Six Flags Great Adventure- July 7th, 2018

From July 5th to July 9th, my Mom and I had visited four amusement parks in the US Northeast, those being Great Escape (Six Flags), Six Flags New England, Six Flags Great Adventure (Day 3 & Day 4), and Knoebels.

Day Three- July 7th, 2018:

On the morning of the 7th, we drove 3 and a half hours to visit Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. In 1972, New York Business man, Warner LeRoy began creating plans for an amusement park in New Jersey. Construction for Great Adventure began shortly after, with the park opening a couple years later on July 1st, 1974. In 1978, Six Flags had acquired Great Adventure and renamed it Six Flags Great Adventure shortly thereafter the acquisition. Since then many rides and roller coasters, some with 'claims to fame' have operated or still continue to operate to this day at Six Flags Great Adventure. Also, the park takes pride in the original and earlier rides which still operate at Six Flags Great Adventure. Of interest, Six Flags Great Adventure is also home to a Safari and a water park known as Hurricane Harbor, making it billed as the 'largest theme park'.

So, be sure to buckle in as we take a look at our first visit to Six Flags Great Adventure!

After a few hours of driving we had made it to Six Flags Great Adventure!

Once inside the park, we were greeted by the a large central fountain, the Skyway, and the Joker.

My first roller coaster ride at Six Flags Great Adventure was on the Green Lantern, a stand-up coaster manufactured by B&M. In my opinion it is an amazing ride experience for a stand-up roller coaster. It was quite smooth and enjoyable.

After getting rides on the Green Lantern, Runaway Mine Train, and the Saw Mill Log Flume, it was time to conquer the World's tallest and second fastest coaster, Kingda Ka. It stands 456 feet tall and launches the 20-passenger train from 0-206 km/h (128 mph) in only 3.5 seconds, allowing for the ride to last only 28 seconds! It is very exhilarating! The Kingda Ka opened in 2005 at Six Flags Great Adventure was manufactured by Intamin.

Here is an on-ride photo of me on the Kingda Ka! 

After experiencing the Kinda Ka, the only wise decision to make was to ride the World's tallest drop tower, Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom! Zumajaro: Drop of Doom, which is connected to Kingda Ka's structure rises passengers 415 feet high and freefalls at speeds up to 140km/h (90 mph) in only 10 seconds before coming to a stop near the bottom of the tower! The Zumanjaro Drop of Doom was also manufactured by Intamin and opened in 2014.

Up next was El Toro, the world's second tallest wooden roller coaster standing tall at 181 feet with a drop of 176 feet. After descending the first drop, El Toro takes passengers on a wild ride over 4,400 feet of track reaching a maximum speed of 70 mph (112.6 km/h) lasting for only 1 minute and 40 seconds. The El Toro was manufactured by Intamin and opened at the park in 2006.

Here is one of the many airtime filled hills on the El Toro! Look at the hair go flying!

Here is a look at the entrance to El Toro.

After riding El Toro, I headed over to the back of the park to ride Bizarro. On my way over, I captured this photo of the Runaway Mine Train and the Skyway over head. Unfortunately no gondolas had passed by on the Skyway at the time of the photo.

Here is a look at the classic Saw Mill Log Flume at Six Flags Great Adventure.

The Saw Mill Log Flume, a Six Flags Great Adventure classic has been operating at the park since day one in 1974. Manufactured by Arrow, this attraction features log shaped boats, accommodating up to six passengers each, that rides through a fast paced water flume that mostly stands high above the ground. The course of the ride features many small dips and turns before going up the final hill which drops down a drop, allowing passengers to get potentially wet before arriving back to the station platform. Of note, the saw Mill Log Flume features a turntable loading platform which helps maintain a high hourly capacity, allowing the line to keep moving.

For more information about the Saw Mill Log Flume, please visit http://www.greatadventurehistory.com/The%20Log%20Flume.htm.

 

Here is the entrance to the Runaway Mine Train, an Arrow manufactured Mine Train coaster, which has called Great Adventure home since 1984. The Runaway Mine Train is a great ride for visitors of all ages to enjoy as it takes passengers on a wild mine train adventure.

Here is Bizarro, the World's first floor-less coaster manufactured by B&M. Bizarro had opened in 1999 as "Medusa", featuring vibrant highlight yellow track and purple supports, with matching passenger trains. After nearly a decade of operation as Medusa, this massive looping coaster was transformed into Bizarro, who is an evil clone of Superman. It provides a great smooth ride and it sends you head-over-heels seven times.

After a fun ride on Bizarro, I headed over to Skull Mountain. This indoor roller coaster operates completely in the dark with many twists and turns along its compact track. This Intamin manufactured coaster has been operating at the park since 1996 and is a great coaster for visitors of all ages!

Here is Nitro, a 230 foot tall hyper coaster which has been giving airtime thrills since 2001. Nitro stretches over 5,394 feet in track length, reaching speeds up to 80 mph (128.7 km/h) after the passenger train descends the first drop. Nitro features a funky colour scheme of yellow track with pink running rails and blue supports.

The Yum Yum Cafe features some of the awesome architecture from the park's early years, 44 years ago.

The Big wheel stands high above the trees at Six Flags Great Adventure.

After a very fun and awesome first day at Six Flags Great Adventure, we decided to head out for the evening. Here we are in front of the what I thought is a Bugs Bunny floral display. 

As we were heading to the car, passengers were free falling on the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom! Stay tuned as we drop in for another day of fun at Six Flags Great Adventure!