Six Flags: A World of Fun That’s Not A World Away

Six Flags Over Georgia

   A few months ago my husband and I were generously given the opportunity to have a day of fun at our nearest Six Flags Amusement Park, Six Flags Over Georgia.  Although we live in Birmingham, Alabama, it was well worth the 108 mile trip to the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, a small suburb named Riverside.  After a drive of an hour and 20 minutes down I-20 E, we saw our exit and drove down the ramp.  Two quick turns later, we were pulling into the huge parking lot where we could already see the giant coaster, Goliath, and the tower of the free falling Acrophobia.  We paid $15 to park and lucked out by finding a nice spot not too far from the entrance of the 100 acre park. 

   Walking towards the gate there is no way not to notice this huge, I mean HUGE yellow and blue rollercoaster that twists and turns and swoops all around the part of the park you can see from the parking lot.  It is GOLIATH.  It is the perfect welcome and serves to immediately increase your excitement!  It grows and grows as you get closer and closer to the front gate, and the ecstatic screams of the riders get louder and louder!  Once you reach the gate, you are so ready to get inside!  Although you have the option to purchase your tickets at the gate, we had printed our tickets off the internet so there was no wait.  We simply handed the kind lady our tickets and went through the turnstile. and were ready to begin our day of fun!   Had there been a line, it would have gone quickly since there were so many turnstiles, and the people we saw working the gates were all very nice, efficient and knew what they were doing.

Walking to the Gate You Can See the Huge Coaster ‘Goliath’

   Once inside, we were greeted by a man who offered to take our picture then handed us a claim ticket to turn in at the end of our day.  The entrance area is nicely set up to resemble a quaint little village center, with shops and stores on each side and a beautiful water fountain straight ahead.   Once you reach the water fountain, the path splits to where you can go to the left or the right.  We chose to begin our day by heading to the left, with the goal of reaching our first rollercoaster of the day.

Inside the gate looking back towards the entrance and Goliath

 Looking forwards from the gate

  While headed towards our goal, we noticed the most recent addition to Six Flags Over Georgia’s now 11 roller coasters, the new Euro-style coaster, Dare Devil Dive.  This coaster has a vertical lift over 10 stories high, then drops you down at a 95 degree angle, beyond vertical!  It has 3 rolls, zero gravity hills and high speed turns.  What is even cooler is that the train is actually ‘v’-shaped and designed to resemble a WWII-era stunt planes and their dare-devil pilots.  The seats are fitted with lap bars and stadium seating!  You fly around the twisted track at 52 miles per hour!  Although we chose not to ride this as our first ride, we did eventually come back to it before the end of the day, and it was literally like flying and so smooth!

 Dare Devil Dive

   This particular Six Flags has a section dedicated to the theme of Gotham City where you can find Batman The Ride and the Mind Bender, two incredibly fun metal roller coasters.  This is where we headed first!  The Mind Bender has been there ever since I was a child, and has always remained my personal favorite!  It is a double loop metal track coaster that twists and turns and loops over and around what is now lime-green colored water which adds to the comic book effect and goes with the lime green theme of the crazy villain, The Riddler.  

One of the Loops On My All-Time Favorite, ‘Mindbender’

   After leaving the Mind Bender, we headed straight to an incredibly awesome coaster named Batman The Ride.  This sleek, coaster is actually an inverted coaster where you sit hanging beneath the track, while soaring through cork-screw turns and on top of loops at 50 mph!  When you enter the “Batcave” and board the train, the lights go out, smoke rises and the floor drops away below your feet.   Suddenly, you shoot forward beginning one of the best rides of your life! 

  Batman The Ride

You Sit Beneath The Track

Inside The Batcave, The Lights Go Out, Smoke Rises & The Floor Drops Away

The Track Twists, Turns, Loops and Spirals: Here Riders Are Inverted

   There are many other Gotham City themed rides in this section for people of all ages including The Crime Wave which are the swings that spin in a circle up to 4 stories in the air, as well as basketball hoops, remote controlled cars, The Batmobile and more.

The Crime Wave

     We next headed to what is known as the Cotton States section where another comic book super hero ride awaits those brave enough and daring enough to fly, Superman, Ultimate Flight!  Yes, I said fly!  This amazing coaster comes as close to the experience of unassisted flight us non-superhero's will ever get!  You are fastened snugly in your seat, then right before take-off you are lifted off your feet and turned so you are facing down, hanging below the track, ready to literally fly like Superman!  You soar around a track almost 2800 feet long at 60 mph through a one-of-a-kind 78 foot pretzel loop and around twists, turns, spirals and heart stopping dives.  Definitely not a ride for the weak of heart! 

  Superman, Ultimate Flight

        

Riders Board Upright, Then Are Tilted Until Facing Downwards, Like Flying    

   Other rides in this area of the park include the rickety old wooden coaster, The American Scream Machine, and the super fast, Ninja, a steel coaster with 5 upside down turns, upward spirals and corkscrew dives at a speed of 55mph.  The Sky Coaster, a bungee cord activity, and the old fashioned Hanson Cars are also here.  Kids love the Rockin’ Tug, a tame tug boat ride meant to imitate a tug boat tossed around in the waves, the bumper cars and other kid-friendly rides, as well as tons of games to test your skills.

  The American Scream Machine

The Ninja

  The Skycoaster

   

Hansen Cars, the Rockin Tug and Games to Test Your Skills

  Also located in this section is one of my absolute favorite rides ever since I first came to Six Flags as a 6 year old child.  A true family favorite, the beautiful old Riverside Carousel.  One of only 3 existing five-abreast carousels in the world, it was built in 1901, and has 70 hand-carved horses.  A unique feature is that this carousel also has four gondolas (or Lovers’ Chariots) and four of King Arthur’s armored horses.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and such noted people as William Randolph Hurst, President Harding and Al Capone have ridden on the carousel.

 

  The Riverview Carousel 1 of 3 Five Abreast Carousels in the World, Built 1901

Has 70 Hard Carved Horses

    Unique “Lovers’ Chariots”

   There is an entire section for young children full of tame rides and amusing activities called Bugs Bunny World.  Here you can find a miniature Ferris wheel, a small airplane ride which goes in circles, swings, a bouncing tower ride and more!  There is also a miniature coaster called the Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster, and a monster truck convoy ride in other sections of the park, plus many fun-filled activities.  And don’t forget Skull Island, a fun-filled water activity area!  Plus children can meet their favorite cartoon characters including Tweety, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Bugs Bunny and more.

  Plenty of Kid-Friendly Rides

One of the Many Rides in Bugs Bunny World

   Another View of Skull Island

   In the French section is the family favorite Monster Mansion.  This slow water boat ride takes you through a run down Southern Plantation-looking house where you find colorful, fuzzy friendly monsters singing and playing.  Suddenly you take a wrong turn and find yourself in the cool darkness where you come across some more frightful finds for a few minutes until you float safely back into the warm and funny friendly monster party. 

  The Monster Mansion

  An Indoor Family Boat Ride 

                                          

                                          

   My husband was daring enough to ride Acrophobia, a 20 story tall tower that you ride to the top while strapped in standing up.  Once at the top, you are tilted outwards at a 15 degree angle while slowly rotating around listening to the controller amuse himself singing songs such as Ring Around The Rosie, and where at his whim,  he will decide to push the button that has you free falling at 65mph all the way down!  Not for me!  I took my solo ride on the Wheelie, a gondola that rotates at high speeds then takes you vertical.  A complete blast!

    Acrophobia

A 20 Story High Free Fall Ride

    At The Top You Slowly Rotate Around

You Are Tilted Out 15 Degrees And Dropped Without Warning

The Wheelie

   Next came one of the Southeast’s tallest and fastest stand-up coasters, the Georgia Scorcher!  Yes, you read it right, forget the seats, you are standing up through a 3000 foot track with a figure eight, a corkscrew and two vertical loops at 54 miles per hour,and you hit a maximum G-force of 4!  What a rush!

    The Georgia Scorcher

  A Stand Up Coaster

                                                                    

   After riding several more rides, including several more of the coasters found in the park, we headed back towards the entrance now prepared to face the monster of all coasters, the Goliath!  This monstrosity stretches over 8.5 acres. of zero-gravity hills and drops.  Again we were able to go straight to the boarding area where we only had to wait a few minutes before getting on the coaster.  This metal coaster does not have any loops, instead you are faced with a huge 200 foot ascent right at the beginning where, once you reach the peak, you can practically see the entire park and more, before flying down and reaching towards a top speed of 70 miles per hour through high-banked turns and a huge spiral section.  A ride that lasts 3.5 minutes total from load to unload, and literally takes your breath away while taking your picture mid-scream during the thrill ride!

     Picture of ‘Goliath’ from the Parking Lot

  A 200 Foot Drop

   We rode many other rides that day, many more tame than the coasters which with we began the day. There’s the Sky Buckets where you glide above the park on steel cables from one section to another, as well as the train that takes you on a tour around the park. There are the water rides including the Log Jamboree, Splashwater Falls, and Thunder River, where you better watch out or you will get shot with a water cannon by some stranger at a look out point as you float down the river and through the rapids in a giant round raft!

    

The Sky Buckets: A Bird’s Eye View of the Park

    Splashwater Falls

Riders and By-Standers on the Bridge Get Soaked!

  Thunder River: White Water Raft Ride

Observation Point with Water Cannons

   While walking through the park you come across many forms of entertainment including games, live shows, music, bands and more. There is a great variety of places to eat, from hamburgers to hot dogs to turkey legs as more. And when the sweet tooth starts calling your name, you can find every kind of sweets and treats you could want. There are tons of shops through out the park where you can get all kinds of souvenirs ranging from shirts to superhero capes to hats to shot glasses and so much more. In fact, when you leave certain rides, you walk right through little shops filled with souvenirs geared towards that particular ride! You are guaranteed to find something to take home to keep your memories complete! And don’t forget, when it is time to leave, take your ticket you were given upon entering to the photo shop and purchase your picture they took when you first arrived in the park!

   With over 11 Six Flags parks across the nation, you too can have a fun-filled, thrilling day! There are height restrictions on all rides, but there are plenty of activities and rides for the entire family!  You find many discounts and deals through out the season.   Six Flags Over Georgia operates from around March through October, with a great Halloween bash as the season closer.   Hours of operation vary depending on the month and day of the week, with opening times around 10am and the latest closing time of 10pm, although certain dates they are open later.  Keep in mind these hours are an average. Be sure to visit the Six Flags Over Georgia website for more detailed information including hours of operation, ride restrictions, season passes and tickets, directions and much more! 

 

 

 

I received these passes for free for the purpose of review.  I was not compensated in any other way, nor am I under contract with this company.  All opinions are my own.