand sledding, beach play, forest hiking and free ranger programs.

Cold winters, mine closures and economic troubles led to the abandonment of mountain towns across the state, and visitors can now explore such ghost towns as Alta, Animas Forks and Antero Junction.

Missouri

It was such a simple idea in the beginning – why not create a pleasant atmosphere for people waiting to tour Marvel Cave? Well, one thing led to another, and some 70 years later, Silver Dollar City is a 100-acre park with music and venues, more than 40 rides and attractions, 18 restaurants, 60 shops and 100 resident craftsmen.

e 1880s-themed attraction near Branson is recognized internationally for its theme, presentation and operations, and much of the credit goes to the Ozark landscape and culture.

e mountain scenery is to die for, and those skillet dinners are legendary, but “what really sets us apart are our demonstrating craftsmen,” according to the theme park’s website. “ e e ortless skill that these artisans display is breathtaking.”

As visitors watch, skilled workers create candy, lye soap, candles, handblown and cut glass, mouthwatering cinnamon rolls and decorative objects fashioned from clay, leather, wood and metal.

On the other side of the state, Forest Park is where another modest idea grew legs. Originally conceived to celebrate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, the movement grew into the 1904 World’s Fair, “when the world came to St. Louis.” e property became a city park again after the iconic fair closed and is home to the city’s zoo, art museum, history museum, science center, boathouse, skating rink, tennis center, golf courses –the list goes on and on.

A few decades later, architect Eero Saarinen’s design of a 630-foot stainless steel arch would further secure the city’s claim as the “Gateway to the West.”

Gateway Arch National Park, on the banks of the Mississippi River, encompasses a westward expansion museum and the Old Courthouse, currently closed for renovations, where nationally important civil rights cases were heard.

More than 100,000 people gathered in 1926 for the consecration of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, a labor of love that would not be fully completed until 1988. Tours are available of the basilica, a synthesis of Byzantine and Romanesque design that is known for its stained glass windows, high altar and ornamental mosaics.

Texas

Natural and man-made attractions lure visitors from one end to the other of the giant state of Texas.

Landlocked Oklahomans often make the drive to South Padre Island, a tropical oasis that o ers 34 miles of white sand and clear emerald water, with such highlights as snorkeling, deep sea shing and sunset dinner cruises.

Nature tourism includes dolphin and eco tours, nature trails, birding and an alligator sanctuary. Indoor o erings include dining, dancing, shopping and relaxing in spas and yoga studios. Art galleries, museums and the Port Isabel Lighthouse add to the culture of the island paradise. Moody Gardens on Galveston Island has an educational and conservation mission, but kids nd it just plain fun. ere’s a rainforest pyramid, a paddlewheel boat, a ropes course and zip line and Palm Beach, Galveston’s only white-sand beach.

You won’t nd any run-of-the-mill sea creatures at the Dallas World Aquarium, where species sport such monikers as starki damsel sh, magni cent foxface, leafy seadragon and Napoleon wrasse. e aquarium’s Cloud Forest Trek, which opened in 2020, sports a giant LED screen that extends the exhibit to the clouds of Colombian rainforests and animals indigenous to South America.

If it’s wilderness you crave, check out Guadalupe Mountains National Park, with more than 80 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy nature walks to all-day hikes into the high country forest. McKittrick Canyon is the heart of the park and the launching point for trails leading to dramatic landscapes. e west side of the mountains o ers remote hiking and access to the Salt Basin Sand Dunes.

Just steps from the Alamo is San Antonio’s River Walk, or Paseo del Rio, famous for guided barge tours of a 15-mile urban waterway with riverside shopping and dining.

Nearby is the wonder- lled Natural Bridge Caverns, where a ropes course and zip rails o er treetop views of the Texas Hill Country. Twisted Trails Tykes is a ropes course for the 4-feet-tall and under set. Gem and fossil mining, a ranch roundup maze, shopping and dining and Bracken Bat Flights and of course a discovery tour of the caverns round out the package.

Nebraska

Walk on the bottom of the ocean and come nose-to-nose with sea turtles as sharks circle above you. Discover polar regions, temperate oceans, coral reefs and the Amazon. at’s the promise made by Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium about the adventure that awaits at the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium, the largest aquarium to be found in a zoo.

e zoo is all about context and interpretation.

e Desert Dome, a geodesic dome that’s become an Omaha landmark, is the world’s largest indoor desert. ere you will nd plant and animal life from Africa’s Namib Desert, the Red Center of Australia and America’s Sonoran Desert. Wallabies, meerkats and a cape cobra are among the animals living there. Visitors continue on through a butter y and insect pavilion, African grasslands, a Birds in Flight program, children’s adventure trails and a wildlife safari park. e Chimney Rock National Historic Site marks the most-noted landmark on the Oregon Trail. e Horse Creek Treaty Marker describes the 1851 gathering of 10 tribes of Plains Indians, numbering about 10,000, to negotiate a treaty that would soon be broken by the U.S. government.

To cool o during your summer travels, man-made options across Nebraska include the Island Oasis Water Park in Grand Island, Fun Plex in Omaha and Aquacourt in Hastings. e Dismal River beckons the paddling crowd. Described as a “short, wild river” in the Sandhill Region of the state, it features natural springs that bubble up through the sand and is best suited for intermediate to advanced kayakers and canoers.

“Magical Mystery Tour” is the 2023 theme at the Sunken Gardens in Lincoln. is year’s designs will re ect the artwork on album covers from the Beatles era. Admission is free, and visitors can enjoy a healing garden, perennial and annual ower gardens, water features and art installations.

Western Nebraska’s Scotts Blu area is also known as Landmark Country.

A paleontological adventure awaits at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, an important source for 19.2-millionyear-old Miocene epoch mammal fossils. e monument also features the Cook Collection of American Indian Artifacts.

Other Getaways

Chicago, IL: One of the largest cities in the U.S., Chicago beckons for great eats, art, outdoor activities and music. Highlights include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Navy Pier, Millennium Park (home of the famed metal Bean) and Wrigley Field.

Lincoln, NE: Nebraska’s capital city o ers unique stops including the International Quilt Museum, the Museum of American Speed and the Pioneers Park Nature Center. Plenty of breweries plus the Memorial Stadium also draw visitors.

Santa Fe, NM: Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo foothills, Santa Fe presents a slower pace and art o erings galore. Stroll through Santa Fe Plaza, visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, or enjoy Meow Wolf – an immersive art exhibition you won’t soon forget.

Scottsdale, AZ: e desert city of Scottsdale o ers outdoor activities for the active tourist, like the Gateway Trailhead, Desert Botanical Garden and Pinnacle Peak Park. Cool o at the OdySea Aquarium or the Penske Racing Museum.

New Orleans, LA: e Big Easy is a perfect pit-stop for those looking to meld history with a bustling nightlife. Visit the French Quarter for great eats and live music, or venture to the National WWII Museum. Louis Armstrong Park and Jackson Square are other must-visit locations. ■