I’d never been to Great America–or any Six Flags park, for that matter–before. As a Canadian, I’d heard how amazing it is and how “itty bitty” it makes Canada’s Wonderland look. I was really excited to finally have the chance to go!
The first ride of our outing was the Viper.
It was fast, but a little bumpy, maybe due to the fact that it’s a wooden roller coaster. It’s definitely one of the less scary rides in the park. I’d definitely recommend the Viper for those who need a little introductory ride prior to going on anything that’s got a higher thrill factor. In fact, it reminded me of the Mighty Canadian Minebuster.
I was reminded of home throughout my trip around the park. I couldn’t help but to compare Great America rides to the ones at Wonderland. Can you blame me for thinking of Canada?
I’m pretty sure this is self-explanatory, but in case you don’t know, Canada has provinces AND territories. Yukon is one of them.
Roaring Rapids is like the American version of White Water Canyon in Canada. I loved this ride when I was a kid, and it felt like home when I got back on.
The King Chaos is almost identical to what we Canadians call Riptide, previously known as the Cliffhanger.
The Ragin’ Cajun is one of those odd rides that seats three people. It has a queue for single riders to match up with people who are lining up in pairs. I got to go on this ride at least three times since nobody lines up in the single ride lane. It’s really similar to the Fly, except this ride definitely has more quick spins.
We also stopped by the Hurricane Harbor water park, which had really cool water slides and a lazy river for those who wanted to cool down. It’s also a great place to stop and have lunch, since the water rides all around kept the area nice and breezy.
Giant water slide
Our lunchtime view
In addition to the Canadian similarities, there were also a AMAZING few rides that were definite must-tries for all you adrenaline junkies out there. Vertical Velocity is definitely among my top scary rides of all time.
But my favorite ride the entire trip was Superman Ultimate Flight. It was unlike any other ride I’ve ever been on before. Even lining up for the ride was lots of fun, with interesting posters about all of the characters from the comic book.
One of the posters describes Superman’s powers. What do optometrists think about X-ray vision?
The start of the ride
Riders are then positioned flat on their tummies, looking straight down at the ground.
Away we go!
All in all, Great America was awesome! I would not hesitate to go again. In my final comparison to Wonderland, I would say that both parks have some awesome thrill rides that the other doesn’t. I’ve had a secret craving to visit a Six Flags ever since childhood, and hopefully I’ll get to visit some more when I go on externships next year.