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Six Flags America was the first stop on the Midstates Tour. Now I have been to Six Flags America before so I knew what to expect. Last time I was there it was 100 degrees and crowded. It was the first year for Batwing, and I waited three hours to get my first experience on a flying coaster.
This trip looked to be a repeat of my first trip. The temperature was hovering around 100 and the parking lot looked to be nearly full. Upon a closer inspection, the parking lot for Six Flags America is not all that big. So maybe it was going to be a good day. We entered the park just after noon and headed right for our first coaster, Wild One.
Wild One is a classic out and back coaster. It tracks great and dives through several other rides in the park, which really adds to the experience. There are a few airtime moments throughout the course and not many slow spots. I remember liking this coaster before, but this time, I loved it. My only gripe is that you were required to put your things in a locker in order to enter the line. I didn’t have too big of a problem with this until we reached the station and found it completely empty except for the front row. A minor complaint, but one none the less.
We then went to Two Face: The Flip Side and Joker’s Jinx to find them both closed. Superman: Ride of Steel was next on the list. We entered a line that was a three train wait at best. Just before we were about to board, the ride suddenly closed. They said that someone had found a bolt from the train and that they needed to wait for the mechanics to get there to see where exactly it came from.
After three failures, we went to Batwing, which was surprisingly open and running two trains. After a ten minute wait or so, we were on. The ride was exactly as I had remembered it; smooth and exhilarating. I really love the Vekoma flyer layouts. They are the best at capturing the flying feeling. The only thing they lack, as countless people have said, a decent trains.
On our way out from Batwing, Superman was open again, so we jumped in line. I forgot how much I loved this coaster. It gives the feel of speed just like Millennium Force. It also has its fair share of airtime. The front three trains or so were a little shaky. I’m not one to complain about minor vibrations (like on Scream) but this was very noticeable to the point that you could hear it. Still a great ride that you shouldn’t miss out on.
Joker’s Jinx also decided to open for us. It is your typical Premier Spaghetti Bowl that can be found across the country. It’s a solid ride, which has a powerful launch.
Two Face: The Flip Side also opened before we left that area of the park. This is the coaster that received a large amount of national news airtime for being stopped on the lift hill, where the people were in no danger at all. Not much to say about the ride. Different variations of it have been done forever now. It was a very smooth for a Vekoma.
The kids and I being credit whores for the day went over to the Great Chase. It is a Zamperla family coaster. It’s actually not a bad ride and has some great themeing compared to the big coasters.
We then went to the left side of the park for a ride on Roar and Mind Eraser. Roar had almost no wait. This is an intense coaster that is close to perfection. I’m a big fan of the twisters, and this ride really does it for me.
Mind Eraser was the last credit of the day. Last time I was at Six Flags America the coaster was not open and it was a different color. It recently received a new coat of orange and yellow paint that looks fantastic. Mind Eraser is your standard Vekoma SLC, and we all know what that means. During the time we were there, it “brokedown,” meaning that one of the ride ops had hit a wrong button and it stopped on the brake run.
We finished the park with a few re-ides on the coasters. Sadly enough, the only coaster not to break down during the day was Batwing. We were there on a Monday, and the park closed at 8 p.m. I find that to be very early, but judging by the number of people in the park, staying open later is not necessary.
A few final notes on Six Flags America. The employees put what Six Flags is trying to do to shame. They are lazy, unfriendly, and unhelpful. At one point during the day a concession stand read “No more complementary cups of water.” We went to Guest Services to complain and the sign was soon taken down, but really, was any of that necessary? This park also has some of the worst uptime I’ve ever seen. Rides were closed left and right. Flats, coasters, water rides, all kinds of rides were closed or did not open with the park. I had a good time at the park, as I do at almost any park, but it could have been better. It was a start to the next two weeks of this tour that could only improve from there. Our next stop was Busch Gardens Europe, which is where I will leave you until next time.
There is a full gallery up on my site documenting the trip.
Coasterdom.com
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