Trip Report: Six Flags Great America

[sir clinksalot]

Hey there MiceChat,

I had the chance to take a day at Six Flags Great America during a recent work trip to Chicago. I'll be posting some pics sometime after the weekend (and in some upcoming Weekend Updates) but wanted to give my thoughts on the park for anybody who is interested:

The day started off kind of bleak with the threat of rain moving in. I had pre-purchased my flashpass so there wasn't really anything I could do.

Thankfully the rain stopped about 10:30 and I was able to get in all of the rides. In fact, I did many of them multiple times (I think I did Whizzer and Raging Bull 6 times each).

I think my favorite moment was my first ride on American Eagle, it was on the backwards side since the Red side wasn't open yet. I had no idea of the layout of the ride so it was truly a unique experience.

Overall I think the park is probably the most "well rounded" of any of the Six Flags parks, although SFFT comes close. There aren't really any coasters that "blew me away" but just a lot of "FUN" rides, which is totally awesome.

Ride reviews;
Superman:Ultimate Flight - I've now ridden all three of the US versions of this. Nothing unexpected here but still a fun ride.
The Dark Knight - I actually enjoyed this. Sure it was a mouse in a box, but it was fun and I give them effort for going for it.
Batman:The Ride - I think this was my 6th Batman? Again, nothing new here, but nice to ride the "originator".
Ragin' Cajun' - Thank God for the single rider line on this as the ride didn't open until later in the day.
V2 - This was actually my first "true" impulse (I've only ever previously ridden V2.5) and I enjoyed this. Took rides in the front/back/middle and all were good.
Spacely Sprocklets - Credit ride, but fun for the kids
Iron Wolf - Not as bad as Vortex at California's Great America, but not great either. Nice to get a ride on it before it's gone though.
American Eagle - Both sides were cool, I was happy to get both sides in. Is this the longest queue line in history though?
Demon - Had a semi-enjoyable ride I guess.
Raging Bull - Fun ride, my 2nd B&M hyper, I think I like Nitro better, but still a fun ride.
Viper - Didn't care for this much at all, only rode once. Loved the layout but the ride was rough I thought.
Whizzer - This was the surprise of the day for me. I absolutely loved it. I think I rode this about 6 times and could have ridden it more.
Little Dipper - What a classic, I'm lucky that I caught this right when it opened because when I walked by later it was over an hour line.

I also rode the Sky Tower, Train and Log ride, all were fun great family rides.

Being that this was the other original "Marriott's Great America" park it was interesting to see the subtle similarities between this park and it's California Cousin. Overall, I'd say that the Illinois park is much better themed, much cleaner and has MUCH better rides than the current California's Great America. You can see some things that are very similar, but there are differences.

[sir clinksalot]

Hey all, sorry about the delay in posting pictures.

Six Flags Great America

Without further ado, here are some pics of Six Flags Great America.

The entrance to the park:


Hey Disneyland, can we get a little bit of that old "If it's Good Enough for Six Flags" policy and get a no-bags line!!!


Entering the park, it looks very much like it's former sister park in Santa Clara


They claim to be the Cleanest Park in the World ... let's see shall we


The park actually opened the gates about 30 minutes prior to opening, so I got the chance to take some pictures of the park in a pretty empty state


One of the parks signature coasters, Raging Bull


As you can see, this park is very well themed, and not just "very well themed for a Six Flags park".


Once the park opened I was able to get my Flash Pass, but unfortunately the rain meant many of the rides weren't open. So I started off with the Indoor "The Dark Knight". This ride is essentially Goofy's Sky School inside a box. The themeing is decent, but it certainly gave me some ideas of what Disney could have done with Goofy's Sky School.


Inside the queue, they have some interesting themeing, such as this tv set that makes you out to be a villain. This is how I look after only 2 hours of sleep on a Red Eye.


Once the rain stopped and the rides opened, I was able to check out all of the rides in the park.

Batman: The Ride. If you have ridden the coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, this is the same layout. But the one here was the original.


Moving towards the back of the park, we come to Yukon Territory


The Little Dipper which was moved from KiddieLand Amusement park to Great America last year


Some fun facts about Little Dipper


A shot of the coaster


The Iron Wolf Coaster that is being removed at the end of the season this year.


American Eagle, which is a racing coaster that just began running one side forwards and one side backwards. For those who have been to this park ... you will realize this is the longest queue line EVER. It has to be at least 1/4 mile from here to the actual ride entrance.


Heading back over to the Southwest Territory, now that Raging Bull is open let's go for a ride ... or 7 or 8 (as I did throughout the day)






The area around Raging Bull is very nicely themed




The Drop Tower is themed to an Ore Mine





Long way up, short way down


The park also features a pretty awesome railroad








Anybody know anything more about these trains?


The railroad allows you to get some nice views of the park. As you can see, the park is quite lush.




The Demon Coaster, which I believe is identical to the one at California's Great America. If it's not identical, it's very close.


Superman: Ultimate Flight


Like many other Six Flags parks, this park also has a Cyber Cafe


One of the parks main stores, Bugs Bunny and Company. This area of the park is in "Orleans Landing" and you can see a bit of the Orleans style themeing here.


More of Orleans Landing


Let's take a birds-eye look at the park on the parks Sky Tower




Going Up ... first we see Superman: Ultimate Flight


A birds eye view of Hurricane Harbor, which is included with the park admission


Viper, Raging Bull and American Eagle in the far left corner


A clearer look at just how big American Eagle is


As you can see, the park is very large, but doesn't feel overwhelmed by steel coasters like some parks can feel


The parks entry


Looking towards Chicago ... it was a bit hazy, but you can almost make out the skyline


Overall, Six Flags Great America is one of the better Six Flags parks. I would place it behind Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Over Texas, but slightly better than Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

It has a fantastic mix of rides for thrill seekers and families alike. Unlike some other parks that concentrate only on coasters, SFGAm has a very well rounded mix of coasters, flat rides, water rides and family rides. The inclusion of Hurricane Harbor with park admission makes the park even that much more well-rounded.

There aren't any "record breaking" or "destination" coasters, but if you are looking for a fun day at a nice park, you can't do much better than SFGAm.

They are also adding a new coaster next year, and they will be revealing what it will be this week.

[MactheMan]

Sounds like a fun trip. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it is just me or everyone, you're pictures don't seem to be working.

[sir clinksalot]

Sorry about that, should be fine now.

[PinBrian]

Going there really makes me MISS Great America here in CA. That park still has the Whizzer, the Demon Theming, etc.....While it seems that Great America here days are numbered....