If you were going to advise a new enthusiast on what parks they should hit up first, which ones would you recommend and why?
Let's assume travel expenses aren't an issue. Feel free to consider price of admission, food prices, merchandise prices, etc. in your recommendations, if you feel "bang for your buck" is an important factor.
You can get as specific as you'd like. Heck, feel free to write out a whole itinerary if you want!
I'll start. Admittedly, I'm leaning more towards the history side of things. In no particular order:
Knoebels. It's the best operating glimpse into the history of amusement parks, in my opinion. It's also just incredibly fun and charming. From trying to get the brass ring on the carousel to the existence of Flying Turns to the Traver bumper cars, it's like getting a glimpse into the original heyday of the amusement park world before the 1930's. Also, everyone should ride Phoenix in 1-3 before they die.
Disneyland. It's beautiful, and it revolutionized how amusement and theme parks were designed. From Main Street to Haunted Mansion to Pirates of the Caribbean to it's a small world, despite being 50+ years old, it still feels like an earnest attempt at something new and amazing, and you can't help but love it for that. No, Magic Kingdom in Florida is NOT the same thing. Disneyland, in my opinion, is THE quintessential theme park.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kings Island, or Six Flags over Texas. All three are charming and top-tier examples of how the Disneyland idea was propagated to seasonal parks, and each of them has managed to keep (or regain) a lot of their original charm despite several changes in management over the years. Each also has stand-out rides that every enthusiast should try.