Photo TR: Six Flags Over Georgia and Carowinds

[Superbatboy]

So last month I embarked on what was supposed to be a 5 park excursion, which turned out to be an only four park journey due to Carowinds being closed the day I planned to go

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=70859

 

Since the trip felt incomplete, I decided to quickly book another trip because I had Fury on my mind heavily. Upon searching for plane tickets, I discovered it's much cheaper to fly into Atlanta than Charlotte so SFOG immediately came to mind.

 

I flew into Atlanta on a red-eye on 9/11/15 from Los Angeles and headed straight for the park.

 

I immediately noticed the park was much different than any other Six Flags park I've been to. There's a certain charm to the place and it has a great setting and atmosphere.

 

Upon entering I immediately headed for Goliath, which was a bit confusing to find. I assumed it was a front gate coaster since it wraps around Georgia Scorcher and much of the entrance. Anyhow the ride is great, lots of airtime and pretty forceful for a B&M hyper. Got about 5 rides in 20 mins or so since it only had a station wait. Much prefer the front seat over the back.

 

After Goliath I decided to hit up Dare Devil Dive, which I knew would have a line based on its 6 passenger trains, had no idea the wait would be AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN minutes. Right as I was about 20 people away from riding, the ride breaks down. Apparently the car with the exiting passengers got stuck literally a foot away from where its supposed to stop, so a supervisor had come and reset the ride. The ride exceeded my expectations greatly, its fun, fast, and smooth.

 

Headed over to Mindbender which had about a two train wait. What a beautiful, classic ride it is!! Those loops pack a serious punch and I even got a couple pops of airtime on some of the turns. I can see why so many people love it. Tied with Montezooma's Revenge as my favorite Schwarzkopf coaster.

 

I was actually amazed at how well taken care of Batman's queue was. In contrast to the Batman clone at my home park, SFMM, which looks like a wasteland these days. SFOG's Batman also rode a bit smoother than MM's but for some reason didnt feel as intense.

 

At this point I kind of wandered around a bit, just trying to take in the park's atmosphere which I really enjoyed. Again the park has a certain charm not present in the SF parks I've been to thus far. I ended up at Georgia Cyclone. One of those woodies that is smooth in certain sections and back breaking in others. Got the credit, won't be riding again unless RMC does something with it.

 

Up until this point, I was all smiles and had no negative things regarding the park as a whole. That was until I got to Georgia Scorcher. The absolute slowest operations I've ever seen on any coaster. It was the most irritating thing I've ever seen. The ride itself was great though, very smooth, no headbanging, and lots of awesome laterals. Riddler is still my fave stand up however.

 

Found my way to where Great American Scream Machine was and had a great ride. I always make it a point to sit in a non-wheel seat whenever I ride a woodie with a 3 row PTC. A great classic feel woodie, I hope the park leaves it as is.

 

Skipped over Ninja, I get migraines pretty easily so I had no interest in riding a coaster that I've read nothing but negative things about over the years. Sorry to any Ninja fans out there...are there any?

 

I decided Superman would be my last coaster as I had a 4 hour drive to my hotel across from Carowinds and I wanted to get a move on it. Welp, again ridiculously slow operations on Superman. They literally were dispatching the trains in 7-10 minute intervals. After waiting about 25 minutrs and seeing train after train

with passengers hanging on the brake run, I decided to skip Superman and call it a day.

 

All in all, I absolutely adored SFOG! A great park with a few typical Six Flags shortcommings, but the charm more than makes up for it. I also found the employees to be the friendliest I've ever encountered at a Six Flags park. Southern hospitality is real y'all

 

Here's a few pics from SFOG, Carowinds TR later

Edited September 16, 2015 by Superbatboy

[SFOGdude25]

Nice report!

Great to see you had fun in this neck of the woods! You are absolutely right about SFOG having a nice charm to it that other Six Flags parks don't have. It is after all one of the original Six Flags parks, and other than all the new rides that have been added over the years, much of the atmosphere (buildings, pathways, wooded areas etc.) remains mostly unchanged to this day. It's the park I grew up with, and it'll always be my favorite Six Flags!

You didn't miss much with Ninja and Superman. Ninja's nothing special, not to mention painful, and if you've been on any Superman clone, it's pretty much the same exact ride, but the setting for our Superman is much better since it's the original and actually built into the terrain and not just on a flat piece of land.

[Superbatboy]

Nice report!

Great to see you had fun in this neck of the woods! You are absolutely right about SFOG having a nice charm to it that other Six Flags parks don't have. It is after all one of the original Six Flags parks, and other than all the new rides that have been added over the years, much of the atmosphere (buildings, pathways, wooded areas etc.) remains mostly unchanged to this day. It's the park I grew up with, and it'll always be my favorite Six Flags!

You didn't miss much with Ninja and Superman. Ninja's nothing special, not to mention painful, and if you've been on any Superman clone, it's pretty much the same exact ride, but the setting for our Superman is much better since it's the original and actually built into the terrain and not just on a flat piece of land.

Thanks for reading! Yeah I loved the park, definitely wouldn't mind visiting again in the future.

[DoinItForTheFame]

Loved the report, and the photos!!! Glad you enjoyed the park! It is still on my "park bucket list" but every time we have been close enough to go, and we have had the time to go it has ended up raining. Someday we will make it down there! Goliath looks like a lot of fun!

[jynx242]

Thanks for the report. Six Flags over Georgia is one of my favorite parks. I grew up going there, had my first job there, and even though I live 7 hours away now - I still go a couple of times a year

[SFOG1991]

Great trip report! I'm glad you enjoyed the park. I agree it overall impresses more than the average Six Flags park. I was surprised that you were impressed with the employees though. While they are still better than many parks in the chain, some can be terrible and usually you don't hear people compliment them. Both the employees and the clientele have greatly improved in the last 5 years.

 

In regards to Ninja, if you are tall and have a tall torso to where your head is above the shoulder restraints, it honestly isn't very rough. I used to hate how rough it was when I was a kid, but now at my height I have no problem at all and the ride is very intense with a unique layout. I actually love the ride.

 

RMC topper-tracked the first quarter or so of Georgia Cyclone, with the next section being new wood, and sections beyond that being partially replaced. It would be great with all topper track.

 

Superman has a dual station and I wish they would use it again because I completely agree with your complaints. The ride itself and it's use of terrain compared to its clones makes up for it slightly.

 

I know you had limited time, but Monster Mansion is a great dark ride so if you didn't ride it, definitely do so next time you are in the park. Acrophobia's tilting seats are also pretty terrifying!

 

 

 

Can't wait to see Carowinds!

[Superbatboy]

Loved the report, and the photos!!! Glad you enjoyed the park! It is still on my "park bucket list" but every time we have been close enough to go, and we have had the time to go it has ended up raining. Someday we will make it down there! Goliath looks like a lot of fun!

Thanks for reading! Yeah Goliath is definitely one of the better B&M hypers, so glad I finally got to ride it!!

[Superbatboy]

Thanks for the report. Six Flags over Georgia is one of my favorite parks. I grew up going there, had my first job there, and even though I live 7 hours away now - I still go a couple of times a year

Thanks for reading!! Yeah it's a great place, wish I lived closer...I'd definitely be there often

 

Great trip report! I'm glad you enjoyed the park. I agree it overall impresses more than the average Six Flags park. I was surprised that you were impressed with the employees though. While they are still better than many parks in the chain, some can be terrible and usually you don't hear people compliment them. Both the employees and the clientele have greatly improved in the last 5 years.

 

In regards to Ninja, if you are tall and have a tall torso to where your head is above the shoulder restraints, it honestly isn't very rough. I used to hate how rough it was when I was a kid, but now at my height I have no problem at all and the ride is very intense with a unique layout. I actually love the ride.

 

RMC topper-tracked the first quarter or so of Georgia Cyclone, with the next section being new wood, and sections beyond that being partially replaced. It would be great with all topper track.

 

Superman has a dual station and I wish they would use it again because I completely agree with your complaints. The ride itself and it's use of terrain compared to its clones makes up for it slightly.

 

I know you had limited time, but Monster Mansion is a great dark ride so if you didn't ride it, definitely do so next time you are in the park. Acrophobia's tilting seats are also pretty terrifying!

 

 

 

Can't wait to see Carowinds!

Thanks for reading!! In hindsight I probably should've just sucked it up and gotten the Ninja credit, I just have this crazy Vekoma apprehension...I've missed about 10 credits this year alone avoiding various SLCs, Boomerangs etc

 

I had heard great things about Monster Mansion, but the line was pretty long so I passed it up. For sure next time!! Just gives me even more reasons for a future visit

[SFOG1991]

^Some people hate Ninja, so I don't blame you. I always ride every credit but I honestly don't get the Ninja hate at all. I love it and it's actually my friend's favorite roller coaster at the park. It might just have to do with where your head is in relation to the restraints. I really do love it so I hope it sticks around and maybe they can put some kind of vest restraint on it instead.

 

Anyways, glad you had a great time and hope you weren't too tired driving 4 hours to Carowinds after a red eye and time at SFOG!

[Superbatboy]

Anyways, glad you had a great time and hope you weren't too tired driving 4 hours to Carowinds after a red eye and time at SFOG!

Oh I was definitely feeling it towards the end of the drive, but it all was worth it once I saw Fury in the skyline

[beenagins87]

In defense of the GA Scorcher crew, it's usually the guest that hold up the line more than anything, you would think after 16 years, the locals would learn how to properly stand, but that would be using common sense, and God forbid people do that.

[Superbatboy]

In defense of the GA Scorcher crew, it's usually the guest that hold up the line more than anything, you would think after 16 years, the locals would learn how to properly stand, but that would be using common sense, and God forbid people do that.

I did notice they had to keep locking and unlocking restraints most of the time to get people to stand correctly. I guess I'm just used to my home park, where on Riddler they don't care if you sit or stand they just dispatch the trains

[beenagins87]

In defense of the GA Scorcher crew, it's usually the guest that hold up the line more than anything, you would think after 16 years, the locals would learn how to properly stand, but that would be using common sense, and God forbid people do that.

I did notice they had to keep locking and unlocking restraints most of the time to get people to stand correctly. I guess I'm just used to my home park, where on Riddler they don't care if you sit or stand they just dispatch the trains

 

It also doesn't help that Scrocher is a really short ride as well, Riddler is probably the only stand up that you could actually lock and unlock the restrains more than once and still dispatch in a timely manner due to length.

[Superbatboy]

9-13-2015

 

CAROWINDS!!

 

I had an extreme scare the day I arrived in Charlotte. Upon arriving in the Carowinds vicinity about 7:10pm, I was greeted with Carowinds' beautiful skyline. Fury, Intimidator, Afterburn, and Windseeker dominate the views. I immediately noticed all the visible rides operating except Fury. I remember reading on here how Fury was closed an entire weekend a few weeks back due to a lift hill issue and was immediately paranoid my trek across the country to ride Fury may have been in vain for a 2nd time. So I did what any millennial would do in this situation and took to instagram and twitter. Apparently Fury was down the entire day with the exception of a short time period, where the ride was opened for 30mins then closed for the day after getting stuck on the lift.

 

Much to my pleasure, I arrived at Carowinds the following day and Fury was testing!! The grin on my face couldn't have been bigger. What a BEAUTIFUL ride it is in person!! No video I've seen thus far can capture the amazing presence this ride has at the front gate. Oh and may I add the front gate is BEAUTIFUL! Dare I say Carowinds front gate is even more spectacular than CP's beautiful new gate.

 

I got so excited seeing Fury up close, I forgot to purchase my ticket. So I sat down on one of many rocking chairs outside the entrance. What??? Rocking chairs?? Very nice touch.

 

After I purchsed my ticket and entered, I lined up for the running of the bulls to Fury 325. I was on the 2nd train out 7th row left side. I tried to sneak into the 8th row after being told to go the 7th and the grouper immediately scolded me and made me go back to row 7. I understand why they do it though, their dispatch speed is immaculate. Anyhow, Fury was AMAZING!! So much more intense than I anticipated. So much speed, airtime, laterals, great pace. The ride never lets up!! Oh and that first drop!!! Wow!!! The crew kept the line moving, so I kept entering the line. I eventually ended up with 13 rides in all. Favorite seats were rows 1, 3, and 8 all on the far left.

 

I had to finally peel myself away from Fury and get those credits, so I headed over to Intimidator. Maybe I should've ridden this prior to Fury, because I couldnt get into this ride one bit. Hate to sound negative, but it felt like the most forceless B&M hyper I've ridden thus far (been on Nitro, Apollo, Diamondback, and Goliath). I gave it a couple more spins in various seats, the front was the best but still felt extremely benign. Kudos to the crew though, while it was my least favorite B&M hyper, they were cranking those trains out like I've never seen.

 

I walked over to Nighthawk and saw the line was pretty lengthy and knowing flying dutchmen are known for achingly slow dispatches, I decided to return later.

 

I stumbled on Windseeker, I guess stumble is the wrong verbiage since it's visible from the entire park. Anyhoo, since I've never ridden a Windseeker or Sky Sceamer, I thought why not give it a try. It's an okay ride, great views of the park, and I could see the huge plot of land they cleared where Thunder Road once stood. That waterpark expansion is going to be gigantic!

 

I was not anticipating head banging on Flying Ace Aerial Chase, but that's exactly what I experienced. A terrible family coaster, again, why I'm not a Vekoma fan. Oh well, got the credit.

 

I could hear Afterburnroaring in the backgroud, so I knew that was next up. Let me say, the coaster has an amazing setting. B&M inverteds look the best when they're nestled in trees, or down in a ravine, on a hillside, partially hidden, etc; It was a walk-on so I immediately queued for the front seat. What an amazing coaster!!! So underrated, the pacing is great, its smooth, intense, and such a different layout than all the inverteds. The batwing into the tunnel was my favorite element.

 

Alas! I finally decided to ride another Boomerang! I noticed Carolina Cobra had the newer Vekoma trains with the non-headbanging restraints so I decided to try it. The ride was smoother than I anticipated, and of course, zero headbanging. I got extremely nausceous on the backwards trip however for some reason.

 

Walked next door to Carolina Goldrusher, an awesome mine train! Probably my favorite mine train so far, it was quick, smooth, and looked extremely well cared for.

 

I was eager to see how Carowinds' Vortex was in comparison to the one at CGA. I'll say that Carowinds' installment has the better layout, but the headbanging was definitely more pronounced. I was glad once it was over. It'll be interesting to see if CF retrofits Vortex with floorless.trains. I don't think the standing up aspect is bad, it's the OSTRs.

 

After Vortex, I decided to make a run to the rental car for some excedrin and also take some vids of Fury (which I'll post later). When I re-entered I still saw a pretty healthy line for Nighthawk, so headed for Ricochet. Once you've ridden several wild mice, they start to feel the same after a while. This particular installment was pretty smooth and the brakes didn't grab too hard which is always a plus.

 

Carolina Cyclone was actually not too bad. I never know what to expect when riding an Arrow looper for the first time. I've had some terrible experiences (Anaconda and Demon at CGA) and some that werent as bad as I anticipated (Vortex at KI and Corkscrew at CP). CC is a quick and simple ride, relatively smooth given its age and manufacturer, and well taken care of.

 

I decided Hurler would be my last new credit as I wanted more rides on Fury and was short on time. Nighthawk is the 2nd flying dutchman I skipped due to time constraints (the other being Firehawk at KI last year). Anyhow, I was a bit tense getting on Hurler as the one at KD damn near broke my spine! Glad that Carowinds' Hurler isnt nearly as bad as the one in Virginia, still not a great ride. Rough, slow, and boring. I'm curious to know if Thunder Road was actually better than this and simply met its demise because of its locale in the park and the fact that it was double the maintenance.

 

All in all, I had a great time at Carowinds. Cedar Fair has done an amazing job with this place. I remember reading horror stories back in the day when Paramount owned the park of how neglected the park was etc. Well that's definitely not the case now, the place is extremely clean, great operations, and that front gate is top notch. Definitely interested to see what's in store in the future, the place has such an upside. By far my favorite of the former Paramount parks I've visted. Still need to take a trip to Canada.

 

Here's some pics of my day

Goosebumps

That's bae right there

Scarowinds!

Can't take my eyes off you

They absolutely crank out those Fury trains

Such stark similarities and differences from i305

More Scarowinds

Looks so familiar

Who says you can't be in two places at once??

More Scarowinds

Hurler is a good looker if nothing else

The aesthetics of Fury have my heart

Soaring over California, literally! Landing back home

[coasterlvr]

awesome stuff, man. jealous!

[Superbatboy]

awesome stuff, man. jealous!

Thanks man!!

[coasterbill]

Great report! Fury is just greatness (as is Afterburn). Glad you got to ride it.

[Superbatboy]

Great report! Fury is just greatness (as is Afterburn). Glad you got to ride it.

Thanks for reading!! Yeah Fury was amazing, so glad I finally rode it. We need a ride like it out here on the west coast, the east coast has all the gigas

[Superbatboy]

Short off-ride clip of Fury from the front gate

 

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