The amusement and theme park business in America is huge. In 2019, 157 million people visited a Disney park. There are hundreds of other parks around the country, though none are so large.
To identify the American amusement park with the biggest price increase over the past five years, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on price inflation at major U.S. attractions provided by coupon distribution platform and website DealA. The site compared the current price of a single adult general admission ticket as of December 23, 2021, with the equivalent ticket price in 2017, derived from each park’s 2017 web pages accessed via the Wayback Machine. If online and in-person ticket prices differed, online prices were used. Automatically applied promotional prices were not considered. When ticket prices differed by day, the starting price of a general admission ticket was used.
Some of the price increases have clearly outstripped the rate of inflation. The top spot is claimed by Funland in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where ticket prices have gone from $15 to $30, an increase of 100%, although admittedly starting from a low base.
The second spot is claimed by Santa’s Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire, where prices have risen by 50%, from $32 to $48. Visitors who expect Santa to give rather than to take will be in for a disappointment. The number three spot goes to Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, Florida, which has seen an increase of more than 34%, from $40.95 to $54.95. That doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.
Click here to see all the amusement parks with the biggest price increases over the past five years