Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) Discussion Thread

[robbalvey]

It’s official. Coming in 2014, Six Flags Over Georgia will introduce a brand new multi-million dollar expansion and add a new in-park water park. This new area, known as Hurricane Harbor, is the largest expansion in the park’s 46-year history, and will feature several water attractions and guest amenities, including thrill slides and relaxing family fun. By adding an all-new water park, Six Flags Over Georgia will transport guests to a tropical paradise, full of wave pools, slippery slides, interactive playgrounds, and fun in the sun.

 

Sprawling across the landscape formerly occupied by Southern Star Amphitheater, the new water park will be themed around and invoke a remote Caribbean getaway. Lush tropical landscaping, beach scenery, and retail and dining locations will all provide the wonderful feeling of a warm beach paradise.

 

Hurricane Harbor encourages you to soak up the sun and cool off during the summer. The staple of the park will be Hurricane Bay, a 38,000-square-foot wave pool that simulates the feeling of ocean surf with a state-of-the-art wave system that produces waves up to four feet high. The park will also feature Tsunami Surge, a dual-slide complex that drops riders down an enclosed five-story drop and whirls them around a 40-foot-wide bowl, followed by a zero-gravity plunge out the bottom. Another multi-slide complex, Bonzai Pipelines, challenges bold adventurers to soar through winding curves, dark tunnels, and swirling bowls. Paradise Island will be a children’s activity area of the water park, with an interactive water playground featuring miniature slides, drenching towers, and hundreds of interactive water elements.

 

Admission to the water park will be free with general park admission or a Season Passes so you can enjoy two great destinations for one price. The all-new Hurricane Harbor will complement the neighboring water park, White Water, and will be located near The Great American Scream Machine.

 

Hurricane Harbor is set to debut just in time for summer 2014. Are you ready to soak up the sun at this all-new water expansion?

Edited August 29, 2013 by robbalvey

[TopThrill182]

As much as I love coasters, I find the construction of new water parks to be exciting, too.

 

I'm curious, though, why SF wants to have two water parks just down the road from one another. How will they avoid cannibalization? I assume they'll try to differentiate the parks in some way, but I wasn't able to discern any specifics in the announcement.

[sirspanky53]

I guess in 2 years we will hear about the closure of white water.

[simaticable]

So Six Flags is pulling a Cedar Fair. Is this also the only Six Flags park to have multiple water parks?

[joester23]

it looks like they're trying to compete with white water

[sirspanky53]

Why would they compete with their own park?

[Krandor]

I guess in 2 years we will hear about the closure of white water.

 

That would be my guess. This doesn't sound good for white water.

[Her0ofLime]

This excites me and also worries me, I want White Water to stay but I also want this to happen. Although if they relocate White Water's slides over here than I would be okay with it. But this doesn't nessacerily mean that White Water is closing. Besides, they arn't making any more money out of it if they close White Water.

[robbalvey]

I don't quite understand why people think a huge Metropolitan area like Atlanta can't support two water parks.

[ernierocker]

^Exactly. It's not like it is going to become a desolate wasteland in two years. Marietta is on the other side of town and much easier for people living north of the city to get to.

Edited August 29, 2013 by ernierocker

[sirspanky53]

When I go to purchase my seasons pass I am only going to get the sfog pass and not the combo pass anymore why would I?

[simaticable]

Hopefully over time more people decide to stay in the water park, so I can enjoy the short lines in the main park.

[coasterfreak101]

Cool to see they're going the two-park-one-price route, like SFA. I always loved being able to cross freely between the two, so this should be great!

[shivtim]

This is great. I'm sure it will be very popular, and on hot days it could help shorten the lines on the coasters.

As for White Water, Metro Atlanta has 6,000,000 people, and Six Flags also draws people from nearby areas of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina. There really is no close competition. Two water parks is no problem.

[Hilltopper39]

Can't wait to see the details on the park, I wonder what new slides they will get. The more I think about it it's kind of amazing that they haven't had an on site water park all of these year considering how popular water parks have become and how much of a money maker they seem to be.

 

I assume that given the location this park will only be accessible through the main park unless they decide to build a new parking lot or something.

[BeemerBoy]

Love this addition, but like everyone else, I'm anxious to see more details. Really looking forward to next year now!

[aCoasterStory]

Couple of thoughts:

 

1. White Water is a very good water park, but it is need of some upgrades and general capital investment. If this money had gone into investing into WW instead of building HH, that very well could have catapulted WW into being an excellent water park.

 

2. While Metro Atlanta could probably support 2 water parks, the reality of it is that they're hardly on opposite sides of the city from each other. They're in the same county (Cobb), and only about 25 min away from each other. This is a completely different conversation IMHO if White Water were up 85 instead of 75.

 

3. I don't see HH becoming a true water park destination. I think people will just head over there for a couple of hours while they're already at SFOG. I see the biggest impact being that the number of combo season passes go down as people no longer see the need to add on WW to get their water park fix.

 

4. I absolutely HATE when theme parks have a water park that you have to walk all the way through the entire park to get to. If I'm going to visit a water park that's tacked on to a theme park, I want to see an entrance that's either separately accessible (see CP, KI) or access from very near the front gate (see Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom). I like to ride some coasters, run out to my car & grab my swim trunks/towel/sunscreen, go do the water park thing, drop the swim stuff back in my car, and do more coastering; I don't want to have to haul that stuff around all day or leave it in a locker in the back of the park, and given how the parking lot is situated relative to the entrance at SFOG, I am certainly not going to go back to my car a couple of times.

 

5. This back section of the park has been known to flood every few years. I really hope they elevate this new expansion enough to avoid the flood waters. I'd hate to see that gunk up everything.

 

6. I think SFOG missed a big opportunity to put a really awesome new coaster in that space. SFOG hasn't put in a significant coaster since 2006, and with the "biggest expansion in park history" happening with HH for 2014, I highly doubt we'll be seeing a big new coaster investment in 2015.

[ernierocker]

^You are from Atlanta so you should know that "25 minutes away" can easily be an hour or more with Atlanta traffic.

 

I honestly don't see White Water going anywhere because of this announcement. It would be more likely that Six Flags sells off the property or this is already part of the plan.

[Sir Clinksalot]

Great addition.

 

As for having 2 waterparks, in 4 visits to Atlanta I've never gone to Whitewater but have gone to SFOG 3 of the 4 times. If there is a waterpark right there I'm certain to visit instead of going out of my way.

[noyzz]

I don't quite understand why people think a huge Metropolitan area like Atlanta can't support two water parks.

 

Wouldn't it be 3.5 water parks now?? Lake Lanier Islands water park and Lake Winnie too?? Love Whitewater and it's surroundings. But I do agree with you Robb, I think they will all do well! viva la water parks!

[simaticable]

From John Reid Anderson in the new for 2014 video for all Six Flags parks for Hurricane Harbor:

 

"Part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar expansion"

 

So, we may see the next couple of years adding new slides and such to the park. According to the video as well, SFWW is expanding the Dive-In Theatre as well as live concerts.

 

I'm not really afraid about the future of both water parks since they both are really catered to different people. White Water: People of Atlanta; Hurricane Harbor: Travelers from outside of Atlanta. Really, I don't see White Water going anywhere soon.

Edited August 29, 2013 by simaticable

[skrapdiggy]

I don't quite understand why people think a huge Metropolitan area like Atlanta can't support two water parks.

 

This is less about Atlanta's support (or non) of two water parks and more about the constant underachievement of the SFoG property. There was hope amongst several park goers in this area that with the opening of that much space there would be a coaster of note built not unlike what Great America got, or what Magic Mountain gets, or what Great Adventure gets. There was a possibility that the property would think to build a coaster that would at least be long enough for a MCBR (which no SFoG coaster has). Build a record breaker or something close to a record breaker that would give local riders reason to be excited and distant riders reason to visit more often.

 

I'm certain that the Hurricane Harbor will do well what with Georgia summers being what they are but it does nothing to help the thrill quotient locally. Worse still is that this capital investment is likely so large that there won't be another coaster at SFoG for at least another 4-5 years. So, no, this isn't about support, this is about the local thrill park missing an opportunity to be more thrilling...at least for coaster lovers like me.

[shivtim]

There was a possibility that the property would think to build a coaster that would at least be long enough for a MCBR (which no SFoG coaster has).

 

Apparently you haven't been on Mind Bender or Dare Devil Dive.

[BeemerBoy]

I don't quite understand why people think a huge Metropolitan area like Atlanta can't support two water parks.

 

Wouldn't it be 3.5 water parks now?? Lake Lanier Islands water park and Lake Winnie too?? Love Whitewater and it's surroundings. But I do agree with you Robb, I think they will all do well! viva la water parks!

I wouldn't add Lake Winnie into the discussion. Sure, it's only an hour and a half north, but it's a completely different target market that probably won't suffer from anything SFOG adds. If anything, I suspect Lake Lanier would hurt the most from this. We visited that quirky little aging park a couple years ago, and I'm surprised it continues to hang on. Truth is though, you could put a few puddles and slides anywhere in a warm climate and people will find their way to it.

[aCoasterStory]

^You are from Atlanta so you should know that "25 minutes away" can easily be an hour or more with Atlanta traffic.

 

I honestly don't see White Water going anywhere because of this announcement. It would be more likely that Six Flags sells off the property or this is already part of the plan.

 

 

In morning rush hour, you might hit a little bit of a slowdown heading south on 75 from WW to 285, but 285 around to 20W is normally completely clear. Going the other direction, 20E and 75N should present no trouble, but while 285 heading up from 20 to 75 is usually backed up from 7:30-9 or so, if you wait till after then, it should be fine.

 

In the evening, 20E to 285N to 75 doesn't generally back up, but if you're trying to head north on 75 between 4 and 7 or so, you'll run into traffic.

Going the other way, 285S to 20W can be a bit of a mess between 5 & 7, but other than that it's generally clear.

 

Moral of the story: unless you're driving during rush hour (which is not generally advisable if it can at all be avoided), it shouldn't take more than 25 min to get between the parks.