Trade an extra evening at SFOG for Alabama Adventure?

[VGplay]

My friend and I have been discussing a four day amusement park trip that would lake place July 28th-31st. Six Flags Over Georgia is a park I've been wanting to go to for a while and is the main purpose of the trip. On the way back up we'd spend a day at Carowinds and stop by Camden Park. Originally the idea was to drive straight through from here in Akron, OH to Atlanta (10 hours) and spend whatever was left of the evening at Six Flags.

 

Then I remembered Rampage. I love wooden coasters. Give me a great wooden coaster over a great steel coaster any day of the week. It doesn't add much to drive to Alabama Adventure instead of Six Flags (11 hours). The park closes at 8pm on the 28th which would let us still drive to Atlanta (2 1/2 hours) before it starts getting late. Looking at the park, other then a credit ride on the boomerang all we'd do is re-ride Rampage until the park closes.

 

Is Rampage worth the price of admission and extra 3 and a half hours of driving? Our only day at Six Flags would then be the 29th, a Thursday. Can we experience the park in one day? Without the extra evening a Flash Pass would be required, wouldn't it?

 

Day 1: Alabama Adventure or evening at Six Flags Over Georgia

Day 2: Six Flags Over Georgia

Day 3: Carowinds

Day 4: Camden Park and back home

 

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

[robbalvey]

Rampage, especially at night, gives you some OMFG rides!

 

I would absolutely make a visit there and then plan a full day at SFOG with a Q-Bot.

 

And you know, if you ask nicely enough, I'm sure some of our resident Alabama Adventure guys would be happy to show you around.

 

--Robb

[Squid]

If you love wooden coasters, then I would recommend Rampage, even though I have not ridden it. I've heard nothing but great things about it. The wooden coasters at SFoG are, sadly, needing some work. Georgia Cyclone is very rough and I don't know how much love and attention it got during the off season.

 

If you're hitting Carowinds you'll get to ride two B&M hypers during the trip... Goliath at SFoG, (My favorite steel) and the new Intimidator at Carowinds.

 

I do have a recommendation for you to consider... instead of either AA or Camden, how about Dollywood? It's about 45 minutes away from Knoxville and about 3 to 4 hours away from Atlanta. (Not sure about the distance from Carowinds.) Thunderhead is an incredible coaster and if you love wood it would be a shame to miss it. Not to mention DW can easily be done, even in summer in just a day, even without a Q bot. (They do have them there, but most people go to Dollywood for the shows.) Admittedly your route would have to change slightly, (an emphasis on I-75 instead of I-77) but I think it would be doable.

 

Squid

[VGplay]

I actually went to Dollywood this past summer. I had a blast and loved the park, but it'll probably be a few years before I go again. Thunderhead was awesome and is my favorite GCI (put it #6 overall in my poll), by the way.

 

Thanks for the comments, guys. It definitely sounds like Rampage is worth it. Hopefully things will work out and we will have a visit of the same caliber that I did at Lake Compounce last June (~40 Boulder Dash rides in two hours).

[Skycoastin Steve]

Given the other parks that you have listed there, you're going to need a park with an excellent wooden coaster, which you currently don't. Also, AA will be on the Club TPR discount list (details released in a week ). To answer shortly, yes it's worth the extra time and money.

[ParkTrips]

An evening at Lake Winnie, its a better park, and not out of the way like Visionland

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Kindly don't refer to us as Visionland. We've shed the incredibly negative image that was that disaster and are currently improving our own image and working on improving 10 years of mistreatment.

[VGplay]

An evening at Lake Winnie, its a better park, and not out of the way like Visionland

 

I went to Lake Winnie last summer as well. I thought it was a great classic small park. I'll return either when they add a big wooden coaster or I go back to Dollywood, whichever comes first.

[ParkTrips]

^ Cool deal, I think you've got your plan then. Six Flags doesn't need a day and a half, especially on a Thursday. The park can be done in a day without fast passes, but they will make your day a hundred times more enjoyable. Go for Rampage, it actually is pretty good.

 

And it will always be Visionland to me.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^So it'll always be a horribly conceived, poorly funded, even more poorly run, terribly laid out park started by a man who was just sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption? That's what Visionland means to me.

[ParkTrips]

I imagine many people of Birmingham feel the same way.

 

Though, truthfully, I'm not too sure how much it has REALLY improved. I trust Larry probably more than anybody on this site, as far as aligning with my thoughts and feelings. Doesn't look much better than my experience years ago. I have no doubt TPR had a great group trip last year, I mean the park does still have some nice folks, and a great woodie for some fun ERT. A little hospitality can go a long way polishing a turd.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Well, if you had read my original post on the subject, you would be well on your way to knowing that we're working on it. This is only going to be the 2nd full season of AFE's ownership of the park, and there's a lot to be undone before we can ever take large steps forward. More has been done in capital improvements this offseason alone than in probably any other offseason in the park's history. I guess what the current management realizes is that perhaps improving the image of the park is the proper first step to making it a better overall experience rather than just dropping in a ton of new rides to "polish a turd" as you so eloquently put it. (ask Six Flags about that brilliant business strategy)

[jynx242]

I'll agree with others here. SFoG is an awesome park (it's been my home park since the late 70's) but you can definitely do it in one day (even without Q-bot - but get it if you can for numerous re-rides on Mindbender and Goliath.)

 

Alabama Adventure was great and Rampage just kicked my butt from one side of the park to the other. AMAZING rides! The staff was great and we had a blast there. It's not that far from Atlanta and by getting into Atl. later in the evening you can also miss Psychotic Rush Hour (one of the reasons I moved ) Hope you have a great trip and safe travels to you.

 

David

 

P.S. Steve - I was there on the Deep South tour and you guys were doing an AWESOME job then and it appears that you are still doing it! Thanks for the great time!

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Very much appreciated. Don't think I can say it enough, that was one of the most fun days I've had as a park employee. Actually prompted me to join TPR.

[ParkTrips]

Oh believe me, I fully understand you guys are working on it. So is the park going to be fully staffed on weekends in the summer now? No more rolling ride closures? Maybe they should change the name again, since there were some rough years under the "AA" banner as well.

 

ask Six Flags about that brilliant business strategy

Sounds like they are trying to take the Mark Shaprio approach of cleaning the parks and spending more carefullyhis , which seems to have done good things for his chain. Good for you guys. However, I can't help but think that was an attempted dig at your competition... not very professional IMO

 

If this park didn't have a top-20 wooden roller coaster, it would be held in the same respect as Wild Adventures, Magic Springs, Beech Bend, Cypress Gardens, or any of the number of other mediocre 'permanent carnival' amusement parks that plague the south.

 

Again, no doubt the TPR day was fun, but how much of it was due to the people there, or even Rampage, and not the rest of the sun-drenched park? Hell TPR can even make a day at Knott's fun.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Believe me, the dig at Six Flags would have been made regardless if they were competition or not. No other park chain has exemplified "quick fixes" more than Six Flags, and in almost every case it's come back to bite them in the ass. Otherwise there wouldn't be mass amounts of Vekomas and park closures rampant in their chain. My feelings on that chain go back long before I ever became a park employee.

 

And as I recall, TPR was here on a Wednesday, not a weekend. We were always staffed fully on weekends during the summer. Any "rolling ride closures" you are speaking of were maintenance related. The only rides that could have been conceived as "closed" for staffing reasons were our kiddie rides, which often times had rotating operators (as SEVERAL small parks nationally also do). See what a little information does for blatant ignorance? Management and maintenance also busted their behinds on an extremely short time frame to make sure TPR would have a two train operation for their ERT on Rampage, so a little gratitude wouldn't be so bad, either.

 

I agree that Rampage is certainly the biggest draw for our park, and will continue to be. You say there have been rough years under the AA banner, but as I've already said, AFE has only owned the park since mid-season 2008. As evident by the large number of compliments we received from regular season pass holders and park guests, 2009 was a giant leap in the right direction as opposed to 2008. And I can sit here and guarantee that 2010 will be the same way, especially knowing what has already been done in preparation for this season. Nothing is going to get fixed overnight, and we won't claim that it will, but we're certainly building a solid plan for the future.

[ParkTrips]

And as I recall, TPR was here on a Wednesday, not a weekend. We were always staffed fully on weekends during the summer. Any "rolling ride closures" you are speaking of were maintenance related. The only rides that could have been conceived as "closed" for staffing reasons were our kiddie rides, which often times had rotating operators (as SEVERAL small parks nationally also do). See what a little information does for blatant ignorance?

I was referring to Larry's trip report, a visit on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend - or as he described, "10 hours of my life that I will never get back". See my prior post for the link. Before it gets mentioned, yes, I know Labor Day weekend tends to be a slower for the parks, but still...

 

Good luck Visionland/Magic Adventure/Steel Waters/Alabama Adventure/whatever

 

PS - what is the admission? I only see season passes for sale. That would answer the OP's question. I wouldn't pay more than $30 for the park, as it is already a 3 hour driver from Atlanta, and doesn't offer a whole heck of a lot more than an evening with Rampage

[Skycoastin Steve]

^So you're going to take one man's bad trip report and make it your own opinion of the park? Can you think for yourself, or do you just use everyone else's ideas as your own all the time? Robb wrote a pretty glowing report about us after the Deep South Tour stop here, so why aren't you citing that? Are you just a negative person that likes to complain? Or once again, just willfully ignorant? Every park is going to have its good days and bad days.

 

Probably the worst infraction of guest service I've ever personally received was a lifeguard at Holiday World who shreiked and yelled and chased two friends and me away from Bakuli because we mistakenly entered the queue after it had been closed off (there wasn't any kind of sufficient visible signage). Does that mean it's no longer one of the friendliest parks in the country? No, it just means there was one bad apple on a bad day. Conversely, some of the best ride operating I've ever seen was last summer at SFKK, a park that was known for horrible operations.

 

I regret that Larry visited our park on a bad day (I do vaguely recall Labor Day weekend being a rough weekend for maintenance and other issues), but it happens. There isn't a park anywhere that isn't devoid of staffing or maintenance/ride closures problems at some point during a season, from CP and SFMM all the way down to the small parks. So if you want to make a sweeping generalization based on someone else's bad trip report, then I say baaaaaaaa to you and urge you to get back with the flock of sheep.

 

As for single day prices, I'm not exactly sure what they are or if they have been finalized yet (I'm sure they have been, I just haven't heard them yet). I know our website is currently undergoing some redesigning, so that also might be a reason why it doesn't have those prices on there. I'll try to hunt down the answer for that.

[ginzo]

^I don't think Joe likes Holiday World either. It's not unreasonable for him to trust his friend's opinion over that of someone who works for the company selling the product/service.

 

It's also not unreasonable to want to never return to a park again after a single bad visit. There are too many other parks to visit to bother with second chances that don't at least involve a major addition.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^In this case, I think it's different. The whole point of this argument was that this isn't Visionland anymore, we've done everything we can to separate ourselves from the incredibly negative image that was Visionland, and now we're working on building a reputation for Alabama Adventure. I'd say within 5 years this place will be exponentially better than it ever dreamed of being during the first 10 years of its operation. That in itself should warrant another go at it for park guests and enthusiasts alike. At some point, probably closer to our opening in mid-April, I'll post some pictures of the capital improvements (as well as maintenance improvements on several rides). A TON of work has been done since we closed our doors in October.

[BeemerBoy]

Steve, as I have come to assume you are a current employee of Visionland, calling out park patrons and suggesting they're being "willfully ignorant" doesn't seem like the appropriate way to represent your employer. You're obviously very enthusiastic about Visionland, and particularly Rampage, and while all of that is admirable, your aggressive "fanboyistic" arguments in this thread have done little to suggest the park is filled with any "southern hospitality," even though that may not actually be the case.

 

For the record, I've been to Visionland once, I enjoyed Rampage very much, but I share Joe and Larry's sentiments on the place overall. And yes, I realize TPR had a great visit there last year. However, as much as I enjoyed Rampage, a 2-3 hour trip to the middle of Alabama to spend whatever it currently is for one great woodie, and still be left in the middle of Alabama, is just not worth it in my humble opinion.

 

I can immediately think of one similar scenario that is 1000x better. I'd much rather go out of my way for the 2-3 hour side trip from Central Florida to the Dania Beach Hurricane. One great woodie for a $12 unlimited ride wristband, and when you're done, you're in South Florida.....not Alabama (obvious win). But maybe that's just me.

 

 

To the original poster, although the price is steep for one legitimately very good woodie, if that doesn't bother you, then you might as well go for it.

 

 

Scott "still Visionland to me too" B.

[ParkTrips]

Can you think for yourself, or do you just use everyone else's ideas as your own all the time?

My thoughts on the park ARE pretty much on par with Larry's - except when I went, everyone thought it was a dump (excluding one former forum member who was fanatical about the place). Its supposed to be improving now, but Larry just confirmed my thoughts that the park itself hasn't really come around yet. Its still 15 rides spread out among 17 square miles.. Still lots of apparent operations issues, and I doubt the park has tons of matured trees since my last visit (among other things). For the third or fourth time... I have no doubt the TPR day was fun, but was it because Visionland was awesome, or because the people on the trip and hosting the group were awesome? I do believe this was the same group who had a blast at Kentucky Kingdom several years ago.

 

Like ginzo pointed out, TPR needs the parks to support them and vice-versa, while Larry does not. Not saying Robb is being misleading, cause again I'm sure they had fun, but he has to be a lot more careful with his words, even if they had a terrible day, than Larry

 

Are you just a negative person that likes to complain? Or once again, just willfully ignorant?

Nope - opinionated? yes. Negative and ignorant? I really don't think so. Maybe if I had never been there you could say that. The first few posters recommended that the guy visit the park, I shared an alternative, and then when that wasn't an option, recommended that he avoid the park unless he wants to pay a good chunk of money for one good coaster and not much else.

 

And, since this has degraded to insults, that's all I have to say about that.

 

edit, actually one more thing... following up on the shot at Six Flags:

Its easy to tell that the new GM of this park is a Six Flags veteran. (EJ Randolph SFA Ops Director->AA GM)

There are a bunch of Six Flags and Cedar Fair veterans at the park now.

The ride signs, guest code of conduct, and smoking benches/penalty boxes are straight from the SF playbook!

Its funny you say that because the guys who designed the signs, wrote the code of conduct, and made the smoking areas are from a Cedar Fair park.

lol

[Skycoastin Steve]

Like ginzo pointed out, TPR needs the parks to support them and vice-versa, while Larry does not. Not saying Robb is being misleading, cause again I'm sure they had fun, but he has to be a lot more careful with his words, even if they had a terrible day, than Larry

 

If you think that's true, go and check Robb's trip report from here in 2004. I'll even throw in a link for you.

 

And yes, a majority of our management is former Cedar Fair and Six Flags management, and they've done a fantastic job. As I've already pointed out, we're taking a direction completely different than what you've seen under Six Flags in the past and what we're starting to see with Cedar Fair. It's funny what happens when the corporate influence isn't there anymore.

 

I am by no stretch of the imagination a "fanboy" of this park, I see many of the same issues as you do, as do our managers and owners. The great thing is, we're busting our tails to fix those issues, unlike the managers and owners of the past. I just like to inform people of what we have going on here for the future, and frankly it pisses me off to be in any way associated with the name Visionland, because NOBODY that's a manager here now was a manager during that train wreck. It's incredibly disrespectful to the staff we have on hand now to even think about calling us Visionland. (Seriously, it was a crappy name for a park to start off with, anyway...although I must admit most park names are cheesy).

 

 

 

To the original poster, we'd love to have you visit us, and we're also offering a Club TPR discount if you choose to join the club. Just let us know beforehand that you're coming and we'll make sure you have a great time while you're here. You'll get treatment from us that you'd never find at any large park, just ask anyone that was here for the Deep South Trip last year.

[VGplay]

Steve, once we know for sure we're going and we get closer to the trip, I'll get in touch with you. I plan on joining Club TPR, too. Thanks!

[jynx242]

^ Aaaahhhh - but SFoG has the Wheelie!