SFOG1991

^Thank you for the input! I hope the lines for it aren't too unbearable this weekend. I forgot to mention that I've done The Island and it is fun but we felt it was very generic and commercialized. It's a great place to eat but overall it felt like any outdoor mall with restaurants. Still very nice though and we might go back since our last visit was brief! I'm curious about more hidden gem/unique places.

If you don't have the physical pass just get the Six Flags app and add his pass to it. You will need the pass number though. Hopefully you can find the purchase receipt email or something..

After tons of failed July 4th Weekend plans, my bf and I have decided to head to Lake Winnie then Gatlinburg/Dollywood for the weekend (we are season pass holders) to finally take a stab at Lightning Rod. I REALLY hope it is fully functioning. I have a few questions... Has Lightning Rod been added to the Time Saver pass before the latest closure? If so, I am hoping it'll be on there this weekend (if it already is, please let me know!) Is Time Saver exactly like Six Flag's Flash Pass Regular? Since we will have a few days in the area, what are the top suggestions (other than the mountain coasters and hikes, both of which we have fulfilled extensively) for other entertainment. Great restaurants and other fun activities. We love mini golf and drinking so moonshine and mini golf activities are a win for us! Open to really any suggestions.

It's fun to provide suggestions as feedback to a post by the owner of the park, but let's stay realistic. It has already been made clear the pace at which the park is developing and what to expect in upcoming years. We are lucky to have Dan here providing such candid information for us, let's not scare him away by being crazy enthusiasts. I thought my ideas were realistic. Also I wonder if they could get SFOG's Bumper Cars if The Bumper Car arena is still there Actually yes yours are pretty realistic although probably still a bit optimistic. Good suggestions though. I'd love to see that. Although not much is left of the bumper car arena, I'm sure they could get a good deal on the actual cars and it'd be a great addition along the main midway.

Mind Bender and Viper at Six Flags Over Georgia I was really lucky to be introduced to coasters with two amazing Schwarzkopf masterpieces.

^First, LMAO. That is exactly what this thread needed. and second, this: It's fun to provide suggestions as feedback to a post by the owner of the park, but let's stay realistic. It has already been made clear the pace at which the park is developing and what to expect in upcoming years. We are lucky to have Dan here providing such candid information for us, let's not scare him away by being crazy enthusiasts.

Question... Is going to Kentucky Kingdom on July 4th weekend a bad idea? I'm trying to go somewhere for the holiday and I don't want to go to KK if it'll be 2 hour lines for the major attractions. Insight please. Haven't been since the Six Flags days and I've heard conflicting reports about the "New Kentucky Kingdom"

Can anyone give me insight on what the lines are like on weekends and July 4th weekend in particular? As far as I know this park doesn't have any kind of fast pass and I'm just curious what the lines would be like. I've heard people say it can get very busy.

Just poking my head in to voice my opinion that Knoebels is basically perfect in every single way and impresses beyond expectation. I wish the country had more parks like Knoebels.

that first hill itself makes me want to get there to ride. only been there once when Chang was brand new. lol I can't think of a worse b&m than Chang! And now we're saddled with it here in NJ. Chang was a lot of fun. I don't know what happened during the move but Green Lantern is just unbearable. Too bad, because I love the layout. It needs to go floorless or just standard sit down even.

I wouldn't consider Shockwave a good choice for VR. It is a very popular ride and I would have to say it probably does draw people in considering its proximity to interstate 20 and the fact that it is a likeable coaster for all ages. I know here at Six Flags Over Georgia, Mind Bender remains one of the stand out coasters that the general public loves and talks about.

I absolutely love Swamp Fox. So glad this park has survived and seems to be doing well. As for the wild mouse, the most forceful one I've experienced is Wild Lightnin' at Lake Winnie. That thing literally tries to KILL you and I love it.

I thought of Lakemont but he'll probably be driving by those parks when they're closed and he's in a hurry to get to the next destination. Really I'd suggest the original plan plus Knoebels. Then if you want you can remove a day at KD and either spend it at BGW or Great Adventure but that's up to you. Other than that I wouldn't over-complicate things. I did Lakemont, DelGrossos, Idlewild, and Kennywood all in one day, but I'm kind of ridiculous (and I would've wanted more time at Kennywood but I've been to that park probably 20 times in the last 20 years, and I had been to Idlewild as a child a few times so I didn't need a lot of time to enjoy it again). I personally hate going on trips and not hitting every park in the area, but with time constraints that does make a trip very fast paced and hectic too.

Yummmm I love soda, I agree it's terrible for you though ESPECIALLY diet soda. Both are bad for you, especially in excess. However, I will drink diet soda any day to avoid putting 50+ grams of sugar into me in one sitting. Regular soda is probably the top cause of diabetes and sugar is general is poisonous to your body. Diet soda may be bad, but it's a much better option for anyone struggling with weight or particular sensitive to sugar. There's been studies done that show there isn't a weight loss advantage to drinking diet drinks. The aspartame causes insulin levels to raise and make the body store fat the same way regular would. Diet drinks are one of the biggest scams ever. Like Boldikus said, the best option is water. I completely agree with water being the best option, but you can observe in day to day life the impacts of sugary soda and I have seen many people I know personally benefit from the change to diet. Overall, someone is better off drinking diet soda than sugar filled soda if dealing with weight issues, and if they are smart they are drinking it in moderation (just like every drink other than water and basically every food should be ingested in moderation). I have no issues with weight but do know when I drink diet soda I am fine and when I drink sugary soda I feel like my body is under attack. That's the reason I go with the Zero brand. Neither are safe in excess though.

Yummmm I love soda, I agree it's terrible for you though ESPECIALLY diet soda. Both are bad for you, especially in excess. However, I will drink diet soda any day to avoid putting 50+ grams of sugar into me in one sitting. Regular soda is probably the top cause of diabetes and sugar is general is poisonous to your body. Diet soda may be bad, but it's a much better option for anyone struggling with weight or particular sensitive to sugar.

I miss Viper so much! I wish it could've relocated within the park. If it was still operating they would have two amazing Schwarzkopf coasters and an even more stellar line up!

I would add Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Knoebels, Lake Winnie (quick stop) and Six Flags Over Georgia to this itinerary if possible. I'm not sure of your exact route. Also, you will never need two days at Carowinds unless you really want to marathon Fury more. It's easily a one day park and even a half day park on weekdays. You don't need two days at many of those parks, but if that includes driving time and half days, then maybe you do. I do understand it is nice to take your time in parks so if that's what you want then two days does make a lot of sense. BGW and Knoebels would be easy add ons anyways.. Great Adventure is hard to pass up when so close too.. Also keep in mind there are some small low cost parks probably along your route that may be worth a quick stop. Parks like Lakemont Park are easy one hour pit stops if you have time.

I love fried park foods and such, but when I take a coaster road trip I make sure that isn't all I'm eating. I'm in athletic shape, run and workout very consistently, and people joke that I can eat whatever I want... however, even if I "can" doesn't mean I should, and it's amazing how crappy you feel if you eat fried food all the time versus eating very healthy. It's night and day! On trips, I know better than to eat out. Just because something is called healthy or looks healthy doesn't mean it is. Restaurants aim for flavor and if you look up the nutrition facts, some of the healthiest sounding options are worse than just getting a quarter pounder with cheese at McDonalds. I'm assuming even the "healthy" park foods aren't that healthy (although I'm sure they are better than the fries and chicken fingers). Usually healthy options are just low in calories but still mostly consist of fat. 250 calories of fat isn't going to fill you up so you just end up fatter and still hungry. The best thing to do is bring easy food of your own with you and just avoid eating in the parks or out as much as you can. I often bring canned chicken and canned beans on park trips and just eat that along with protein bars and anything else easy and healthy. Another big thing is avoid sugary drinks!!! I can't stress that enough. If a park has a Coke Freestyle go for the Zero noncarbonated choices or just water as much as possible. In parks without Freestyle machines it is much harder though. Also, while frowned upon in some parks, wear running shoes and run (carefully) from ride to ride. My boyfriend and I do this all the time and we can end up getting in as much as 5 miles in a day and probably a few more miles worth of walking. We like to alternate between our favorite rides which usually means going back and forth across the park. It's actually a lot of fun. I say all of this but I still LOVE my chicken fingers and fries dipped in tons of ranch dressing and my boyfriend will basically cream over anything sweet.

There is still one left in operation (there may be a second still operating in the UK, it was as of a few years ago), but the Fly-o-Plane at Lake Winnie is ridiculously awesome and intense! It may be my favorite flat alongside the Modial Top Scan and Zamperla Giant Discovery.

That launch was unbelievable. Nothing compares in intensity (except of course the similar model in Japan that adds another 20mph to that 1.8 second launch! I can't even imagine 0-100mph in 1.8 seconds!)

Based on parks like Conneaut Lake Park, and those we have already lost in recent history like LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park, Miracle Strip Amusement Park, Joyland Amusement Park, Whalom Park, Bushkill Park, Williams Grove Amusement Park, and Bell's Amusement Park, my answer is going to be no. It's honestly really sad because these are wonderful parks, but most golden era parks closed due to the lack of demand for a local "home town" amusement park in favor of larger regional parks. Using Conneaut Lake Park as an example, there is no where near enough local demand and/or population to support that park, even though historically it had a profitable business model. A lot changed between the 1970s and the early 2000s. I do appreciate the classic parks that can modernize to stay afloat (and happen to be in a good place geographically too) while still keeping their classic park charm. Examples being Knoebels and Lake Winnie along with many other smaller parks that have survived the changing industry. The ones that survive do because the infrastructure is already there and they are both lucky in ways and investing smartly. I do not think a classic style park could be built today without special backing from the government (Bay Beach for example) because the cost to establish the park from scratch would be so high. MAYBE it could work in certain local/regional markets but getting it financed just seems like a huge uphill battle for any investor.

^I am a huge collector and would be very interested in what you have. I'll send you a PM.

what was the old setup? No gates at all, just rows open to the station. When the train pulled in and stopped, people would get out as everyone in line moved it. People knew what they were doing and it was shockingly fast. There is a video of the 20 second dispatch and when I went I witnessed it in person, time and time again. From the time the train stops in the station to the time it is dispatched again was 20 seconds. In 20 seconds they could empty the train, fill the train with new riders, clear the ride platform, check every restraint, get back in their places and dispatch the train. It was magically and pretty much unbelievable. The fact that in the picture above, everyone is out of the train and they still have the air gates closed is very sad.

Nooo why would they do anything to a coaster with such beautifully fast operations. I loved everything about the old set up.

Bring a Friend Free day always causes this since approx. half the crowds on any given day are season passholders. Sunday mornings are great but weekdays can be really light on crowds, especially first thing in the morning and then in the late afternoon and evenings after school groups leave. The Six Flags app only lets you see wait times while in the park. I use coasterqueue.com to follow what the app reports. They pull their info straight from the park app. If you didn't like the crowds on bring a friend free day, you should avoid military appreciation weekend. Basically anyone who or was ever affiliated with the military in any way get in free and can bring up to three other people free as well. Last year it took me an hour and 20 minutes to get chicken fingers. That's how crowded it was...