Best Six Flags Park

[GwaziBSRider1]

I had similar feelings when they sold Worlds of Adventure to Cedar Fair. I still think it was the best Six Flags park (who knows though, my opinion could be different now). When they sold it off in the bankruptcy, I wish they would have sold off something else. I really miss having a Six Flags park close by that's actually worth my time (I'm looking at you, America).

[gerstlaueringvar]

1. SFFT

2. SFGAm

3. SFOT

4. SFSt.L

5. SFMM

 

Rides lineup:

1. SFMM

2. SFOT

3. SFFT

4. SFGAm

5. SFSt.L

[El Toro_Ryan]

Funny how my distaste for SF slowly grew with them leaving Kentucky. But other than that, Over Georgia is my favorite. Probably because it's well rounded in terms of rides, the theming is a tad more consistent and the area is well forested, and it's one of Six Flags' original parks.

The only reason I don't like them is that reason. Why buy so many parks, invest little money in them and then dump them?

 

Well to be fair, it wasn't the current Six Flags management that bought up all the old parks. This all occurred when Premier Parks seized up as many parks as they could back in the 90's (including Kentucky Kingdom), and then purchased Six Flags from Time Warner in 1998. Premier Parks increased the size of its real estate way too quickly and this move basically jeopardized Six Flag's future and it's part of the reason why the company is under so much debt today. #blamepremier

[Moose]

I can't decide anymore. The two that i really liked in the past (SFOT and America (the one in Chicago, I may have the wrong one listed here)) have reportedly really slipped in quality lately. I really liked those parks, hopefully they can get their acts together again.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Fiesta Texas is the best by far, but Great America's pretty good too. The other Midwest Six Flags are okay. Haven't been to any parks outside the Midwest, so I can't comment on those.

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

I would say SFAW is the best, but it's gone so it doesn't matter now

[Genx24]

Of the three I've been to:

 

1. GAdv

2. NE

3. MM

[appel]

1. Six Flags Great Adventure (best coasters, Skyride, Safari)

2. Six Flags Magic Mountain (good coaster collection)

3. Six Flags over Georgia (good coaster collection, Monster Mansion, Skyride, Train, nice landscaping)

4. Six Flags Fiesta Texas (2-3 good coasters, nice theming, quarry wall/landscape)

5. Six Flags Great America (2-3 good coasters, a bit of theming)

6. Six Flags over Texas (2-3 good coasters, nice theming)

7. Six Flags New England (have only been there before RMC-Cyclone, nothing to do there besides Superman (not into flats/waterrides), rough Goliath, Batman just ok, little theming, but overall was not impressed when comparing to other Six Flags Parks)

[historyfreak92]

Me since I Live in Texas, & will be going back to San Antonio this year, I have always adored Six Flags Fiesta Texas cause I love the way the landscaping is, & the Quarry Wall is with Superman Krypton Coaster, & Iron Rattler Built on Top, I'm just like WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, but I do like Six Flags Over Texas too, cause they have good selection of Roller Coaster just like Six Flags Fiesta Texas, the way the Coaster are set, but Six Flags Fiesta Texas will always be in my Heart!

[MrSum1_55]

Here are my rankings:

 

1. SFoT: I was really surprised by this park. I was expecting something more like another SFMM, but this park was surprisingly nice. It actually does have some theming, and it almost felt more like a bigger version of Knott's. The coaster selection is very solid as well, and everyone knows Texas Giant as one of the best rides in the country. By biggest con with this park is the operations, which leave a lot to be desired. 3-4 minute dispatches plagued many of the rides when I was there.

 

2. SFGAdv: The coasters here are amazing, and this park has my second-favorite lineup behind Cedar Point. Overall, I would say that the operations here are the best at any SF park I have been to, with some very fast dispatches on El Toro, Nitro, Kingda Ka, and Green Lantern. However, Bizarro double stacked on most cycles, the Batman crew was only average for any Six Flags Batman ride, and the Superman crew was even slower than the Tatsu crew usually is. There is not much theming at this park, though anyone on thsi site who goes here is probably just going for El Toro.

 

3. SFDK: This was originally an animal park, before Premier/Six Flags expanded on it. It really does show, as the front looks like a generic Six Flags park, while the back is quite nice. Operations are far from great, but they have improved in recent years. While the coaster lineup may be small, the addition of Superman a few years back and the concept of getting a new RMC will boost the rankings of the lineup a lot.

 

4. SFMM: This park also has an amazing coaster lineup, but there is really almost no atmosphere here. DC Universe is nice, and I like what they did with the area around Twisted Colossus. It is great that they are restoring Revolution, and TC is truly one of the best rides in the country. For the most part, this is where my positives end. This park needs to improve quite a bit in terms of its overall cleanliness and operations. It probably gives the least well-rounded "park experience" of all the Six Flags parks I have been to.

[snapfordakids]

Fiesta Texas is the best park in the chain, imo. Quality over Quantity.. Clean park, great shows, friendly employees, amazing setting and it's like rarely ever insanely busy.

Edited February 19, 2016 by snapfordakids

[ShaneH]

I'll answer after this year when I get to Over Texas, Fiesta Texas, Over Georgia, Great America, Great Adventure, and America

 

For now it is

1. SFNE

2. SFStL

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

SFSTL is actually not that bad of a park. No, I am not saying it because it is my local park, I like the arrangement of rides (except ninja) and we have few unique stuff. (Example: 2 sided log flume, Biggest Ferris wheel in all of Six Flags, and Xcalibur)

[Nitro1118]

1a) Great Adventure

1b) Great America

3) New England

4) World's of Adventure

 

GAdv and GAm are hard to compare. GAm has much better theming, better park layout, is nicer overall, much better HH that is physically connected to the dry park, and even back in 06 (before Goliath and X-Flight) I thought it was an impressive coaster lineup. GAdv meanwhile has hand-down the better coasters, the top flats are better than GAm's top flats, and the Safari is a major x-factor. If I had to choose, GAdv would get the edge.

 

SFNE is very underrated. The operations are horrible, and they seem to do whatever they can to destroy the trains of their best coasters, but I love the park. 2 of the greatest coasters ever built, a few other solid coasters, another really nice HH attached to the dry park, some really nice theming for an SF park, and a pretty location next to the river.

 

SFWoA was also underrated back in 2003. It's a theme I've noticed about SF parks...while they have some frustrating, lazy, and annoying tendencies, the parks themselves are often really solid, and get overly-bashed.

[Superbatboy]

Of the ones I've visited

 

1.SFOG

2.SFMM

3.SFgradv

4.SFNE

5.SFDK

6.SFA

[boldikus]

Bizarro double stacks on all cycles

 

[Jackdude101]

Let's see what my special park list thingie says. Note: Six Flags Mexico is not on the list, but if it were it would be somewhere near the bottom, specifically between SFA and SFDK.

[Password121]

^That's a really unique way to organize it. How do you come up with "roller coaster rankings"? Is there some sort of algorithm? I think a lot of people (myself included) would argue that Great Adventure's collection is worth more than 65.4% of Magic Mountain's collection, quality and quantity considered. Otherwise that's pretty cool.

[Nrthwnd]

Of the very, very few SFs I have gone to, the real surprise for myself, was back in 2013 on the TPR Mexico Tour...

 

Six Flags Mexico was really awesome to me, besides having a pretty good coaster line up, and my #600, Medusa

(before her 'change') there, the whole park was very 'casual' in how it was laid out, and I really enjoyed wandering

around. The locals and the employees were all very nice to me, which just added to the enjoyment of the place.

 

And - I discovered my (then) ultimate OMG beverage, of Corona Beer and some clamato juice and spices... YUM!!!

Thank you Six Flags Mexico, for this! (o: And I still have my Superman Cape, too!

[Jackdude101]

^That's a really unique way to organize it. How do you come up with "roller coaster rankings"? Is there some sort of algorithm? I think a lot of people (myself included) would argue that Great Adventure's collection is worth more than 65.4% of Magic Mountain's collection, quality and quantity considered. Otherwise that's pretty cool.

 

Yeah, it's a little experimental ranking system meant to see what happens when you rank rides by key tech specs. At first it was just roller coasters, then people mentioned I should add other types of rides. I added steam trains (ones actually powered by steam) and carousels (legit historical ones with wood or metal figures), as those are on the opposite end of roller coasters in terms of ride intensity and would offer a wider spectrum on what the park offers (they are also hard to get + hard to maintain, so their presence tends to indicate a higher quality park). I added data for weather, too.

[Condor]

1. Six Flags Over Georgia (Best blend of atmosphere and rides. Goliath, Mind Bender, and Scorcher are some of the best of their kind, and B:TR, S:UF, and GASM are solid coasters that round out the collection. I haven't been since 2009 so I have not ridden Dare Devil Dive. Going back in May 2016)

 

2. Six Flags Great Adventure (Best 1-2 punch in the chain with El Toro and Nitro, and either the best or second best collection overall after SFMM. Atmosphere and landscaping range from "just okay" to "good" depending on the area)

 

3. Six Flags Magic Mountain (Better now that Twisted Colossus gives them a legit destination coaster. Everyone knows the service, efficiency, and upkeep issues that plague this park as well as lack of variety in attractions, but at least for me the coaster lineup is enough to counterbalance all that)

 

4. Six Flags Over Texas (Same feelings as SFOG but substitute New Texas Giant, Shockwave, and Titan. Same above average atmosphere and landscaping by chain standards, but I feel it's lacking another major coaster)

 

5. Six Flags Mexico (Best of the smaller SF parks. Second best 1-2 punch with Medusa and Superman. Best cleanliness, theming and Halloween event in the chain by a mile. Biggest problem is that the rest of the coasters are all clones and kiddie coasters)

 

6. Six Flags Fiesta Texas (My opinion is hampered slightly by a disappointing visit in December with Superman Krypton Coaster closed and one train operation on Iron Rattler restricting over half of my time in the park to the queue line. Otherwise a nice, unique park with some solid rides)

 

7. Six Flags New England (Pre-Wicked Cyclone. Great anchor in Superman/Bizarro surrounded by an otherwise middling collection plus an okay B&M, but none of the atmosphere of Six Flags Mexico or Fiesta Texas to make up for it)

 

8. Six Flags St. Louis (Nice looking park in certain areas with a decent, but not great coaster lineup. You can only go so far when a GCI (though in my opinion the best of them) is your top coaster)

 

9. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Don't understand some of the love this park gets. Medusa - a middle of the road floorless - and Superman (which I don't care for) are the only bright spots if the animal exhibits aren't your thing. Addition of Joker will help tremendously)

[mmkaycomputer]

Among the SF parks I have visited:

 

1. SF Great Adventure

2. SF Magic Mountain*

3. SF Over Texas

4. SF Fiesta Texas

5. SF Discovery Kingdom

 

*SF Over Texas might have a more well-rounded and cleaner park, but rides are the reason I go to SF parks, and IMHO, Magic Mountain still has it beat.

[Shockwave]

I've yet to go to Discovery Kingdom or Great Escape, but here's my view on the rest of them. I've marked the one that I used a flash pass at.

 

1) Six Flags Great America - Wasn't bowled over on my first visit, but my day there last year was really good. Surprisingly good operations, great ride selection and one the best coasters on the planet (Goliath). Even Raging Bull was running well! Slight let down was that Viper was broken, but it didn't make a huge different when there's so much other stuff to do. (No FP - quiet/medium day)

 

2) Six Flags Fiesta Texas - Very pretty setting, some great coasters and a nice atmosphere on my last visit. Iron Rattler, Superman and Batman were all well run and really good rides. Only let down was the obscene operations on the rapids. (No FP - quiet day)

 

3) Six Flags New England - Good operations all day, decent coaster selection, Wicked Cyclone & Bizzaro (as at was) were both excellent. But Goliath has been ruined byt the new trains which beat the crap out of you. (No FP - quiet/medium day)

 

4) Six Flags Over Georgia - Last visit wasn't as good as my first (a Sunday evening drop-in on the stupid bring a friend promotion needs putting to sleep), but we went back the next day and things were much quieter and better. Good ride variety, very pretty and Goliath is a great hyper. (No FP - pointless on the first night, very quiet on the second day)

 

5) Six Flags Great Adventure - Some incredible rides let down by some average operations. The park doesn't have the charm of the top 4, but at least you shuoldn't get bored there. Unless you're waiting in line for a million hours. (No FP - quiet day)

 

6) Six Flags St. Louis - Not that special, but we got everything done in a few hours on a quiet Sunday. Mr. Freeze was a real surprise, and the Boss wasn't as bad as people say it is. And would be even better with the RMC treatment. (No FP - quiet day)

 

7) Six Flags Over Texas - Can't really give this place a fair review because we were washed out by a tropical storm first visit and then only had a few hours the second visit on the awful bring a friend weekend. Flash passes were very necessary as I have no desire to queue 1 hour for an average Gerstlauer spinner. NTG was pretty good, and the other Mr. Freeze was also great fun. Will give it another chance.

 

8) Six Flags Magic Mountain - Full day with a flash pass meant I got everything done that wasn't broken (i'm looking at X and Riddler's Revenge), but the operations were abysmal. Because of how much they've added in the last 10 years, I'd defo try it again. Probably with a flash pass to be on the safe side.

 

9) Six Flags America - I feel bad for this place, because they had some fantastic staff members working at a raelly badly run park. Sort the management out, clean it up and bit, and it woldn't be half as bad as it is now. But at least it wasn't too busy. (No FP - quiet day)

 

10) La Ronde - Oh dear. This place can sink in to the St Lawrence Seaway for all I care. Some of the worst operations I've ever seen, awful looking park, average rides (save Goliath which at least made the trip slightly worth it). Acutally turned down creds here because I didn't want to be in there longer than I had to. Very flash passed. Very glad to never have to go back there again.

[SFOG1991]

Of the parks I have visited (SFOG, SFKK, SFOT, SFDK, SFGAdv, SFA, SFStL)

 

1. SFOG - I didn't realize how glad I am to have this as a home park until I visited the other properties. Not a bad ride in the park and definitely the nicest looking park. Goliath and Mind Bender may both be the best of their kind. GASM is great too. Overall they don't have any bad coaster and Monster Mansion is a gem. Operations are unreliable, sometimes good sometimes bad, and the patrons used to be terrible but have improved to being average. Some days operations and crowds are just both a mess though.

 

2. SFGAdv - The standout coasters really help this park ranking, but the safari is also amazing. I was genuinely surprised by it's size and quality. Overall, the coaster lineup is good with a few that really stand out. The park's look is decent, but I'm not a fan of the layout. Crowds can be really bad but it is what it is.

 

3. SFOT - Almost made my #2 spot, and I may change my mind. I thought this park would be on par with SFOG as I love the vintage Six Flags charm that remains but only the older sections of the park were nice. It was still a very attractive park overall, just not nearly as nice as SFOG. The coaster lineup is solid but I expected a bit more from Shockwave after riding Mind Bender. Titan is intense and New Texas Giant is amazing. Overall very well rounded park.

 

4. SFDK - I was pleasantly surprised by this park. It may not be huge in the rides department but it looked so nice I didn't think I was at a Six Flags and the crowds were much more appealing than other parks I have been to. Medusa and Superman were both great! It still just can't compare to the top 3 spots due to size, overall appeal, and ride collection.

 

5. SFStL - I expected more from this park in pretty much every way, but it has a decent coaster line up and some classic Six Flags charm. I just left feeling like this park could use a lot of love and it was smaller and more awkward than I expected.

 

6. SFA - This park actually exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were low. It and St. Louis rank very closely but the patrons here are worse and the overall ride line up isn't as good. Superman is great. The park is actually really pretty until you get past Wild One where things are just awkwardly scattered among a field. There is a ton of potential though.

 

7. SFKK - I went back during the Six Flags days, and it actually wasn't a bad park. It just didn't have a lot of things the other parks had. Chang was really good as well as their shuttle loop. The water park was decent and Deluge was awesome. I can't wait to get back as I feel like the new KK will be far superior even with the loss of attractions (RIP Schwarzkopf gem).

[coasterbill]

I know this is an enthusiast forum so it may be overlooked but Safari Off Road Adventure puts Great Adventure on a level that's far superior to the other parks when you combine it with their coaster collection. That ride is the single biggest factor in me considering it the best park in the chain. What other Six Flags park can boast a 90 minute long open air safari with Giraffes, Tigers, Bears, Lions, Rhinos, up close encounters with Lion and Tiger cubs, Bison, Kangaroos, Reptiles, Exotic birds and tons of other animals, some of which are extinct in the wild.

 

And on top of that they have the world's best wood coaster and the tallest coaster in the world plus a ton of other great rides.

 

Discovery Kingdom is the only other park in the chain that can offer anything even approaching that level but they don't even come close to Great Adventure in the coaster department.