Canada's Wonderland - May 7th, 2026

On Thursday, May 7th, I made my first visit of the 2026 season at Canada's Wonderland! My brother Scott and our mom joined me for a day of fun!

It was a somewhat cool day with some sunshine to start, followed by some cloudy weather to finish our visit. The cool weather allowed me to get on 22 different rides! I was also able to take a look at many new things coming to the park this season! I am looking forward to my next visit in two weeks!

Be sure to check out photos of our day at Canada's Wonderland! 🙂🎢 

It was a sunny, but cool start for my first visit of the 2026 season!

The park wasn't too busy with there mostly being a few school groups and the guests like ourselves!

It was nice seeing Wonder Mountain again since my last visit to Winterfest just a few days before Christmas.

Our first ride of the day was on AlpenFury! We only waited about 10 minutes once it opened!

Up next was a ride on The Fly! Here's an abstract view of this fun wild mouse coaster!

Afterwards we rode Vortex, which was riding great as usual! It is celebrating 35 years of thrills in 2026!

We then took flight on The Bat which was a walk-on!

While walking through the queue of The Bat, we noticed this new structure under it's lift hill was built during the off-season. It replaced a smaller structure.

We then walked over to Drop Tower for a 227 foot freefall!

Here's a view of Speed City Raceway that is boarded off and closed for this season. It'll be interesting to see if it returns in some form, or is removed for something new.

While in line for Drop Tower, we saw maintenance at Wilde Beast transferring the purple train onto the track.

While in line for Leviathan, I noticed the wheel assemblies for the old trains of Flight Deck are currently being stored in the station of Speed City Raceway.

After a total of six rides in one hour, we headed over to Lazy Bear Lodge for our first meal of the day. The menu at Lazy Bear Lodge had changed for this year. While I am happy to see the smashed potato side was improved, the serving portion was very small! Also, the chicken drumsticks (new) were very small.

Mighty Canadian Minebuster is receiving a retrack by the Gravity Group on it's final journey, which includes the helix! I can't wait to ride it again as last year's retracking was amazing!

After lunch, we took a ride on Behemoth. Both Behemoth and Leviathan were operating with only two trains. It appears the third trains of both coasters were still being worked on as pieces of Leviathan's third train was sitting near Behemoth.

After a ride on Behemoth and Backlot Stunt Coaster, we walked through Grande World Expo of 1890 to see the progress of The DareDeviler. For those that don't know, Flight Deck is being transformed into The DareDeviler for 2206 with a new paint scheme and new (to Canada's Wonderland) trains manufactured by Vekoma! The new trains will provide a smoother experience. Here's one of the trains going on a test run today!

While Swing of the Century is 45 years old this year (along with the park), it got an update that parents with small children, friends, and couples will enjoy!

New are sets of double seat frames that allow people to ride together! When I heard the news about this addition, I was worried about it reducing capacity. Luckily that wasn't the case as there are still 48 seats on Swing of the Century!

Here's a promotional signage of The DareDeviler coming this summer!

When completed, the golden track and green-blue supports will look awesome and fit in well with the Grande World Expo theme!

There's still a lot of grey to cover up! But that will soon happen once the weather warms up and it stops raining. It was nice to see one of the new trains test twice during today's visit!

Time Warp's old plot looked roughly the same as it did last year. But the station building is now home to Winterfest props for now!

Recently the signage to Kingswood Music Theatre was removed. The old amphitheater is still standing, but for how much longer?

As mentioned on the Canada's Wonderland website, the Grande World Eatery will be opening for another season this summer. I suspect that will tie in with the re-opening of The DareDeviler, which does sport the colours of the Grande World Eatery.

The BeaverTails location on International Street has been moved to the southwest corner of International Street near Pizza Pizza. This location was previously home to La Cantina. The BeaverTails previous location within the Sweet Shoppe on International Street is being remodeled and transformed into the Sweet Spot.

Here's a look at the former location of the Sweet Shoppe. The branding and naming of the Sweet Spot is more in line with candy retail locations at other Six Flags properties. I am excited to see this retail location refreshed as it was long over due!

The former BeaverTails location and the Popcorn/fudge/nuts serving counter have been closed in with large glass windows.

With the Sweet Spot transformation, these large decorative candy pieces have been set up nearby the Medieval Faire entrance. They're definitely eye-catching! The new Sweet Spot is set to open this summer.

The clouds rolled in during the afternoon. During our second visit of Medieval Faire during our visit, Scott and I rode Dragon Fyre and Spinovator together and then I took a ride on Riptide.

We then ventured our way over to Planet Snoopy and Kidzville to ride Ghoster Coaster (45 years of operation), Snoopy's Racing Railway, Taxi Jam, Silver Streak(25 years of operation), and Flying Eagles (10 years of operation🤯). 

Here's my mom posing with Lucy!

As we walked throughout the park we looked at the freshly repainted Snoopy's Space Race and Snoopy Vs. Red Baron. It's nice to see these original children's rides getting some love. Character Carousel also got some attention too with a new paint job for the floor.

Snoopy's Racing Railway is a very fun family launch coaster!

Since there was no line, we got on Taxi Jam! The airtime in the back gets me every time!😂

It looks like a new Coca-Cola refresh station is going to open in KidzVille next to the Maple Park Treehouse play area.

After walking through Planet Snoopy and Kidzville, we continued through Frontier Canada to get rides on Tundra Twister and Yukon Striker as both had temporarily closed earlier in the day. It is interesting to see that the second inner seat on all rows on Tundra Twister have been removed for now. I don't know the reason for this, but just hope it's nothing major.

While riding Tundra Twister today, I got a good high above the ground upside down stall while riding!

After Tundra Twister, it was on to Yukon Striker and Antique Carousel. Afterwards, it was time for our second meal of the day. I hadn't ordered a meal from King's Feast since its remodel a while back (two+ seasons ago?), so it was time for me to check it out. I ordered two beef sliders with a side of fries. Both were very tasty, but yet again the portion size was disappointing. It appears portions have shrunk at all dining locations in the park this year.

After the meal from King's Feast, I took a ride on Shockwave. Today's cycle seemed less intense than some of the cycles I had on it in previous years.

Scott and I then got in line for Thunder Run. It's always a fun time!

We then took another ride on Drop Tower before heading out for the day.

Here we are having a great day back at the park! 

Well, that concludes my first visit of the 2026 season at Canada's Wonderland! This season, the park's 45th anniversary is shaping up to be a great year with many renovations and infrastructure improvements happening around everywhere around the park! I look forward to returning again in a couple of weeks! Thanks for checking out my photos!🙂🎢

Six Flags Great Adventure - April 10th to 12th, 2026

 From April 10th to 12th, Scott and I travelled to New Jersey for a weekend of fun at Six Flags Great Adventure!

We had a great weekend at Six Flags Great Adventure, taking in many rides thanks to short lines, enjoying great meals thanks to our all-parks dining plan, and experiencing the Wild Safari at the park! The weather was perfect too, with no rain in the forecast as that can sometimes be difficult to avoid in April.

Also during our visit, I was able to see the changes made at the park since my previous visits in 2018 and 2024, ride the new-for 2025 The Flash Vertical Velocity roller coaster, see what is coming later in 2026, and seeing the "project purple" coaster under construction coming in 2027!

Scott thoroughly enjoyed his first-ever visit to the park and looks forward to returning in the future! I am glad we continue to visit different amusement parks together each April! 😊

One final thing I would like to mention for anyone who purchased/renewed a Six Flags Gold Pass with all-park access during the MVP sale last summer is to please be patient and courteous to the employees of Six Flags Great Adventure (and other Six Flags parks) as there are potentially errors with these passes causing them to temporarily not work upon your visit to the park. While this was a minor inconvenience for us when we arrived at Six Flags Great Adventure on Friday evening, the issues with our Gold Passes with all-park access were quickly resolved by Guest Services employees for our visit on Saturday, with parking, park admission, and our dining plan working without any issues! I applaud them for correcting the situation promptly and offering us complimentary admission and dining voucher for our visit on Friday evening while they resolved the issue! 😊

Be sure to enjoy photos of our weekend getaway to Six Flags Great Adventure!

Friday, April 10th:

After a 9 hour drive on April 10th, Scott and I arrived at Six Flags Great Adventure for the last two hours of the day as the park closed at 8pm.

From the parking lot, we got our first glimpse of the "Project Purple" roller coaster!

It was nice to be back at Six Flags Great Adventure as quite a bit had changed in the past two years from merger of amusement park companies, ride removals, and ride additions!

After going to Guest Services regarding the issues we encountered with our Gold passes, we were finally on our way to get a meal and walk around the park for the last hour the park was open for the day!

Here's a look at The Flash: Vertical Velocity as the sun was beginning to set! This Vekoma Super Boomerang opened at the park in 2025. We took a ride on it the following day!

As our Gold Passes weren't working Friday evening, we were given a meal voucher. We both ordered a burger and fries combo from Johnny Rockets on Main Street. While I am not necessarily a huge fan of restaurant chains in amusement parks, this burger and fries combo was absolutely delicious! It matched that of Johnny Rocket locations I have eaten at over the years! 🙂

After our meal at Johnny Rockets, we took in a ride on the Giant Wheel!

Back in 2024, the Giant Wheel was being refurbished for the park's 50th anniversary! This refurbishment included a repaint as well as a new light package! It is hard to believe that this Schwarzkopf manufactured gondola wheel is 52 years old! The park did a great job on its refurbishment!

Here's a look at Jersey Devil Coaster and Batman The Ride during sunset from the Giant Wheel.

You can get a great view of Nitro from the Giant Wheel.

Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth has a spectacular light package!

Here's a complete view of The Flash: Vertical Velocity as seen from the Giant Wheel!

Despite the wind gusts, the SkyScreamer was whirling riders 240 feet above the ground!

Here's another look at The Flash: Vertical Velocity.

Here's a look at the "project purple" coaster under construction as seen from the Giant Wheel.

The Flash: Vertical Velocity has lights on its train at night!

Here's Scott and I on the Giant Wheel.

The Giant Wheel looks spectacular at night!

Saturday, April 11th:

After a good night's rest, we arrived at Six Flags Great Adventure before opening time on Saturday! Our Gold passes worked without a hitch!

Our first ride of the day on Saturday was The Flash: Vertical Velocity, located in the Movie Town section of the park! I was greatly looking to riding this roller coaster as it was nearing the end of construction during my last visit in June 2024!

The Flash: Vertical Velocity is a Super Boomerang manufactured by Vekoma! It features a narrow layout which the train launches through its two inversions, only to do it again backwards! The narrow layout of The Flash: Vertical Velocity has its two vertical spikes placed behind each other on the same support column!

One of my favourite parts of The Flash: Vertical Velocity is the stalled Immelmann inversion! The momentary hangtime after the initial launch is really fun!

Here's Scott and I after experiencing The Flash: Vertical Velocity! We both greatly enjoyed it as it was both thrilling and extremely smooth! It is now my favourite shuttle coaster (non-full circuit) to date! The free storage lockers in the queue to store your belongings in while you ride was a nice bonus too!

After an amazing ride on The Flash: Vertical Velocity, we took a spin on Justice League: Battle for Metropolis! It is still one of my favourite modern day interactive dark rides as it uses a combination of motion and 3D screens! This was Scott's first time riding Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. He didn't know what to expect, but ended up really enjoying it due to the reasons I mentioned above! It caught him by surprise!

While still in Movie Town, we took a ride on The Dark Knight, the indoor wild mouse coaster!
It appears the props located inside have been turned off since my last visit, making it a very dark and disorienting ride!

As articles can not be left on the platform on The Dark Knight, The Joker, Jersey Devil Coaster, and Nitro, Scott and I took up on the offer of renting an all-day moveable locker for $10. It worked out well during our visit on Saturday as we were able to virtually move the rental to different locker locations throughout the park during the day, safely and securely storing our personal belongings (camera and cell phones)!

With our all-day moveable locker rental, we were able to then ride Jersey Devil Coaster, an RMC single rail roller coaster! 

Jersey Devil Coaster is a fun single rail roller coaster featuring many moments of airtime and three inversions within its 3,000 foot layout! I was glad to see it was operating with two trains, which kept the line moving, unlike during my visit two years ago!

Scott really enjoyed the layout of the Jersey Devil Coaster, but found the restraints to be a bit uncomfortable. 

Here's a look at the 2026 park map of Six Flags Great Adventure. The newly reimagined Boardwalk section will be coming in late-Spring of 2026!

After a thrilling ride on Jersey Devil Coaster, we grabbed lunch at Granny's Country Kitchen in Adventure Alley.

Our first meals of the day using our all-park dining plan was the boneless chicken legs with a side of seasoned waffle fries, and a corn muffin! It was a very delicious meal as the sauce on the chicken legs had a sweet smoky flavour, the waffle fries were crispy and tasty, and the corn muffin was fresh! I feel like I've mentioned this before, but more parks should serve corn muffins with meals!

I've always loved the facade of the original buildings at Six Flags Great Adventure! Too bad the decorative trim lights no longer work on Granny's Country Kitchen. Maybe with all the refurbishments happening around the park, this will be something we will see return in the future!

After the park's 50th anniversary in 2024, the Great Adventure lion sign as relocated behind the Giant Wheel in Adventure Alley.

After a delicious meal at Granny's Country Kitchen, Scott and I took a spin on The Joker! As it was Scott's first time on a 4-D spinning coaster, he wasn't quite prepared for the forces produced by the coaster's flips! He soon discovered that the moving in your seat while the seats flip only added to the thrill of The Joker! 😂

After a hilarious ride on The Joker, we made our way over to the Wild Safari. On our way over, we walked along Dream Street passing under the former sign structure of the Golden Kingdom, a section that existed at the park from 2005 to 2024. The removal of Kingda Ka after the 2024 season saw the removal of the Golden Kingdom.

I do like the sign as Dream Street is an original section of the park, but its placement as you walk towards Frontier Adventures is a bit confusing as this is the physical end of Dream Street.

As it was Spring Break for school children in the area, there were many high energy shows around the park. One of them was the Safari Spring Break Celebration show. It featured performers wearing safari styled costumes as they sang and danced to many well-known songs!

While on our way to experience the Wild Safari via the boarding station in Frontier Adventures, I took a moment to look at the refurbished Saw Mill Log Flume. I am really happy to see the Saw Mill Log Flume return to Six Flags Great Adventure this season with its new coat of paint and other repairs as it is a staple ride at the park!

Included with park admission, the Six Flags Wild Safari is a neat safari experience that showcases many animals from six continents! The in-park entrance for Wild Safari is located in Frontier Adventures next to the Saw Mill Log Flume and Best of the West restaurant.

Here's an artist rendition of the Wild Safari. 

While queuing for the Wild Safari, you can get decent views of the Runaway Mine Train. 

Here's one of the Safari trucks taking a group of passengers to the Wild Safari! 

Medusa can also be seen from the queue for Wild Safari! 

After a somewhat lengthy wait, it was our turn to experience the 30-minute journey through the Wild Safari! 

The journey through the Wild Safari starts with a drive through The Americas section featuring wildlife from North and South America. 

Here are some greater rheas of South America. 

Up next is the Afrikka section, featuring wildlife of Africa. 

Here is an African Bush Elephant. 

These Southern white rhinoceroses also call the Wild Safari home. 

Although not native to Africa, the Asian water buffalo are located in the Afrikka section of the Wild Safari. 

Up next, the safari truck took us through the Wilde Plains section of the Wild Safari! 

Wilde Plains is home to many Blackbuck as they are seen grazing here. 

It is also home to the white-bearded gnu. 

Here is a herd of Reticulated Giraffes, which also call the Wilde Plains of the Wild Safari home. 

I found it interesting how they walk freely in front of the truck. 

Here's another photo of the giraffes with the Ankole cattle hanging out behind. 

Wilde Plains also features scimitar-horned oryx. 

Off in the distance are some zebras. 

At the back of the Wild Safari is the Savannah Sunset Resort and Spa where guests can book a two-night stay to get closer to some of the animals at the Wildlife Safari, including the feeding of giraffes. 

Moving along we head to the Serengeti Grasslands. 

Here are some Sable antelope hanging about. 

Here's one of many ostriches in the Wild Safari. 

Kingsland is home to the African Lion. 

Six Flags Great Adventure's Wild Safari is home to many lions. 

Here's a look at a younger male lion growing its mane. 

We then headed off to Black Bear Ridge. 

Black Bear Ridge is home to none other than black bears. They were playing in their enclosure. 

Up next is Terra Ursus, home to the European Brown Bear. 

When not chasing off intruding geese, these brown bears are on the lookout of their next meal. 

Located between Terra Ursus and Didgeridoo Pass is the Conservation area featuring wetlands home to many species native to North America. 

Didgeridoo Pass is home to Red Kangaroos, the largest kangaroos of their kind! 

They sure love to lounge about! 

The final stretch of the 30 minute journey through the Wild Safari is Tigris Asiana. Both Bengal and Siberian Tigers can be found here. 

Here are some tigers in an enclosure. 

They came close to the fence of their enclosure as the truck drove by. 

This tiger was taking it easy by relaxing in the shade! 

After the 30-minute journey through the Wild Safari, Scott and I rode Medusa and the Runaway Mine Train.
This view does look quite different without Kingda Ka! But, I am excited to see what the park has planned for the near-future!

Some of those future plans include the renovation of the Boardwalk, which is set to be completed in late-Spring of this year. The middle section of games have been removed during the off-season The Boardwalk will be renamed Shoreline Pier at the Boardwalk and will include new rides and attractions.

Here's the logo for the newly renamed Shoreline Pier at the Boardwalk.

Construction is happening beyond the walls for not only the newly renovated Shoreline Pier at the Boardwalk section, but also for "project purple" too!

"Project purple" is going to be a world-record breaking launch coaster when it debuts in 2027!

I really like the look of the purple track and grey supports! I can't wait to see it all come together!

For our second meal of the day, we went to the Yum Yum Cafe. I ordered the hand battered chicken tenders with a side of Mac and cheese. The chicken tenders were really good and the Mac and cheese was great, and that is high praise for someone who isn't a huge fan of Mac and cheese!

Scott ordered a thick slice of pepperoni pizza with garlic sticks. They were also quite flavorful!

Yum Yum Cafe is another great place with a wonderful facade to eat at the park!

After another great meal, we rode the Carousel.

The Carousel looked really fresh and new with the paint job it received over the off-season for America's 250th anniversary this year! It's looking great for being 145 years old!

As the evening went on, the sun began to lower.

Blossoms were in full bloom around the park.

Up next was a ride on the Harley Quinn Crazy Train.

Harley Quinn Crazy Train is a fun roller coaster for guests of all ages!

As Scott hadn't been on a Zierer Tivoli Large coaster before, he couldn't believe how long the train was! 20 cars does keep the line moving!

Last time when I was at Six Flags Great Adventure, this plot was a former remote control boat pool. I love what they have done with the plot of land, making it fit in better with the pirate theme of the back half of Adventure Alley!

Up next was a ride on Skull Mountain, an indoor Intamin family coaster that opened at the park 30 years ago. Last time I rode it, it had a disco theme. Now you just ride in complete darkness, which adds to the thrill of Skull Mountain!

Our final ride of the evening was a ride on Nitro! This Bolliger and Mabillard Hyper Coaster is celebrating 25 years in 2026! It still delivers a smooth ride with airtime and fast turns thanks to its semi-twister layout!

When the sun goes down, Six Flags Great Adventure comes to life with many lights on the rides!

I love how there are lights on the train of The Flash: Vertical Velocity! It makes for an amazing visual!

The Giant Wheel looks absolutely stunning with its new light package!

The fountain on Main Street looks beautiful at night!

Sunday, April 12th: 

Sunday morning (April 12th) started off somewhat breezy and cool. We knew Batman The Ride would be closed for maintenance all weekend, but were hoping Superman Ultimate Flight would open. Sadly that wasn't the case. So, Scott will need to wait a bit longer to ride his first Batman model and B&M Flying Coaster. I did assure him that they are great roller coasters when operating! Another unique ride that Scott was unable to experience was Houndi's Great Escape as it too was down for maintenance.

As we were let in a few minutes early, we waited at the security hold rope dropped on Main Street. Once the park opened at 10:30am, we made our way over to The Flash: Vertical Velocity!

I truly feel starting your day off on The Flash Vertical Velocity is a great way to start your day at Six Flags Great Adventure!

Up next was a morning ride on Giant Wheel.

Here's another view of Shoreline Pier at The Boardwalk and "Project Purple" construction as seen from the Giant Wheel.

It was nice having a clear view of the park as during my last two visits, the leaves on the trees were fully out!

I do hope the facade of Skull Mountain gets some love as the waterfall feature and jaw on the skull are currently gone.

The Joker was providing some late morning thrills!

After a ride on the Giant Wheel, we noticed Sylvester and Tweety at the front gate, so we got a photo with them!

Up next I took a spin on the SkyScreamer! Scott sat out on this one as he isn't a fan of these types of rides!

Somewhere in this photo I am whirling 240 feet above the ground! I just love Star Flyer rides such as the SkyScreamer!

Up next, we rode the Jolly Roger. I forgot how fun it is as I haven't rode it since 2018! It's a good flat ride for all ages.

We then returned to Harley Quinn Crazy Train for another round of high lateral fun thanks to its double helixes!

Here's one of the stiltwalkers from the Spring Break Safari Celebration Show. I wish more Six Flags parks would have live entertainers.

For lunch on Sunday, Scott and I went to the Best of the West restaurant tucked behind the Sawmill Log Flume in the Frontier Adventures section.

It has a nice Wild west theme with indoor dining. This was the first time I had been inside during one of my visits.

We both ordered pulled pork sandwiches with a side of tater tots and corn bread. The sandwich was a little bit too dry for my liking. The tater tots had a flaky batter which was great!

After lunch, we took a spin on the Runaway Mine Train. It runs really fast in cooler weather!

I then took a ride on El Toro! It is just as relentless as I remembered it from years ago! Luckily El Toro was very smooth this time as it received some track work during the off-season!

El Toro is celebrating 20 years of thrills in 2026!

Here's Scott posing with Petunia and Porky! I love how all the Looney Tunes characters are dressed on Safari outfits!

For about $25, Scott and I were able to take ride on Slingshot with our season pass discount! It's a really great deal as most parks charge that for each rider and not a single price for both riders! I hope Canada's Wonderland takes note!

After being launched nearly 220 feet into the air, we then took a spin on the Fender Benders bumper cars in Adventure Alley.

We then rode the Scrambler. Last time I rode this, it was known as DejaVu and played music from the 70s and 80s. Sadly the music is gone, but the ride is still fun.

Afterwards, we walked over to Nitro for another amazing ride, followed by another ride on The Dark Knight!

Here's myself and Scott hanging out in the park! It was a beautiful day!

There is a lovely garden space next to The Flash: Vertical Velocity. It is a peaceful spot with many benches and shade from the trees.

Watching The Flash: Vertical Velocity is just as fun as riding it!

Our final ride of the day was on the Enchanted Tea Cups located in the Fantasy Forest section along Dream Street. These Tea Cups were manufactured by Zamperla and were added to the park in 1996. They spin quite well even when you don't touch the turn table much!

Before heading out, we redeemed our second meal at the Main Street Pub.

While the wings and fries looked good, they were unfortunately dry and cold. Maybe we ordered at a bad time.

Well, that is a look at our weekend getaway to Six Flags Great Adventure! The upcoming additions at the park are very exciting! We had a great time and look forward to returning again one day in the future! 😄