SFGAm question.

Will be making my first trip to SFGAm the weekend of Oct. 12-13. Looking to add a third day but not sure if Fri or Mon. would be best.

A call to guest services confirmed that all rides should be open Mon. and crowds should be "less than normal" . I see Chicago schools are closed that day (Columbus Day) but how will the crowds at the park be?

Or should I go Fri. for more night rides?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Crowds are lower at this time of year even with FrightFest going on, because not to many people are traveling to GA, so its mostly locals, wait times for thrill rides are about 45 mins to 1 hour.

^Crowds are lower during Fright Fest? At Great America? Don't know what park you've been going to on Saturdays and Sundays...

That being said, Friday and Monday should both be much, much better than Sat/Sun. Fridays are nice because it's dark within two hours and you can get about the same amount done than you could staying the whole day Saturday/Sunday, IMO. If you're interested in the Haunts ($20 for all of them, add another $10 to skip the line), there's hardly ever lines on Friday Nights.

Columbus Day isn't crazy, but it's not empty either; they do see a lot of busses and the lines for the Haunts might be longer because they have discounted the Haunt tickets in the past on that day.

Saturday and Sunday have the potential to be completely insane. I would definitely get FlashPass for those days.

If you do flats, don't miss Terror Twister 2: They take the Teacups, enclose them, and run a light show in the dark. It's by far the best Fright Fest attraction they offer. American Eagle is also running a side backwards, and Ragin' Cajun is apparently heading to Maryland after this season.

If you're at all interested in shows, Love at First Fright and Susan Rosen (Hypnotist) are SFGAm Fright Fest classics worth your time.

Friday nights are the best. Most people without season passes are not willing to pay park admission for 6 hours.

Go to the park on Friday. Then either Sunday or Monday depending on the weather. The park is going to be crowded. But they do change ride cycles on lot's of flats which helps with long coaster waits.

At this time of year our group put's riding second and the haunts shows and all first. Bermuda Triangle and Wicked Woods must be done at night. If you start the other haunts earlier smaller waits plus your eyes don't adjust as fast to darkness in the haunts.

Keep an open mind they try to move as many people as possible. It's still rather early in the event so you have a better chance to do more with your time.

Have a great time at Fright Fest.

The park will be jam-packed on Saturday, and probably very busy on Sunday, from my experience with Fright Fest. The best time to go would be Columbus day if your primary interest is getting on some more coasters and Terror Twister II. Obviously Monday is less than ideal for the Fright aspect, as the park closes before dusk.

Terror Twister sounds like a blast. Wish GrAdv would do something like that with THEIR Tea Cups ride. Maybe they are, I dunno. I doubt it.

Not to rebuff, but was there this past Saturday, and crowds seemed normal, not over flowing like a summer weekend, we got there at 1pm and parked in the first lot, lots of open spaces, so who knows maybe it will get fired up this weekend.

Thanks for the replies.

I should have mentioned that I am more interested in riding than the haunts. I will check out Terror Twister though.

I have flexibility and my final plans will depend on the weather forecast. Otherwise I will drive over early Sat., hit what I can after opening until the lines start to grow, walk around and explore the park, head back to the hotel for a nap and or explore the area, have a nice dinner somewhere, and then hopefully the crowds will head for the haunts and I can get some night rides in.

Sun. I may get a flash pass but will decide then. Mon. I should be able to hit anything I haven't rode and re-ride my favorites. Drive home. Just your basic weekend at a park I guess.

Does anyone know if there's a discount on the haunted house passes for season pass holders?

Just called the park, there's no discount for season pass holders.

Glad to help.

WildStangAlex said:

The park will be jam-packed on Saturday, and probably very busy on Sunday, from my experience with Fright Fest. The best time to go would be Columbus day if your primary interest is getting on some more coasters and Terror Twister II. Obviously Monday is less than ideal for the Fright aspect, as the park closes before dusk.

Well, I went on Sunday. That was a mistake. 105 minutes for Whizzer, 120 minutes for V2, Full Queue for Demon. We had a meal, rode Terror Twister II, as well as the Train, and left. Spent 3 hours there.

Well. This is the first time I can remember where somebody wrote in with a complaint after they ignored their own good advice.

Sorry... I had to...

And a different idea is to go on Friday nights during FF (open 5 til 11)- Redgirl and I went last Friday night and rode RB (15min at open), Viper (15min), Eagle (15 min), Superman (40 min) and Ragin Cajun (35min).

We also did all six haunted houses (some twice), saw a show (Dead Man's Party-we saw Love at First Fright two weeks ago) and enjoyed interacting with the scare-actors around the park AND left at 10pm because Redgirl was getting tired and wanted a shake from Oberweis before they closed at 11...