Six Flags Over Georgia

Six Flags Over Georgia is a 230 acre theme park located west of Atlanta, in Austell, Georgia. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas. The Six Flags parks are now associated with Premier Parks and feature appearances by Warner Bros. cartoon characters.

In similar fashion to the original Six Flags park, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Over Georgia was originally themed around the history and culture of the state it was located in; Georgia. The park opened with six themed areas, representing the Six Flags, or nations, that have ruled the state: Spain, France, Britain, The Confederate States of America, The United States of America, and the State of Georgia.

Over the years, more themed areas expanding upon the Georgia theme were added- In 1968, "Lickskillet", based upon a northern Georgia mining town, and in 1973, the "Cotton States Exposition", an area inspired by the Cotton States World's Fair that occurred at Atlanta in 1895.

However, in more recent years, many of the Georgia themes have been dropped in favor of more generic Superhero and Looney Tunes themes.

One of the charter rides at the park, the Great Gasp, was demolished to make way for Goliath, a new hyper coaster for the 2006 season. The Gasp, a 200 foot parachute drop, gave its last rides on August 14, 2005.

Six Flags recently purchased a water park nearby, now called Six Flags White Water, also located in the Cobb County city of Marietta, Georgia.

Rides and Attractions

Roller Coasters

Ride	Year Opened	Description
Dahlonega Mine Train	1967	Arrow Dynamics made Steel Mine Train roller coaster
Great American Scream Machine	1973	A Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters designed wooden coaster. Opened as the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster at a height of 107 feet and speeds of 57 miles per hour.
Mindbender	1978	Looping steel coaster designed by Anton Schwarzkopf. This was the first coaster to have three Loops, although the third loop is a slanted helix.
Georgia Cyclone	1990	A Summers and Dinn wooden roller coaster patterned after the Coney Island Cyclone.
Ninja	1992	Vekoma steel looping coaster relocated from Wildwood, New Jersey's defunct Dinosaur Beach boardwalk. Repainted Red and Black in 2006
The Ride	1997	An inverted steel coaster built by B&M One of the most-cloned designs in the world.
Georgia Scorcher	1999	B&M Stand-Up coaster, the last stand-up roller coaster built and the southeast's first and only ride of this type.
Deja Vu	2001	A Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang roller coaster. One of only four in the world.
Ultimate Flight	2002	B&M Flying roller coaster, the Southeast's first flying roller coaster.
Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster	2004	Chance-Morgan custom kiddie roller coaster.
Goliath	2006	B&M Hypercoaster. The southeast's first non-looping Hypercoaster.

Timeline

2006: Added Goliath.
2005: Added Skull Island. Removal of Great Gasp and Looping Starship.
2002: Added Superman Ultimate Flight.
2001: Added Acrophopia and Déjà Vu. Removal of Viper.
1999: Added The Georgia Scorcher.
1997: Added Batman: The Ride.
1992: Added the Ninja.
1990: Added the Georgia Cyclone.
1986: Added Splashwater Falls.
1983: Added Free Fall.
1982: Added Thunder River (in the area formally occupied by Jean Ribaut's Adventure ride).
1981: The Tales of the Okefenokee is remodeled and renamed The Monster Plantation. Removal of Jean Ribaut's Adventure riverboat ride.
1978: Added Mindbender.
1976: Added the Great Gasp.
1973: Added the Cotton States Exposition area.
1968: Added the Lickskillet area.
1967: June 7 opening day (rides included: Log Jamboree, Jean Ribaut's Adventure, Six Flags Railroad, Happy Motoring Freeway, MoMo The Monster, Dahlonega Mine Train, Mini-Mine Train, the Tales of the Okefenokee, Sky Hook and the Hanson cars).

Events

Six Flags Over Georgia hosts several special events during the year:

Kids' Fest – Features names like Raven Symone, Christy Carlson Romano, and Aaron Carter performing in concert at the park's Southern Star Ampitheatre.
Salute 2 America – During the months of June and July, Six Flags Over Georgia throws a salute to our nation's armed forces with featured days and free tickets for each branch of the service.
Country Jamboree – This festival spans three weekends in September and features arts and crafts from local artisans and popular country music acts.
Latin Fest – A recent addition to the lineup of events, Six Flags Over Georgia dedicates a weekend in September to Latino culture and heritage. The event is highlighted by live bands, foods, and performances.
Family Fright Fest – Family Fright Fest takes over the park during the month of October and features a total transformation of the park into a haunted wonderland. Walkways and paths are themed for the event, special shows and haunted houses thrill visitors to death

References

Six Flags - Shows and Events. Retrieved Dec. 24, 2004.
Theme Park Timelines. Retrieved May 21, 2006.

External links

Amusement parks in the United States | Theme parks in the United States | Six Flags parks | Cobb County, Georgia | Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state)