Six Flags America (SFA) Discussion Thread

[CoasterAuditor]

Honestly, I feel like if Six Flags just invested a good 3-4 years into this park it would be a very good park. So much potential. At least they're making yearly investments to one of their lower volume parks unlike Cedar Fair sometimes. Personally hoping for an S&S Free Spin for next year as I would love to have one of those closer to me than SFGAdv

[Jobo]

Honestly, I feel like if Six Flags just invested a good 3-4 years into this park it would be a very good park. So much potential. At least they're making yearly investments to one of their lower volume parks unlike Cedar Fair sometimes. Personally hoping for an S&S Free Spin for next year as I would love to have one of those closer to me than SFGAdv

 

SF on paper looks like it could be a top park. SFA has 8+M population within 50 miles at 14M within100miles, They have 300 acres available for development, the only park with more is GAdv. There must be some studies, surveys, research they have done that major investments won't produce the ROI they want compared to other parks that have been getting a lot lately like OT, FT, GAm that all have got Justice Leagues, 4D's, RMC''s in the time SFA has gotten a couple of flats and relocated coaster almost 5 years ago.

[djackson]

^The metropolitan areas that surround SFA are areas of low income. SFA wasn't and still isn't generating the type of money that the other parks are.

 

The park that was there before SFA was not very large either which means they would have had a hard time expanding it so much. However it does seem like corporate is starting to invest a bit more into the park. It just has some catching up to do and I think Wonder Woman may have been the first step.

[alilstronger]

Honestly, I feel like if Six Flags just invested a good 3-4 years into this park it would be a very good park. So much potential. At least they're making yearly investments to one of their lower volume parks unlike Cedar Fair sometimes. Personally hoping for an S&S Free Spin for next year as I would love to have one of those closer to me than SFGAdv

 

SF on paper looks like it could be a top park. SFA has 8+M population within 50 miles at 14M within100miles, They have 300 acres available for development, the only park with more is GAdv. There must be some studies, surveys, research they have done that major investments won't produce the ROI they want compared to other parks that have been getting a lot lately like OT, FT, GAm that all have got Justice Leagues, 4D's, RMC''s in the time SFA has gotten a couple of flats and relocated coaster almost 5 years ago.

 

I totally agree.

 

I've had some conversations with some of the management at the park over the years. What I get told a lot is Six Flags Inc. holds onto this park because the land under it is worth so much being right outside DC. They know their draw is the water park in the summer and Fright Fest for the fall. They do just enough to keep people coming back and know they do not need to put anything extravagant in. Most people that come to the park do not travel to other Six Flags. The people that go to this park still get so pumped for Superman and Roar when both coasters are considerably older. They have no idea there is Nitro right in Jersey or Sky Rush right in Hershey. Most of the people that come to this park come from the lower income parts of DC and southern MD. To the people that go here Wonder Woman is this awesome new ride. They do not know the tallest one in the world is right in Six Flags New England or even that many Six Flags have these.

 

Also, the management knows the perception the enthusiast have of this park overall. Yes, there are locals like myself who love this park because we can enjoy it for what it is. However, they know the enthusiast rarely come here because of the rumored violence and terrible operations. Why come to a park that has sub par operations with coasters that are old? They know the enthusiast are going to travel to Great Adventure and New England.

 

Do I agree with this through process? No, I do not. I think a Joker style coaster would be awesome for this park. Would I like to see a RMC redo to Roar? Of course! Would I like to finally see another custom coaster? Of course. I wish they would have resurrected Ultra Twister that laid in piles in the back of the park. I think anything that has lower capacity would be good for this park because it rarely gets super crowded.

[Jobo]

^The metropolitan areas that surround SFA are areas of low income. SFA wasn't and still isn't generating the type of money that the other parks are.

 

The parks 50 mile radius includes all of the Baltimore suburbs and south into northern Virginia/DC suburbs. There are plenty of middle and upper middle class people that live there. Those DC/North Virginia and Baltimore suburbs, are not low income. Then you can go out 75 miles or even a 100miles, which is where parks expect to be able to draw to 100 miles pretty comfortably.

[Highridin]

I hear you. Low income? You must not pay to stay. PG county is hella expensive to live here. One of the richest places to live in the state, Woodmore, is right around the corner from the park. Upper Marlboro and Bowie are right around park. One of the richest counties in the United States of America is Montgomery County. A 20 minute drive. Fairfax is 40 minutes away.

 

Low income the area is not.

[bill_s]

This park is in such a weird area where it could be easier to just go further, for example if you live in Manassas. But I do think they could get more draw from the locals. Maybe they think they'd get too much season's pass, repeat visit not spend much traffic.

 

But having just gone to SFNE I find the comparison apt:

 

Wild One > Thunderbolt

Roar < Wicked Cyclone

Rerides >> No Rerides

Near Tie except RMC bragging rights

 

Mind Eraser < Mind Eraser

Batwing = Joker 4D

Joker's Jinx > Goliath + Flashback

Tie

 

Ragin Cajun < Pandemonium

Nothing < Gotham City Gauntlet

but who cares

 

Superman < Superman

But the lines are usually shorter so while NE's holds bragging rights to be so good, you can easily scratch the same itch about as much, easier, if you live much closer

 

Apocalypse << Batman

 

So, they should floorless convert Apocalypse and the parks become much more comparable!

[CaptainCrush]

The Basketball Game/Character Location in Gotham City has been removed!

 

What could be replacing it? Too small for a new attraction. My guess is a new Counter Service Restaurant or Gift Shop.

 

[Highridin]

Ha, I was just going to post that pic. Credit to the person that saw the survey markers near WW. They are fairly wide apart and right at the crest of the hill. Wonder what they are for?

[djackson]

^ It could be very simple like a stall or if they happen to remove Blizzard River it could be for a station, Maintenance shed or queue. Not saying they will remove Blizzard River but the Survey Markers re awfully close to it.

[alilstronger]

I hear you. Low income? You must not pay to stay. PG county is hella expensive to live here. One of the richest places to live in the state, Woodmore, is right around the corner from the park. Upper Marlboro and Bowie are right around park. One of the richest counties in the United States of America is Montgomery County. A 20 minute drive. Fairfax is 40 minutes away.

 

Low income the area is not.

 

That is the thing. The people that live right near the park do not go. I have spoken with a few managers about this just last year. The people that come here are from DC - the lower income suburbs around it.

[coasterbill]

I love that they're removing things to make room for new additions when the entire back half of the park is already flat, cleared land and essentially just a giant, soulless expansion pad.

[CoasterAuditor]

I love that they're removing things to make room for new additions when the entire back half of the park is already flat, cleared land and essentially just a giant, soulless expansion pad.

 

Agreed. If Six Flags wanted to invest the money they could make Gotham City pretty awesome. The ROI though probably would not be worth it. I almost never hear of anyone in Virginia talking about Six Flags America. Kings Dominion definitely (it is vastly superior and is about to have an RMC) but never SFA.

[Canobie Coaster]

Maybe they want to keep it that way so the park retains it's charm.

 

And when I say charm I mean none at all.

[Jason Maier]

I have a love/hate relationship with SFA . . . I love the fact it's only a 40 minute drive away, Wild One

 

Hate that it has potential . . . but . . . . well.

[jynx242]

I hear you. Low income? You must not pay to stay. PG county is hella expensive to live here. One of the richest places to live in the state, Woodmore, is right around the corner from the park. Upper Marlboro and Bowie are right around park. One of the richest counties in the United States of America is Montgomery County. A 20 minute drive. Fairfax is 40 minutes away.

 

Low income the area is not.

 

That is the thing. The people that live right near the park do not go. I have spoken with a few managers about this just last year. The people that come here are from DC - the lower income suburbs around it.

 

This! I remember when SFoG had the "reputation." They did, at the time, draw a more questionable clientele. There were more fights, etc. During that period, people from the suburbs (less than an hour away) really didn't go to the park at all unless it was for a company buy out.

 

I've heard that the crowd at SFA is MUCH MUCH better than it used to be. If so, the word slowly gets out and the suburbanites start going back. It isn't a quick process, and with no new stand out attractions for several years, there's nothing to make them think about it.

[CoasterAuditor]

Maybe they want to keep it that way so the park retains it's charm.

 

And when I say charm I mean none at all.

 

 

It definitely could use a few updates in the "charm" department especially when its closest competition is KD and BGW.

[Canobie Coaster]

I wouldn't put Kings Dominion in the same sentence as Busch in that area, but Kings Dominion is still way better than Six Flags America.

[djackson]

I would argue that Hershey and Dorney are actually its closest competitors as they are equally as close as KD and BGW

[SLCHeadache]

I would argue that Hershey and Dorney are actually its closest competitors as they are equally as close as KD and BGW

If anything, Dorney competes with SFGAdv, not SFA.

[bill_s]

I think SFA has a lot more charm than KD. But by charm, I mean funkiness more than niceness.

[CaptainCrush]

I think SFA has a lot more charm than KD. But by charm, I mean funkiness more than niceness.

 

SFA has DC Heroes & Looney Tunes, while KD only has the Peanuts Gang. Based on that alone, SFA wins on the charm scale in my book.

[Highridin]

^^Yup.

[CoasterAuditor]

I wouldn't put Kings Dominion in the same sentence as Busch in that area, but Kings Dominion is still way better than Six Flags America.

 

Well of course how silly of me . Yeah BGW is on a whole different level than most other parks.

 

SFA has cooler IPs to use than KD but KD is definitely a more enjoyable place to walk around. They have these interesting things called "trees" everywhere.

[alilstronger]

Not having shade never bothers me. If I want to be out of the sun so bad I will just not go to an amusement park in the summer. I get shaving some but bashing parks because they do not have any is silly to me.

 

Anyway.... I do not think Dorney is competition for this park. I think Hershey and KD are the biggest competitors. In reality they are all very different - each giving a very different experience. I personally like KD the most out of all of the local parks. It has a lot of good rides and the water park is nice. I prefer it much more then BGW. They have a beautiful park but the only coasters I like there are Loch Ness and Alphengiest. Everything else is more mediocre to me.