I am a theme park enthusiast. I love theme park life–ice cream snacks at 10 am, roller coasters, quirky characters, and more! In the last couple of years, my family has visited several theme parks. Here are my mom tips and advice on the best theme parks near Birmingham.
5 Best Theme Parks Near Birmingham
1. Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure
LOCATION: Located in Bessemer, only 17 minutes from downtown Birmingham.
COST: $$
PROS: The water park at Alabama Adventure is the star here! It’s clean, it’s fun, and it’s close to home. Some of our favorite rides for the entire family are Splash Island—which features kid rides, as well as chairs and umbrellas for the parents to sit and relax—the Lazy River, the Wave Pool, and Cocoa Island. Also, there are so many FREE things at Alabama Adventure, such as free drinks, free parking, free sunscreen, and free inner tubes! Read more about our favorites in A Mom’s Guide to Alabama Adventure.
CONS: If you are looking for lots of big roller coasters, there’s not a ton of those here. While the theme park is fun, the water park is by far the star.
2. Walt Disney World
LOCATION: Orlando, FL, about a 9-10 hour drive or Birmingham has some direct flights
COST: $$$$$
PROS: There is nothing like the magic of Disney World. We love the characters and themed rides of our favorite movies and T.V. shows. I still get chills when I see Mickey and Minnie (it’s weird but true!), and Cinderella feels like real royalty to me. With four parks, there is something for everyone to enjoy. They have rides that feature Star Wars, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean and so much more. Some of our Disney World memories are ones we still talk about fondly, to this day. They have the BEST photo pass by far, too, since your ride photos can be automatically added to your account! Read more about visiting Disney World in Planning for Disney with Children.
CONS: Disney is probably the most expensive on this list and takes a lot of planning. If you want to do Character Dining and special extra experiences, you sometimes have to book six months in advance. With the Genie+ and Lightning Lane you can be up at 7 a.m. to start booking rides and then you can be on your phone all day checking rides and trying to make reservations. It can also be quite crowded and lines can be long.
3. Dollywood
LOCATION: Pigeon Forge, TN, about a 5-6 hour drive from Birmingham
COST: $$$
PROS: We affectionately call Dollywood the prettiest theme park in the South because it is so beautifully set in the Smoky Mountains. It’s extremely clean, the people are friendly, and the food is amazing (with lots of southern fare). At this theme park, there is something for everyone, whether you want big roller coasters, kid rides, musical shows, craft specialists, etc. Some of our kids’ favorite rides at ANY theme park on this list are in Dollywood (like Big Bear Mountain, Fire Chaser, and Mystery Mine). For more information, read our Mom’s Guide to Dollywood.
CONS: You will do lots of walking here and sometimes it will be uphill. Dollywood sits on over 165 acres of a mountainside, so it’s a lot of walking. If there are little kids or older people in your party, this might be a consideration.
4. Universal Studios Orlando
LOCATION: Orlando, FL, about a 9-10 hour drive or Birmingham has some direct flights
COST: $$$
PROS: Our favorite part of Universal Studios Orlando was Harry Potter World, which can be experienced at 3 of their parks (Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe). It’s very unique with the theme, and you actually feel like you are in the Harry Potter movie when you are in that section of all 3 parks. By far, our favorite ride at Universal is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure coaster. We rode it 6 times in 2 days! We also loved the E.T. Adventure Ride, Mummy Ride, and Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon. Universal was less crowded than Disney, so if big crowds aren’t your thing, this might be a great option for you. Also, their Universal Express Pass was so easy to purchase and use! You aren’t on your phone all day booking rides; once you purchase the pass you just get in that line. Easy breezy. And now there is a new park that opened summer 2025 at Universal Studios Orlando–Epic Universe! Our family loved Epic Universe–it has different lands like Super Nintendo World and How to Train Your Dragon. We could’ve spent 2 days in Epic Universe alone!
CONS: While Universal Studios has some kid rides and sections, we think that older kids do better at Universal Studios. There were a few rides that my seven year old was not tall enough to ride yet. They have Minions, Sponge Bob, Dr. Suess, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter, but overall there are not as many character interactions and themes as Disney.
5. Six Flags over Georgia
LOCATION: Austell, GA (near Atlanta), about a 2 hour drive from Birmingham
COST: $
PROS: We recently visited Six Flags over Georgia, a favorite theme park of mine as a kid, and we had a blast! It’s very reasonably priced, and I’m not sure if we just went on a good day (Friday after July 4th), but the crowd was very low. We walked straight onto almost every ride without waiting! I enjoyed going on some of my favorite roller coasters and rides from when I was growing up, like Batman, Goliath, Dahlonega Mine Train, and Monster Mansion. They’ve done a great job with the themes of certain sections, like Metropolis and Gotham City. In each section there are big rides for bigger kids and adults, and smaller rides that everyone can enjoy. We all had fun on JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis, where you shoot the bad guys in a moving vehicle while helping Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.
CONS: My almost eight year old was still too short to ride several of the rides that she wanted to ride. It can get very hot at this park, so finding shade and a drink is a must.
