So is it the amusement park you hate or going in a large group?
I'm going to the Six Flags park where I live in Sunday.

Later in the year, the company I work for and all of it's employees and family get the whole park to ourselves for the weekend!!
No lines baby!!

If you boys want to see a true god forsaken hell hole, come on down and check out Disney world!

I cannot understand a 'vacation' at Disneyworld in the summer.  By noon, you've got long lines, crappo food, burned out parents, and cranky kids too tired to sleep.  Not to mention climbing onto a ride where the last kid puked.

Boardwalk in Santa Cruz with the old wooden roller coaster still seems kinda' neat.

hanko

Paramounts Great America in Santa Clara on a week day in summer. No lines usually. Great rides!

I have two boys that I will have to take to Disney World soon.  I dread the thought as Six Flags in Arlington, TX was a trial.  I have been to Disney World, but it was 25 years ago and I know it has only gotten about 10x bigger since then.

Is there a good time to go, or one that is less bad than all of the others?

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Last summer my wife and I went to Six Flags in NJ. Our daughter was only 8  months old, so she stayed at grandmas' for 2 days. That's the way to go to a park! We're talking about going again this year. We went for 2 days and acted like kids. Bonus was the 1.5 days of access for less than the 1 day regular price. Also, the second day was overcast and it looked like it was going to pour at any second. No lines!!!

Just today, I cut a check to cover 35 tickets to King's Dominion in Va. - $15.50 each. Thing is, the park will be closed to the public the day (Oct 13) that we're going. It's Northrop Grumman day!!! Formerly known as Westinghouse day. I once worked for Westinghouse, and stayed in touch with friends after I left. Westinghouse Electronics Systems Division was bought out by Grumman a few years later, but the tradition continues. Employee appreciation day ROCKS. Instead of 50k - 70k guests, there are like 8k - 10k. All rides and shows are open, and since it's the last weekend the park is running for the year, all souveniers are 50% off. No lines, no dirt bags, no problems.
Anybody that goes to a theme park on a nice sunny summer weekend deserves what they get. For example, Disney world is best visited on a gray or semi gray weekday. Winter sunny weekends are potentially the worst time to go.
Go to Busch Gardens for 4th of July and live with the consequences. Last year at NG day at King's Dominion, I rode each of the good coasters a minimum of 8 times each, and the Anaconda I rode 14 times! Still had time for lunch and wandering around aimlessly. If I really wanted, I could stay over and go back on Sunday for Verizon day (I now work at AT&T). We won't bother though - Saturday will hold us for a year. Like Cartman, I HATE LINES!!!! If Grumman would just hold a shindig at Cedar Point.....