Knott's Berry Farm

Takes Pride in being known to have more world-class roller coasters than any other destination. This theme park, roughly an hour’s drive northeast of Los Angeles is certainly a daredevil’s paradise. Teens and young adults flock here to get spun, flung, and plummeted on rides with names like Goliath, Twisted Colossus, Viper, Sling Shot, and Apocalypse. Comic-book heroes get a nod here too, as on the Superman, Escape from Krypton mega-ride. If one needs a place to settle the brain back into the skull, or the little ones who aren’t quite ready to ride a chair upside down at 65 miles/105 km per hour, head for a mellower Bugs Bunny World, with pint-size rides and dressed-up Looney Tunes characters saying hi to the kids. For a cool retreat in summer, one can bring bathing suits and head to adjacent Hurricane Harbor to have a slip and slide on more than 20 water slides, also a ride to a make-believe African river, and relaxing time beside a tropical lagoon. The harbor is open May through September.