Six Flags Great Adventure - June 8th and 9th, 2024

 From June 8th to June 13th, my Mom and I went on a road trip visiting four amusement parks in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Two of the amusement parks, Six Flags Great Adventure and Dorney Park I had previously visited, whereas HersheyPark and Kennywood were both new to me!

Below are photos of our time spent at Six Flags Great Adventure on the evening of June 8th and all day on June 9th! It was great being back since our last visit six years ago! 

Following an 8+ hour drive, we checked into our hotel then headed over to Six Flags Great Adventure for our first visit in almost six years!

From the parking lot, the skyline of the park had changed a bit with the recent construction of Flash: Vertical Velocity.

The 2024 season marks Six Flags Great Adventure's 50th anniversary as the park opened on July 1st, 1974 by Warner LeRoy, the original owner of Great Adventure.

Luckily Superman Ultimate Flight was operating during my visit as I didn't get to ride it in 2018 as it was closed both days.

Two years ago, a new security entrance structure to Six Flags Great Adventure was built. It looks very nice!

Here are the vertical towers on Flash: Vertical Velocity! Before my visit to Six Flags Great Adventure, I was aware that it would not be operating as it was only just built prior to my visit. It gives me a reason to return in the future as it is the first Vekoma Super Boomerang coaster in North America!

Here is a map of Six Flags Great Adventure for the 2024 season.

Since it is Six Flags Great Adventure's 50th anniversary, the park reintroduced the lion sign that used to stand out at the road during the park's early years. I love it when parks do these things!

I love it how compact the new Vekoma Super Boomerang coasters are! I'm sure Flash: Vertical Velocity will be a thrilling addition when it opens this summer!

Unfortunately the Giant Wheel was closed during our visit as it was undergoing a much needed refurbishment for its 50th anniversary!

In celebration of the Great Adventure's 50th anniversary, the park added small side shows such as the Tone Travelers, showcasing songs through the decades.

My main reason for visiting Six Flags Great Adventure this time around was to ride the Jersey Devil Coaster, a single rail RMC coaster that opened in 2021!

Unfortunately during this visit, the Jersey Devil Coaster was operating with only one train, making the wait to be approximately one hour on this busy Saturday evening.

But I can thankfully say the wait was worth it as the layout of the Jersey Devil Coaster is filled with tons of airtime and snappy inversions!

Throughout the park, there are many signs of Great Adventure's 50th anniversary!

On Dream Street, the park added a timeline showing many additions to Six Flags Great Adventure over the years.

The boardwalk section was still looking really good since my first visit to Great Adventure. The only difference this time was the Parachute tower was retired sometime over the last few years. Luckily I was able to ride it in 2018 as it was a neat ride!

To my surprise, the Twister, the last Huss Top Spin in the US is still operating! I love this ride as it continuously flips you upside down five or six times!

As mentioned earlier, Superman Ultimate Flight was closed during my first visit to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2018. Luckily it was open this time! It rode very well, just like Superman Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Great America did last summer. I love how forceful the pretzel loop is! This Superman Ultimate Flight became my 147th roller coaster!

Here's the Twister flipping passengers upside down under the evening sun!

Here's a Philly cheesesteak sandwich I had in the Boardwalk section. It was quite tasty and the fries were crispy.

I believe the Carousel's structure had received a repaint for the park's 50th anniversary. It looked very nice!

Unfortunately El Toro was not operating very much (if at all) during my visit. I really enjoyed the airtime on it six years ago. Also, Zumanjaro Drop Of Doom (attached to Kingda Ka) was also not operating either. All I can say is that I am thankful I got to ride them in 2018.

The Sawmill Log Flume was also closed during this visit as it undergoes a major refurbishment.

I finished the evening by riding the SkyScreamer, taking in the views of the lighted up rides down below.

Here's a photo of my Mom and I before heading out.

Sunday morning started out somewhat rainy, with on and off showers through noon.

I'll say it again how I love that the park brought this sign back for the 50th anniversary!

Between the rain showers, Porky and Petunia made an appearance. In honour of Great Adventure's 50th anniversary, supervisors and many of the park's costumed characters were wearing replicas of the original uniforms that employees wore when the park first opened. Petunia was wearing a skirt with the park's original colours.

Once the rides opened, I went over to Kingda Ka, getting on the first train of the day! The anticipation for the launch is still very intense! Afterwards I took a ride on Green Lantern in the rain!

On my way over to Nitro, it went down for a little while, so I took the time to ride the Roaring Rapids river rapids ride. Roaring Rapids opened with the park in 1981. In 1991, it was renamed Congo Rapids, a name it held until earlier this year! There seemed to be more rapids this time since my last visit in 2018!

Before getting on Nitro, I captured this photo of Batman The Ride. I would take a ride on it after riding Nitro.

Nitro still rides amazingly well like it had in 2018! The twisted pops of airtime are really fun! I would like to mention that Kara, a ride operator at Nitro was extremely enthusiastic and appeared to really like her job! 😊

Here is another look at the new-for-2024 Flash: Vertical Velocity. Unfortunately, Cyborg Cyberspin was closed due to the construction of Flash: Vertical Velocity. It was new when I visited in 2018 and provided many flips.

The year after I made my first visit to Great Adventure, Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth debuted. It is a Zamperla Giant Discovery ride. For some reason its swings were a bit rough compared to other Zamperla Giant Discovery rides I have been on.

Here is my Mom and I taking a spin on the classic 1881 Frederick Savage Carousel. As you may know, it travelled England and Europe long before coming to Great Adventure.

Here is a closeup of a bit of the historical timeline in honour of the park's 50th anniversary! I really enjoy looking at historical photos of amusement parks.

The Runaway Mine Train has been operating since the park opened in 1974. It provides a rather wild ride for an Arrow Mine Train coaster. I made sure to ride it a few times during this visit as I really enjoyed it six years ago!

In the Frontier Adventures section, there was some live music performed by the Saw Mil Duo. it made the area much more livelier!

To my surprise, the Runaway Mine Train never really had a line as it (unfortunately) is one of a few coasters currently operating with two trains.

During my previous visit, Medusa was known as Bizarro. For the 2021 season, the Medusa name and theme came back with a green and orange colour scheme! The World's first floorless continues to ride well, despite operating with only one train during my visit.

On Sunday afternoon, the Flash! Bang! Brass! Band was playing sounds of many DC Comics character theme songs. They were very good!

Unfortunately the Skyway skyride at Six Flags Great Adventure was closed during our visit. rom what I understand, it has been closed for a few years now. It's a shame as it provides a nice relaxing view of the park. Hopefully it makes a return one day!

My second last ride of the day was on the SkyScreamer! I know quite a few people don't like these rides, but I really enjoy them!

Here's my Mom and I after a fun Sunday at Six Flags Great Adventure! Up next is our visit to Dorney Park! 🙂

Off-ride video of Twister:

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 1974. 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!