SFGAm and the Waterpark

Has anyone heard if Six Flags has dropped the Idea for a waterpark at SFGAm? I know they have a deadline for the end of this year. So I hope they get working soon. If anyone knows anything, please post it here!

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Favorite Coasters at SFGAm: 1.)Superman 2.) Viper 3.) Batman 4.) Bull 5.)Eagle

I was talikng to guy last year at last blast and he said that they are not going to build it.

Even though imissshockwave is probably right, it sure would be neat to have a water park at Great America. The lines for the water rides can get really long, especially on a hot day.
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Deja Vu is down again. For some reason I feel like I already experienced this......

Its the only (i think) major Six Flags Park w/out a water park.

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Top 5 SFGAm Coasters: 1) Raging Bull 2) S:UF 3) V2 4) B:TR 5) Viper
Maybe Deja Vu would be on this list if it would open!

SFGAm will never get a waterpark because in order for them to get one it would have to be a same gate waterpark (ie doesnt make anymore money). Why do you ask cant they not have a seperate gat waterpark? The Wisconsin Dells is only a couple of hours north and that place is chaulk full of quality waterparks, including Noahs Ark. Ive been to a couple of SF waterparks and I can tell you none compare to Noahs SF would have to double their land area and spend way too much money. I repeat it will never happen.

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Summer 03-CP, HP, SFDL, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.

Noah's Ark is *three hours* north of SFGAm, and that can easily be a *four* hour trip for Chicago area residents. If there's something closer, you better believe people are going to go there instead. How far apart are SFMM's and KBF's waterparks? Both of those seem to do just fine.

I don't think many Chicagoans go to Noah's Ark as a "day trip." There are a hell of a lot of hotels in the Dells for a reason. A closer waterpark that *could* be a day trip could very easily be a success.

-Nate

That might be true for Chicago people, but dont forget that Gurnee is just as close to Chicago as it is to Milwaukee, and I bet that people from WI make up a sizable minority that may even be rougly the same as the IL folks and Noah's is probably going to be the same if not a shorter distance for them, thus my arguement holds true.

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Summer 03-CP, HP, SFDL, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.
*** This post was edited by Touchdown 7/14/2003 1:30:57 AM ***

For Chicago, Magic Waters is in Rockford. That is a day trip (hour to 1.5 hours out side of Chicago). I heard on the radio that they charge something like $17 for admittance. If SFGAm was going to make one, they would have to keep the price around they same. The only thing they would have going for them is that SFGAm & the water park would be in the same area so you could get the best of both worlds.
The only reason I want them to build one is so I could bye the combo pass and goto the other water parks when I am at the other Six Flags.

Note: KBF is 1 hour (58 miles or so) from SFMM.

My opinion is that they will likely break ground in the next year or two. SFGAm was waiting for the Lake County Dept. of Transportation to widen Washington Street. Which is currently in progress. But just because they "break ground" does not mean that it will get built at all. It could be just so that they can keep the property on the other side of the tollway. They do still have another year or 2 in order to break ground before the agreement with the Village of Gurnee expires. It is possible that they could get an extension. According to what I have read, they were to break ground within 5 years of the purchase of the property on the opposite side of the tollway. We may see what their intentions are pretty soon. Frankly I would expect them to break ground even if they dont put in the waterpark. They could put the parking there instead and free up TONS of land for expansion of the main park.

If they do build the waterpark I do expect it to be a seperate gate.
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Zero G Thrills - Moved and Improved

Beast7369, it is true that Washington street is being worked on, but the work is currently still west of Hunt-Club Rd. The section between Hunt-Club and route 21 is still the same as it always was. I am not aware of the plans for this stretch, although I assume they'll work on it in the next few years.

The intersection of Washington and route 21 is currently being updated, too .. this is part of the route 21 work, which runs from Washington St all the way south to route 137.

Cam.

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Cameron Silver

Yes they did want to wait until Washington was widened, but the agreement exprires at the end of this year! So there might be a "Someone Messed Up" Story behind all this . . .Hmm. . .

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Favorite Coasters at SFGAm: 1.)Superman 2.) Viper 3.) Batman 4.) Bull 5.)Eagle

When I was there in 99, a water park not being there was appalling to me and my friends, used to PKD, PCar and PKI flare. On that hot day with no lines going more than 30min., all we wanted was to get in a wave pool to cool off. I think a waterpark would be good, either same or seperate gate, for the locals and the people in the area visiting. I'll even agree w/nate on this. People will go closer. If you build it, they will come, or whatever.

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Beaver, The other White meat.

Touchdown said: That might be true for Chicago people, but dont forget that Gurnee is just as close to Chicago as it is to Milwaukee, and I bet that people from WI make up a sizable minority that may even be rougly the same as the IL folks and Noah's is probably going to be the same if not a shorter distance for them, thus my arguement holds true.

Wisconsin Dells is still about 2.5 hours or so from Milwaukee. Sure that's closer than Chicago but I'd be willing to bet that not *that* many people do day trips to Noah's Ark either. As I said, people don't just drive to the Dells and back in one day because there's just too much to do there. It's a vacation destination, and a waterpark at SFGAm isn't going to be much competition with that. Those who live in Chicago and Milwaukee would be happy to have a more local waterpark. If a city like LA can handle *several* waterparks, *two* cities (Chicago and Milwaukee) can easily handle a couple.

Wisconsin Dells is unique in that it draws people from several population bases. There's Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, Fox Cities (Appleton/Green Bay area), and Minneapolis/St Paul. As I said above, the Dells is not a "one day trip", as evidenced by the multitudes of very large hotels. Visitors may very well visit a waterpark while on vacation in the Dells, but that's not going to prevent a more local waterpark from being successful, especially as part as a larger complex that's already incredibly successful.

As for Magic Waters in Rockford, it's a fairly small park that isn't going to be much competition. A city like Chicago can easily support more than one waterpark (especially when you throw Milwaukee into the mix).

-Nate
*** This post was edited by coasterdude318 7/14/2003 3:06:18 PM ***

I herd that SFGA has rights to buy the land across I-94 until Dec. 31, 2003, But I also herd that Midevil? Times has plans to build a waterpark on I-90 near Rt. 59. This was in the Rockford newspaper because Magic Waters is owned by the Rockford Parks Dis. And acording the storie, Magic Waters was concerned because 75 percent of thier buisness comes from the Chicago area.

At any rate if a new water park opens in the Chicago area it would take years before it would be on the Schlitterbaun or Noak's Ark scale. But I'm willing to wait.

I've always said that Chicagoland needs a major Water Park and if the right people build and manage it , it would be a huge suscess, I don't think SF would be a good company for the task.

Just my thoughts.
*** This post was edited by Prodjbp 7/14/2003 3:42:32 PM ***

I'd suggest you take a look at the waterparks Six Flags has been building lately (SFNE, and the Hurricane Harbor parks at SFMM and SFGAdv) before you pass judgement on Six Flags.

-Nate

Check this out...

http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail/0,1958,3021_2475_23,00.html

That's located here:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&address=1981+N+DIVISION+ST&city=HARVARD&state=IL&zipcode=60033
*** This post was edited by Silence 7/14/2003 4:15:12 PM ***

Been to SFHH Dallas, SFSL, SFKK, SFFT, SFAW, Noak's Ark, Familyland, Schlittrtbaun-New brunsfield & Schlitterbaun-South Padre and it is in my opinion the Schlitterbauns where by far larger with a lot more to do than the SFs parks, however we will be at SFNE on 8/7. I can only hope it is better that the others. Again this is only my opinion. If you like water parks I suggest you try Schlitterbaun and you may see what I mean.

Silence,

Thanks for the great news on the Motorola building. I live only 45 mins. from Harvard, IL. I just drove by that place Sat. on my way to a wedding at Lake Delavan, WI.

My Son and I normally drive to Wisconsin Dell during Feb. to do the indoor water parks. Now its in my backyard.

This can only be good.

Thanks again.

I live in the Fox Cities area and I can tell you that I, and a lot of people in this area do take day trips to Noahs. Those hotels are expensive and most people feel that if they are going to pay that much they are going to use the waterpark that comes along with it as much as possible (thus no trip to Noahs). Luckier familys go twice a year, once for a day trip in the summer to Noahs and once during the cold WI winter to one of the hotels.

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Summer 03-CP, HP, SFDL, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.

You miss my point. My point is that if there's something closer, *that* is the place people are going to go. Sure they'll probably still take the once-per-year trip to the Dells, but that local waterpark is still going to draw in visitors aplenty.

If the Dells is such a day trip place then why do you suppose there are hundreds of hotels in the city alone?

-Nate