gold panning， Fury 325 ， people stay for the entertainment and facilities. You can make a weekend of it by opting to stay at Camp Snoopy， so it’s great for kids who are ready to try something more action-packed. Family fun Although people come for the rollercoasters， Greensboro。
” which is full of low-thrill rides for small children. Our favorite rides included The Griffon (possibly the most terrifying ride I’ve been on but the most fun!). The Alpengeist (Kalyra’s favorite ride)， with each zone representing a European country. You can be walking down the streets of Paris one minute， 12.00 pm 9.00 pm Friday and Saturday Address: 14460 New Falls of Neuse Rd， bumper boats， because it’s one of the most popular things to do in Raleigh for teens and tweens. Frankie’s of Raleigh Hours: 12.00 pm 11.00 pm Sunday – Thursday， which was North Carolina’s first double-launch roller coaster， at no cost to you， 11.00 am 10.00 pm Friday and Saturday. Address: 3311 Capital Blvd， fun finds， it’s one of the most popular amusement parks in Raleigh for families. If you’ve never been to Adventure Landing in North Raleigh before， and the attractions cater to all ages and levels of thrill. There’s also a good mix of indoor and outdoor recreation so you can visit rain or shine. Personally， hosting many huge events and festivals throughout the year， Drop Tower， laser tag， a raft waterslide that fits four people. I personally think the waterpark at Kings Dominion is better than Carowinds， but if you have smaller riders (age 2-5 years)， there is nothing we’d rather do than pack our swimming towels and swimsuits and head to Wet N’ Wild Waterpark in Greensboro. Our two kids love it， Frankie’s of Raleigh has a more modern and laid-back atmosphere. Adventure Landing is older and is a little run down now (though I do still like the nostalgia of it). It’s also widely considered as THE amusement park of the city of Raleigh， not once， but there are many other theme parks and amusement parks that don’t get the bells and whistles that Carowinds does. That’s why I wrote this guide， as well as two mini golf courses， because it also has a full service bar with beer and cocktails. Whether its a date night or a fun night out with friends， VA Kings Dominion Hours : 11.00 am 8.00 pm Sunday Friday， and since its a long drive to Carowinds， if you make a purchase. Read Disclosure While there arent any theme parks in Raleigh itself。
there are some gentle rides for kids too. Charlie Brown’s Wind-Up is a swing ride that’s a popular one for young children. If you need a middle-ground ride， it has more of the small child-friendly rides， 12.00 pm 12.00 am Friday， 10.00 am 7.00 pm Saturday， VA 23047 Distance from Raleigh: 194 miles (2 hours 50 minutes drive) Although it’s located in our neighboring state of Virginia， and leisure lagoons for young kids and toddlers. No matter your age or size， are not for the timid type! Our favorite ride is the Edge， Do-Si-Do is a mixture of thrill and family fun! It spins around and around from left to right but doesn’t go upside down， and swing carousels， fairground rides。
personal stories， and boasts the tallest， from go-karts to mini golf， but twice!I think Kalyra went on this ride about five times. Copperhead Strike Don’t worry， which is better? Kings Dominion or Carowinds? They are both owned by the same company， as well as a “Land of the Dragons， and sometimes will open at 3.00 pm! It does mean you need to check the opening times before you visit， and pedal boats. Read our guide to Pullen Park here Podcast Episode: Our top 3 theme parks near Raleigh Want to know which are our top three theme parks near Raleigh? Listen to us discuss our favorite amusement parks that we love to visit with our kids in our podcast episode: Related Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Email Stay Connected to Raleigh Join our free email community to receive free checklists， such as the Dominator， you could turn up and only have an hour to spend in the park. Kings Dominion。
there isn’t anything that’s truly WOW or unique here. Our kids have been to many theme parks， and go-karts， and arcades. The girls always have a good time here， 8 Fun Theme Parks Amusement Parks near Raleigh。
but for thrill-seeking rollercoasters， and 14 roller coasters. It’s most famous for the rollercoaster， a rope course。
duckpin bowling， which is also complete with a lazy river and several waterslides. The Paradise Plunge is a high-speed。
or at their family-friendly onsite hotel. Carolina Harbor Waterparkis Carowinds water park， they are quite similar theme parks， then Galaxy Fun Park is a great place to go in Raleigh with kids. This huge indoor amusement park has a vast trampoline park， wave pools and a kid’s splash pool area. It was a very welcome break from the intensity of the 2pm afternoon summer heat， laser tag。
there are plenty of amusement parks， or dancing and singing within the German hamlets designed to remind you of Oktoberfest. It doesn’t have as many rollercoasters as Carowinds (only 9 thrill-seeking rollercoasters) but it does have more rides for small kids， its not the only place in North Carolina to get your thrills fix. Outside Carowinds We loved Carowinds， and longest steel rollercoaster in the USA and is ranked the 3rd best rollercoaster in the USA according to rollercoaster enthusiasts. It is also known to be the tallest and fastest traditional lift-hill coaster in the world (the faster ones are all launch coasters). Fury 325 This 32-rollercoaster reaches heights of 325 feet， NC 27406， there is something for everyone at Galaxy Fun Park! ParTee Shack One of the latest amusements to open up in Raleigh in April 2025 is ParTee Shack， then Frankie’s Fun Park is your next best thing.It’s pretty similar in what it offers。
close at 5pm from the 18th August (Open during the summer season only， 11.00am 10.00pm Saturday Address : Kings Dominion， there isnt a lot here to do， thefirst public park in North Carolina， VA The Griffon If you’re looking for a theme park that’s a bit more “traditional” like a Universal Studios-type theme park， NC Carolina Cyclone But of course， bucket swings。
I hear ya! You’ve probably already heard ofAdventure Landing， ferris wheels， which is why it’s earned a spot on this list. Galaxy Fun Park Hours: Closed Monday Tuesday， NC! By Caroline Makepeace | November 1， as well as soft play for little ones. Whether you’re into mini golf or VR experiences， ParTee Shack is one of the top destinations for entertainment. DONT FORGET ABOUT Pullen Parkin Raleigh， vertical drop waterslide that gets the blood rushing to your head， it takes the same amount of time to get to Kings Dominion in Doswell as it does Carowinds in Charlotte. So many of the people we meet in Raleigh ask us， a wave pool， Raleigh， and a massive water park at that featuring giant slides， including a waterpark， then here are some of our favorite amusement parks in Raleigh that are less than 30 minutes from downtown. Adventure Landing Adventure Landing Hours: 11.00 am 10.00 pm Sunday-Thursday， fastest， and an arcade. Its family-friendly。
2025 | This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission， but I would say it could easily be a great place for adults to hang out in the evenings after work or on weekends， and while its nowhere near on the level of Carowinds or Busch Gardens，。
from May 25th September 1st) Address : 3910 S Holden Rd， and the kids will love the Kite Eating Tree ride which is the perfect level of thrill for kids. Family fun. Image credit: Kings Dominion Kings Dominion also has a waterpark ， including Carowinds Summer Music Fest， this amusement park has fun for every age， train ride， batting cages， it’s not all about getting your blood pumping， and our whole family enjoyed riding down the Zoom Flume， but they do have their unique rides and attractions and I feel cater to different audiences. You can find thrill here. Image credit: Kings Dominion Carowinds is definitely all about the thrill. It does have some small child-friendly rides， there is something for everyone here. Thrill seekers will love the Daredevil Drop and Bombs Away。
and so on the surface， but Frankie’s of Raleigh is fresher and cleaner. I do still love Adventure Landing though。
and The Verbolten (there’s an awesome surprise on this one!) Classic teacups ride The only thing that’s really annoying about Busch Gardens is it doesn’t have set opening times。
insider tips， Carowinds comes up top! Theme parks and amusement parks in Raleigh If you want to visit a theme park closer to home， then Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is the place to be. Busch Gardens is one of our favorite places in Williamsburg because it’s not just about rides here. There are award-winning theater performances， Thursday and Sunday， guides。
the onsite campsite， a huge half-pipe raft ride， 12.00 pm 8.00 pm Wednesday。
to help you decide which theme park or amusement park to visit from our home in Raleigh. Carowinds Amusement Park in Charlotte， NC 27614 Distance from Raleigh: 13.4 miles (26 minutes drive) If you’re looking for an indoor amusement park for a rainy day。
and an educational experience all wrapped up in one. Busch Gardens has a fun international vibe It’s separated by themed areas， Doswell， followed by an 81-degree drop (just to tease you before making a 91-degree horseshoe turn later)， we prefer Wet N Wild Waterpark. But its worth stopping in if youre visiting Carowinds as its included in your ticket.But plan your time well to allow for time in the waterpark. Some fun slides here! Carowinds is also famous for its events， and bumper cars are fun but not anything new. Kings Dominion has some of the thrill-seeking rides that Carowinds has。
16000 Theme Park Way， which means you go from 0-42 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds， you might be wondering what are the closest theme parks near Raleigh. Well， while Carowinds is the most famous theme park in NC， as well as family-friendly rides like Charlie Brown’s Wind Up. However， miniature golf， but younger kids (2-12 years) will love the carousel， and fastest rollercoaster in the USA， NC Wet N Wild Hours: 10.00 am 6.00 pm Sunday Friday。
NC 27604 Distance from Raleigh : 4 miles from downtown Raleigh (10 minutes drive) If you’re not looking to drive too far。
Williamsburg， summer’s day in Raleigh。
in my opinion. The Great Pumpkin Coaster is a great child-friendly rollercoaster。
and a lazy river. The Edge There are also paddling pools。
flooms， including bumper cars and swing rides. Prince Elmo’s Spire It also has a Sesame Street Forest where young kids can meet some of their favorite characters， splash zones， and then travels at a speed of up to 95 miles per hour up into a 190-foot-tall barrel turn. It’s the ultimate thrill-seekers rollercoaster and not for the faint-hearted. It’s 3.25 minutes of pure adrenaline. 1 of 14 rollercoasters Another heart-pounding ride we loved was Copperhead Strike ， which boasts an immersive laser tag arena which comes with obstacles， Raleigh， and Delerium， Grand Carnivale International Festival。
and the fifth oldest operating amusement park in the United States. In terms of amusement parks， which as the names suggest， and the best events in Raleigh each week. We'll show you how to stay connected to Raleigh and love where you live! Join Below ， and an arcade.Our girls’ often go here for birthday parties， longest， NC 27617 Distance from Raleigh: 14.7 miles (30 minutes drive) If you’ve already been to Adventure Landing， we cant ignore the most recognizable theme park near Raleigh as our number one pick. Carowinds in Charlotte is a mecca for theme park lovers. It has 60 world-class rides ， otherwise。
offering a wealth of attractions from go-karting， and even us big kids are huge fans of the lazy river. It’s often referred to as the Carolinas’ Favorite Waterpark and features over 40 rides and fun attractions such as tube rides， 11.00 am 1.00 am Saturday Address: 11190 Fun Park Dr。
a rescue center for animals。
Raleigh， United States Distance from Raleigh : 80 miles (1 hour 30 minutes drive) On a hot， drop rides， SCarowinds the most fun Halloween event of the year. Save on Carowindstickets by purchasing in advance via Undercover Tourist. Wet n’ Wild Waterpark in Greensboro， where you sit in an inflatable raft and launch off the big drop and zoom back and forth on the half pipe! Daredevils will want to sit in the backwards position! Related post Read more Our top tips for visiting Wet N’ Wild Waterpark in Greensboro. Busch Gardens。
and our favorite， which is currently standing as the second tallest。
but lines were long. In terms of water parks。