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It’s the perfect time to take the family on a road trip to check out Germany’s amusement parks. From an afternoon spent with Shrek to an exuberating dive on a roller coaster, these fantasy worlds will satisfy thrill-seekers of all ages.
Part 1: Theme Parks in Western Germany
Movie Park Germany
At the Movie Park Germany in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, visitors can explore Bikini Bottom, take a wild water ride with Dora the Explorer and meet SpongeBob for an afternoon of fishing. This park, in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, features characters from ”Ice Age” and” Shrek,” as well as from other movies and television shows. In the Wild West section of the park, saloons and barbershops create a replica of a Hollywood movie set.
The park also includes several shows, such as the “Shadows of Darkness -The Van Helsing Show” and “Back to the Movies,” where visitors can travel back in time to experience movie highlights of the past decade.
Entrance prices run from €29 for children ages 4-11 and €35 for adults.
Start your Hollywood adventure at www.movieparkgermany.de
Freizeitpark Schloß Beck
In Bottrop, one hour north of Dusseldorf, is the Castle Beck in which the surrounding area was transformed into a theme park in 1960.
The theme park has many moving figures, a scary basement, a children’s playground, a family roller coaster, go carts, kiddie rides, pedal boats, rowing boats, bumping cars, cable cars, a giant slide, trampolines and so much more.
Starting in June there will be more room to climb, slide, hide and run around. The new super slide will have suspension bridges, caves and an approximately 25-foot high tower.
Entry prices are €9 for ages 3-15, €10 for 16 and older and free for children under 3.
Phantasialand
The theme park in Brühl (12 miles south of Cologne) attracts approximately 1.75 million visitors annually. Park-goers can have limitless fun, action, adventure, excitement and great entertainment at Phantasialand. The park has been steadily adding new and exciting rides since 2007. In 2010 five rides were added, in 2011 two new rides were added and in 2013 a new flume log ride was built.
The park is divided into six theme areas: Fantasy, Deep in Africa, Berlin, Mystery, Mexico and China Town. Passengers can have a cosmic experience in the darkened enclosed roller coaster ride Temple of the Night Hawk, which can be found in the Fantasy theme area. In the Mexico theme part of the park thrill-seekers can climb aboard the Colorado Adventure, a Western-style roller coaster. Since 2006, brave riders have enjoyed the Black Mamba, an African themed inverted roller coaster. In China Town check out the Feng Ju Palace. Many other attractions can be found in the Berlin area.
Spectators can catch one of the following performance shows: JUMP!, Relight my fire, Seven, Drakarium, African dancers and China artistry. Additionally, there are several mini-shows as well as the opportunity to meet the park’s dragon characters.
Entry prices are €22 for ages 4-11 and €45 for 12 and older.
Fort Fun Abenteuerland
Fort Fun, located an hour east of Dortmund, offers action rides, relaxing activities, staged shows, mini golf, overnight stay in a western-themed camp and more.
Some of the highlights are the “Yukan Raft” ride, which is inspired by canoe trips through the wild waters of the Yukon River; The Secret Stage of Horror, a fun scary house with cutting-edge video technology.
Stay overnight in the middle of the forest at the Davy Crockett Camp. There, visitors can play soccer on the pitch, show team spirit at volleyball, have fun on the mini-golf course, go hiking on one of the numerous trails in the surrounding area or finish the evening with a barbeque at one of the picnic areas.
Not only can little ones have a fun-filled day on rides, they can also get excited about other activities just for them. They can go mining at the Devil’s Creek Mining, go climbing and sliding in the playground or take in an exciting story about Old McDonald’s Farm.
Panorama Park Wildpark Sauerland
In the town of Kirchhundem (near Dusseldorf), Panorama Park is an amusement located within the Natural Park Rothaargebirge. This consists of a wildlife park as well as various fun family attractions.
Discover pure variety and nature in the wild park area with Pano’s Animal School, a petting zoo, the garden, the wildlife and forest trail, miles of hiking trails and more. At Pano’s veterinary school visitors can learn the following about wildlife: rearing, care, body composition, dissemination and more. At the petting zoo little ones can get up close with rabbits, goats, sheep and guinea pigs. Park visitors can see bison, wolves, lynx, otters, deer, wild boars, squirrels and others.
Due to the special climate and altitude, some plant species are unique to this region such as Cicerbita alpina (a thistle), Diphasiastrum alpinum (loosely grouped with the fern) and Viola biflora (viola). Also at the park are about 1,000 species of Rhododendrons, a woody plant.
Fun at the park includes inflatable slides, trampolines, play and climbing castles, carousels, power paddle boats and more. The Fun House brings excitement to all with its wobbly ground, terrifying air nozzles and glass maze. Children become filled with jubilation as they zoom along the go-cart track.
Entry prices are €19 for ages 2-6, €33 for ages 7-17 and €44 for adults.
Eifelpark
At Eifelpark visitors can have a fun-filled day, have a blast on rides, enjoy the outdoors and learn fun facts about plants and animals. Visitors can experience the ride of their lives on the high-speed Eifel Coaster and glide with the wind on the “chairoplane.” Highlights for children are the electro-cars and a large slide.
The fast ride of the Eifel Coaster offers the perfect fun activity for all ages. All aboard the Eifel Express train as it leisurely chugs through the park’s extensive wildlife park. The Chairopane, flying swings, is popular for both young and old. It provides an invigorating experience as riders fly through the air. The Slide Paradise is where parents and children can experience an adrenaline rush as they go down the 60% incline “kamikaze slide,” The Eifel race track, with small electric cars and motorcycles, is the absolute highlight for children.
Discover a huge menagerie of animals at the park including bears, wolves, lynxes, wild boars and different types of deer, as well as a petting zoo. Visitors can also experience birds of prey up close during a show and have the opportunity to accompany the animal keepers during feeding time.
Eifelpark has four themed playgrounds for younger visitors. The themed Tatze’s Wild West features play horses, coaches, a saloon and even gold panning. Children can conquer a pirate ship and the Admiral’s cabin at Purzel’s Pirate Paradise. Tapsis Castle Tower is where princesses and knights will feel right at home in the Middle Ages. The Climbing Garden is where young people can spend a day dangling and winging on the wall or on the wobbly bridge.
Admission prices are €13,50 (150 cm and taller), €10,50 (110-150 cm), €8,50 (90-110 cm) and free for visitors under 90 cm.
Taunus Wunderland
Located on the outskirts of Wiesbaden in the middle of the forest, Taunus amusement park has fun attractions, entertainment and events for families and young children.
The park has a log flume; roller coasters for adults and kids; a tube slide; swing boat; trampoline; minigolf; haunted house; train; bumper cars; bouncy castle; carousels; petting zoo and much more. As well, the surrounding forest of the park has plenty to offer for nature lovers and explorers.
Taunus also puts on special annual events. For example, come in costume on July 12 &13 for the Western & Country Weekend. Step back in time with horseback riding, a rodeo, beer mug sliding, live music, dancing and more. August 2-8 is Chivalry Medieval Days. There will be nine days for knights, peasants and servants to experience medieval life in the forest of Taunus Wunderland with tents, fire pits, and other paraphernalia from bygone years.
Entry prices are €15,50 for kids (100 cm-130 cm), €17 for adults and free for children under 100 cm.
Freitzeitpark Lochmühle
Located 22 miles outside of Wiesbaden is the 15-acre amusement park with 150 fun games and activities. Instead of being a large and high-tech park, Lochmühle offers variety and diversity in a rural environment.
Children can go down a slide, ride on a carousel or roller coaster, go rafting on the Erlenbach River, go on a pony ride, pet and feed animals, participate in the milking contest, take an educational journey down the Roman trails or tour the whole park in the Polo Express.
As a former corn mill farm, Lochmühle has retained its agricultural character even still today. The park’s tractor ride can take visitors on an educational and fun journey that provides an insight into everyday farm life.
Ticket prices are €11 (90-120 cm), €13 (120 and taller) and free for kids under 90 cm.
Erlebnispark Steinau
Located just northeast of Frankfurt, Steinau Amusement Park is the biggest amusement park in Hessen. The park offers a mixture of fun attractions and agricultural sightseeing. Visitors can speed down a long toboggan run, go on a treasure hunt, have a picnic or barbeque, sunbathe, have fun at the petting zoo or visit an agricultural museum.
Attractions include a carousel, a roller coaster, a mini Ferris Wheel, electric cars and others. Games and activities offer wall climbing, jumping on a trampoline, tube sliding, water pistol shooting, an archeological excavating and many more.
Entry price for visitors is €12 (1,30 m) €11 (1-1,30 m) and €8,50 for seniors 60 and older.
Kurpfalz Park
Kurpfalz is located in the middle of the Palatinate Forest, about 45 minutes east of Kaiserslautern. At the park visitors can enjoy a roller coaster, free-fall slides, tube slides, toboggan run, chair lifts, cable cars, bumper boats and more. Fun activities for children include climbing the Pirate’s Nest as well as an adventure playground, play castle, petting zoo, puppet theater, maze and more.
Being located in the forest, there are also educational games and activities about nature as well as a forest trail. Visitors can also catch the Palatinate Express to explore the fun and educational wildlife park. There are thousands of educational things that can be discovered in the park, not to mention the bird show and the waterfowl and trout ponds. See animals such as the lynx, the moufflon, the fallow and red deer, wild boars, falcons, eagles and others.
Entry prices are €12 for ages 4-14 and €14 for age 15 and older.
Holiday Park
With more than one million visitors annually, Holiday Park is one of the most visited amusement parks in Germany. It is located in Haßloch, one hour east of Kaiserslautern and one hour south of Wiesbaden.
Its Free Fall Tower was the first amusement ride of its kind in Europe and is still the most popular ride at the park. Thrill-seekers come from afar just to ride the Expedition GeForce, a steel roller coaster that travels up to 75 mph through a course of a quarter mile with seven periods of weightlessness. This rides reaches 174 ft above ground.
The newest ride is the Scream Sky. This action-packed catapult roller coaster shoots the train from the station, passes perpendicularly into the air and then rolls headlong into slow motion above a 180.
There are various fun water rides that the entire family can enjoy. Little ones will get a kick out of the dancing fountain as the rhythm and streams of water constantly change. The Thunder River water ride ventures through a raging water and then passes caves and waterfalls.
Entry prices are €9,99 for kids 85 cm-1 m, €24,50 for kids (1-1,40 meters) and €28 for all visitors over 1, 40 meters.
Remember to visit respective websites before you start your trip, as opening hours or prices may change based on current COVID-19 regulations.
