''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

, United States, was founded in January 1997 by Gary Slade, Virgil E. Moore III and Rick Tidrow. In 1997, ''Amusement Today'' won the Impact Award in the services category for "Best New Product" from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). A year later, in 1998, the magazine founded the Golden Ticket Awards, for which it has become best known for throughout the amusement park industry. On January 2, 2001, Slade bought out his two partners, giving him sole ownership of the paper. The paper has two full-time and two part-time staff members at its Arlington office, along with two full-time writers and several freelance writers in various parts of the world.

Golden Ticket Awards

Every year, ''Amusement Today'' gives out awards to the best of the best in the amusement park industry in a ceremony known as the Golden Ticket Awards. The awards are handed out based on surveys given to experienced and well-traveled amusement park enthusiasts from around the world. The awards, which were first handed out in 1998, have been featured on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

and the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...

2024 winners

Host: Kennywood ''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 7, 2024.''

2023 winners

Host:

Dollywood Dollywood is a theme park that is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton through her entertainment company, Dolly Parton Productions. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pig ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 9, 2023.''

2022 winners

Hosts: Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Morgan's Wonderland ''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 10, 2022.''

2021 winners

Host: National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives ''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 9, 2021.''

2020 winners

2019 winners

Host Park: Silverwood Theme Park ''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 9, 2019.''

2018 winners

Host Park:

Silver Dollar City Silver Dollar City is a theme park in Stone County, Missouri, near the cities of Branson, Missouri, Branson and Branson West, Missouri, Branson West. The park is located off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 8, 2018.''

2017 winners

Host Park:

Lake Compounce Lake Compounce is an amusement park located in Bristol and Southington, Connecticut that opened in 1846. It is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States. It spans , which includes a beach and a water park called Croco ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 9, 2017.''

2016 winners

Host Park:

Cedar Point Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounc ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 10, 2016.''

2015 winners

Host Park:

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced on September 12, 2015.''

2014 winners

Host Park:

SeaWorld San Diego SeaWorld San Diego is a theme park in Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. It is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, public aquarium, and marine animal rehabilitation center. SeaWorld, the theme park's proprietor, is owned and operated by Un ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced at a ceremony on September 5, 2014.''

2013 winners

Host Park:

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1907, it is California's oldest surviving amusement park and one of the few seaside parks on the West Coast of the United States. Description ...

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced at a ceremony held September 7, 2013.''

2012 winners

Host Park:

''The Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards were announced at a ceremony held September 8, 2012.''

2011 winners

2010 winners

2009 winners

2008 winners

2007 winners

2006 winners

2005 winners

2004 winners

2003 winners

2002 winners

2001 winners

2000 winners

1999 winners

1998 winners

Publisher's Picks

Host venues

* From 1998 to 2000, there was no Host Park; the awards were announced from ''Amusement Today'' Arlington, Texas, office instead. * The 2020 event was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

that affected the amusement industry. Voting was not held in 2020 and regular categories were not awarded. Instead, a special category of industry leader awards was created along with publisher picks.

Former awards

* Best Shows (1998–2018) - Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1998), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (1999–2008),

(2009–2018) * Cleanest Park (1998–2018) - Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1998–1999), Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (2000–2018) * Friendliest Park (1998–2018) - Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (1998–2008, 2010–2011),

(2009),

(2012–2018) * Best Marine Life Park (2006–2018)

SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld Orlando is an animal theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated ...

* Best Carousel (2007–2018) Grand Carousel, Knoebels Amusement Resort * Best Indoor Roller Coaster (2007–2018) - Revenge_of_the_Mummy: The Ride,

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...

(2007–2018) * Best Seaside Park (2007–2018) -

(2007–2014, 2016–2018), Morey's Piers (2015) * Best Funhouse/Walk-Through (2008–2018) - Frankenstein's Castle,

Indiana Beach Indiana Beach is an amusement park located on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana. The resort was developed by the Spackman family, who owned it from 1926 to 2008. The park was then sold to Morgan RV LLC, Apex Parks Group, LLC, and now is owned an ...

(2008–2009), Noah's Ark, Kennywood, (2010–2018) ** The award for Best Shows was revamped after 2018, to just showcase a specific new show at a park. * Best Halloween Event (published 2005–2023 for seasons 2004–2022) -

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a amusement park in Buena Park, California, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. In March 2015, it was ranked as the List of amusement park rankings#North America, twelfth-most-visited theme park in North Ameri ...

(2005, 2007), Universal's Halloween Horror Nights (2006, 2008-2018, 2021-2022), Six Flags Fiesta Texas (2020). * Best Christmas Event (published 2007–2023 for seasons 2006–2022) -

(2006–2022) * Best Indoor Waterpark (2007–2013) - Schlitterbahn Galveston Island (tied 2007, 2008–2013), World Waterpark (tied 2007)

Repeat winners

* Best Amusement Park –

Europa-Park Europa-Park is a theme park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Covering a total area of 95 hectares, twenty themed areas offer around a hundred attractions, including shows and fourteen roller coasters. The park also includes six hotels, a c ...

for nine of the last ten years. * Best Water Park –

Schlitterbahn Schlitterbahn is an American brand of water parks and resorts owned by Six Flags, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. It was previously a company family owned and operated by the Henry family that was based in New Braunfels, Texas. Schlitterbah ...

every year since the beginning of the Golden Ticket Awards. * Best Landscaping/Most Beautiful Park – Busch Gardens Williamsburg for twenty-three of the twenty-five years. * Best Food –

Knoebels Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is the United States's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including thre ...

for twenty-two out of the twenty-five years, including one tie. * Best Steel Roller Coaster –

Fury 325 Fury 325 is a steel roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Manufactured by , Fury 325 opened as the world's tallest giga coaster on March 28, 2015. It features of track and a maximum hei ...

for the last eight years. * Best Wooden Roller Coaster - Phoenix, Knoebels, winner since 2018. * Best Waterpark – Schlitterbahn Galveston Island for all 8 years the award has been given. * Best Outdoor Production Show – IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot for 12 out of the 13 years the award has been given.

Notes

References

External links

Golden Ticket Awards
{{Golden Ticket Awards Amusement parks Professional and trade magazines Magazines established in 1997 Monthly magazines published in the United States Magazines published in Texas American awards