Roller Coasters in Illinois

As for roller coasters in Illinois, there is one big (BIG) theme park, and a few little parks and farms with kid’s coasters for family fun. (As always, check hours and prices online before your visit.)

I didn’t realize that the two Great America theme parks – one in Illinois and one in California – were built around the same time and with the same layout, though they have now diverged greatly under different ownership. California’s Great America is a slightly smaller park owned by Cedar Fair, while Six Flags Great America is a huge roller coaster-heavy park.

As always, you can click on the coaster name below for a video of each ride! Ride all the roller coasters in Illinois from your sofa!

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, just above Chicago, is by far the biggest theme park in Illinois, with 15 roller coasters and tons of other thrilling rides. American Eagle is a racing wooden coaster. Batman The Ride is an inverted steel coaster. The Demon is a steel coaster with a double corkscrew. Goliath is a HUGE wooden coaster topped with steel tracks. The Joker is a circular wing coaster with freely moving seats. Maxx Force is a new launched coaster with super-high inversions. Raging Bull is the tallest, longest, and fastest coaster in the park. Superman Ultimate Flight is a flying coaster. (The Batman and Superman rides are the same as in the Georgia Six Flags.) Vertical Velocity is a U-shaped shuttle coaster. Viper is a cyclone-style wooden coaster. X-Flight is a soaring wing coaster. Dark Knight is a themed indoor wild mouse. The Whizzer is a steel Schwartzkopf “speed racer,” one of only two left in the world. The Little Dipper is a junior wooden coaster. And Sprocket’s Rockets is a fun family steel coaster.

Other rides include a Justice League dark ride, a drop tower, swinging pendulum, several flat rides, log flume, river rapids, an observation tower, a park-circling train, and a marquee double-decker carousel at the entrance, just like its sister park in California (though they are owned by different companies now.) There is an attached water park, but it’s separately gated and ticketed.

Tickets

Tickets at the gate cost $90, but you can get them online right now for as low as $45, depending on the day. For $90, you can get a season pass that includes two water parks, parking, discounts, and one skip-the-line pass. For $160, you can get a pass that lets you into all the other Six Flags properties, plus loads of extra perks. Parking is $35.

Santa’s Village

Santa’s Village AZoosement & Water Park in Dundee (near Elgin, about an hour northwest of Chicago) has several flat rides, kid’s rides, a drop tower, and two roller coasters. The Super Cyclone steel coaster has slightly bigger thrills, and the Wacky Worm is for kids. A third coaster called Farmer’s Fling is a spinning figure-8 ride good for families. Plus, there are animal exhibits and feedings, the “Santa Springs” water park, and you can meet with Santa Claus year-round. Admission costs $36 and under online. Parking is free.

Safari Land

The all-indoor Safari Land in Villa Park (an hour west of downtown Chicago) contains a bowling alley, arcade, kid-sized go-karts, bumper cars, and a few rides for small kids. Then there’s the Tiger Terror, a decently-sized family coaster, and a Maxflight roller coaster simulator. To ride Tiger Terror is $5, the simulator is $6, and combo passes are available. (They are closed on Memorial Day, however.)

Aerie’s Resort & Winery

Aerie’s Resort is in Grafton, just across the river from St. Louis, MO, features Illinois’ first alpine coaster, Aeirie’s Alpine Coaster. Open year-round, it costs $18 for one ride or $36 for three rides. There’s also a gondola & chair lift for $10 and a zip line tour for $60. The resort is also near the Raging Rivers water park below.

Grady’s Family Fun Park

Grady’s Family Fun Park in Bloomington is a small amusement park with 8 flat rides and several kiddie rides. Included is the pretty Orient Express family coaster and the Dragon Wagon kid’s coaster. Tickets cost $4.50 per adult ride and $2.75 per kid’s ride. There are also batting cages, bumper cars, bumper boats, and go-karts.

Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm

Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm is only open during the fall (last year’s dates were Sept 25-Nov 1) but they have one coaster, the Barnyard Dance. It’s one of those figure-8 spinning coasters that is kid-friendly. Other attractions include a pumpkin-chucker, a haunted barn, and lots of family-friendly activities like pig races and hayrides. Tickets last year cost $18-34, depending on the date. Located about an hour southwest of Chicago.

Haunted Trails

Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Center in Burbank (about 45 mins outside of Chicago) has Halloween-themed mini-golf, an arcade, go-karts, batting cages, and a few rides like the Miner Mike kid’s roller coaster. To ride the coaster costs $4.75. A “max pack” to play golf, ride go-carts, plus game time and unlimited rides costs $40. For Memorial Day, they’re doing 3 hours of unlimited rides & golf for $34. (There’s another Haunted Trails in Joliet, but they closed their roller coaster.)

Sonny Acres Farm

Sonny Acres Farm in West Chicago has a store, a restaurant, and a few amusements like a petting zoo, inflatables, a jumping pillow, a little train, and a kid’s Wacky Worm roller coaster. I don’t see prices for individual attractions anymore, but a $25 wristband will give you access to all the kid’s rides.

Scene 75 Entertainment Center

An hour outside of Chicago (everything is an hour outside of Chicago) is Romeoville with the Scene 75 Entertainment Center built inside an old Sam’s Club. Along with the arcade, go-karts, laser tag, and mini-golf, there’s a figure-8 spinning coaster called Tsunami like all these locations have. Here, it costs $7 to ride.

People’s Choice Family Fun Center

The People’s Choice Family Fun Center in Waukegan, just above Chicago, is building a new steel kid’s coaster in this indoor arcade+ facility. It looks like they already have bumper cars and a kid’s train ride. Nothing word on how much it will cost.

Malibu Jack’s

The Five Star Parks brand is building a Malibu Jack’s in Springfield. It’s another one of these indoor arcade/bowling/mini-golf/go-kart/ride centers. If it’s like the other locations, it looks like it will have one of those spinning figure-8 coasters for kids.

Water Parks in Illinois

When I think of water parks, I usually only think of the big ones, like the Hurricane Harbors of Six Flags or other big stand-alone parks. I’m always surprised to find tons of little water parks tucked into neighborhoods everywhere. It makes me wonder if there’s a $10 lazy river I can ride nearby that I don’t know about.

In Illinois, almost all the action is in the greater Chicago area. Out of the 17 water parks listed below, only 4 aren’t within an hour of downtown Chicago, and even one of those is on a ticket with the Chicago Six Flags parks.

• Hurricane Harbor Chicago is attached to Six Flags Great America, but you have to buy a separate ticket to visit. And with 20 slides, including the world’s tallest water coaster, it’s enough for an entire day! There’s also a long lazy river, a wave pool, a surf rider, and two kid’s areas. Tickets cost $30-40 online, depending on the date. Parking is $35 and season passes that include Great America and another Hurricane Harbor in Rockford are $110.

• Raging Waves in Yorkville (about an hour west of downtown Chicago) is Illinois’ largest water park – by land size, I assume. There, you’ll find 14 big slides, lazy river, wave pool, and three tot areas, plus a big sand play area. A ticket for any day this season costs $55, pick a specific day, and it’s only $30. Parking is $10 is you buy online, $20 at the gate.
• Hurricane Harbor in Rockford features 11 slides, a wave pool, a small lazy river, and two kid’s areas. Admission is $50 at the gate or as low as $30 online, depending on the date. You can combine a season pass with Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Six Flags Great America for $90, which includes parking. Otherwise, parking might be as much as $35.
• Raging Rivers is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and is one of the few not in the metro Chicago area. This one is about an hour north of St. Louis, MO, and features 7 slides, most of which are built into the hillside for a unique experience. There’s also a small lazy river, a wave pool, and a couple of kid’s areas. Daily admission seems to be $22-25, if bought online and depending on the date. Parking costs $6.

• Knight’s Action Park in Springfield has not only a 6-slide water park with a wave pool and kid’s splash area, but also go-karts, a Ferris wheel and several flat rides, mini-golf, a driving range, batting cages, and a two-screen drive-in movie theater! A ticket to the water park is $40 and under. Include unlimited mini-golf and all the rides for only $5 more.
• There’s almost always a Great Wolf Lodge, and the one in Gurnee offers a limited number of day passes to outside guests for $40-50 per person. That includes 6 slides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and several activity areas, all indoors, so it is a great rainy day or cold weather option.

• Now we’re getting into regional neighborhood complexes, often run by the city or county. Rainbow Falls in Elk Grove (30 minutes west of Chicago, near O’Hare) features 6 slides, a whirlpool, splash tower, picnic area, and lazy river. The cost for non-residents is $18 and under.
• Mystic Waters in Des Plaines (30 min northwest of Chicago) features 2 body slides, 2 drop slides, a lazy river, and kid’s play areas. Non-residents pay $19 and under, with special rates after 6 pm.
• Paradise Bay Water Park in Lombard Park District (near Wheaton) has 3 slides, a “hurricane cove” with a whirlpool, a dive well, a lap pool, and a kid’s play area. A non-resident rate is $17 and under, with lower rates after 5 pm.
• Splash Country in Aurora features 2 slides, a zero-entry pool, a kid’s play area, and Illinois’ 2nd longest lazy river. There’s also a sand play area with shade and two volleyball courts. Admission is $13 and under.

• Pelican Harbor in Bolingbrook (40 min southwest of Chicago) features 4 slides, a lazy river with an “adventure channel,” a diving well with a drop slide, an interactive spray area, and a zero-entry pool. An indoor pool has 2 more slides, a 10-person hot tub, and splash buckets. A non-resident day pass for both indoor and outdoor attractions is $17.
• White Water Canyon in Tinley Park in the southern Chicago area has 3 slides, a splash tower, a separate splash pad, and a lazy river. Non-resident admission is $20.
• Atcher Island in Schaumburg (about 30 minutes outside of Chicago) features 3 slides, a pool, and a spray area. Cost is $12 for non-residents.

• Collinsville Aqua Park is a regional water play area with 2 slides, a kid’s play area, a lazy river, and a large pool. Daily passes are $24 and under.
• In Carol Streams (in the Chicago metro area), the Coral Cove Water Park is a regional aquatic center with two slides, a splash tower, a large pool, and a dive well. Cost is $10 for non-residents, $7 for residents.
• Santa Springs at Santa’s Village amusement park in Dundee features 2 peppermint-colored slides and a kid’s play structure. The water park is included in regular park admission, $37 and under, depending on the day.
• The Forest Park Aquatic Center (15 min from downtown Chicago) has 4 slides, a heated Olympic-size pool, a zip line into the water, a climbing wall, a splash pad, and diving boards. Admission is $15 for non-resident day passes.

Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Let me know in the comments below!