Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) Discussion Thread

[Kyndmusic]

Unfortunately, they had mechanical issues with MB this morning and it never opened during the planned preview time for me.

They did test with 3 trains, so capacity shouldn't be an issue.

I know from speaking to others that it did finally open mid afternoon, hopefully someone else will post a review.

I attached a short video during testing.

 

[tndank]

Dang.  I was hoping it would all work out and you'd get a ride or two.

 

[AmyUD06]

I did!  Great to meet you @Kyndmusic.  So I'll post my full report when I get home, but here's some bullet notes on Mindbender.  Keep in mind, that I never rode it in its previous iteration.

-The whole operating system has been replaced.  Brakes, sensors, drive tires, lift chain, presumably the PLC, basically everything except the track itself appeared to me to be brand new.  Even the track *appears* brand new, because of the paint, but we all know its not.
-Capacity was great.  They were chugging through the trains, and the ride ops here actually seemed to have some enthusiasm for the job (can't say the same for the rest of the park).  Since it was just preview, Flash Pass wasn't an option, but I waited 26 minutes for the front row, with about 4-5 trains where I didn't move since exit-pass people jumped to the front.  Probably would have been under 10 minutes had I gone for any other row.  Notably, I entered the line maybe 10 feet out of the station.  SFOG's lack of groupers didn't help here, so the station got very crowded and at one point a group of people waiting for the front blocked the entire line and some empty rows went out before they made an announcement to fill in the station.
-The trains:  Yes, they are lab-bar only.  Yes, there are seat belts.  Yes, there are carve outs for your butt with the little bit that goes between your thighs.  I have to imagine it was better with the original Schwarzkopf trains, but as it stands these trains were not bad at all.  Yes, there are only 5 cars, but there are 3 trains (though they double-stacked every cycle I saw).
-The ride itself:  It's a Schwarzkopf, which means positive Gs.  And you get them in the loops here, even the "non-loop" in the middle of the ride.  No grey-outs for me, but it did force my arms down at the entry to the two true loops and at the bottom of the non-loop.  That said, it is what I believe to be tamer than it once was (entirely speculating here); the lift slows considerably before cresting, and each of the trim/block brakes at the start of the turns definitely took off some some speed.  Without those, this ride would be absolutely insane, but even with them it was still pretty damnned good. and the fact that they chose to invest so much into this instead of just scrapping it wins a lot of points me with.

This was my first trip ever to SFoG, and rode all of the coasters, but Mindbender is a solid #2 or #3 at this park for me.  I've gotta review my notes for a full coaster ranking, that's just off the top of my head.

[AmyUD06]

(Double post, please delete)

[The username]

Thanks Mike! Sounds like the ride is still as intense as it was before the refurb. Can't wait to experience this when it opens to the public.

[southpuddle]

Thanks for the review! It’s a shame the original trains are gone, but if the choice was to either get new trains or have the ride removed entirely, I’m sure we can all agree that Six Flags made the better choice! Considering how much money it sounds like they just put into this ride, I hope we are able to enjoy it for another 43 years! 

[AmyUD06]

10 minutes ago, southpuddle said:

Thanks for the review! It’s a shame the original trains are gone, but if the choice was to either get new trains or have the ride removed entirely, I’m sure we can all agree that Six Flags made the better choice! Considering how much money it sounds like they just put into this ride, I hope we are able to enjoy it for another 43 years! 

Agreed that it was the better choice to save it.  I think of it like Thunderhawk at Dorney:  Yeah, it was better with buzz-bars and original station (thus removing the need for the trim on the bunny hills), but it's still a pretty damned good ride.

[bert425]

Pics of the new trains 

 

wasnt open For me but train was on brake run and one of the safety guys gave me the ok to walk up the exit ramp to take pics

 

ill have full tr up in a few days (in airport for flight home now)

 

will fix orientation issues then too

 

 

 

 

 

[Superbatboy]

Ride and trains look great!! I've always loved the Riddler theme no matter how many times they use it lol

[The username]

Any idea if they will do previews again this weekend, might make the trip.

[AmyUD06]

Photo TR:  My first visit to SFoG, September 4th, 2021

After several planned mega-trips this summer that were cancelled for a variety of factors, I managed to swing a trip to Georgia for SFoG and to visit my friend who I haven't seen since 2014 over Labor Day Weekend.  Anticipating major crowds, I splurged for the Platinum Flash Pass, but probably would have been fine with the Gold at the end of the day.  Anyway, on to the report.

First off, the drive.  Google told me 11-14 hours to drive from Delaware, not counting bathroom stops, so I was definitely anticipating closer to the 14.  Thankfully, it only took me 12 (including stops), which marks a new record of longest consecutive drive for me.  Being from the northeast, I was definitely getting annoyed in NC, SC, and GA....everyone just chills in the left lane under the speed limit, randomly jabs their brakes for no reason, no one understands what a flash of the high-beams from behind means, and my biggest gripe of all - NO ONE uses cruise control.  It's so annoying to be cruising along at XX mph, you go to pass someone slower, then they're passing you back, and back and forth for 50 miles.  Ugh.  I've driven to GA before but didn't recall the drivers in these southern states being so terrible.

Second off, the hotel.  Wow.  Nothing but praise for the Brick Lodge Norcross/Atlanta.  It's about 20 minutes northeast of the city proper, so about 40 minutes from the park, but this was hands down the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in outside of Las Vegas or Atlantic City.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but man were the rooms quality.  Oh, and there was this in my room, totally unexpectedly:

After the 12 hour drive, I spent about 30 minutes in this thing.  Wonderful.  My only two gripes with the hotel were that the elevator was super slow, and the tubs didn't have a stopper mechanism to enable baths.

Okay, enough about ancillary stuff. here's what you're really here for:  the park!

I arrived at around 8:45 for a 10:00 park opening, thinking that they open the parking gates an hour early like very other SF park I've been to.  First one in line for the "small" lot, which I would later learn is the preferable lot to be in due to the shorter walk.  Alas, they didn't open the parking gates until around 9:30.  I will say, I appreciated the scenery of coasters on my walk into the park.

They opened the main entry gates at around 9:50, and I bee-lined it over to the Flash Pass building to cash in my voucher (none of that "on the phone" nonsense for me, thank you!), and then snapped some pictures of the entry way.  I'll say this, the park offers plenty of shade, and is quite scenic, especially for a SF park.  Clearly, they were setting up for Fight Fest.

A nice fountain/stage that was not in use.

See?  Plenty of shade.

I made my way towards Dare Devil Dive, learning here that it tends to be the slowest operating of all of the coasters, and made it to the station (first one!)...

...only to have it break down, with the employee tester stuck on the vertical lift hill.  I didn't stand there and watch, but she was still up there around 30 minutes later when I passed by again.

Anyway, at this point I met up with @Kyndmusicand we wandered a bit, discussing the parks history, trying to find something that was actually running aside from Georgia Scorcher.  He did turn me onto Monster Mansion, which I'm glad he did because I probably would have skipped it, but I'll talk about that when I got on it.  Great to meet you, sir.

As of approximately 10:30, pretty much nothing in the park was running aside from Scorcher, so I went to find something that I sorely miss from Cedar Fair Parks:

The park has a pretty nice atmosphere....

...with plenty of shade...

...but is still Six Flags.  Are they going to reinstall the Sky Ride at some point or what?  LOL

After wandering around for a while, I decided to make my way back over to Gotham City to see if anything was running back there.  That poor ride op was still up there...

Got into Gotham City...

...and proceeded to grab a whole bunch of pictures of the good assortment of flats, most of which were not running.

Joker (one of two rides here that bear his name), not running and wouldn't run all day.

Crime Wave, not running and wouldn't run all day.  But I gotta give it to the park here, they really nailed the theming on this one.

Toxic Spin.

Wild Whirl, not running.  Maybe ran later in the day?

And finally, Catwoman Whip, which I would ride later in the day.

For now, though, it was time for Batman!

I would wait 13 minutes because I couldn't find the Flash Pass entrance.  Back row, right edge.  Definitely smoother than the one in NJ, and I like this paint scheme better (still not as good as the original black/black with silver rails though).  Amusingly, in the station the two back rows were blocked by a giant fan, but they were still letting people board them from the other rows' chutes.  Just too lazy to move the crap out of the way?

And this brings me to a good time to talk about the staff.  While none were downright rude, and they were doing countdowns in the station to try to hurry people up ("You have 10 seconds to board your seat...9....8...."), most didn't seem to really care to be there.  The only enthusiasm I would see from employees was at Mindbender later in the day.  They also frequently did not have anyone manning the merge points for Flash Pass/general queue, meaning that the investment was largely a complete waste.  I get it, short staffed blah blah (the panel operator at many coasters was also checking restraints!), but come on.

Anyway, on with it.  After Batman, Mindbender was still not running, so I headed back to Dare Devil Dive, which was now running.  Walk on for front row (with Flash Pass).  Interesting ride, only my second Gerstlauer.  Very intense restraints though...they power-lower when you're in the station and clamp you right in.

Did I wander into a Cedar Fair park?

I then decided to hit Georgia Scorcher, since I was right there.  16 minute wait for row 7 left edge with the Flash Pass.  Surprisingly smooth for a B&M standup, not terrible at all.

Now that the park was starting to open up, I made my way to Goliath (back row inner right).  Very impressive, nice bit of ejector air on the hill and substantial positive Gs at the helix turn-around.  Better than Nitro and even Mako in my opinion.

Next up was Monster Mansion.

How this continues to exist in a SF park blows my mind.  Super-cute, awesome animatronics, very long, great visual effects (the evil face projected onto the wall of fog was great).  With some research after the fact I learned that this was one of the original rides in the park, and most recently underwent a major refurb in 2009, right in the middle of the RedZone bankruptcy phase.  Impressive.

Next up was Joker Funhouse Coaster.  A better ride than Blackbeard Quinn's Lost Crazy Train at SFGAdv, but still a kiddie coaster at the end of the day.

Took some time to just peruse the park's shaded, but hilly, terrain, and came across this:

The remnants of the old splash boat ride, just hanging out and deteriorating.  Closed for three years now, this just looks horrible from a guest perspective.  And worst off, it still shows on the park map in the Six Flags app.  This is the Six Flags I know.

This definitely isn't:  a 1908 carousel, perched at a a top of a hill overlooking another section of a park, completely shaded by trees.

Made my way into Metropolis (got enough DC-themed areas here, SFoG?) and rode Great American Scream Machine, my second coaster with that name.

I don't get what everyone complains about.  Rode in the front, found it to be very smooth and a great classic coaster.

Next up was Superman: Ultimate Flight, the OG.

17 minutes for the back row.  Only one train running; second was in the never-used other loading station and the third was disassembled in the storage area.  Definitely better than it's NJ counterpart, entirely due to the use of the terrain as opposed to being installed in a parking lot.

Next up was the mine train, which I found to be better than expected as well.  Front row, 17 minutes.  Three lift hills, nice and long.

Came across this nice monument to Angus Wynne, Jr, the founder of the company.

And yet another shaded walkway.

And then it was time for coaster #200, Twisted Cyclone.  Train shot and nerd shot in one!

The wild pre-lift area.

21 minutes for the back row.  Wildest pre-lift section that I've seen yet on a RMC.  Too short, but a good ride...that inverted-cobra-roll whatever they call it was awesome.  Better than Wicked Cyclone at SFNE, but just barely scrapes into my top 5 hybrid rankings.

After that, I made my way back to Blue Hawk, which was now running.  Very picturesque coaster here, and I think the blue/grey paint scheme works great over the water.

23 minutes for front row.  Very intense, especially the butterfly element.  Wish it would have stayed in Wildwood.  I also noticed this:

Like, seriously, that just looks like shit.  I get not cleaning the rails around the whole course, but in the station where everyone sees it?  Just looks horrible.

After Blue Hawk, I had ridden everything I figured I was going to here.  The log flume was closed, as was Acrophobia, and I don't do spin-and-swings like Pandemonium.  So, I made my way back into Gotham to see if Mindbender's preview period had started yet, and it had!  Awesome!.

26 minutes for the front row, and I'll just copy-paste my review from a few posts earlier here:

-The whole operating system has been replaced.  Brakes, sensors, drive tires, lift chain, presumably the PLC, basically everything except the track itself appeared to me to be brand new.  Even the track *appears* brand new, because of the paint, but we all know its not.
-Capacity was great.  They were chugging through the trains, and the ride ops here actually seemed to have some enthusiasm for the job (can't say the same for the rest of the park).  Since it was just preview, Flash Pass wasn't an option, but I waited 26 minutes for the front row, with about 4-5 trains where I didn't move since exit-pass people jumped to the front.  Probably would have been under 10 minutes had I gone for any other row.  Notably, I entered the line maybe 10 feet out of the station.  SFOG's lack of groupers didn't help here, so the station got very crowded and at one point a group of people waiting for the front blocked the entire line and some empty rows went out before they made an announcement to fill in the station.
-The trains:  Yes, they are lab-bar only.  Yes, there are seat belts.  Yes, there are carve outs for your butt with the little bit that goes between your thighs.  I have to imagine it was better with the original Schwarzkopf trains, but as it stands these trains were not bad at all.  Yes, there are only 5 cars, but there are 3 trains (though they double-stacked every cycle I saw).
-The ride itself:  It's a Schwarzkopf, which means positive Gs.  And you get them in the loops here, even the "non-loop" in the middle of the ride.  No grey-outs for me, but it did force my arms down at the entry to the two true loops and at the bottom of the non-loop.  That said, it is what I believe to be tamer than it once was (entirely speculating here); the lift slows considerably before cresting, and each of the trim/block brakes at the start of the turns definitely took off some some speed.  Without those, this ride would be absolutely insane, but even with them it was still pretty damnned good. and the fact that they chose to invest so much into this instead of just scrapping it wins a lot of points me with.

And here's some nice action shots:

Catwoman Whip (I still say it should have a 's in it) was running now as well, so I hopped on that.

A poor replacement for a real Enterprise.  As with most Zamperla rides I've been on, the seat/restraints are just not comfortable...and me being super short (26" inseam) had some struggles getting in and out of the seat.  I did not particularly like how the swinging of the seats "locks" into place when the ride gets to its max elevation; spin it faster if you don't want the seats to fall over.

After that, I decided to hit the road at around 4:00.  It was hot (85 and no breeze) and I was exhausted from the hills.  I did take a glance in their tiny water park, and decided to pass based on the lack of things to do.

A note on food before I wrap it up:  Every where I went had massive, massive lines.  Often, the line for mobile-order-pickup was just as long as the standard line and was taking just as long.  Also, food and beverage here is STUPIDLY expensive.  $6 for a 20oz drink out of a machine (though "only" $4.25 for water), $8 for a shitty pretzel, etc.)  I don't know if all SF parks are like that these days, since I try not to spend any money when I'm in SFGAdv or SFA, but wow.

In closing, this park is tough to describe.  It's definitely Six Flags, but some rides like Monster Mansion are decidedly not modern Six Flags.  Decent coaster collection, but nothing that really stands out as incredible.  Very scenic in most places with lots of shade, but the remnants of the splash boats and Skyride detract from that.  That said, probably my favorite Six Flags park overall.  I think Great Adventure has the better ride lineup, but the overall experience at SFoG is top notch (for Six Flags LOL).  I probably won't be back until their next major ride (thanks, Six Flags, for your new Season Pass policy), but still my favorite park in the chain.

And now, some rankings:

Coasters at SFoG
1. Twisted Cyclone
2. Mindbender
3. Goliath
4. Batman
5. Blue Hawk
6. Great American Scream Machine
7. Superman: Ultimate Flight
8. Georgia Scorcher
9. Dahlonega Mine Train
10. Dare Devil Dive
11. Joker Funhouse Coaster

Six Flags parks (that I've been to)
1. over Georgia
2. New England
3. Great America
4. Great Adventure
5. America

Thanks for reading!

 

 

[coneyislandchris]

Great trip report and photos, Mike! Definitely want to make it down here at some point.

[bert425]

Just some comments. . as i'll have my report up in the next few days, and i visited just a day (or two?) after you - and had zero lines.   (hint: try to visit ON Labor Day Monday. . the park is almost always dead).

 

1) how did you not know about Monster Mansion?   (I guess you ignore me, as I've raved about it as my favorite ride in the park for years - and it's better if you're drunk).   I ended up riding it 3 times on Monday      Glad you got on it tho. .it's amazing, isn't it.

2) the exact same rides in Gotham were closed on Monday. . so that's even worse to me, as I was annoyed that 4 of the 7 rides (Joker, Harley, Crime Wave, Mindbender) were down when I was there on Monday - with Batman only running one train.   To find out it was that way all weekend?  on a crowded weekend at that?  I would have been really pissed off.

3) LOL. .I took some of the same pics - including that one lonely skyway tower remaining.     I dunno why they pulled the other towers but left just that one.  very odd.

4) Thunder River was closed too (the entrance is near Pandemonium) which is a shame as it's a raft ride that WILL soak you.     It was hot on my day too, and was surprised the water rides were mostly down.
the Train too was closed for the season.

5) the small waterpark by Superman IS kinda shitty, and they know it.   But it's free with admission.   They have zero incentive to improve it as the separately ticketed Six Flags Whitewater is nearby, and that's where they want the guests to go.     So as a "freebie" water area?  it's not bad - tho SFFT's Whitewater Bay area within the park blows it away in terms of "included waterpark)

https://www.sixflags.com/whitewater

 

6) food lines were pretty horrific on Monday too (with several dining options closed). . . but too bad you didn't eat at Macho Nacho. . it really is the best option in the park.   Huge qty of food for the price, that's really decent.   
 

7) up on Carousel Hill (with that stunning Carousel) is a very well done antique Taxi ride - that goes around the hill, and is completely shaded. . it's just lovely.


great report, and sounds like you had a good time.    Did you not ride Justice League?    the SFOG version is a good one with all the effects working.

you'll have to go back for Acrophobia, the Train, Thunder River, and the Flume. . they are all really good, and worth the trip.    that's why I tend to go every year when I go to Atlanta for Dragon*con.

[AmyUD06]

@bert425, no offense intended by not knowing about Monster Mansion.  I guess I just missed it.

Yeah, I would have preferred to go on a non-Saturday, but the trip schedule was dictated by my work schedule, so there was only so much I could do.

I'm generally not one for soaking raft rides, but I definitely wanted to get on the Log Flume, which was closed when I was there on Saturday.

I'm a pretty plain eater (many compare it to "eating like a 5 year old"), so anything from Macho Nacho would have been out.  I did try to get a burger from JB's Smokehouse but wasn't waiting in either the standby or mobile order lines.

I did skip Justice League; I've been on the one at SFGAdv.  Guess it would have been a nice air conditioned break, but oh well.

I'll definitely be coming back to the area to visit my friend some more, so perhaps I'll swing in again when more things are running.

Thanks for the commentary!

[bert425]

^ LOL . I'm TEASING.

 

it's great tho innit?

[tndank]

I visit SFoG often. Second closest park to me.  I would rank it my least favorite SF park.  I think they have one of the worst presidents in the chain.  They don't try at all to do anything special. No power hours. No enthusiast events for years. The seem to be low in the pecking order for new start attractions now days.

Good rides.  Enjoy those when I go.  Employees are usually fairly awful.  Half or more of the food places are typically closed.  Most aren't on Mobile food ordering half the time.  

Loved visiting a couple years ago on a 100 degree summer afternoon. They were posting on twitter and facebook a series of 'Stay Hydrated' posts.  Problem is, none of the food places opened for at least the first 2 hours.  Perhaps you could have hit the coke stand near the mine train, but nothing else.  And it was brutally hot.  Par for the course here. 

Now, I do realize one off and visits every now and again can give completely different views of this park.  I'm glad many people enjoy it.  But it could so much better with someone even remotely interested interested in running a good park like Jeffrey and Ron down in Texas.  I still go.  I'm fairly easy going and take things in stride.

Fights can really be a problem here sometimes.  3/4 of the time I'm leaving there are at least 20 cop cars outside handling some mess.  Last time I was there (couple months ago), I witnessed 2 different large 10+ people groups start brawling and going to town on each other inside the park.  Great sight for the kids!

Best thing about this park is the Bad Bob show, Monster Mansion, and the rides.  The rest is fairly awful.

 

[The username]

BAD BOB!!

[Lotologist492]

On 9/10/2021 at 4:18 PM, Mike240SX said:

@bert425, no offense intended by not knowing about Monster Mansion.  I guess I just missed it.

Yeah, I would have preferred to go on a non-Saturday, but the trip schedule was dictated by my work schedule, so there was only so much I could do.

I'm generally not one for soaking raft rides, but I definitely wanted to get on the Log Flume, which was closed when I was there on Saturday.

I'm a pretty plain eater (many compare it to "eating like a 5 year old"), so anything from Macho Nacho would have been out.  I did try to get a burger from JB's Smokehouse but wasn't waiting in either the standby or mobile order lines.

I did skip Justice League; I've been on the one at SFGAdv.  Guess it would have been a nice air conditioned break, but oh well.

I'll definitely be coming back to the area to visit my friend some more, so perhaps I'll swing in again when more things are running.

Thanks for the commentary!

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!

[tanthonyam]

Who supplied the new Mindbender trains? Ive heard from 2 different sources, 2 different companies. Premier or Gerst?

[bert425]

Finally got to the SFOG day in my Trip Report:

https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/47367-photo-trip-report-atlanta-labor-day-week-dragoncon-2021-six-flags-over-georgia/?tab=comments#comment-1904943

 

yeah. . sometimes I make REALLY bad decisions:

 

[AmyUD06]

21 minutes ago, bert425 said:

Finally got to the SFOG day in my Trip Report:

https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/47367-photo-trip-report-atlanta-labor-day-week-dragoncon-2021-six-flags-over-georgia/?tab=comments#comment-1904943

 

yeah. . sometimes I make REALLY bad decisions:

 

So weird that we could have such different experiences on that ride in the front row, only two days apart.  I found it quite tolerable and even enjoyable!

[The username]

On 9/23/2021 at 6:46 PM, Mike240SX said:

So weird that we could have such different experiences on that ride in the front row, only two days apart.  I found it quite tolerable and even enjoyable!

Same here, didn't jack hammer me as bad as it used too when I visited earlier this year.

[The username]

Rode MindBender today for the first time since the revamp and it's still pretty good. The trims do significantly dull down the ride but they aren't completely hard stoping it anymore and they seem to vary.

[tndank]

Mindbender is a shell of it's former self.  Got on it Saturday and it's just as bad as I expected.  Trains look horrible.  The two trims are awful.  Intensity has been dropped to near zero.  

The only thing  good about the update is the new operator building in the station.  I bet they appreciate that. 

 

[grsupercity]

So I have heard the new trains are B&M. Seems like Premier would have been there go to on this one