Best of … Theme Park Attractions

We have theme parks in Australia, but they are not the same as Disneyland. There are differences between theme park rides and attractions.

The disney parks are an experience. You enter another world and become a kid again. Even if you have been before, there is still more to see.

I prefer California to Florida, it is much more chilled and and you can see much more.

Best theme park attraction
Haunted Mansion is my favourite attraction. It is fun for all ages, not at all scary and very sweet. The attraction uses simple and old fashioned illusions which do not date. The theme song is catchy and the cast members always perform perfectly.

Best theme park show
World of colour is amazing, some of the songs are a little silly, but it is like Disney has created whole new colours that you have never seen. The intensity of the colours is spectacular and it has lots of fire effects.

Best attraction utilising new technology
Spider-man at Universal studios is fantastic. The technology creates a flawless effect, the story is fun and the movement of the ride genuinely exciting.

Best live show
Finding Nemo in Animal Kingdom is worth the price of admission. The performers are fantastic and do an amazing job of telling the story in under an hour.

Best singing
Pochahantas and Mulan who sung in the new Disneyland show, Mickey and the Magical Map were spectacular. They really deserve a standing ovation.

Best children’s themed area
Suess landing in Universal Studios Florida is for the very young, but is still fun for the young at heart. Why shouldn’t adults go through the children’s play area?

Best themed area overall
Carsland is the newest and easily best themed area in any park. Not only was the cars movie a great representation of Route 66, Carsland in Disneyland resort is a spectacular way to bring the world of carsland to life. You absolutely have to see this at night!

Best tool for the themeparks
Omni Freeze zero by Columbia uses new technology to cool when you sweat. It makes a hot and uncomfortable day into a fun and bearable one.

Weirdest Ride
ET. I still don’t understand what that was. The story made no sense, the ride itself was weird and the whole name card this was silly.

Best roller coaster
I’m nit much of a roller coaster. Yield, however I am assured that Hulk at Universal Studios does all the right things. My favourite coaster is the ever cute, Big Thunder.

Best water ride
Splash mountain. Great old-fashioned dark ride finishing with a drop. Great laughin’ place.

Best of … the outdoors

Most unforgettable outdoor vista
Snow machining to a glacier in Alaska was incredible, the colour of the glacier was amazing and the endless whiteness itself an awesome sight. Everyone should have the chance to experience Alaska and appreciate the final frontier.

Best Place to pretend you are in a movie
Everyone says it – Monument Valley is like photography set to easy. You can not take a bad picture here. The landscape is alien and like no place else on Earth. It is fun to drive around here and you can easily loose hours.

Best cowboy experience
Horse riding in Wyoming is fantastic. You can really feel how it must have been years ago. You can see the mountains and there is a real frontier feel about this place.

Best Beach
Any beach in Hawaii, even ones close to the cities are like post-cards. The sand is soft and the water is calm. Hawaiian beaches are welcoming and inviting.

Best water experience
Whitewater rafting in Wyoming. Wile the white water is fun, it is also fantastic to be able to take a nice ride down the river, to see wildlife and cool rock formations.

Most famous outdoor site
This would have to be the Grand Canyon. Everyone should be able to see and appreciate this. The view changes constantly with the movement of the sun and even amongst all the people you can still find some peace and quiet.

Best Desert
Why not go to the real desert – Death Valley. See the lowest, driest and hottest place in Nirth America.

Best outdoor show
Old faithful is famous for a reason. Come see what millions have seen and appreciate the power of the Earth.

Best experience through half-closed eyes
Airboat on the bayou during a storm. The rain will be physically painful and you will only see half of anything, but even that is great fun and fascinating.

Best of … Live Shows

Best of the Big Shows.
Spider-man: Turn off the Dark is a fantastic broadway show. The songs are catchy, the acting is great and the aerial scenes are awesome. You will not have many chances to see shows with such a high production value.

Best of weirdness.
Sleep No More. I am still not quite sure what this was, but it was remarkable. A story told in dance, set design and crowd participation. If you are in New York, I would definitely not miss this.

Best for Family
Finding Nemo at the Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. I was very impressed with this show. It was something that kids and adults can really enjoy and the quality of the performance is amazing. It is a broadway quality show in a theme park.

Best Delighter
The candy artist, Miyuki at Epcot in Disneyworld is fantastic. Her creations are fantastic and her crowd interaction is wonderful. I could watch her for hours.

Best free show
While it is a little weird, it so definitely worth watching the Sirens of TI in Las Vegas. The show is quite long and includes singing, dancing and pyrotechnics. Maybe ignore the gender roles though.

State Rankings

Well here it is, my rankings of all the states. You may notice that I have changed my initial views on some states, particularly if I rated two states together.  The ratings are my views on what states are best for tourists.   There may be some suprises!

Ranking	State	Home Comforts	Attractions	Natural Beauty	Culture	Value	Total
1	Wyoming	10	10	10	7	10	47
2	Alaska	5	9	10	8	9	41
3	Hawaii	8	9	10	8	5	40
4	California	8	9	5	6	7	35
5	Illinois	7	8	7	8	6	36
6	Oklahoma	8	7	7	8	7	37
7	Louisiana	8	7	6	7	7	35
8	New Mexico	7	7	9	7	6	36
9	Pennsylvania	7	7	7	8	7	36
10	New York	7	8	5	7	5	32
11	Washington DC	7	8	7	7	6	35
12	Massachusetts	7	6	5	10	7	35
13	Utah	5	7	8	8	7	35
14	Colorado	7	7	8	7	6	35
15	Florida	8	8	4	4	7	31
16	Arizona	6	7	7	8	5	33
17	Nevada	7	7	6	6	7	33
18	Oregon	6	5	6	7	7	31
19	Montana	7	7	7	6	7	34
20	Michigan	7	6	6	7	8	34
21	West Virginia	7	6	7	6	6	32
22	Arkansas	7	5	8	6	7	33
23	Vermont	7	6	8	6	6	33
24	Tennessee	7	6	6	6	6	31
25	Maryland	6	6	6	6	7	31
26	Connecticut	7	5	7	6	6	31
27	Wisconsin	7	5	7	5	7	31
28	South Dakota	6	6	6	7	6	31
29	Minnesota	7	6	5	5	6	29
30	Missouri	6	7	5	6	6	30
31	Mississippi	8	6	5	4	7	30
32	North Carolina	6	5	7	6	5	29
33	North Dakota	6	5	6	6	7	30
34	Texas	8	5	4	5	8	30
35	Iowa	6	6	6	6	6	30
36	Kentucky	6	6	7	4	6	29
37	Delaware	6	5	5	6	6	28
38	Indiana	5	6	5	5	7	28
39	New Hampshire	5	5	7	6	5	28
40	South Carolina	6	5	5	5	6	27
41	Washington	6	6	7	6	6	31
42	Virginia	4	5	6	6	6	27
43	Kansas	5	5	5	5	6	26
44	Ohio	6	5	5	6	5	27
45	Alabama	6	5	4	4	7	26
46	Rhode Island	5	4	6	5	6	26
47	Georgia	7	3	5	4	6	25
48	Nebraska	4	4	5	5	6	24
49	Idaho	5	4	5	4	6	24
50	Maine	5	2	5	3	6	21
51	New Jersey	2	3	4	4	5	18