Six Flags Darien Lake - August 14th and 15th, 2019

For two days (August 14th and 15th), my Mom and I were at Six Flags Darien Lake, taking in some of the best thrills of Western New York!

Since our last visit to the park in May, the operations and implementation of the Six Flags point of sales system had greatly improved. There were no issues with redeeming any of my benefits on my Six Flags Membership card, unlike the time before. Luckily for us, the park wasn't too busy so the wait times for rides were relatively minimal, including the new for 2019 ride, the Six Flags Sky Screamer!

Our two day visit was definitely fun, so be sure to check out the photos from both days below!

Shortly after we arrived, the front gate had opened for the day. While we were waiting for the rope drop, I noticed Six Flags members get early ride times on the park's top attractions, so I took advantage of that. I was able to ride the Ride of Steel and Moto Coaster before the park opened at 10:30am. 

After the rest of the park opened, I headed over to The Predator, to catch a ride on it as it had evaded me on my two other visits.

After a relatively short wait, I was able to ride the Predator, the park's wooden roller coaster that opened in 1990. If you look closely, you can see me seated in the front row of the second car.

While the Predator is known to be notoriously rough, the Predator had been retracked in certain parts along the course of the ride in May. It is nice to see that Six Flags has taken care of this wooden roller coaster since they came back to operate the park.

With the retracking done in some spots, the Predator gave a decent ride with quite a bit of airtime! I would ride it two more times in the second car throughout my trip.

After getting a ride on the Predator, I went sky high on Blast Off, the park's S&S Space Shot tower. 

Blast Off sends passengers 180 feet into the air in a matter of seconds thanks to its compressed air tanks. While it is a short ride, it definitely provides a rush of excitement!

The new for 2019 Six Flags Sky Screamer was definitely visible throughout the park thanks to its height of 240 feet!

Since I saw it operating, I decided to give it a ride. With the combination of the height and the speed of the rotation of the swings, it provided quite a thrill and a view! 

Prior to riding the Six Flags Sky Screamer at Six Flags Darien Lake, I had rode a few other Sky Screamer (Funtime Star Flyer) rides at a few other Six Flags parks. This one was very enjoyable like the rest! It made a great addition to the park.

There were many ducks nearby the Midway Marina attraction which is situated on Fun Lake at Six Flags Darien Lake.

After taking a paddle around on Fun Lake in one of the paddle boats available for rental, I decided to ride the Grizzly Run, the park's River Rapids ride. It surprisingly provided a soaking experience as passengers flow down a concrete channel in a nine-passenger raft while passing through rapids and waterfalls. It was quite refreshing nonetheless!

Here are some other park guests enjoying the relaxing pace of a paddle boat on Fun Lake. For $10 ($5 per person), my Mom and I were able to take a 30 minute spin on the lake in a paddle boat, allowing us to see a different view of Six Flags Darien Lake.

I think more parks should have a paddle boat up charge attraction such as the Midway Marina as it provides a relaxing ride for visitors of all ages.

With the sun shining bright, I took a ride on Shipwreck Falls, Six Flags Darien Lake's shoot-the-chutes splash boat ride. it was quite soaking, but not as soaking as others that I have been on.

Here is a boat of 20 passengers plunging down the hill into the water below, creating a splash for those waiting on the newly-rebuilt bridge above the flume.

The Predator, along with many other wooden roller coasters is quite photogenic.

The fountain in front of The Emporium gift shop was gleaming beautifully in the early evening sun. 

Here is my Mom and I sitting in front of one of the many beautiful flowerbeds found throughout the park.

There's nothing like an evening paddle on Fun Lake at Six Flags Darien Lake.

As the sun began to set, it made the roller coasters (Ride of Steel and Predator) turn in to appealing silhouettes.

A load of passengers on the Predator is about to head off into the sunset.

With nightfall arriving, some of the park's rides came to life, such as the Six Flags Sky Screamer. Its array of LED lights made it stand out at night! 

With the sun setting, I decided to get in line for the Six Flags Sky Screamer. Once on board, it was significantly darker, ultimately making the ride standout even more. Riding at night is definitely quite an experience!

The moon appeared to be full as it loomed over the park.

Here's the Scrambler dizzying passengers under the night sky!

Its neighbour across the way, Lasso, was also giving rides after dark.

Atop the Six Flags Sky Screamer is the Six Flags logo attached to a globe. All that could be seen at night is the words "Six Flags".

At the end of each night (weather permitting) is the Ignite the Night show, located near the Boomerang. My Mom and I decided to see what it was all about since we had never seen it before!

The show began at 9:40pm with laser lights and fire works, accompanied by music and a projection screen.

Many popular tunes of old and new were being played as laser lights went over the crowds watching the show.

The crowd sure was enjoying the show!

The use of various screen projections and laser lights made the show quite spectacular.

Fireworks being shot up into the sky also made the show quite spectacular!

These flat laser light projections that scanned over the audience were quite cool.

The wave of laser lights shining against the fog created the illusion of low lying clouds.

The computer graphic projections were also a nice touch, adding to the overall experience of the show.

Some projections, along with the laser lights were quite an illusion to the eye.

Queen's "We Will Rock You" song used the combination of laser lights, projections, and fire! Unfortunately I didn't capture the fire, but there is a shot of another fire explosion further down.

Here are some more laser light visualizations!

Here's a combination of laser lights and fireworks.

Here is a fireball explosion I was talking about earlier! It sure was huge and bright when it first went off!

Near the end of the performance, they had a Salute to Canada presentation, which consisted of Tim Hortons and other stereotypical Canadian things. It was then followed by a Salute to the USA performance.

At around 10 minutes after 10pm, the Ignite the Night laser show had finished. It was sure quite the way to end a great day at Six Flags Darien Lake! Continue on to see photos of our second day at the park!

After a good night's rest at a nearby hotel, it was time to start day two of our trip! The morning started nice and bright! Early ride times for Six Flags members consisted of the Ride of Steel, Lasso, and Grande Carousel.

After the early ride time for Six Flags Members, I quickly ventured over to Tantrum after the park opened. The Tantrum was added to the park in 2018 and is quite thrilling with its combination of inversions and compact track. It still packs a punch like it did when I had first rode it many times during our last visit in May.

In this photo, you can see me with my hands up before diving down the 90 degree drop!

The Six Flags Sky Screamer was sending passengers 240 feet into the air throughout the day! Guests of Six Flags Darien Lake appeared to be greatly enjoy this amazing ride!

While Six Flags Darien Lake is home to some very thrilling rides and attractions, it also has some quiet spots where you can relax for a while. One of those locations is behind the Boardwalk section of the park.

Here is the sign of quality on the Lasso, the park's Wave Swinger ride which was manufactured by Zierer and opened at the park in 1981. This detail is surprisingly still on the back panel of this beautiful ride after all these years.

Blast Off allows passengers to show various facial expressions as they prepare to launch 180 feet into the sky!

The Boomerang's colours are quite basic, but they really pop out, especially when the sun shines on it!

Guests of all ages can enjoy a relaxing ride on the gas powered Tin Lizzy's antique car ride.

Here is another shot of one of the many beautiful flowerbeds at Six Flags Darien Lake.

Here's a delicious Perry's Ice Cream caramel sundae topped with whipped cream and a cherry, served in a waffle cone bowl.

The MotoCoaster is a fun compact launched roller coaster. Luckily I was able to ride it a couple of times during our visit.

Here I am after another successful and thrilling ride on the MotoCoaster. 

Here is an interesting view of a trainload of passengers going through the batwing inversion on the Viper.

The ducks sure like to swarm around paddle boaters as they paddle around the lake!

After catching another ride on the Six Flags Sky Screamer, a rainbow had appeared from the dark clouds to the south of the park.

Here is my Mom and I enjoying a great evening at Six Flags Darien Lake. After this photo was taken, I manged to get on Ride of Steel one last time before a storm quickly came over the park!

After the storm had passed, the rides reopened for the remaining 30 minutes of the park's operations. Riding the Ride of Steel before the storm hit was a great way to end another great trip to Six Flags Darien Lake. I'll be leaving you with a photo of the classic Haymaker as we were heading towards the park exit.

Based on this trip and the one from May, I look forward to visiting Six Flags Darien Lake again next year! Thank you for reading about our amazing time! :-)