Six Flags America
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Six Flags America - Baltimore-Washington, DC
Location	Largo, Prince George's County Maryland, United States
Website	Six Flags America
Owner	Six Flags
Opened	1981
Previous names	Wild World - 1982 to 1993 Adventure World - 1994 to 1998
Operating season	April through October
Area	523 acres (131 acres currently used for park operations)
Rides	50 total

Six Flags America is a theme park located in Largo in Prince George's County, Maryland.¹ It lies 15 miles (24 km) east of Washington D.C., and 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Baltimore. It sits on a site of 523 acres (2.12 km²), 131 of which is currently used for park operations.

History

The park's history dates to 1973, when Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot and a pair of Irish animal trainers first proposed a wildlife preserve on more than 400 acres (1.6 km²) of corn and tobacco fields. ABC television later bought out Perot and his partners and opened The Largo Wildlife Preserve in 1974, projecting 850,000 visitors a year.

The initial projections that were expected never materialized. ABC bowed out two years later, citing massive losses. The park was then closed for several years and then reopened as a water park in 1981 as Wild World. It featured a number of water slides and a wave pool, with just a couple of dry rides — a Ferris wheel, giant swings, teacups, and the like. When Boston's Paragon Park closed in 1985, the Giant Coaster — which had operated there since 1917 -- was moved to Wild World, where it was renamed the Wild One and began service in 1986.

More dry rides were added during the late 1980s, and the park's focus shifted to the dry area in 1993, when it was purchased by Premier Parks and renamed Adventure World. Several steel roller coasters were added, among them the Python (originally half of the Lighting Loops at Six Flags Great Adventure) and Vekoma's first Mind Eraser branded SLC. In 1998, a twisting wooden roller coaster was added, Roar, designed by Great Coasters International.

The following year, the park was acquired by the Six Flags chain as a result of Adventure World's parent company (Premier Parks) acquiring Six Flags Parks Inc. and Six Flags Inc. from Time Warner Inc. and then re-incorporating itself as Six Flags, and took on the name Six Flags America (because it is just 20 minutes from Washington, D.C.). With that change came many others, including extensive remodeling and re-theming — Looney Tunes characters became prominently featured in the kiddie area - and an entirely new section, Gotham City, was added (including a Skycoaster bungee ride). Python was sent into storage, but three new coasters opened that year: Two Face: The Flip Side, The Joker's Jinx (the park's only launched roller coaster), and Great Chase, replacing Cannonball in the kiddie area. The 2000 season saw the addition of Superman: Ride of Steel, and in 2001 the Vekoma-designed Batwing opened.

In 2005, the water park, Paradise Island, was upgraded and retitled Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. The transition from Paradise Island to Hurricane Harbor saw the addition of a new Tornado water slide as well as renovations to existing attractions and buildings. The park has a Wii Experience room, where visitors are able to play the systems.

Astroworld's Ultra Twister, a Togo pipeline coaster, is in storage in the back of the park. The coaster is believed to be too damaged to be rebuilt after it was removed from Astroworld in 2005. In 2006, Terry Prather took over as the park's general manager. The current chairman of the park's parent company, Six Flags, Inc. is Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.

In recent developments, it is rumored that Six Flags Inc. has plans for more sell offs during the 2008-2009 off-season. Several parks are under review, including, Six Flags America and Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. It has yet to be seen if this will also include both parks' respective water parks.

Themed sections

The themed sections of the park are: Olde Boston, Looney Tunes Movie Town, Southwest Territory, Nantucket, Gotham City, Skull Island, Coyote Creek and Hurricane Harbor (water park)

Rides

Roller coasters

Current adult rides

• Carousel - opened in 1988; located in Olde Boston
• Great Race (antique cars) - opened in 1990; located in Olde Boston
• Tea Cups (Zamperla tea cups) - opened in 1995; located in Olde Boston
• Flying Carousel (Zamperla Flying Carousel) - opened in 1996; located in Olde Boston
• Around the World in 80 Days (family size Ferris wheel) - opened in 1990; located in Olde Boston
• Cyclone (Eli Bridge Scrambler) - opened in 1988, located in Southwest Territory
• Falling Star (Chance Falling Star) - opened in 1989; located in Southwest Territory
• Shipwreck Falls (O.D. Hopkins Shoot the Chute water ride) - opened in 1997; located in Nantucket
• The Octopus (Sartori Polyp, monster style ride) - opened in 2000; located in Nantucket. On August 3, 2007, a 6-year-old girl was injured on this ride. See Incidents at Six Flags parks for more information.
• Riddle Me This (stand-up roundup ride) - opened in 1996; located in Gotham City; was named World Wind, location moved in 2000
• The Avalanche (Chance Alpine Bobs) - opened in 2000; located in Gotham City; ride may be the Curving Dervish ride, which was removed in 1995?
• The Penguin's Blizzard River (Whitewater West Spinning Rapids water ride) - opened in 2003; located in Gotham City
• Pirate's Flight (Intamin Flying Dutchman) - opened in 1989; located in Skull Island
• Skull Mountain (Intamin Reversing Boat Ride 8 water ride) - opened in 1997; located in Skull Island; was originally named Typhoon Sea Coaster (modified in 2007)
• High Seas (swinging ship) - opened in 1989; located in Skull Island
• Rodeo (Huss Breakdance) - opened in 1999; located in Coyote Creek
• Renegade Rapids (O.D. Hopkins Rapids water ride) - opened in 1995; located in Coyote Creek
• Coyote Creek Crazy Cars (bumper cars) - opened in 1990; located in Coyote Creek; was named Los Coches Chocos

Current kiddie rides

Located in Looney Tunes Movie Town:

• Bugs Bunny's Back Lot Trucking Company (kiddie convoy ride) - opened in 1999
• Looney Tunes Prop Warehouse (kiddie soft play area) - opened in 1999
• Daffy’s Movie Town Tours (kiddie Zamperla crazy bus) - opened in 1999
• Sylvester’s Pounce and Bounce (kiddie drop ride) - opened in 1999
• Elmer’s Around the World in 80 Seconds (kiddie balloon flight) - opened in ?; was named Balloon Flight
• Foghorn Leghorn’s Tinsel Town Train (kiddie train ride) - opened in ?; was named Circus Train
• Taz’s Film Works (kiddie swings ride) - opened in 1999
• PePe Le Pew’s Tea Party (kiddie tea cups) - opened in 1999
• Yosemite Sam’s Hollywood Flight School (kiddie airplane ride) - opened in 1999
• The Animation Department (kiddie carousel) - opened in 2009

Current extra charge attractions

• Sonora Speedway (go-karts) - opened in 1996; located in Southwest Territory
• Sky Coaster - opened in 2001; located in Gotham City

Hurricane Harbor (water park included during summer months)

• Crocodile Cal's Caribbean Beach House (family activity area) - opened in 1997
• Paradise Plunge and Reef Runner (Proslide Technology Inc. “Pipeline” – two separate open/enclosed tube slides) - opened in 1994
• Hammerhead (Proslide Technology Inc. “Giant Twister” - enclosed tube slide) - opened in 1987
• Mako (Proslide Technology Inc. “Drop Slide” – half enclosed/ half open tube slide) - opened in 1987
• Buccaneer Beach (kiddie/family activity area) - opened in 2005
• Castaway Creek (lazy river) - opened in ?
• Calypso Cannonballs (small drop slides) - opened in ?
• Bamboo Chutes (Proslide Technology Inc. “Kidz Twister” – kiddie slides) - opened in 1987
• Vortex and Riptide (small body slides) - opened in ?
• Hurricane Bay (wave pool) - opened in 1983
• Tornado (Proslide Technology Inc. Tornado “Rattler” – funnel shaped tube slide that uses four person cloverleaf or two person “whirl wheel” tubes) - opened in 2005
• Bahama Blast (Proslide Technology Inc. “Mammoth” – family raft ride) - opened in 2005
• Tony Hawk's Halfpipe (Water Fun Products "Sidewinder" - halfpipe water slide) - opened in 2008

Former rides and attractions

• The Juggler (kiddie ride) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• Roller Racers (kiddie ride) - opened in ?,removed end of 1998
• Kiddie Bumper Boats (kiddie ride) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• Lippazanion Stallions (kiddie attraction) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• Flying Trapeze (kiddie attraction) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• Clown Town (kiddie attraction) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• Clown Around (kiddie ride) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• Aerial Elephants (kiddie ride) - opened in ?, removed end of 1998
• SkyEscaper (enterprise) - opened in 1991, closed in 2002, removed in 2003/2004
• Iron Eagle (Zamperla Rotoshake) - opened in 1995, removed end of 2005
• The Tilt (Tilt-a-Whirl) - opened in 1989, removed end of 2006
• Lily Pad Walk (located in water park) - opened in ?, removed end of 2005
• Circus of the Stars / Lion's Den Bumper Cars (kiddie bumper cars) - opened in ?, removed end of 2007
• The Animation Department (kiddie Carousel) - opened in 1999, removed end of 2007 will re-opened in 2009
• Hurricane Mountain (4 twisting body slides) - opened in ?, closed in 2008 (not removed)
• Krypton Komet (located in Gotham City-where Avalanche is now) - opened in ?, removed in ?

References

See also

• Incidents at Six Flags parks

External links

• Six Flags America official website
• SFAFANS.COM- unofficial fansite
• Roller Coasters at Six Flags America

Coordinates: 38°54′22″N 76°46′21″W / 38.90620, -76.77257