Lotologist492

I was talking to our food & beverage manager over at SFoG this past Saturday regarding an unrelated issue I had with a dining location at our park. He was very attentive to my concerns and we had a brief chat about our park and what's ahead in the coming weeks, including our upcoming Holiday in the Park, and as we were wrapping up, I mentioned how I "hope it (HitP) makes good money this year so our park will not lose it like other parks in the chain already have". He then told me verbatim there were "already rumors and talk about bringing it back to some of those parks next year". So take that for what you will. This was not the Dippin' Dots guy but one of the top managers.

Powerful.

If you visit during Thanksgiving week, this will be during "Holiday in the Park". The section of the park containing Blue Hawk and Scream Machine may be closed off. If you want those two credits, you might want to get to this park no later than November 12th - this being the final normal weekend of operations before 'Holiday' starts. Good news is the first two weekends in November should be ultra empty with Fright Fest being over and no festivals taking place. Good luck!

There are not as many 'locals' posting here compared to the other parks' pages. This is likely due to there being a very active Facebook page just for SFoG fans. Lots of discussion goes on there. That said - I plan on visiting this (my 'home' park) possibly Sunday, and definitely next weekend when Fright Fest begins. Park has been very un-crowded all summer. Keep in mind, SFoG is closed this Saturday the 10th for a private event.

Oops...my bad. But my point remains the same in that there are numerous other Premier launching coasters in operation. But - it may be a moot point now that SF has acknowledged this is going to be a refurb, enhancement, or re-theme, or all three! This has long been one of my favorite rides. In fact, I rode the copy at SFStl on my very first visit to another (not my home) SF park, and this was in 1998. Freeze still holds up well after all these decades.

My guess is a full re-theming and rehab. There are many other Intamin launching coasters, including another Mr. Freeze at SFStl, Poltergeist and Joker's Jynx, and Flight of Fear at two Cedar Fair parks. One would think parts availability is not an issue. And since the chain has been refurbing and re-theming coasters (including the aforementioned Poltergeist at SFFT) in lieu of adding new attractions, this would certainly fit. This ride is simply too popular to just remove it.

So true. Hopefully the strategy pays off in the long run. Here's to hoping the GP and fans are patient enough to see the potential payoff. There's no question the SF chain has a boatload of problems. The current corporate management has to start fixing somewhere. For this reason, regardless of what appears on fan sites, it is simply too soon to say one way or the other whether this is the right path.

Basically, this also means anyone that bought a Thrill Seeker, Extreme, or Ultimate pass (yellow, red, or blue) will have a collector's item!

I know many here are quick to criticize the new CEO and the direction (or potential lack thereof) the chain is headed, but taking a step back for a second.... While I cannot speak for other parks in the SF chain, SFoG has in fact invested a ton in beautifying the park with lots of landscaping work as well as refurbishment of two major coasters (Mindbender and Scream Machine). The ride rehabs are nice as is the spruced-up park, as these housekeeping items were long overdue. Food quality is better in some regards, but not all. And let's not forget the resurfacing of the main parking lot last year, again, long overdue. Prior management should have been dealing with these tasks over time rather than ignoring it and forcing the current management to play catch up all at once. Mr. Bassoul & company is in a tough spot having to invest in all of these tasks across the chain, none of which draw guests to the park but still needed to be done nonetheless. This round of rehab tasks are very costly, which means much less funding available for new attractions. It is very difficult to pass judgement on Mr. Bassoul right now, but he is making some bold and risky moves. Basically, the new CEO will either crater the chain or we will look back in several years thinking how he brought the magic back to SF and made them excellent again. Time will tell.

Actually, SF has been refreshing the parks with landscaping as well as improving food quality. I cannot speak for each and every SF park but here at SFoG much has been done. Two legacy roller coasters here have received complete overhauls in the past couple years, including new track and fresh paint and theming. The food quality has greatly improved at most locations. These are things that have not been done in decades. That is the good part. On the flip side, employee service has remained hit-or-miss, with some really bad attitudes. There are many nice folks working here but there are far too many bad experiences too. While the food is better, getting it is still a challenge with long waits and sometimes poor service, though lower attendance has reduced the waits on some days. It does appear the current CEO's strategy of lowering attendance with higher prices has backfired though. Raising prices during a period of inflation was a double blow. And without a major new attraction, many would-be guests have stayed away and spent their discretionary dollars elsewhere. (The new landscaping is nice but no one is coming to the park just to see it, just sayin') The chain should have waited a year to raise prices and then paired that with adding a major new attraction at all (if not most) of the parks. It is difficult to justify such a steep price hike while not getting added value for it, but instead getting reduced hours and schedules. On the surface it seems like Mr. Bassoul is making some bold (albeit risky) moves in an effort to change things up. Unfortunately everything else we are hearing about the current CEO is not good. I know this chain could be exceptional if the right leadership were found. SF once set the standard for theme parks. Angus Wynne has been turning over in his grave for awhile now.

Awesome advice! I plan on arriving at open and staying through the operating day so I should be able to punch nearly everything out. (And yes - I plan on spending some time in the water park too!) Thanks!

Planning my first visit to this park on Monday, July 18th. Should I expect a crowd? I will likely purchase FL+ anyway to make sure I get to ride everything. My visit to this park will follow on the heels of my first ever visit to Kings Island last summer. That park did not disappoint. How does KD stack up against KI? Orion @KI was amazing but it sounds like I-305 might just surpass that. I have already read the great advice on hotels earlier in this thread. Looking forward to reading some pro-tips and adding another park to my list!

Same issue here at SFoG. Same reason given too: customers were taking too much (condiments or napkins). Geez...its not like the park is not making money off the food at the park prices. (I have a dining pass for the remainder of 2022 so it is just an annoyance for me.) I even remarked "all guests are being punished because of the actions of a few". I do hope this is temporary.

Having visited SFGA a few years ago, a few observations about the Cyborg (and its twin Harley Quinn at this park), the ride was more eye candy than thrill. In 2018 the ride at SFGA was brand new yet it never had a real waiting line. (I made this same observation here last year.) Another huge issue with these ABC Tourbillons: it is nowhere near plus-size friendly. Anyone even slightly on the larger size might not be able to ride. In fact, on my visit, about a third of the guests on our ride cycle had to exit without riding. This issue along with a mediocre ride experience makes it no wonder this ride appears to be on the way out.

My home park being Over Georgia, SFStl was the first different SF park I ever visited. This was in 1998. I have since been back a half dozen times over the years, including 2019. I have enjoyed every visit I have made to this park. The rides are decent and the terrain of this park is amazing. Some on this list are so busy complaining about what they don't have that they fail to appreciate what they do. And we have not even seen what the new corporate has planned for the chain. As for St Louis, I have enjoyed my visits to the city. I have not yet been able to go up in the Arch as it was always insanely busy with several hours' wait but ... someday. I understand St Louis has its share of problems, but then so does Atlanta, as do most major cities. So take your pick...glass half full or half empty, just sayin'

It really depends on the weather. I have seen Thunder River open on opening weekend but only once. Most years they wait until spring break week.

I can see the chain removing HiTP where it is not performing well but I suspect these parks would still have a lights event (with no rides). This could also apply to Darien Lake which never had the chance to add Holiday to their calendar, although they had a drive-through event. I did find it odd this park initially advertised HiTP with only a few rides open, but then added most of the other rides similar to last year, which would suggest the new corporate management team had already been thinking about future plans. If these four parks do indeed remove Holiday in the Park, it will be the first time since 1991 that any SF park had 'Holiday' and then had it taken away. The last time this happened was at SF Over Georgia. That park introduced HitP in 1989 and it lasted for two seasons. Admittedly, the event only had three sections of the park open and a very short list of rides, plus a snow hill and a skating rink. Mother Nature played a big role: 1989 was the coldest December in decades; the bitter cold kept attendance low. 1990 saw a record rainiest December, which also kept attendance down. Finally, after two years, SF gave up on Georgia. Twenty four years later, it returned. Hopefully these parks will still have a lights event.

I would find this very difficult to believe given the push for membership and season pass sales. The whole point of adding Holiday nearly chain-wide - as well as a few parks going to year round ops - is to give perceived value to having (and keeping) memberships and season passes.

Holiday in the Park opening weekend is now done and I have to say it looks like the park really upped the ante this year! A few notables: The North Pole and Rejoice! sections have swapped places, which appears to be a really nice move. Santa's workshop (where you get photos with Santa and 'mail' your letters to him) is now located at the top of Peachtree Hill, in the former Sky Buckets location. Incidentally, this was the location for the "Holiday Haunt" during Fright Fest, so excellent planning on their part! This area has a lot more space than the Rabun Gap train station did, and also has an arts & crafts area for the kids. The theming was great and the cast members did a fantastic job. Meanwhile, Rejoice! new location makes use of the area in front of the Rabun Gap, and really fits the area well. There is no indoor Christmas show this year, but there are four outdoor stage shows, at the Dare Devil Stage as well as a stage setup outside the Crystal Pistol. From what I heard, there is some renovations taking place inside the theater. The outdoor shows are very entertaining. The entrance plaza tree has been replaced with another tree which is part of a light and music show which runs continuously and is quite visually stunning. Speaking of light shows, the light tunnel between the Georgia (Peppermint Plaza) and USA (Retro Christmas USA) sections has returned! The Strutters Restaurant is open and is now Mrs. Claus' Kitchen and features bread bowls and pasta. All the old Strutters signage appears to have been permanently removed which would indicate a new restaurant is on the way for next season. Nearly all rides were open, including the children's section. The only closed major rides were Scream Machine (which is undergoing a re-tracking now), Blue Hawk, and Sky Screamer. These were the same rides closed in 2019. The east parking lot is being completely re-surfaced. This may sound like a mundane project but it was badly needed. At least now I won't feel like I am driving up to a dead mall. The train ride "North Pole Express" has been replaced with a new experience, "Christmas Around the World". On our visit, Mindbender was running great, with minimal brake runs, not quite like the old trains but not a dead stop either. I am looking forward to returning sometime during this week and many more times. Cheers Peachtree Hill makes for a good North Pole Rejoice! in its new location. This was the former location of the North Pole section last year. Now all the white has turned purple! The former Sky Buckets location at the top of the hill is now Santa's workshop! The former Strutters restaurant now serves comfort food under the watchful eye of Mrs. Claus! Scenery along the railroad tracks Screampunk Christmas is back!

Nashville comes to mind. They lost Opryland in the 1990s and nothing has come in to replace it. From there it is a haul to Dollywood, Kentucky Kingdom, or even the small Lake Winnepesaukah near Chattanooga.

Great TR! This being my home park, I always enjoy the perspective from a first time visitor. I have long said this park has so much wasted potential. it has a decent collection of rides and a very scenic terrain (as you mentioned in your TR). I know this park suffers from a lack of leadership - although I cannot say for certain how much blame is on our park President or on lack of corporate support. Having been to eleven other SF parks plus KI and some smaller parks, I hate to admit our park is low on the list. (My favorite: SF Fiesta Texas!) I continue to hold out hope that things are changing for the better. SF got a new CEO almost two years ago and I suspect the pandemic year may have slowed potential progress and/or changes but I still hope. At the end of the day, it is not necessarily all about the rides for me. I go to theme parks to escape the everyday grind and have a little fun. I really abhor dealing with real-world problems inside any theme park, like rude service and long food lines. If our park could clean up, refresh the theming, properly train the staff, and provide that escape, they would not have to add any major attractions, and I would be very happy. I do hope you return for a visit and let us know in advance when you do!

There are also two tiers of FL / FLP. The basic Fast lane allows you front of line access on a short list of major rides. FL Plus - the list is considerably longer and includes major rides like Orion and Mystic Timbers. I bought FLP last week on my first ever visit here and got rides in on all the major coasters (Beast was closed), including four rides on Orion. The investment was worth it. The day of fun starts right here! Amazing theming. Nightly fireworks show and party in this area was a nice bonus. The park is proud of Orion and it shows. There are banners advertising it all over the park. Plus the lighting package at night is amazing. Next summer I will visit sister park KD but I will definitely be back here again!

Free Spins are actually a lot of fun. I have ridden four copies of them at SF parks and theming will really make a difference. After having visited KI for the first time a few weeks ago, I plan on visiting this park next summer.

Looking to the regulars here for some tips....I plan on visiting this park for the first time on Monday, August 2nd. Are Monday crowds manageable here? As I will only have this one day available (I am in town for a convention) I am considering purchasing a fastpass+. This will also be my first ever visit to a Cedar Fair park. Naturally I will be hunting coaster credits but I want to see as much as possible what this park has to offer. I hear lots of good things about it. I am confident the quality will be a leap up from the Six Flags parks I am used to.

After three long years we finally returned to this park (Our favorite SF park easily!) The weather helped keep the crowds down both days (Saturday it was raining until after lunchtime and Sunday just plain hot and humid). I was eager to try out the three attractions added since our last visit: Pirates, DDD, and Joker. The Pirates of the Deep Sea was heavily themed, entertaining, and a welcome break from the outside heat. I found Dare Devil Dive Flying Machines to be surprisingly fun for what it was but not something I would want to ride again and again. The theming was really cool though. There was a costumed 'character' greeting riders in the queue - I think he was supposed to be 'the inventor'. Curiously, this ride did not elevate to the top on every cycle but stayed low to the ground. I only observed the planes up in the air once. Lastly, The Joker Carnival of Chaos was as fun as I expected. I really like these pendulum rides. I did notice there was a sign near the queue entrance advertising the world record specifications of this ride, still referring to it with the discarded name "Wild Card". Poltergeist was down but we already had the credits from prior visits. Still missed riding it though. I really liked Hustler's new paint job. The bonus of the day was the Rock The Night Grand Finale fireworks and laser show. I remember seeing a similar show three years ago and this one did not disappoint. The Diamond / DE seating area was nice too. Ride ops and food service were excellent. We will be back! Great addition to the park! Awesome theming but lacks the re-rideability of many other rides here. This view never gets old! Signs like this were all over the park. Possibly a haunt overlay to Poltergeist queue? Another great finale! We will be back