Six Flags America

Parking

Six Flags America is easy to find, other than the massive amount of traffic. There are many signs leading the way to the parking lot entrance. The intersection to the parking lot is complete with a traffic light, and all of the parking toll booths were open, with traffic moving smoothly. The parking lots were paved, but a free-for-all in terms of finding a spot. There are no attendants directing traffic or parking cars. Spaces are not marked that well, and there is a lot of wasted space with an abundance of trees and grass. There are nice markers to remember where you parked, but there is no tram service to the front gate. Getting out of the lot at the end of the night is easy and traffic moves efficiently.

Admission and Park Pricing

The pricing at Six Flags America is expensive. The one day price for adults is about $50 and children get in for about $25. The water park is included with park admission. Parking is an expensive $15, which is the standard Six Flags price. If we are paying that much, at least improve the parking lot. A regular soft drink is about $3.50 and a fast food meal is about $14 for an adult entree, side, and drink. Snacks are between $3 and $7 depending on the item. Gifts are average with t-shirts less than $20. The cost to play games varies from $2 to $10 depending on the game and prize.

Cleanliness

Six Flags America is a mostly clean park with the exception of some dirty seating areas. The front gate and main midway is spotless, creating a great first impression. Other midways are mostly clean and odor free. Most of the roller coasters, trains, and ride vehicles were clean, but had fading paint. The queue lines were mostly clean with a few cobwebs and some guest carvings. Food serving areas were mostly clean, but some seating areas were dirty. There were many garbage cans and none were overflowing. The park rest rooms were spotless with dry floors. The front gate buildings were new and freshly painted, while other buildings were mostly clean and looked decent.

Park Layout and Atmosphere

The entrance area is very nice with little shade in the ticket areas. The security check point and main gates are covered and shady, with a good amount of organization. The area also has a good amount of signs, background music, and decent landscaping. Lockers and strollers were easy to find, as were gift shops and food stands near the front gate. The park layout is made up of a small circle with long dead end midways from the circle. The midways are wide enough to handle the crowds in most areas and it is easy to find your way around in most areas. Music is playing on most midways and many areas have a lot of trees that shade the midways. The water park area could use some more shade. Some attraction entrances were hard to find, but there are maps and directional signs on the midways. Benches were located here and there and midway surfaces were a mix of concrete, stones, and black top.

Rides and Attractions

Six Flags America has 51 rides and attractions, including 7 roller coasters. There are also several thrill rides, family rides, water park rides, and children's rides. From the unique Skull Mountain dark boat ride to the Tower of Doom drop tower, there is something for everyone at Six Flags America. Most ride cycles in the park are about 2 minutes, which is longer than other parks.

Wooden Track Roller Coasters

Six Flags America is home to 2 wooden roller coasters. One is a traditional "Out and Back" coaster with airtime filled hills. The other is all about curves and changes in direction.

The Wild One is a traditional 98 ft. tall wooden out and back coaster. The 1 minute and 52 second ride features an 88 ft. drop at speeds of 53 miles per hour, and 8 other airtime filled hills. There are 3 seats per car. Sit in the front or middle seat of the cars for a smoother ride.
APW RATING: 82.84 / 100

Roar is a 94 ft. tall wooden twister coaster. The 1 minute and 55 second ride features a 85 ft. curving drop at speeds of 50 miles per hour. There are many curves in the ride, as well as a long tunnel (with no walls) and many quick changes in direction. There are 2 seats per car. Sit in the front row of the cars for a smoother ride.
APW RATING: 73.37 / 100

*Roller Coaster Ratings are used from the official APW Roller Coaster Fact and Rating Sheet.

Steel Track Roller Coasters

Six Flags America has 5 steel roller coasters. From Hyper-Coasters to Launched looping coasters, there is a wide variety for guests to enjoy.

Superman: Ride of Steel is a 197 ft. tall steel Hyper-Coaster with a 205 ft. drop reaching speeds of 73 miles per hour. The 2 minute and 10 second ride features 6 other airtime hills, 2 helixes, and an incredibly smooth ride.
APW RATING: 82.64 / 100

Joker's Jinx is a steel launched looping coaster with a spaghetti bowl of turns and inversions. There is a cobra roll, sidewinder, and corkscrew flipping riders head over heels 4 times. The ride also features a 60 mile per hour launch, leading to the 60 second ride.
APW RATING: 81.05 / 100

Batwing is a 115 ft. tall steel flying dutchman coaster with a 80 ft. drop reaching speeds of 51 miles per hour. Guests ride in a flying position through a loop, 2 in-line twists, and helix during the 2 minute and 10 second ride.
APW RATING: 66.56 / 100

Mind Eraser is a 115 ft. tall steel suspended looping coaster with a 91 ft. drop reaching speeds of 49 miles per hour. Guests hang below the track with their feet dangling through 5 inversions during the 1 minute and 36 second ride. The ride can be very rough as the quick transitions can cause riders heads to bang against the shoulder harness.
APW RATING: 64.65 / 100

The Great Chase is a steel kiddie coaster with a top speed of 12 miles per hour. The 40 second ride features 2 circuits.
APW RATING: 48.89 / 100

*Roller Coaster Ratings are used from the official APW Roller Coaster Fact and Rating Sheet.

Operations

Operations are average at Six Flags America. There were no signs indicating which attractions were not operating, and the ticket lines did not have queue organization. Most of the ticket booths and entrance gates were open. The park is smoke-free except in designated areas, and the park has many well marked areas for smokers to use. Those areas were crammed and could use more seating. Roller coasters and major rides had operations checking height and for loose articles at the queue entrances. Most roller coasters require all loose articles to be placed in a locker (for an extra fee) and cannot be taken in the queue.

All of the parks attractions were open, but there were several breakdowns during our visit. Most effects on the attractions were working, but the Skull Mountain no longer turned the boat backwards mid-course and the scenes were not illuminated. Queue lines were closed slightly before park close, to allow everyone in line to ride. Food stand and gift shops near the park exit remained open after park close.

Safety

Six Flags America takes safety very seriously. The entrance gates have metal detectors and security checks bags. Operators enforce height and other rules, checking restraints, and making sure everyone is safe on the rides. Some operators were pushing restraints down hard. Most rides have safety spiels and all roller coasters and attractions have safety gates in the loading areas.

Children's Area(s)

The park features the Looney Tunes Movie Town area for kids. The area is themed decently with the cartoon characters and decent landscaping. There are 10 rides for kids and some accompany parents as well. The Great Chase is a roller coaster designed for kids in mind, and also can accompany their parents. Six Flags America also has 2 play areas for kids in the Hurricane Harbor water park.

Ride/Attraction Capacity

Six Flags America is average when it comes to capacity. Dispatch times on most of the roller coasters were between 60 and 120 seconds. However, dispatch times on the Batwing were about 3 minutes! The coasters could use more than 2 bar checkers to allow for quicker dispatch times. The waits during our visit were less than 30 minutes. Our longest wait was for Batwing due to operating only one train and a slow crew. On busy days, the wooden roller coasters can have waits of 30 minutes or less and the steel coasters (except the Great Chase) can have waits up to 90 minutes.

Wait times for most flat rides were less than 10 minutes, with longer waits on Skull Mountain, Shipwreck Falls, and Renegade Rapids. The water park attractions had waits between 30 and 45 minutes for slides. Most rides and coasters were operating all possible trains and boats except for Batwing.

Queue Lines

The queue lines at Six Flags America are average compared to other parks. 11 attractions have estimated queue wait time signs, and 14 have roofs or sun screens to shade guests. None of the attractions had music or entertainment to keep guests entertained while they wait, which made the time go by very slowly.

Some attractions do have natural shade at most times of the day. None of the attraction had beverages or drinks available in the queue lines. Very few queues had fans in line. The queue lines are designed well so they do not back up on midways. The only poorly designed queue in the park is the Skull Mountain line which was hard to find the entrance and had a confusing design.

Counter Service Food/Seating Areas

Overall, the food at Six Flags America was good. The food is served quickly, served at the proper temperature, and taste excellent. While the price is expensive, you do get a great portion of food. The variety of food options could be a little better, but there are some healthy options. The food stands have condiment stations and they are properly stocked. Most locations have an adequate amount of covered seating including 2 air-conditioned locations One negative point is the fact that only half of the food lines were open, even during peak hours. The food was delivered efficiently once ordered, usually in less than 2 minutes.

Table Service Restaruants

There is no table service restaurants at Six Flags America.

Rest Rooms

Six Flags America is above average when it comes to rest rooms. Most locations have an adequate amount of stalls, are air-conditioned, and properly stocked. They do provide protective seat covers as well as automatic washers/dryers. They do not have automatic flush, there is no music, and there are no family rest rooms.

Games

The games at the park are located in many different areas. There is a large arcade near Shipwreck Falls, and the park features classic games of basketball, guess your weight, and racing games. Prizes are above average, however employees are very pushy and loud on the microphones.

Shows and Entertainment

Six Flags America is above average with shows and entertainment. There is a large variety of shows including action stunt shows, singing shows, percussion shows, and a daily afternoon parade. Some of the shows had pre-recorded chorus parts, but others were all live. The lighting was above average, and sound quality was decent on some shows, but hard to hear on others.

Employees

Six Flags America has some of the friendliest employees at any Six Flags park we have been to. All departments were polite and friendly. The ride operators were mostly efficient and very friendly. Food service employees were the least efficient, but very nice. Security was also extremely polite, but not that efficient.

Gifts and Gift Shops

Gifts and Gift shops are the same as other traditional amusement parks. All of the indoor shops do feature air-conditioning and some good quality items. Many of the roller coasters have on-ride photos available.

Nighttime at the Park

The park was very nice after dark. Most of the midways were lit up, as were the majority of the rides and attractions. The coasters were all illuminated at night, with the exception of Roar which was awesome at night, as well at Batwing. A few of the rides has lighting errors and burned out light bulbs.

Guest Experience

Six Flags America was a surprise this year. The park has improved dramatically since the last visit and shows a lot of potential for the future. The employees were very friendly and every single attraction in the park was open. There was a good variety of things to do and it was nice to have more options than just roller coasters.