My Favorite Amusement Parks in Washington State

It has been predicted that this summer there will be a dramatic decrease in traveling and vacationing due to the skyrocketing gas prices. During the summer, name-brand amusement parks such as Universal Studios, Disneyland, and Six Flags are main attractions for families. However, since gas has been averaging $4 per gallon, people will not be venturing far from home.

For people who live here in Washington State, traveling long distances can be very expensive. To save money many of us feel that we will have to spend a boring summer at home. However, we do not have to venture far from home to have fun at an amusement park. Right here in Washington state there are over ten amusement theme parks. They are scattered throughout Washington. So no matter where you live in the state there is an amusement park in you locality. I have visited several of them, and I enjoyed myself. Of all the parks I visited there are three of them that I really like and would recommend for their uniqueness.

Camlann Medieval Village
Historical Theme Parks can be boring. I never liked them. However, my opinion changed after visiting the Camlann Medieval Village. It is located in Carnation, Washington. The park provides a taste of the middle age European life. The park was built to resemble a 14th century European country village. Park attendants dress in medieval clothes and act out the medieval life. As visitors go through the park they see first hand the art of candle making, tool making, weaving, carpentry, food preservation, cooking, sword fighting, and my two favorites soap making and archery. Visitors can even take part in the activities and rent medieval style clothes from the on-cite clothing shop to wear and blend in with the villagers.

The park has a library of books, videos, and films if anyone is interested in doing research on European medieval life. If you are a book worm, like myself, you will find the library to be an excellent resource. It contains books on the middle ages that were not in my university's library collection. The librarians at the park are very helpful and knowledgeable.

Another unique aspect of the park is its food. You will not find any cotton candy, soda, and hot dogs there. Unfortunately there are not any old world style concession stands selling old world food that would typically be sold on the street in 14th century Europe. However, the park has an Inn called the Bors Hede. There in a medieval setting, meals prepared from genuine old world recipes are served to guests. The meals are delicious, and are served along with deserts and drinks.

The park is not open daily. During the summer the park is only open on weekends. The park is very charming and peaceful. And the attendants are so into their work they make you feel as if you are really in a 14th century Europe.

The Camlan Medieval Village would be a perfect place for a weekend outing for families, couples, seniors, or groups.

Wild Waves
For anyone who wants to goto a big fancy theme park with lots of junk food, I recommend the Wild Waves Theme park located in Federal Way, Washington. The place is huge, yet it maintains the Western Washington character with it abundance of tall fir trees. The park offers everything that you would find in a typical California or Florida Theme park. The park is divided into two parks, the theme park and the water park.

Theme Park
The theme park has nearly 30 rides. The rides are all them related and divided into five sections. They are the Old West Territory rides, the Northwest Territory rides, the Hill rides, the Park Rides (which are the traditional amusement park rides), and the Kid's Kingdom(which are all rides for children).

Because most of their rides are so-how should I put this- exciting and active- there are height restrictions and children must be accompanied by an adult. I preferred riding the good 'ole fashion Ferris Wheel, carousel, and bumper cars. I also enjoyed the Enchanted Railway, which takes you on a train ride through a small woods. For braver people there is the Wild Thing, which is a roller coaster ride. Even though I was not brave enough to ride it, it looked like fun. It moved so fast and goes through several loops.

Water Park
There are over 12 water rides in the water park. The park has several water slides, which are all very popular by visitors. There is also a huge swimming pool. If you do not feel like going on any rides, the pool is a good place to chill. Children can ride all of the water rides with an adult. I never went on any of the water park rides because whenever I visited the water park the weather was not hot enough. However, I would recommend it to people who enjoy playing in the water.

Wonderland Family Fun Center
The Wonderland Family Fun Center is located in Spokane, Washington. It does not have any wild thrilling rides like the Wild Waves Theme Park. Instead it offers activities that are sporty and competitive. There is no entrance fee. However, you must pay for each activity. There are so many activities to choose from which are all enjoyable. Following are a few of my favorites.

The Go Karts
For 7 minutes a person can race around an out door track in a go cart. This is very fun and very competitive. Going round and round the track trying to drive faster than the other drivers makes you fill like you are in a real car race.

Miniature Golf
The park has two miniature golf courses, one is outdoors and the other is indoors. Both of the golf courses have 18 holes, and both are uniquely designed. The out door course is a bit more spread out and is set with little Victorian style houses, Dutch windmills, and other cute props. The indoor is course is smaller and designed in a tropical setting with palm trees, big bushes, and huts.

The Arcade
The arcade is another one of my favorites. It is filled with all sorts of video arcade games and pin ball machines. The arcade is spacious with plenty of walking room which I like. It is also a good place to be on a rainy day.

The Snack Bar
The snack bar is the best! I prefer it to the concession stands at Wild Waves. It serves pizza, bread sticks, mozzarella sticks, chicken strips and fries, chips and cheese, corn dogs, hot dogs, soft pretzels, chili dogs, ice cream fries, popcorn, and sodas. You can choose your own pizza topping to create your own pizza. If you want a salad to go with all of that good tasting high calorie food, they will make it for you upon your request. The snack bar is always clean and the food is always fresh.

The Camlann Medieval Village, Wild Waves Theme Park, and Wonderland Family Fun Center are three of my favorite amusement parks in Washington. They are fun and are uniquely different. I would recommend them to any north westerner wanting to have some summer recreation without having to travel to southern California or central Florida. To visit their websites for more information about them go to:

Camlann Medieval Village: www.camlann.org
Wild Waves Them Park: www.wildwaves.com
Wonderland Family Fun Center: www.wonderlandusa.com

If you are interested in other amusement parks in Washington check out www.experiencewa.com and review the listing of all the amusement theme parks in the state.