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!

Six Flags New England- July 6th, 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 Two- July 6th, 2018:

After waking up at our hotel in Enfield, Connecticut, we made our way up to Six Flags New England located in Agawam, Massachusetts. Six Flags New England features many rides and attractions within its 235 acres. The park dates back to 1870 when it was known as "Gallup's Grove" until 1886. Then from 1887 to 1911 it was known as "Riverside Grove", which saw the addition of some early mechanical rides. From 1912 to 1999, the park was then known as "Riverside Amusement Park", home to an array of thrill rides from various eras. Then at the start of the 21st century, Riverside Amusement Park was transformed into Six Flags New England. Since then, many new and exciting attractions have joined many of the classic attractions that have been at the park for many years.

Now with a little bit of history out of the way, let us move onto our day at Six Flags New England! It had started out with a downpour just before opening, which allowed for a quiet day at the park. The rain had delayed the opening of the rides by more than half an hour as they had to be dried off and tested before opening to visitors. While waiting, I had chatted with one of the park's marketing staff who was conducting surveys regarding the park. After waiting a while, the clouds began to clear and the rides had opened for the day. While there, I had rode 11 of the 12 roller coasters which operate at the park as well as many of the unique flat rides that the park has to offer. Overall, our day at Six Flags New England was amazing! I hope to get back one day soon!

Shortly after we arrived in the parking lot at Six Flags New England, some dark clouds had rolled in, causing a downpour to occur. We waited the downpour out in the car before proceeding to the main entrance of the park.

Since Six Flags New England's parking lot is across the street from the park, you can either walk to the pedestrian bridge that takes you to the main entrance, or you can take a tram, like we had.

Here is a view of the entrance to Six Flags New England from the pedestrian bridge.

After a while, the rain began to dissipate, allowing for the rides to open for the day. While waiting for the roller coasters to open, I had taken a ride on some really fast bumper cars and a Scrambler. Here is a waterfall at the base of the New England Sky Screamer.

A little over an hour after the park had opened for the day, the roller coasters had opened. My first roller coaster ride at Six Flags New England was the Wicked Cyclone. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), the Wicked Cyclone features a 109 foot 78° drop which allows the two 24-passenger trains to navigate the remainder of the 3,320 feet of twisted and airtime-filled track which contains three hair raising inversions throughout the duration of the ride. Throughout the course of the ride, the Wicked Cyclone reaches speeds up to 55 mph (88.5 km/h).

Here I am taking my first ride on the Wicked Cyclone! It was a truly amazing hybrid coaster, featuring steel track and a wooden support structure. While the Wicked Cyclone had opened in 2015, the ride structure dates back to 1983, as it was a wooden coaster known as the Cyclone, which operated until July 2014 due to reports of roughness. After it's closure, RMC came in and made it the beautiful creation it is today! Also, every time I rode Wicked Cyclone, I did so with my hands up the entire ride!

My second roller coaster ride of the day was on the spinning roller coaster, Pandemonium. This spinning roller coaster was manufactured by Gerstlauer and has been at the park since 2005, originally being named "Mr. Six's Pandemonium" for the first two seasons of operation. It was a fun spinning coaster with many turns and quick drops.

After riding the Pandemonium, we headed over towards the Flashback, the park's Vekoma Boomerang coaster. On our way over, we came across this interesting Looney Toons water fountain.

After getting on the Flashback, I headed towards Six Flags new England's classic wooden coaster, the Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt (originally known as "Cyclone") had formerly operated at the 1939/1940 New York World's Fair before arriving at the then Riverside in 1941. Since then, it has called Six Flags New England home. The Thunderbolt features 2,600 feet of wooden track, taking 24 passengers 70 feet above the ground, before dropping into the figure-eight track configuration, reaching a maximum speed of 40 mph (64 km/h). It gave a smooth ride which allowed me to ride with my hands up the entire ride!

After getting on a few more rides, it was time to ride Superman: The Ride.

Superman: The Ride had opened in 2000 and is Six Flags New England's tallest roller coaster, standing at 208 feet tall, with a drop of 221 feet.

Superman: The Ride features many airtime-filled and banked sections of track among its 5,400 feet of track as it reaches speeds up to 77 mph (124 km/h).

In addition to the airtime hills and banked curves, Superman: The Ride also features an underground tunnel with some awesome yellow neon lights, which kind of give the feeling of tunnel vision. From 2000-2008, the coaster, manufactured by Intamin was known as "Superman- Ride of Steel". For the 2009 season, the coaster received a re-theme to Superman's evil clone, Bizarro. For six years, the coaster had operated with purple and blue track, along with many special effects, including fire along certain sections of the track. For the 2016 season, the coaster's theme was reverted back to Superman, thus receiving the name "Superman: The Ride".

After taking a ride on Superman: The Ride, I ventured through the rest of Gotham City, catching a ride on the newly re-themed inverted coaster, Riddler Revenge, the park's Wild Mouse coaster, Gotham City Gauntlet Escape from Arkham Asylum, and the park's 4-D coaster, The Joker. After that, I took a ride on Six Flags New England's floor-less coaster, Batman- The Dark Knight.

Batman- The Dark Knight was manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) and opened in 2002. It features 2,600 feet of track containing five inversions which the passenger train navigates at speeds up to 55 mph (88.5 km/h) after descending from a height of 117.8 feet. Throughout the ride, your legs dangle safely above the track.

Here is one of the 28-passenger trains passing through the dive loop inversion on Batman- The Dark Knight

Here is another shot of the passenger train passing through a corkscrew inversion.

As mentioned, I had captured a ride on The Joker, a 4-D Free Spin coaster manufactured by S&S. This fun and compact coaster features single eight passenger cars with seats that freely rotate throughout the duration of the ride. Once the car dispatches from the station, the seats begin to swivel back and forth, as they ascend a 120 foot vertical lift hill. Once it reaches the top, the car then dives down a small drop, causing the seats to flip upside down.It then navigates to more small hills before quickly diving down to the next level of track, which features another set of hills which allows the seats to flip even more. From there the car then swoops down another drop which hits one more hill, allowing the seats to rock back and forth before arriving back in the station. This quick coaster ride features fins placed along the track which causes the seats to flip as the car goes over the hill. I personally found The Joker to be very fun and enjoyable!

 

Here is a view of the newly re-themed for 2018 Riddler Revenge. This Vekoma SLC (inverted coaster) was previously known as "Mind Eraser" from 1997-2017. In 2017 it had received new trains with vest restraints, ultimately providing an enjoyable ride.

After riding more rides and getting a bite to eat, we headed back towards the Crack Axle canyon section of the park so I could get on a few rare and unique rides there.

Up in Crack Axle Canyon is the ride "Houdini- The Great Escape". This ride, manufactured by Vekoma opened at the park in 1999 and features a pre-show themed to the great Houdini leading to the ride section, which is an awesome illusion. The whole experience is great! I would recommend anyone to ride Houdini- The Great Escape when visiting Six Flags New England! Your senses will be reeling with confusion!

After a bit of downtime, the Tomahawk finally opened. This ride is a rare Frisbee ride manufactured by Huss and has been operating at the park since 1999. It features a disc of inward facing seats that rotates as the central arm swings back and forth, reaching heights of over 70 feet. Prior to riding the Tomahawk, I rode the Rock n' Rodeo, a flat ride also located in Crack Axle Canyon, which was manufactured by SBF Visa and has been at the park since 2016.

Throughout the day, work was being done on Goliath, the park's Giant Inverted Boomerang coaster manufactured by Vekoma. Since it was getting later in the day, we thought it was not going to open.

I decided it was time to fly high, 408 feet to be exact, on the New England Sky Screamer. Having opened in 2014, The New England Sky Screamer rises over 400 feet reaching speeds up to 43 mph (69 km/h) as passengers ride seats of two suspended by chains. The New England Sky Screamer was the tallest swing tower ride in the world, until the Orlando Star Flyer opened in early 2018, standing 450 feet tall. The New England Sky Screamer was manufactured by Australian based amusement ride manufacturer, Funtime.

After taking in the nice views of the surrounding area from the New England Sky Screamer, I decided to take another ride on the Wicked Cyclone. Here is the train passing through a zero-g inversion.

Here is an interesting shot of the Flashback with the sun shining through its track.

To our surprise, Goliath had opened, so I got in line in order to give it a ride! Once the passengers board the train, they get taken backwards up a 191.6 foot tall 90° vertical lift hill while seated beneath the track. Once at the top, the train drops down the hill at speeds up to 65.6 mph (106 km/h) before entering the first set of inversions, the cobra roll. From there, the train quickly navigates the vertical loop before heading up the second vertical spike. The train then slowly reaches the top of the second vertical spike and is released again, to race along the track again, backwards!

Here is the train navigating the second tower. I am somewhere on Goliath at the time of the photo was taken.

If you look closely, you can see me in the second last row as the train returns back to the station. It was quite thrilling!

In 2012, Goliath had opened at Six Flags New England. From 2001-2011, it had formerly operated at Six Flags Magic Mountain as "Déjà Vu".

Here is a look at the top of Scream's tower. In the photo is the down tower, which blasts you down towards the ground from nearly 200 feet high.

After catching a ride on Scream, we took another stroll through the Rockville section of the park. It features sights and sounds of the 50s. It was a very nicely themed section of the park.

Here is a fast look at Superman: The Ride's train as it enters into the tunnel.

Here is another view of Scream. This photo shows the turbo shot tower, which blasts you up and down. The third tower, the up tower was closed during my visit.

The turbo drop tower was really fun and the best of the towers on Scream.

In the Rockville section of the park, is the Fireball ride, manufactured by Larson. It loops passengers head-over heels around 70 feet in the air. While the ride was great, the theming for the ride was also great.

Here is a view of the 1909 Illions Grand Carousel. In the morning while it was raining, my Mom and I took a spin on this timeless classic. From 1909 to 1939 or so, this carousel had operated at Coney Island in New York. Since then, it has operated at Six Flags New England.

While Six Flags New England is home to some dynamic thrill rides, it is also home to some nice landscaping.

Here is the New England Sky Screamer soaring high above the ground below.

As the sun began to set, the park came alive at night with an array of lights on many of the rides.

The Grand Carousel looked very beautiful in the evening sun.

After a great day at Six Flags New England, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel.

Here is one last look at the main entrance of Six Flags New England. Up next is our visit to Six Flags Great Adventure! Stay tuned! :-)