Six Flags America

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Six Flags America

Location	Prince George's County, Maryland
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	N/A
Rides	35 total 8 roller coasters 3 water rides

Six Flags America, is a theme park located in Largo in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland. It lies 15 miles east of Washington D.C., and 30 miles southwest of Baltimore. In 2005, it ranked as the 48th-largest theme park in North America. It sits on a site of 523 acres, 131 of which is currently used for park operations.

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 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.

Unfortunately, far fewer people showed up to ride in jeeps and gawk at lions and bears. ABC bowed out two years later, citing massive losses. It was closed for a few years and then reopened as a water park in 1981 with the name Wild World (supposedly because it was founded by Jim Fowler, the assistant on Wild Kingdom). It featured a number of waterslides 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 retheming - 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 waterslide as well as renovations to existing attractions and buildings.

Astroworld's Ultra Twister ride is in storage in the back of the park. Ticket prices are $49.99 for the 2006 season; and the park has a new general manager, Terry Praether.

In 2006, Six Flags America is celebrating its 45th anniversary and its 8th season as a Six Flags-branded park.

Though successful, the park has been criticized for factual errors in the portrayal of Colonial America themes.

[edit] External links

• Six Flags America official website
• American Midway's review of Six Flags America
• SFAFANS.COM- unofficial fansite
• Roller Coasters at Six Flags America

Roller coasters at Six Flags America
Batwing – Great Chase – The Joker's Jinx - The Mind Eraser - Roar - Superman: Ride of Steel - Two Face: The Flip Side - The Wild One