How Six Flags Ruined a Theme Park
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2022
- Did you know that Six Flags Great America was opened by Marriott Corporation in 1976? The park was designed as one of three world class theme parks that would launch Marriott into the industry. However with less than favorable returns, Marriott sold their parks in the 1980s. In this video, I discuss the lost theming of Great America, lightly covering its history and how Six Flags turned it into... well, Six Flags. Since I visited the park, I also have a number of interesting observations about it as well.
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Great America used to have a little bit of a reputation for having too much litter. In 2009, the park president Hank Salemi (who just recently passed away) launched a huge campaign to fix that. He actually started referring to Great America as the cleanest theme park in the world, even though that was entirely a self promotion and not a title that was given to our park by anybody else outside of it. it was part of a mentality that he was setting forth among the staff. He also had had a phrase that everybody had to learn in orientation: every position is park services. There's a specific division of seasonal labor referred to as park services that is just a fancy way of saying the people who go around and pick up trash. He installed a standard that no matter what your position whether you are a ride operator, in food sales, games, management, whatever, anytime that you left your post you had to bring a picker and a dustpan with you. it really did make a big Improvement in the park.
I worked at Great America in 2015 and they wrote me up because I walked a few feet away to throw out garbage someone left at my post. I had no customers coming to me at that monent. I was a ticket scanner at the gate and it was slow at that hour. I asked the manager "why am I getting in trouble when I was told at orientation to throw trash away when we see it?" The guy didn't have a real answer lol.
Worked at Great America in 2012. Sold 4$ lemonades. And 6$ cotton candy. Boy was the pricing convos awkward 😵💫
@@Katara0403 This is a clear sign of when a manager is trying to fire you. It happens.
I worked at the park in 1999-2001. The trash situation was horrid, even worse in the employee areas They never were picked up. . The Warner brother Loony Toons was awesome and even the DC. Especially when the Characters we’re walking around. Some of the fosters they had before they were torn down were good. Not sure if it’s still there but They used to have an area where u can drop off your dogs and I would take care of em. That was my favorite job. It was awesome. Then they decided The next season I had to be moved to parking , that was a living nightmare. I haven’t been back since and really don’t plan on it.
@@brandiehammond I went there on a 7th grade school trip in probably 1999, and I remember it being a mess. Well, I mostly remember full trash cans that I could not fit my own trash into, and because of that had to carry it around in my backpack until we left the park. It was still a lot of fun though because it was an excuse for my buddies and I to eat too much sugar and act like maniacs (um, sorry :/) and ride rollercoasters and spinny things.
SFGA is my home park, I've been going since I was a kid. I'm almost relieved to see that the decline I've noticed isn't solely rooted in nostalgia. It used to be booming, every game and food service stand would be open and busy, but going this past summer it was just barren and heartless. It's truly upsetting to see.
Being born in 90 we would go a few times over the summers and in Oct
I haven't been since the scream machine and the balloon drop ride ,I'm guessing early 80's I have no plans to ever go back ,just too much walking and waiting to get on the popular rides plus even then I would never buy the overpriced food and drinks,we used to keep a cooler in our vehicle and then you could go to the parking lot and renter the park with your hand stamp
You can blame the new CEO for neglecting everything and pocketing all the money.
My entire family and my sister’s and our friends were all season pass holders. Not next year. Every time I went this year lines were 5-10 minutes long and nobody at all in line for food… what an extreme difference over the year before!! It’s crazy! They charged too much this year and next year was supposed to be worse! No thanks! My last straw was finding out that they got rid of Holiday in the Park. That was so cool last year and I talked it up all year long only to find out it was canceled. That was the final nail in the coffin for me.
You can thank management's attitude for that. They think that people "Only come for the rides!" The last time I was there, I saw peeling paint on EVERY bulding, dead flowers in the garden, etc.
It was just sad when I remembered how wondrously beautiful it was for this is (46) years ago when it opened, in the bicentennial spring of 1976!
The new CEO is ruining Six Flags as a whole. Like really Season Passes only work at your home park now and theyre doing that to push their stupid memberships. They make that stuff way too confusing.
They need a CEO who likes and cares about theme parks
I don't really know enough about their business model to really know if he will improve their financial standing, but I'm inclined to think that he won't last very long.
@@PoseidonEntertainment that's what we all thought about Chepek🤦♂️
@@PoseidonEntertainment If stocks and attendance continue to drop, he will likely be out within 2 years.
@@sonic23233 Yeah good luck finding that, it's now rarer than a unicorn
Raging bull was actually supposed to have more theming. The guests were supposed to be the bull raging through a town. The original theming had you go through a barn, a saloon and other western themed places but due to budget restraints the only thing that got added was the beginning tunnel when you first drop.
Long time watcher; first time commenter. As both a Theme Park Junkie and a former SFGA employee I can say your spot on in 90% of your assessments. Something even park employees used to wonder at are things like "Why is Superman in Orleans place?" and "What makes sense about x-flight in County Fair?" I would like to vouch for the hardworking carpenters who lovingly tend to American Eagle on a DAILY basis. Those guys walk every inch of track and spend much of the off-season making repairs. Part of it's charm is the sketch feeling you get from a "rickety wooden coaster."
Two things I had hoped you would touch on were the lack of actual entertainment and the lack of a kids area for families. Latter first: Since the destruction of Looney Tunes National Park (formerly Bugs Bunny Land) and the slow demise of Camp Cartoon (formerly Camp Cartoon Network) there is a lack of family friendly rides outside Kidzopolis (formerly a wiggles themed area) in County Fair and the small kids flat rides near the back of Hometown Square. There's no cohesion or unifying element quite like cartoons for kids. And not making use of Bugs Bunny and the rest of the gang seems like a huge oversight. I get the dropping of Cartoon Network usage but a small amount of effort into repainting and re-themeing Camp Cartoon into a Bugs Bunny Land type area could have gone a long way.
And the entertainment: Full disclosure this was the department I worked in so I may have a bias I can just can't get past, but the extreme lack of good entertainment choices is disheartening. The Grand Music Hall in Hometown Square is one of two sole remaining original venues. The other is the currently un-used Snow Shoe Taphouse in Yukon Territory. The Dark Knight took over the building that was most commonly used for child/family shows featuring the Looney Tunes and Maxx Force currently sits on top of what used to be the Pictorium IMAX theatre which would show 20 minute nature/science/documentary films. These two theatres also were great venues to escape a hot and humid Chicagoland summer day for 30 minutes. Instead opting for a decent thrill and one horribly out of date IP.
There is more I could say but...you're the expert. I do mourn the loss of what was and the slow decline into thrill park oblivion that this park is experiencing. As a long-time pass holder/member (that could be a video in and of itself) I will say I have recently been adding to post-visit survey's that what they should just do at this point is drop all theming. Current management has no interest in cohesive, well thought, and executed theme park vision. Just remove the land names, re-name what you will, and that way you don't need to worry when you stick the next off the shelf coaster into what used to be an homage to the regions of America.
You make a lot of really interesting observations here. I will say that I'm glad that American Eagle is getting thorough maintenance. When I went up the lift hill, the train felt as if it lifted off the track twice and came back down with a loud bang. I'm assuming that was probably normal, but it didn't seem like it at the time.
I did notice the lack of entertainment options as well. It seemed that a show with a limited run had just ended when I went, though I'm not sure if I would have really been interested if it had been running. I did notice the lack of kids and family attractions though. It's certainly a poorly balanced park, though I admit, I can think of very few that are.
@@PoseidonEntertainment The show was a combination Meh Stunt Show and meh Song & Dance show
Lack of Kids Rides? 3 Areas are dedicated to kids rides and many rides are 42" min
X Flight makes sense in County Fair. Like a new piece of Technology at a Worlds Fair for example
@@PoseidonEntertainment it is too bad you missed the show they had in the Grand Music Hall this year as it was amazing what they were able to pull off with stunts inside the Theater. Mid August is actually when the entertainment departments starts rehearsals and transitioning the park for Fright Fest so that’s why there are no shows.
@@JustinCoasters I could get behind that idea...
Man I remember going on the space shuttle simulator as a kid, it was so cool! Loved all the roller coasters and the random log flume ride back in the day.
I also almost died at Six Flags. Went on American Eagle with my senior Physics class and my lapbar popped as we went down the first drop. Had to hold onto the side of the car for the whole ride, screaming for my dear life. Showed the worker when we got back and they shut the ride down the rest of the day...
Hah, same thing happened to me on the Eagle for Physics Day back in 97. Hard to measure the g load when you're holding on for dear life but... hey my lab partner was cute so... worth it.
I worked there in maintenance for a couple of years, 2013-2014, and now work for Disney. I attempted to post this respectfully to a Six Flags Great America group I was a part of, but was quickly silenced. I upset a salty Admin with this video and every post I made after was immediately deleted without explanation.
That’s how you know you’ve done something right! Keep up the amazing work.
I didn't anticipate resistance like that, but it's certainly amusing
I'm from Milwaukee, so this is my hometown park. I've been going since mid 1990s, so I'd like to add a few things. Up until the mid-2000's, I considered the park to be well-themed (at least by Six Flags standards). Each section of the park had it's own soundtrack (Dixieland played in the speakers at Orleans place, while banjos rang through Southwest Territory). From my observations, the turning point was when Six Flags exited bankruptcy in the late 2000s. Ads were placed literally everywhere in the park destroying any hope of immersion: the parking lot (I believe the last time I visited, I parked in Snickers 2), on previously well-themed buildings, even on rides (there are pictures of the Demon and Whizzer trains painted in full Stride Gum and Grown Ups 2 advertisements, and they were just as ugly as you're imagining them). At the same time, the themed music for each section of the park was replaced by Top 40 hits that played throughout the entire park. I used to go to Great America 5-10 times a year. Now, I'll go once (maybe twice) a year. I still like the park, but I miss what it used to be. I'm glad you liked Raging Bull; it's been the best ride in the park since it opened. I hope you had a chance to ride in the back row.
Raging Bull in the back row is one of the best coaster experiences in the world, hands down.
@@mblhjess I got lucky one chilly spring day and rode it with all of the trim brakes turned off. No trim on the third hill; no mid-course brakes; brakeless until the very end. It's been about five years, and I still think about that particular ride. Brakeless Raging Bull in the back seat might be better than Fury 325.
HELLO FELLOW WISCONSINITE YAYYY!!
I agree with the back row. You get “pulled” through the track. Front row you get “pushed”. The initial drop is where it’s very noticeable. Front it feels like you are waiting. Back row you see the chairs drop and bam you are just pulled right in. When flash passes first came out. I’d go with friends. We literally would ride raging bull about 4-5 times in a row before we left trying to find the “money spot”. Back row is where it’s at.
I’m from there too. The schools used to go every spring
As someone from the midwest, SFGA was a staple of my childhood. Before the pandemic I began noticing that the park was leaning hard into live entertainment and I had a lot of theater friends being employed by the park in that aspect. I haven’t visited since then, so i’m not sure if they’ve kept that up. My favorite part about this park though was always Fright Fest around halloween time, it felt like passionate people put a lot of effort into that event.
You're right about Fright Fest although I hope they do the same amount of prep as I last remember (2018).
It would be really cool if he covered that time of year. It's a real spectacle and perfect weather for rollercoasters/rides.
As someone who has visited most of the Six Flags parks, I can honestly say this one is one of their best. Only other one on par with theming is Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Like others have said, it really is more of a thrill/amusement park now known for its coasters….and while I Love coasters, I also mourn the loss of thematic areas and rides that fit.
Yeah, I mean it is what it is. I didn't know that it was considered to be higher tier in the Six Flags chain, but I still enjoyed it for what it was.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Yeah, most people seem to consider Great America to be one of Six Flags' top parks, just below Magic Mountain, Fiesta Texas, and Great Adventure.
Great America is my favorite of the Six Flags parks for the roller coasters and clientele making for a fun experience. I don’t think about theming as much as others, but I liked the way some areas looked and nearly every ride was beautiful.
Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey is my favorite Six Flags
I’ve been going to this park since I was a kid and I’ve started to notice the decline recently. The games in county fair are never running, behind the American eagle and dare devil dive there is overgrown remnants of a raceway, and so many random areas in Yukon Territory are just being left to nature with abandoned concert shells. I still love to go as a rollercoaster fanatic but it is a shame from someone who used to run around the ball room in bugs bunny national park that is now a $20/ride go kart track
You're a cutie patootie
I was a regular visitor at the Santa Clara park from the time it opened until the early 80s. In the early 2000s I took my daughters to the park with friends to celebrate a birthday. When the park opened, it was very well themed, a good mix of rides and shows, and overall very balanced in the types of rides they had and the age groups that the attractions appealed to. I was a young teen, I loved the park, and my grandmother loved it, too, though she liked spending time at shows as did my young cousins.
Friends and I were there on the opening day for Tidal Wave. It caused a lengthy resurgence in the attendance at the park, which had become quieter prior to that, especially on weekends. I think the effect was that Marriotts saw the park as needing continuous construction of new roller coasters to keep bringing people back to the park. It may be part of why they sold the parks, because I think the original vision they had was for a more Disneyland-style park, but now they were faced with an unending series of expensive roller coaster projects to stay afloat.
When they opened, during the bicentennial, there was a wave of patriotism and nostalgia that suited the park's theming very well. As that turned into the cynicism of the late 70s and the 80s, I expect it didn't poll so well, and they failed to introduce educational elements into the park to support the theming. They did away with the shows they had, and crammed in more roller coasters.
When we returned with our children in the 2000s, we had a good time, but the many new coasters that had been shoehorned into the park were not well designed. They seemed to be more focused on variations of seating and a rough ride, rather than on really being good coasters. Both of my teen daughters said that they preferred the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz boardwalk over the various coasters at Great America.
They also missed some rides I had described from the park's history like the Barney Oldfield Speedway.
I think a park that focused on growth from the original precepts of Great America would have grown to be more of a travel destination like Disneyland, than the regional coaster park that it is today. It had that potential at its beginning, I feel, but the management were misled by the short term returns they got on the addition of new thrill rides.
Until Railblazer CGAs lineup was pretty poor. Carowinds has the same problem, it has a good top four but it's a steep drop off from there
CGA also has a space issue as it cannot expand...and the close proximity to the airport hinders ride height.
I used to go to this park a lot from 1983 - 1999. Haven’t been in awhile and this doesn’t make me feel great. It was definitely better than Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo (which I went to a few times after Six Flags bought it) and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I agree the space and the close proximity to San Jose International are probably very steep mountains to climb for it to be very good.
Shortly before they removed the Speedway ride at CGA, my brother and I found out that if you pump the gas repeatedly, you can go way over the normal vehicle speed. We got thrown off the ride after going too fast and ramming people's rear bumpers. 😆
I was checking the Chicago GA on google maps and it brought back a lot of memories of Santa Clara from back in the day. Seems like a lot of the rides and theming that Santa Clara got rid of are still around in Chicago. A lot of good memories from Great America in the late 70s early 80s. I was always jealous of friends from out of town getting to stay at the adjacent Marriott hotel on the property ;)
They should play up the location and do a whole bunch of Chicago-themed rides. Skyscrapers, railroads, the Great Chicago Fire. It would be truly unique.
Ive thought about this idea before. Maybe a coaster themed to the L, but the dark knight coaster is basically that now. SFGAm is also a large draw from Wisconsin and the greater Milwaukee area. You dont want to alienate them. The unfortunate reality is that the SF chain needs to milk their partnership with DC for the time being, but if and when that partnership ends, we may see some more creativity one day
@@timbeam00I'm hoping the new retheing of Yankee Harbor to DC Universe means we won't be seeing any more random DC rides elsewhere in the park.
Of course, Superman, The Dark Knight, and Justice League are all already there so there's not much we can do about those...
I've never heard of your channel, the algorithm coughed this video up, and I'm glad it did. Hi, i'm from the Chicago area and spend a lot of my youth at this park! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making a video about it!
Back in the late 80s-00, the park actually had really great themeing, as you've already noticed. The main entrance area was themed like something out of a musical, and played a lot of big-band songs, even after Shockwave was put in. It tried to keep a more old-timey theme park feel; it mostly had shops, and bumper cars, and two different theatres. It also had a silly silo and a giant arcade. The log flumes and white water rafting ride were added to blend it with the Yankee Harbor section, which used to have the Tidal Wave entrance right where Batman is currently located. Right next to it was a heavily themed octopus-style flat ride called "The Lobster!"
Moving into Yukon Territory, it was always overgrown with trees, and had lots of shops with handmade items, the hidden entrance for a different log flume, and some really amazing BBQ pork/ribs. Always worth a stop sometime during the day to rest and recharge, as well as to get out of the sun. The American Fair was really about the Eagle, but across from it was ALL of the different carnival "games of skill and chance!" before they got scattered through the park. I also remember the Sky Whirl being a good time, and having an amazing view of the park; there was the antique cars running around "Splash water falls" and under the Demon. The fair also used to have an extensive food court that even sold beer!
Lastly, Orleans place had the Whizzer and not a great deal more. The main attraction were the flat rides it housed, and the largest theatre in the park, meant to evoke visions of the Grand Ol Oprey. They'd usually have some giant musical number or a Vegas-style magical act to get you out of the sun and into Air Conditioning for an hour. I watched the park grow and evolve, sometimes not for the better.
My last word on this, though, is something you brought up inadvertently. Chicago, and by larger extension IL, has this reputation for guns and god and corn. But we're honestly pretty polite and welcoming folk; we're glad that you came to visit, and hopefully you'll do so again! Have a great day!
Spot on comments about the park during the 80s. It was such a rad place!
The Southwest area was ALWAYS my favorite area, nice flat ride theming, "unique" park food (unique compared to the rest of the park), and solid coasters. I used to be a Season Pass holder (early 2000s) and coasters after dark was an AMAZING experience, Superman, Batman, and Raging Bull with 0 ride lights. As for the people that are normally in the park, Chicago folks don't mess around. We are at Great America to ride rides, as many as possible as fast as possible, you mess around in line you impact ride efficiency.
I didn't really look at the food options there, but I seem to remember ice cream and that's about it lol.
As someone who lived in Northern IL and used to go to this park alot, its sad to see what it's become.
We would drive from Tinley Park in the 90's, Halloween was always fun
Now you say that, I'd hate to see it today
@@Trickorvr It's still fun it's just lost most of its charm. Also I'm sure you noticed my name. Small world huh?
@@oakforestboys your name was the reason I replied, your vicinity gave a common perspective. Maybe decades apart?
@@Trickorvr i havent been there in 20 years
@@Trickorvr I'm 31 so maybe not.
Having lived in southeastern WI practically my whole life, Great America has been a part of it. I was 13 when it first opened, but my first visit was the following year, an end-of-semester trip with my eighth grade class. I still have a few Marriott-era souvenirs, including a rubber figurine of Bugs Bunny in his Uncle Sam costume, a stein decorated with bas-relief images of attractions no longer at the park and a candle made to resemble a glass bottle of Pepsi... bought that at Yankee Harbor's old craft store, the Glass Schooner.
Unlike you, I've never been a coaster enthusiast. But I loved Marriott's... for me, the theming was a large part of its appeal. Certainly it was no Magic Kingdom ( which I first visited in '75), but it was still great. I remember the employees wore costume-like uniforms, period music played from hidden speakers and every shop and eatery was named to fit the section it resided in.
Admittedly, I wasn't too concerned when Six Flags first took over, but a few years later, when a Batman-themed ride was announced, I immediately thought, " WHERE are they going to put it?" When I first saw it in Yankee Harbor, it looked as out-of-place as Pirates Of The Caribbean would look in Tomorrowland. As I visited throughout the late 80s, 90s and the 2000s, I watched as practically all the charm was bled out of the place. I saw live shows cancelled, billboards for products went up and annoying pop music spewed from the speakers.
My last visit was sometime in the early 2010s, a very unsatisfying day. While I acknowledge that my age ( 58 ) is a factor, I don't think I'll ever be going there again.
I grew up in Illinois- long time fan of all the parks in Ohio, Missouri, & of course SFGA, Silver Dollar City etc... I feel your experience with guests in the park speaks more to the mind set of the Midwest than any economic barriers. People, in general are raised to be more polite... its definitely like the wild west in Orlando (especially the Universal parks!)
You are spot on.
I was definitely thinking the same thing. We've been well-behaved here in the Midwest for ages regardless of the ticket price! Plus, even with any price hikes, it's still nothing compared to how much people pay to go to one of the Disney parks. IMO, spending more on park admission just leads to a greater sense of entitlement when in the park. Just look at any of the horror stories of Disney customers abusing staff, demanding things for them or their child, etc.
People in the Midwest suck just as badly as people all over the rest of the country. There's nothing better or "real" about them.
There’s even a HUGE difference in the people you’ll meet at Great America vs. Six Flags St. Louis. I’m from Illinois but people are so much more polite and friendly in Missouri.
Yeah, SFGA was clean and polite long before the price hike. Increased ticket price has nothing to do with it.
Listen, no matter what you think of Six Flags, you really can't deny
there are definitely six flags in the park.
no false advertising there.
Well, I think that there were at least six American flags placed around the Carousel Plaza. I didn't really count, but there had to be at least six, right?
The reason for the name is due to the Six Flags that flew over the state of Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, Texas, USA, and CSA. Yes this means SFOT used to have a section of the park themed to the confederacy
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv Wait, CSA? you mean the enemy country that tried to attack the USA? and yet the south dares to call itself patriotic. Its like India having a bunch of Pakistani flags lying around or Pakistan having a bunch of Bengali flags (or vice versa) and being ok with it.
@@AdamSmith-gs2dv Six Flags Over Georgia, I think, still sorta does...
@@jayo1212 I think in the park it's section called the Confederacy was renamed to the Old South
I grew up going to the Santa Clara park. They do look very similar complete with the same double carousel at the entrance. Both parks have the wooden coaster which the CA park calls Grizzly, Demon, as well though the CA park no longer has Whizzer or Tidal Wave. Today, the Santa Clara park goes by the name "California's Great America".
The Six Flags park I'm most familiar with is Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA. You're right, the name "Goliath" is copy and paste because Magic Mountain's wooden coaster has the same name.
Living in the Chicago suburbs my whole life, I remember going to six flags every summer with a family friend because our school used to have a reading challenge where the prize was a free day ticket (the high school physics class still goes every year for a field trip). I remember, and maybe this is just nostalgia, characters roaming the park for pictures, employees with little carts selling light up wands and flashing headbands, the sounds of carnival games playing and always going home with a stuffed animal bigger than I was because my friends dad would always win the strong man hammer game. I just recently went a few months ago after getting a season pass as a gift and I have almost no desire to go back, and if Fright Fest wasn’t a thing then I probably wouldn’t. The park felt dirty, the food was insanely overpriced, the bathrooms were gross, the only games that were open were the ones that had basketballs as prizes so it felt like I was dodging basketballs all day, the whole place smelled like weed and it felt like all the rides I loved as a kid were closed. The magic is gone. Instead of leaving the park with my funnel cake following a path of light up toys and the old six flags music playing, I just feel like cattle being herded through the exit gate while it’s still light out with no music playing.
I got so excited seeing the title and thumbnail thinking you were going to talk about Great America in California 😭 i never knew the carousel with a pool in Paramount’s GA was identical to SFGA. If you ever do a video about the once Paramount owned park I would be so thrilled! its crazy how similar SFGA is similar to the once in CA in terms of land themes and somewhat the layout of rides. But ppl might be interested in the theme that paramount brought to the park with their IPs.
OMG I just watched like 10 minutes of this video thinking "wow i guess i haven't gone for a while, none of this theming looks the same as last time i went"... I also had no idea there was two Great Americas!
I worked for the one in Gurnee. IL for 10 seasons. When Marriott opened them they were based on the exact same blue prints. They were pretty much identical. Both park's buildings are earthquake resistant (for CA) and they also had insulation in the walls (for IL winters)
california great america is my home park!! it was bought by cedar fair whereas this one was bought by six flags…you can tell how much more the california one’s theming has held up because of this
so sad they’re getting rid of it in 11 years
Been to the one in CA in 1980 it was fun,the closest theme park to me is Cedar Point
It would be really cool if you covered Fright Fest. It's a real spectacle and perfect weather for rollercoasters/rides. They put a lot of work into decking the park out in all things horror. Not hokey and they don't try to be 'not too scary'.
I know by theming standards it isn’t a great park, but as someone who goes a few times a year I did notice they actually did some re-theming in the last year and added a little more. Prior to this year the corner with Vertical Velocity wasn’t themed at all, and they updated the ice cream shop to Captain Cold to help expand the DC Universe area a little more. The swing ride in front of Batman got an overhaul and painted to feature Batman Villains. I believe the Batman queue got some TLC too. Is all of it great theming? No. However, it was nice to see the park getting more theming than less.
I suppose. Still, slapping an IP onto something (like Pixar Pier) certainly makes it tackier. It wasn't open, but I thought it was amusing how they renamed the mirrored log flume "Aqua Man" when the other was still open with the Yukon theme.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I totally agree. Tacky as it may be I am glad stuff is getting some attention. It gives me hope that they are going to continue to invest in and hopefully elevate the park. Also, while overpriced, the food is on par with Chicago prices + the theme park kicker.
@@PoseidonEntertainment The DC land was a complete slap in the face to fans of this park like myself. They marketed the land as something new and exciting and then had the audacity to retheme historic and nostalgic rides like Yankee clipper (the water ride) into something like "Aquaman Splash down" or whatever. It wasn't the retheme itself that was insulting but the fact they would even attempt to do something so minor as changing the names and paint of 3 rides and calling it an entire "new land."
@@tylersapiega7967 I was salty about Yankee Harbor being rethemed at first, but it has grown on me, I still prefer Yankee Harbor but the area itself really needed some TLC and V2 desperately needed a repaint, plus when Joker came in, the area felt less like a harbor.
Even though Yankee Harbor is gone, I think Great America is not going to ruin the rest of the remaining areas. But hey, keeping rides is better than removing them.
@@tigerrocks503chase8 the one in California combined their Yankee Harbor with Yukon Territory into All American Corners like a while back
My first experience with six flags great America was about 1981. Marriott still owned it and I remember riding the tidal wave which was a coaster that went forward around one huge loop and then went backward through the loop. At the time it was exciting as no other coaster was going backwards. I also remember the American Eagle which at the time was the biggest wooden double roller coaster. They also had tons of shows and parades with the looney toon characters which was very fun because back then we all Saturday morning cartoon which featured these characters so they were well known and loved. I thought it was great!
There were enough shows to entertain people who get motion sickness while the rest of the family goes on the wild rides. Something for everybody
I still can't believe that this is the highest attended Six Flags park! With this being my local theme park, I used to be able to get in for FREE or very cheap (under $25). As a kid, I felt like the Looney Tunes characters used to be better incorporated into the park. I remember there being a really fun ball pit/indoor play place. They also used to have a themed train that would take you all the way around the park and give you a park history lesson. As an adult, I find that there isn't enough theming, the tickets and food are too expensive and the newer rides aren't appealing enough for a visit. It's sad to see this park lose any sense of a personality it once had.
I had read that there was a land themed around Looney Tunes. I suppose that they're a big part of the history with the park, but are otherwise obligatory cameos today. I went on the train though, and it was as you described.
Yes! The ball pit had ball pit machine guns where you could shoot the balls at each other! It was awesome!
I remember the looney toon ball pit it was the coolest place when you were younger, you would collect balls and then load them into a air powered machine like gun and hit other kids from across the room. The park was definitely a lot more fun for kids back in the day. It's just a bunch of roller coasters now, which I'm not complaining about but that's because I'm older now, and that's what excites me. If I came back to sixflags today at the same age as I was when I first started attending, I'd be very bored it would be just a bunch of waiting in line with jer teenagers. Luke he said it's a daycare for teenagers. I also understand that this isn't Disney or Universal it's a completely different breed and I love it regardless. I know Great America like the back of my hand and I hold a special place in my heart for it. Always and forever I'm here growing with it.
I'm old enough to have visited it when it was Marriott's. Did go a few times after Six Flags and up until early 2000s, still good mixing it up like Southwest Territory but then the issues you bring up started coming in and marred what was once of the best parks in the Six Flags chain.
It seems that Premier Parks is the culprit behind the massive decline in quality. I was surprised to find out that it was Six Flags that constructed Southwest Territory. The trend to IP obviously started before Premier, but they ran with it in the worst way possible.
Lol, I just drove by here on the way to Bristol Renaissance Fair this weekend. Everyone in the car mentioned when we had gone as kids, but no one actually had any memories of attractions/events/etc. to share.
Not surprising. I enjoyed the park, but wouldn't really describe it as memorable.
It’s sad to see what this park has become. It’s still good and probably the best Six Flags park, but it’s had quite the fall from grace, and with the current leadership and management troubles Six Flags has, I’m curious to see what’ll happen to this park…
Is magic mountain a joke to you?
@@Starlit43 YES!!!
As a teenager in the 90s, I couldn’t have told you a single “land”. It was all about the coasters, that’s how we navigated the park.
Six Flags also killed the theming of Fiesta Texas this same way for over a decade, but have been surprisingly been bringing it back over the past 5 years.
After a visit this weekend, I think the next time you take a trip to the midwest you should really pay a visit to Silver Dollar City. I'd be interested to hear what you think about their approach to theming and environmental storytelling.
I went there a few months ago and it was so quaint and olde worlde. It's nice when you see moss on top of thatched roofs to know that is ACTUAL moss and not a theming element. Also it's so nice to see in places like the toffee shop actual older people working instead of surly seventeen year olds.
@@tulinfirenze1990 I’ve been going to SDC off and on since the mid-80’s. It’s one of the few parks that I can truly say has gotten better with age. I love it and Branson all around.
Your list of “what I didn’t see at Six Flags” makes me never want to go to an Orlando park, omg. As a midwesterner, I think I’ll stick to my polite Six Flags & Cedar Fair parks.
I might suggest you review Tayto Park in Ireland for your next European park. I love the detail you go into. Great job.
Growing up in WI, as a kid it was an annual trip to Great America in the late 70s/early 80s. Such great memories going there. Yes, at that time, some of those "basic" rides were big stuff back then, amusement parks have come quite a long way since then with the coasters. Loved the American Eagle, Demon and Willard's Whizzer.
That park has definitely seen better days. It’s become a parking lot with roller coasters.
Such a great take on my local theme park. I’ve always disliked Six Flags “point and click” ride additions to the park with no theming to what they originally built the park to be. It’s sad what Yankee Harbor has become (in addition to shutting down the Yankee Clipper) and I’ve always loved the Yukon Territory, but it always seemed like their rides were water based aside from Iron Wolf, which nobody ever wanted to ride.
It’s unfortunate that the “theme” in Great America has been unfortunately lost.
I'm just going to leave this here: The two largest shareholders in Six Flags (and Disney for that matter,) are Vanguard and BlackRock. Enjoy the rabbit hole if you take the dive.
I looked up blackrock and didn't see anything nefarious? What makes them so bad?
@@alwaysbroke6533 Shortest answer I can give: multinational conglomerate corporation that has $10 billion in assets. Very close ties to the federal government and a majority shareholder in many major companies, including the ones I named. Using their pull as majority shareholders, they force entertainment companies to push BlackRock’s politics through their products to consumers (if your’e wondering why Disney still pushes the woke agenda even though it’s not working, it’s because BlackRock is making them.) This, by the way, is not something I'm making up, BlackRock themselves have stated that companies they have a significant influence in must start pushing BlackRock's politics to consumers. BlackRock has a ‘social credit system’ similar to the CCP, but for companies they have a majority stake in, where they can influence how well a company is doing and who works with them by giving them a high or low score (BlackRock says you’re a 700 so we’ll work with you. BlackRock says you’re a 320 so for our own sake we won’t work with you.) You may have actually heard of BlackRock before, they along with Zillow are mass-purchasing homes across the US and forcing people to then rent those homes from them. So whenever I see anyone, especially someone who produces things like Disney or Six Flags, falling off the wagon I check if BlackRock has any stake in them. If the answer is yes, then it’s safe to assume BlackRock might have something to do with it.
Ugh yeah that woke agenda is the worst. I cant believe they make hunters look bad and are anti capitalist. According to this video the idea that they are buying houses is false though ruclips.net/video/1ulX4hnhtaE/видео.html
My knowledge of the financial sector is pretty low. I see that they have substantial investment, but I have no idea to what degree they have influence on these corporations.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I say this with no exaggeration, BlackRock is pure evil
Looking forward to your take on Six Flags. Keep up the great content.
My home park! It opened when I was six years old, and I went there almost every year until I moved away. It will forever remain Marriott's Great America in my mind, despite who owns (and keeps ruining) it.
The theming back when it was first open was so much more cohesive - the sights, sounds, and smells from back then were immersive, at least to my child-brain memories. There were little nooks and crannies of fun "hidden" throughout the zones that were fun to experience.
Oh man seeing you talk about Great America is wild, it was my childhood park, my brother and I would spend all summer there. So crazy to see a channel we both watch now talk about something so close to home.
I worked in the CA version of this back in the late 80's. I grew up around it as well and went all the time during summer vacation. Loved that place and took our kids there in the late 90s. It was a fun, small park at the time. It was a mirror image to what you describe at the start, other than we had an IMAX theater (AMES/NASA was next door) and that was the best place in the area to watch those movies. We also had a sky ride between the front and back. Good times there, sorry to hear it's going to be closed and used for houses/commercial.
Our park used to have a sky ride and IMAX theater too! But the sky ride was removed years ago to make room for Shockwave (which has since been replaced by Superman), and our IMAX theater was removed to make room for Maxx Force back in 2019.
I wish you could go out to Great America in California. That was, kinda my home park. I would love to see/hear your take on that park. It was wonderful when it was Marriott’s.
I just want to talk about the first part of the video about the random characters by the pool side area. I’m not sure where is Six Flags going with the Looney Tunes, but growing up in the area I remember seen this characters everywhere in the park, merch, shows, parades, meet and greet. Lately I feel that these characters aren’t that relevant for kids now days and Six Flags don’t want to do anything with them anymore, you can hardly find merch with looney tunes anymore. Most of these statues you see by the pool used to be in the inside the retail stores displays with merch, the cage with Tweety bird and Sylvester was part of the “Totally Tweety store” all about tweety located across from the Goliath coaster, now the space is just an arcade.
It's so strange. It's also kind of amusing though.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I missed the way this Six Flags was in the 90s and early 2Ks the show and food quality was much better, in general the entire park was in better shape.
Great video! I am a former ride operator from 2001-2004 and things aren’t nearly the same as they were back then, and even back then they weren’t amazing but much better than now. The park doesn’t need to have a 300’ giga coaster added or anything crazy like that, it just needs to be cleaned up and taken care of with better operations. Of course nowadays getting staff to work is chore but if that does come back, we did a pretty good job back in the early 2000’s and I loved operating Raging Bull, trying to get as many people on it as possible to keep those lines moving and shorter. I wasn’t alone with those goals in mind but so were many of my coworkers around the park. I do agree with the theming being off which is typical of any Six Flags park as well. You put the thought into my head of what the park could be like if Herschend was running it and…..well….at least I can dream!
Great video again, also great to see that there is civil discussion in your comments!
Employee for SFNE since 2018. Just like to say that the price hike has not changed the quality of the guests at my home park at all. In fact it almost feels like we run into more problematic guess then we used to because a lot less people are coming so the ratio is a little off. Or maybe guests are expecting more because they had to pay more than they usually have and they're realizing that they're paying more for the same exact stuff they got last year. I've seen many a guests yell at innocent kids just working their summer job because now they have to pay to get into the water park. "What's changed about the water park" they'll ask "why do I have to pay now?" Obviously these kids don't know the answer to their question and then 9 times out of 10 when they get in and realize that there's less open attractions than there were last year they'll say something along the lines of "so I'm paying more to get less"
Guess behavior have a lot to do more to do with where the guests are coming from and not how much money they spend. If they're coming from a town or city where the average person is bad mannered they're going to be bad mannered when they come to the park i.e. the majority of six flags New England demographic comes from Springfield. They can raise the price all they want they're not going to get rid of those "Walmart costumers" it's a 10 minute drive from their house.
Orlando parks are different in that sense as most of them are parks that people come from around the US to visit. Six flags parks are not like that. I feel like there's way too many six flags parks for six flags to ever be like that.
To be fair, I think that Florida locals make up a huge portion of people visiting WDW. There's fights all the time now lol.
i used to work in food service at this park as a high school student, probably about 5 to 6 years ago. It was a nightmare. I was regularly threatened physically by guests or berated. I can only imagine that it got worse, especially because the price of the food we served was often an impetus for being threatened.
That doesn’t even touch the number of labor violations the company itself was guilty of or the treatment of workers. I was regularly doing things that were technically illegal for my age group because there just wasn’t anyone else to do them. Absolute nightmare to work at.
As someone else who lives in New England, this is just a new Englander problem. They don’t call this part of the country the rude belt for nothing
@@motorwayt-s628 very true
Trashy people have money today, so the price hikes no longer have the same effect.
I'm not sure why I haven't run across your channel before but I am really enjoying your content.
SFGA was my home park during two times in my life. First, I knew it as Marriott's Great America when I moved to the Chicago area in 1979 and visited it many times during the two and a half years I lived there. It was booming as Marriott's premier park and had started to break away from being identical to the California version. (It was my understanding that when the two parks first opened, they even tried to keep the same vegetation in various spots, but that failed quickly due to, well, Illinois not being California).
I loved the attention to detail Marriott had. One thing that stood out for me was the two historical Marriott references, one being "Willard's Whizzer" as you pointed out instead of just "Whizzer" and another being a shop in Hometown Square that was a reproduction of the root beer stand "The Hot Shoppe" that was the beginning of the Marriott company.
I was a big fan of the Sky Whirl. I enjoyed both log flume rides (one of which was boats instead of logs but was still just an Arrow log flume) and that was the first time I ever saw a turntable loading platform to keep things moving while loading and unloading.
I joined ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) in 1981 and was there for the opening of The American Eagle. It was a fantastic coaster in the early years. I'm disappointed to hear it is in sad shape.
I moved back to the Chicago area in 1985 and went to the park quite a bit for a few years until I became a parent. I loved Shock Wave and Tidal Wave was one of my favorite Intamin shuttle loops, as it still used the original dropped weight for the launch. I last visited SFGA in 1996. The last coaster I rode there was Viper, which I enjoyed.
The IMAX theater at SFGA was fun, even after it was converted 3D, but the oddest thing I saw there was the IMAX film "Circus World" which imdb says was only shown at the Circus World theme park. Untrue, as I saw it at least twice at SFGA.
You forgot to mention how you liked Demon. I always liked the Demon retheme of an original Arrow looper. I've got a button I bought the year they reopened it as Demon.
I moved away from Chicago in 1997 and I'm in the Atlanta area now. SFOG is my home park but I last visited it in 2014. That's another Six Flags park that has declined significantly since I first visited when I was 13 in 1973. (I remember "Tales of the Okefenokee" instead of "Monster Plantation/Mansion" and the fantastic Horror Cave)
GOOD video! I worked at the park in 97-98 seasons. All the rides I was trained for are no longer there except for Splash water falls. Nice to watch and bring back memories. When I worked there they still had costumes for each area. Also, as a kid/teen my parents would drop us kids off at the park and I considered the park our babysitter. Lol
Very nicely put together video and very entertaining as well. Thanks for posting this.
Great video. Also, I was there the day they had that shooting in the parking lot and it was one of the craziest most chaotic days of my life. My family and I were sitting in the flash pass line for Raging Bull trying to get one last ride in before the park closed. Suddenly a large group of people started running down the flash pass path towards us with panicked looks on their faces. A man that was in that group started gesturing to the worker that someone had a gun and was shooting then someone yelled something along the lines of "there coming this way" referring to the shooter. Hearing that felt like my heart stopped and then my fight or flight kicked in, there's no real way to explain the feeling of pure terror but that's when everyone really panicked and started running. We ran up the exit path toward the ride where there was a staircase to get down on the backside of raging bull "one of the off-limits sections of the park". During all the chaos we got separated from my mom because she ran up the stairs towards the ride platform and coming back towards us would mean going towards where they just said the shooter was. Eventually, we found her on the backside of the ride coming down the staircase and we all just started running. People were freaking out running and jumping barbed wire fences but my family along with some other people started running through bushes and under water slides until we ended up in the water park and eventually came across some firefighters/EMS who told us the way out of the park. Keep in mind during all this we had no idea it was just a drive-by. We could only go off what we were being told and what the others were telling us made it seem as if the shooter was only yards away and coming towards us. There are a lot more details and things that happened amongst the chaos but it would just be way too much to explain it all. Looking back its crazy how fast the panic spread to everyone thinking there's an active shooter but at the same time I understand it because if you're walking towards the exit and you see someone jump out of their car and start shooting your not gonna stick around to see if they get back in there car, your gonna run the other way and assume they're coming into the park. Anyways I just thought it was a crazy and interesting story worth sharing. Now would I go back after all that, Absolutely. I love the rides and I would recommend everyone give the park a visit at least once if you can.
That's crazy, but I didn't feel that the park was generally unsafe either. Hopefully they've ramped out security, especially in the parking lot since then. How is Gurnee as a city though? I only just drove through, but it seemed like nice suburbs. Is crime an issue there, or is this a one-off thing?
@@PoseidonEntertainment ya I don't feel the park is unsafe either, I just happened to be there the one day something crazy happened. For instance I would have had no problem going back the next day because what are the odds something like that happens two days in a row. As for crime in the city, I can't speak to that because we were also just driving through. Like you said it seemed like a nice area but with it being in such close proximity to Chicago maybe there's some crime that makes its way up to Gurnee? But I'll let someone who lives there answer that.
I miss seeing the mascots in the park as a kid, it was such a blast! This is my childhood park and I just went relatively recently; it would be sad to let it go one day
Been waiting for this video thank you!
Awesome Sasuke pfp broo 🔥🔥🔥🔥👍
This was my home park when I lived in the area, and I worked there for a few seasons in high school and college. One of the long-running constraints for this park has been local opposition to further development. It's difficult to mature a park when your footprint has essentially been fixed in place by local ordinances. At the time the park was built there was a whole lot of nothing surrounding it. Just farmland, and a small handful of houses. It's easy to imagine Marriott thinking they had all the room and time in the world to grow the place.
If you pull this place up in Google Maps and look directly west across I-94 there's an area currently occupied by an industrial park. That used to be owned by Marriott/Six Flags (interesting to note: prior to being purchased by Marriott the land was owned by Tex Ritter, father of actor John Ritter). There were routinely whispers that the park was planning to expand into that plot. How they would've handled getting guests across 8 lanes of an interstate would've been interesting...but probably fun, too. In the meanwhile, development encroached to the areas north and east of the park and so, without the ability to spread anywhere else, over the years the park sacrificed a huge chunk of its parking lot to expand internally; first for Shockwave (where Superman now sits), and then for the Hurricane Harbor water park.
The parking lot seemed large enough for what the capacity of the park at least. It was also interesting to me that it was just self parking.
It's kinda funny to hear Pisseidon gripe when I remember only two coasters and tons of flat & kiddie rides. If you weren't walking, you were in a line. People eating meant something different to my generation. All of the world class coaster types and bragging rights over the years should hardly be criticized by a guy who just got around to riding his first RMC or wing.
I'm someone who grew up with Great America - so I'm definitely looking forward to this video. This was *my* childhood park. Excited. :)
Although I have never been to SFGA (or any Six Flags park), I can totally see your point and agree with what you’re saying. Scrolling through these comments though, I’m having a hard time understanding why and how so many people are missing the extremely simple point of this video. So many people are saying things along the lines of, “BuT pEoPlE dOn’T gO tO aMuSeMeNt PaRkS fOr ThE tHeMiNg, ThEy Go FoR tHe RiDeS!” and while this is (mostly) true, it is not your point and your point STILL stands. The point is that when it was owned by Marriott prior to being bought out by Six Flags, Illinois’ version of Great America WAS a theme park. That is what it was intended to be, but Six Flags ruined that by well, just being typical Six Flags. I’m not sure why that’s so hard for people to get? I mean, it’s almost like they didn’t listen to you lmao.
Went there for an 8th grade trip. American Eagle gave me a headache about 10 minutes after riding it. Apart from that, I still had a decent time, and I loved riding the Whizzer.
This was very well done. I need to get around to putting together my thoughts on this park in video. I've done my vlog and ranking of the coasters though. I had most of my focus on the coasters as most were the first of their kinds I'd ever been on and bringing my coaster count above 50 total. Raging Bull in the back blew my mind, Goliath had solid ejector in the back, and Superman put a lot of pressure on my chest at the bottom of the pretzel loop. My friend and I didn't eat in the park, but rather at the area fast food locations as well as the amazing Portillo's across the freeway. The overall appearance of the park in terms of theming was exactly as I expected and on the days I was there, the ride ops were top notch. Dispatches were fast and consistent. Also appreciated that we got large cups of water when we asked for them. Being closer to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, I'm used to just getting really small cups of ice water so Great America is a bit more thoughtful there. I loved the coasters and walked away with a generally positive experience.
When I worked there from '87 to '89, we still had Themed Uniforms, with a Large wardrobe department, that I am sure they got rid of to save money. Now employees have a generic park uniform and they take them home. I worked in the new Orleans area, but I was certified to operate about half the rides at the park.
"Is it true that Six Flags Great America had a drive by in the parking lot the day after I visited? Sure"
Wouldn't be properly America themed without mass shootings anyway lmao
Illinois is an anti gun state
Bob Chapek took one look at Six Flags' leadership and said "I know what I want to do with my life!"
This is the best comment on here LMAOOOO 🤣🤣🤣
I grew up in Chicagoland. I remember all the specials from Great America before opening day back in the 70s. Total excitement! It literally was envisioned as being on on par with Disneyland at the time. It was spotless and fun. I remember the 5 cent root beers at the little shop next to Willard's Whizzer.
I was a past SFGA employee, as well as been local to it so i would go often. Through the years, it has gone downhill. There really is only rides to be excited for. They dont have shows anymore, no ampitheatres, none of the cool stuff that wasnt a ride.
Great video with solid information. We need more videos like this
Willard's Whizzer was my favorite ride at the Santa Clara location when I first went there as a kid in the 70s, but it was torn down long ago. We also have the Demon here, too!
Last time I went to SFGA, I cut my foot open REALLY bad and was bleeding like crazy, even onto the pavement, and the first aid attendants gave me some gauze and called it a day. They didn't even disinfect or wash it. Or clean up the pavement. We love to see it 😅
Love your channel. The history is awesome.. in-depth and full of facts.100%
I went to California's Great America a lot in the late 90s and early 2000s when it was Paramount's Great America. They had a lot of movie themed rides with Top Gun being the best coaster. It is now called Flight Deck and somehow lost some of its appeal after Paramount sold and the name changed. They did have a lot of great rides though. Haven't been in years but it was fun place to go as a teenager
California’s Great America is my local park, so this video is like an alternate universe version of the park for me. Under Marriot it looks almost identical - double decker carousel next to the reflecting pool; sky tower; turn of the century/demon; and tidal wave and the three armed Ferris wheel which are gone now. The themed areas have similar or identical names and themes but just like six flags don’t have much to do with anything anymore. In the 90s it was owned by Paramount and had lots of IP shoehorned in, but now under Cedar Fair everything is pretty generic now. Seems well maintained though, with some well reviewed new coasters that I haven’t had a chance to ride yet.
We are all upset about ProLogis buying the park. Their name is well known around here, on just about every giant ugly warehouse. Everyone has memories of CGA and wants it to stay - I even have a relative whose first job was painting it before it opened, and saw real gold going into the paint for the carousel. But this is smack in the middle of Silicon Valley, next to Levi’s Stadium which would rather not have CGA next door, and land is very valuable here for development. If CGA leaves, the only local park will be Six Flags Discovery Kingdom which I am not a fan of.
Nowadays, when I go, it is quite sad. It is clear that for many years, management has NOT made the park aesthetics a priority.
I went to a hiring event at the Gurnee, IL location and I was hoping to get a job in food service. I told the hiring manager about my years of experience as a Quality Assurance Manager in a food plant. He stopped me and said, "No one comes to Six Flags for the food. They come here for " Only One Thing: THE RIDES!" I was quite taken aback, thinking,people go to Wrigley Field for the baseball, but they also want a good hotdog and beer!" His attitude seemed to be prevalent among the employees. I was appalled when they took me "behind the scenes, and I saw that NOT A SINGLE WALL WAS PAINTED THE SAME COLOR as any other. There were corners with one white wall and one purple wall. It looked like someone's boss told them to paint, and they angrily grabbed the nearest paint can, regardless of color.
Anyway, my mother did not like " intense" rides, like rollercoasters. She loved "the swing ride." I believe Great America calls it "The Whirligig." She didn't come to SFGA just "for the rides." She came to stroll around the park, people watch and attend The Pictorial or live musical shows. Not everyone that goes there is a "rollercoaster addict."
I grew up at that park in the late 90s and early 2000s. As a local, we didn't care about themes and etc, we just were glad to have great coasters and a cheep entry cost. If we wanted Universal we went to Universal. I never had a problem with the way the parks were maintained then. I haven't been to the park since I went to college, but now that I have a family, it makes me sad that these places are so much more expensive now. I want to give my kids a similar childhood. Too bad I guess.
Six Flags is still very cheap
This is my home park and a season pass holder. Been going to this park for over 30 years. This year has been a step in the right direction in some aspects. Should have been there last year and the year before when they opened after the pandemic. Trash everywhere, overflowing garbage cans. Run done feeling and very rude staff. It was great this year. lower lines and overall better. Food changed a lot this season and it sucks. They removed almost half the menu items. Prices have been going up a lot the past couple of years. I have a grandfathered dining plan on my season pass, but most of the time I dont want to eat there. im glad they finally got roaring rapids up and running again. It has been closed for over 3 years. Sky Trek should be opening back up next season. I really hope the park can keep going in a better direction. I go whenever I can. I only live 40 min away from the park, so Im there a lot. Cant wait for fright fest this year.
Thanks for this fun video and great look at the history of Great America! My friends and I visited the park many times during the 90s and we had so much fun! I will say the theming was pretty good back then. Like you said.. not as good as it could have been... but decent and make for a fun atmosphere. Seems like that has been lost more as time has gone on unfortunately. I will say that in my experience.. the visitors to the park have always been pretty friendly and courteous.. at least compared to what you have experienced in FL. That could also just be a product of a different time as well. But the park was usually clean and people were nice. I will say that I have noticed the lack of ride loading efficiently at other Six Flags parks. They really seem to have little interest in running the rides efficiently and moving guests through. Makes for longer lines than is necessary. Could be what they are playing their staff and how much training they are giving them. There does seem to be a lot of room for improvement. If they are going to raise the prices.. they must improve the guest experience as well. Thanks for the look back and the fun look at this gem of a park!
My local park was California’s Great America. I had no idea there was even another version out there.
I still remember the rides; The Demon, Great American Eagle, Shock Wave, Z-Force, Sky Trek Tower, Power Dive, Tidal Wave.
If you get a chance to come out to San Jose, it would be fascinating to see your thoughts on how the different managements changed those two Great Americas that were fundamentally identical when they started.
The sequel: How Paramount and Ceder Fair ruined a park
Yeah it’s closing
@@DZstudios. The one here in California yeah.
My father took me to the park when it opened. The Bicentennial year of 1976. I was seven (7) years old and my eyes were as wide as saucers, in wonderment at the park. Everything from the corndogs, to shaking hands with Bugs Bunny & Yosemite Sam to the beautiful flower gardens, made me feel as I had been transported to "the Land of Oz."
Vertical Velocity has been filling the hole Cedar Point’s Wicked Twister has left in my heart, though I don’t think it’s AS good.
Looks like I just missed you, was there 2 days before the shooting!
SFGA was my childhood park. I remember my school and other local schools had a program that would reward students who read a certain amount of books/for a certain amount of time with two free tickets to the park, so I would go every summer with my family. I have so many good memories there- I remember I was barely tall enough to ride Iron Wolf on its last day of operation, my dad winning me and my brother DC capes at the carnival games that used to be in the New Orleans and Yukon areas, making quick friendships with whoever we'd talk with in line, those sorts of thing. I haven't been to the park in years (i think I last visited when x flight and/or goliath were new) and even though this video is more negative in tone in regards to the theming, it still makes me happy to see my favorite classics like American Eagle, the Demon, and Viper are still operating. I remember the New Orleans/Mardi Gras area used to be better themed with rides like the Raging Cajun, a spinning coaster, adding a well themed facade with ride cars and a track that popped in terms of color but still matched the theming. I'm glad that they added a specific themed area for the DC rides, but Man. I miss when the only DC rides were Batman and Superman. Either way, a really great video, and it made me super happy to see how the park that made me a coaster enthusiast has been doing recently.
As a long time Great America, when Marriott owned the park our whole family went, kids, mom and dad, and grandparents. We live just 45 minutes away. We would spend the day see the shows that the adults preferred, but were fun for us kids and we would ride the rides all day. Dinner was a sit down, normally not fast food. As we grew up, and Six Flags took over, the shows vanished, and so did the interest of our grandparents. Even our parents were no longer interested. We then ended up going only once every couple of years, instead of every year. When I was old enough to drive I usually went alone or with a friend a couple of times a year. As I grew older and had kids of my own we only went once every couple of years as I was no longer interested in coasters, and the lids preferred travel to Orlando and saw SFGA as "lame". The kids would go once a year with school as a reward for "Honor Roll", and that was enough. My wife and I went a few years ago (the kids are grown) to see how the park has changed. Our impression was it was a teen only park with nothing to interest us. The food was overpriced, there was no interesting products in the shops and nothing hapening other than waits in the lines. We left after about 4 hours having ridden a couple of rides and walking all the way around the park. We went down the street to Gurnee Mills Shopping Mall and had a nice dinner at one of the many restraunts in the area. We havent been back since. Neither have our kids.
Things I remember from the Mariott days: The shows: Broadway Musical in Horetown, Bugs Bunny Magic Show in Orleans Place, The Dolphin Show and Klondike Cafe show in Yukon Teritory and the Circus in County Fair. The 5 cent root beer. The food at Yukon Cafe and Maggie Brown's. The Pictorium (the first time I had seen IMax.
This was very interesting. I grew up near Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara and I have many memories of riding Willards Wizzer, The Demon, Title Wave and all the others. I can see now that the parks were almost identical when they first opened. Once Six Flags purchased Marine World in Vallejo and started adding roller coasters, Great America just couldn't keep up. I'm sad that their days appear to be numbered but it seemed inevitable.
Actually California's Great America gets more attendance than six flags Discovery Kingdom
Growing up in Chicago I loved going to Great America. Six Flags has absolutely destroyed the park.
They used to have a water park attached to it. It was a long time ago, but I remember it being fun for an hour or two when it got too hot.
I have never been to six flags great America. My parents however have they both grew up in suburbs close to gurney. They used to go all the time together when they were dating and had season passes. They always get so sad when they see on Facebook how downhill the park has gone. They’ve always told me the fond memories they had of my dad picking my mom up for the weekend and them going there before heading to my grandparents before the workweek began again. It’s just quite sad
the great america park was by where i used to live went there a ton growing up. seeong this brought back some memories
I loved Marriot's Great America in the 80s. That was a great place to go with all my cousins. Awww....I miss this era. The Demon & Orleans Orbit were my favorites. I remember when they introduced "the Edge". This is bringing back memories.
keep up the great work. i love this content and you’ve got great points:
Someone from Wisconsin. I live similar distance away from Gurnee and the Wisconsin Dells. Whenever I think about Great America being a declining budget park I always have to remind myself “at least it’s not Mount Olympus in The Dells” 😂
I used to LOVE going to Great America as a kid in the 90s n 00s. Iron wolf wasn’t bad, you just had to make sure to bend your knees when it locked so you had another inch or two of movement. My first looping coaster was Tidal Wave and I was sad to see it go.
There’s some Very good coaster history (The little Dipper used to be at Kiddie Land a little kids theme park like 15min from where I grew up) and it’s sad to see the American Eagle fall into disrepair, they’ve even shut it down several times for LENGTHY refurbs.
You should check out Fright Fest! I truly think it’s more enjoyable than Halloween Horror Nights at Universal.
One thing I continue to recommend to them is to give the carousel a new coat of paint. I love carousels so much and would love to see it looking like the glorious piece it should have be.
The demon was my fav -it sprayed you with water in the loops-dont forget the "edge"free fall ride
That daffy duck statue has a can labelled “krylon”, and the only reason i know it’s spray paint is because of SCP-173. Just a weird little detail
"could be located anywhere in country"
oh I'm sorry, did that New Orleans, Southwest, New England mashup really capture the spirit of Chicago for you
As an Illinois native, six flags was so cool. My grandmother got tickets (she was a mailwoman) and we would go at least once a year or once very two years. I remember it being packed and I remember seeing all the looney tunes and Hannah Barbara characters. My mom would even tell me stories of how it packed in the 90s and how some schools would send their 8th or seniors to six flag trips.
Just remembering it now, there were photo booths where customer’s could take fun pictures. I remember my aunt and uncle taking mobster photos in the Wild West and I remember riding the dark knight. I was so terrified.
The financial stress of being at Disney World makes people 10x more on edge, hence worse behaving crowds
Disney is weird. It's a mix of exceedingly entitled tourists and trashy Florida locals.
@@PoseidonEntertainment as a Floridian, I think its all the parks in the Orlando/Kissimmee area because the crowds and people at BGT are small but they behave way better than the ones at Seaworld
OOOO nice new paint job in V^2! (Not sure why it was closed all last season just for a paint refurbish). Ya Great America like get sooooo close to good theming. But anything new is just slapped in there. Like how Goliath you can still see the "Yukon Territory" look underneath it. But Six Flags does theme heavily for Fright Fest and Holiday Nights... So like why don't they do that for line queues and paths? GA has some top notch roller coasters, I just wish the theming back it up, so that it really WOW'd us. Great video! (Its refreshing to see video not just about Disneylore and Universal!)
I didn't know that Fight Fest was really worth going to, but I hadn't heard it was well themed. Maybe I'll eventually check one out.
Loved your video! Great America was my home park for the longest time (my first big park and coasters too!) However, you forgot my favourite coaster at the park- The Demon!!! What are your thoughts? There is something nostalgic about the ride; the goofy music and soundtrack, the lights, and the old station. It brings me back to when my cousin and I would run right off the station and back to front row!
I don't know how I forgot about that in the script either, but I agree with how you feel about it. It's classic and campy. I just wish it had all of its old effects working.
The Demon was my go-to ride...double loopty loops back to back and a kickazz corkscrew!
i love that they have characters and stories for rides, in comparison to some previously owned by six flags parks which don’t have anything now