There is no place better vacation destination than Southern California if you are a lover of thrill rides. In particular, Orange County and Los Angeles County are home to two of the best theme parks for thrill rides. No, Disneyland is not one of them, although it (and its adjacent sister park Disney’s California Adventure) does offer some exciting action rides worthy of a visit.

The two parks that come to mind when speaking of roller coasters are Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm The SoCal Guru notes that these two destinations have focused directly on roller coasters and thrill rides to differentiate themselves from Disneyland.

You won’t find any place with more edgy thrill rides and coasters than Six Flags Magic Mountain. Check out the SoCal Vacation Guru for more information about the park, as there’s lots more to do there besides roller coasters (for the rest of your group who may not be coaster fanatics).

The second Southern California theme park with a strong emphasis on roller coasters is Knott’s Berry Farm, although it too offers many activities such as Ghost Town. We have talked to employees who can confirm that several of the roller coasters at Knott’s will push you to the limit of comfort.

One place at Knott’s Berry Farm that you don’t want to miss is the World-famous Chicken Dinner Restaurant. It is a landmark, serving thousands of dinners weekly since the Great Depression years. There is also good information at the SoCal Vacation Guru on Knott’s Berry Farm. The site covers hotels near the park, and provides useful information about other theme parks and vacation opportunities in SoCal.

You can learn about the other Los Angeles-area theme parks, namely the Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. Those parks offer many great attractions and some good thrill rides, but not as many as at Knott’s and Magic Mountain. If you’re a roller coaster enthusiast, this information may come in handy.