SFOG1991

You will probably need a flash pass. Even if the lines aren't that bad, if this is your one visit in the foreseeable future, it is worth it. Especially considering how bad ops have been at SFOG this season. I've outlined the perfect way to get through the park without Flash Pass in this thread before a few times. If you want to search for it, it will help. I will tell you normally the gates open 30 minutes early and usually both Cyclone and Scorcher are open at that time. Once the rope drops by Scorcher at opening, go straight to Dare Devil Dive if it is running. If you don't do this the line will be at least two hours but likely more. I've seen it go over 5 hours at which point they ditched the VR. Apparently the ops have improved but it is still a painfully slow line that will eat away at your day. If Superman is one train you want to hit that early too. Don't miss out on Acrophobia or Monster Mansion. Both very unique. There are 3 Coke Freestyle locations for easy drink filling if you have/get the souvenir cup. Thunder River is great but closed since they use it for a haunt. Sit in the first or second row of any of the cars on Great American Scream Machine. Cyclone is awesome in the front of the last car if you can handle a bit of a rough ride. The ejector airtime back there is insane. Goliath doesn't usually have too bad of a line but still hit it early and again later. You will probably want to ride more than once. Back row is my fave but trying front and back is what I would suggest. It's my favorite B&M hyper and I've been on all of them in the U.S. so hopefully you like it too! Solid airtime. Mind Bender is also one to try both front and back. Great coaster!!! Oh thanks for the tips! I'll definitely go back through the thread to see more of what you wrote. I'm determined to do DDD once for the VR but probably not again because I've been on nearly identical coasters at other parks already so I'll probably bang that out and move on. Same for Superman and Batman, I've been on their twins at other Six Flags parks so I'm not nearly as worried about hopping on them first; but I do quite like your plan of action that you outlined. I think you sold me on getting a Flash Pass so that'll make the trip easier. Now to just choose regular or gold... And I'll definitely let you know what I think of both Goliath and the park! I always go for platinum when visiting an out of state SF park (unless it isn't busy of course) but Gold would likely be enough even on a very busy day! I would actually suggest doing DDD without VR if you only do it once (so you can experience the ride itself without distractions) unless you are really interested in trying VR. It's a decent ride with surprising forces in a few spots but it is very short and nothing overly exciting so one and done is fine. Superman is worth riding once just because it was custom designed for SFOG and uses the terrain very well making it superior to the clones that came after it. Anyways, I'm excited to hear about your visit! I hope you enjoy it!

You will probably need a flash pass. Even if the lines aren't that bad, if this is your one visit in the foreseeable future, it is worth it. Especially considering how bad ops have been at SFOG this season. I've outlined the perfect way to get through the park without Flash Pass in this thread before a few times. If you want to search for it, it will help. I will tell you normally the gates open 30 minutes early and usually both Cyclone and Scorcher are open at that time. Once the rope drops by Scorcher at opening, go straight to Dare Devil Dive if it is running. If you don't do this the line will be at least two hours but likely more. I've seen it go over 5 hours at which point they ditched the VR. Apparently the ops have improved but it is still a painfully slow line that will eat away at your day. If Superman is one train you want to hit that early too. Don't miss out on Acrophobia or Monster Mansion. Both very unique. There are 3 Coke Freestyle locations for easy drink filling if you have/get the souvenir cup. Thunder River is great but closed since they use it for a haunt. Sit in the first or second row of any of the cars on Great American Scream Machine. Cyclone is awesome in the front of the last car if you can handle a bit of a rough ride. The ejector airtime back there is insane. Goliath doesn't usually have too bad of a line but still hit it early and again later. You will probably want to ride more than once. Back row is my fave but trying front and back is what I would suggest. It's my favorite B&M hyper and I've been on all of them in the U.S. so hopefully you like it too! Solid airtime. Mind Bender is also one to try both front and back. Great coaster!!!

^Thanks guys. That is very good to hear. All three times I went last season the gate was a free for all. Bags were only being checked if people chose to go over to the area where bag check was and many were just walking by and I saw no one being wanded (myself included). I've heard other people complain about that as well so I am glad they are thorough now!

I go to GSU and the campus location really is the worst for safety. Students get robbed at gunpoint all the time, and that's when there aren't protests/riots occuring. Taking a night class and walking to 5 Points Marta station at 10pm was terrifying. The entire area was a mess during whatever BLM riots were occurring not too long ago here in Atlanta but luckily I didn't have class during the evening hours.

Not entirely related but I haven't gone to Carowinds this season for whatever reason. Do they still not take security seriously at the park or has that changed? The last few times I was at the park, they had basically zero security and were not even checking large bags. Considering the kind of society we live in, that really bothers me. It was crazy to see the park go from metal detectors to no metal detectors and not even checking bags. In regards to the riots, I don't think the issue would spread that far from the city center and I don't think Carowinds would have to close early, but you never know.

I know!! Of the two rows they have roped off for GASM the first one is a lot smoother than the second one. Very true! Never ride in the third row of any car on GASM. It ruins the ride. It actually really bums me out that 1/3rd of riders come off the ride with a painful and negative experience when it's in fact a great coaster in the other 2/3rds of the train.

Well I hope you get the chance to go! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by Scorcher! I don't want to overhype it but I absolutely HATED Green Lantern at SFGAdv (which is funny because I didn't mind it as Chang at SFKK back in the day, but I was young) but I LOVE Scorcher. I hope it never gets the floorless convert because I've been on most stand ups and that's the only one I genuinely like, and I actually love it. Great layout, pacing, and solid airtime in a few spots especially riding in the back row left side.

^Interesting! I'm glad to hear that. If they could do the same for GASM that would be great!

^You're welcome! This thread has been very quiet. I try not to have Georgia boy bias, but it has really transformed into a great and beautiful park since the HFE ownership. Just the addition of hundreds of trees alone has done wonders. For a park with mostly standard rides and coasters, it is a very nice decently sized park that still has unique attractions, and the water park is certainly the main draw and is very nice itself. Hopefully we will see bigger additions in the future but it seems like HFE really knows what they are doing. Hope y'all get back soon!

Wild Adventures has announced a family addition to Splash Island water park for the 2017 season with the addition of OHANA BAY. It appears to be a splash area and play structure with five children's slides and two slightly larger slides, as well as additional lounge space for parents in particular to watch their kids play. It doesn't appear that any artwork has been released yet. From the Wild Adventures website: Source: http://www.wildadventures.com/Plan-Your-Visit/New-for-2017 It seems HFE is really making Wild Adventures a nicer park (as they have been in the last few years) and they know their target audience is more families and those interested in the water park. Hopefully the dry park can get something substantial in coming years too still!

The dates people have mentioned above (first week of April) should be correct. Two or three years ago, the main two counties that visit SFOG had their Spring Breaks on different weeks so the park was open both weeks and that was better, but it has since gone back to one week and is mobbed. It will be painfully busy so I would say just get there before opening if possible for easy entry and Flash Pass retrieval, get Platinum Flash Pass like you mentioned, and still be ready to wait a long time for food. Refill your SF free refill cup at the three Coke Freestyle locations to avoid waiting for drink refills. With Flash Pass, you will be assigned the back two rows on Batman and the middle of the train on GASM, so if you want to ride those in preferred seats you would have to hit them early (assuming the process doesn't change). If you get the double ride wristband, be prepared for people in line to scream at you and possibly assault you (both have happened to me LOL).

Yes, you can just bypass the line/cashier and do your own refill at all three Coke Freestyle locations. Just be courteous to the crowd. On busy days, the free refill at those locations can save you when it takes over 30 minutes often to get through the line at any food location. Last season I ended up waiting 70 minutes to order a meal. If I was just trying to get a refill I would've lost my mind.

I wish this was announced a bit earlier! I was in the area just two weeks ago and would've changed my schedule to go there had I known it was closing down. Sad to see any park close down, especially considering there are almost never new parks opening in the U.S.

I agree with pretty much every part of your review (except I think Goliath is the best B&M hyper and the airtime is significantly better than the rest). SFOG is definitely the nicest of all their parks I've been to (I've been to most but not all) and the ride collection is top notch, but the ops are dreadful. I could share SO many ridiculous experiences I've had with them not chaining off a ride and then telling me I can't ride because it is closed, closing off a ride early, one train throughout the park with two hour lines, Cyclone's consistently awful crew, the barely working Superman that used to run three trains and a dual station, etc etc etc. If this park could fix their employees by making them do their jobs and be friendly, it would be an amazing park all around.

To be far so far every single coaster that Six Flags has given the treatment needed it. I'm not sure any wooden coaster really needs it. A wooden coaster can be well taken care of or poorly taken care of. It just depends on how well a park chooses to maintain their wooden coaster(s). There are very few wooden coasters that aren't good, many are just rough because of lack of consistent care.

The only week that SFOG is open before summer is Spring Break for most schools in the Atlanta metro. From my experience, it has always been painfully crowded. They usually run special promotions for Spring Break and the crowds are just ridiculous anyways. I haven't tried the last few years but when I went on a Tuesday during Spring Break a few years back it was crowded. I would say you would have better luck going on a Sunday that isn't during Spring Break. Keep in mind, this year the park was doing one train ops on almost every coaster in March, so going after Spring Break might be better. Historically March was AMAZING at the park, with empty seats on most coasters. I recall marathoning Goliath without getting up. That doesn't seem to happen anymore though. It is also worth considering building SFOG into a trip with other parks (Alabama Adventure, Lake Winnie, Dollywood, Carowinds, Wild Adventures ...whichever would be on your route). That obviously depends on what you want and what your time is like, but if I wasn't living in this region and had the time I would want to knock it all out at once if possible. That would only be possible in the summer though.

^While I wish the restraints could sit more flat on your thighs, I agree 100% as well! These trains look great, ride smooth, and you can hardly even tell you are in the train while navigating the course. It feels like you are just being thrown around in the most wonderful way by an unknown force.

Intimidator being in the top 10 is a joke. I've been on all the B&M hypers and it's probably the worst. First drop is good but the rest drags. Goliath remains my fave although I really enjoyed Diamondback too.

I was really excited for Boulder Dash and on paper it seems like it would be a top 3 woodie for me but I rode it last weekend and it was so rough I couldn't enjoy it at all (coming from someone who loves rough wooden coasters). It didn't crack my top 10. I'm sure with a full retrack it would but as of now it's no where near as good as any of the other top 10 woodies except maybe Lightning Racer which I thought was overrated a tad.

^Ghost Lake was the best! Totally exceeded my expectations. The event isn't put on by the park and last year I believe they agreed to host the event for a payment of $30,000 dollars. It would be nice if they could bump that up a bit.

Why any enthusiast would wish for the demise of a park is beyond me. Yeah let's scrap the nice grounds, rare flat rides, historic hotel, all the trees, free beach and lawn, and classic woodie and leave the property barren and abandoned.

^That sucks. It's such a great ride and I was hoping to ride it again this season. They used to always have it open. I remember when I was younger marathoning it when the temps were in the high 40s. I would never be dumb enough to do that now but considering it is in the 90s today it would be really nice if it was open lol.

I ride Wacky Worms for the credit while parents look at me with caution and concern. Sometimes I even put my hands up and get excited about it, so your Pony Express credit whoring moment is acceptable in comparison.

The facts have said that the park has lost money for every month since filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The jury is out on July and August, and the warm weather probably has been a huge help. But even with a possible small profit to be made in July and August, is that enough to offset losses every other month of the year? I personally do not think a periodic $5 wristband day along with a weekend only operating schedule will get enough people through the doors to make up for 10 months of significant losses. I'm aware of that and the point is, they have had a significant increase in attendance and operational profitability has gone in the green for the first time in a long long time. That doesn't mean they are making money bottom line, but there is a lot more that needs to happen before they reach that. The point is, it is a great step in the right direction, and now the court has agreed their plan is realistic and they have approved that plan. The water park likely doubles their ticket sales, as the water park seems to be at least as popular as the entire dry park, and many people are paying for both. The water park is proving more profitable than the entire dry park at the moment. Hopefully they can expand upon that. They are working on expanding Camperland and adding an indoor entertainment complex, both of which will increase year round profitability. They are pushing for tax exemptions in the places that need it most, and their excess land sales will help cut down on taxes as well as bring in money they can use to pay back taxes and invest into the park. There is a ton to do but now that they have approval from the court to do so, with time the park can be successful and it still deserves to be saved just because of historic value and free public amenities in my opinion at least. Crossing my fingers.

This looks great! Sure a full single launch would be better and the layout is short but for a park of this size, it is above my expectations and looks like a great unique addition. I am sad to see the Schwarzkopf go though. This is exactly the kind of small addition I would love to see at a park like Lake Winnie one day. I certainly wouldn't complain.