Most of “Wally World” in National Lampoon’s Vacation was filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, with the main exterior entrance done at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Main Filming Locations

  • The theme park rides and interior park scenes for Wally World were shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain, 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia, California.
  • The large parking lot and front fascia/entrance area of Wally World were filmed at Santa Anita Park (Santa Anita Racetrack) in Arcadia, California.

Extra Nerdy Details

  • The looping steel coaster shown as a Wally World ride is Magic Mountain’s La Revolución, later renamed The New Revolution.
  • The big wooden coaster the Griswolds ride is the former Colossus , which has since been converted into the hybrid coaster Twisted Colossus.

Quick HTML Table of Key Spots

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<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>What You See as “Wally World”</th>
      <th>Real Filming Location</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Park entrance / parking lot</td>
      <td>Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California[web:1][web:5]</td>
      <td>Used for exterior Walley World shots and the bridge approach.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Rides and park interiors</td>
      <td>Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California[web:5][web:7]</td>
      <td>Served as the main Wally World park location.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Looping coaster</td>
      <td>The New Revolution (formerly Revolution) at Magic Mountain[web:5]</td>
      <td>Recognizable by its single vertical loop.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Wooden racing coaster</td>
      <td>Colossus (now Twisted Colossus) at Magic Mountain[web:5]</td>
      <td>Double-track wooden coaster later converted to a hybrid.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.