Six Flags Great America Questions

I am planning to visit SFGAm this summer. This will be my first visit. I was able to secure a very inexpensive hotel reservation in Gurnee. The next questions are (1) Is the park alone worth visiting? (2) Are there places to get discount tickets? (3) I am going during the week at the beginning of July, is this a mistake? Will it be too busy to enjoy the park?

If you going during the week it should be ok and if you want to go more than once.. just get a season pass.. then you can enjoy any six flags. You are going to be 30 mins away from one of the best cities around.. iT WOULD BE A WASTE OF TRIP NOT TO GO SEE CHICAGO. You could drive to O'hare and jump on the Blue line in to the city. The minor league White Sox are home that week and there is so much to do and see in downtown. Don't forget to check out Kiddieland...

MCCF,SFGAm is most deffinatelly worth visiting. Raging Bull, SmUf, Viper and the new Dark Knight just to name a few coasters. I think some great flats also.

Discount tickets someone else will have to help you with.

As for timing, it will be busy in July, but a visit during the week wont be quite as bad.

Defiantly worth a trip, one of the best SF parks out there. Raging Bull, Viper, and the one and only original B:TR are all "5 star" rides.

Yes definitely check out SFGAm. It is busy in July but it depends on if you want to visit the waterpark. Once the waterpark opens the rides tend to have smaller waits.

^^^Minor league White Sox? That's a pretty good minor league team if they won the World Series in 2005. Unlike their neighbors to the north. But hey I guess anyone can have a bad 100 years.

1. yes, it's worth it

2. If you plan on spending just three days at Six Flags parks this year, get a season pass. Very least, buy online & print, you'll save $ and no wait in ticket line.

3. it shouldn't be too bad on a weekday in July - the place runs about as good as it can

4., 5., and 6. WHIZZER!!! stuff that seat full with you and someone you love - or even like just a little

*** Edited 2/21/2008 3:47:37 AM UTC by Seahawk & the Wave*** *** Edited 2/21/2008 3:50:51 AM UTC by Seahawk & the Wave***

I'm surprised you know so little about Great America. If not for Great America who would Cedar Point steal ride ideas from? Remember the park also has a waterpark connected to it. Weekdays in July are very acceptable. You will get plenty of rides on all of the attractions. Don't stop with rides the park offers great shows. New for this year multiple locations of Johnny Rockets, Coldstone Creamery, Ben@Jerrys. Add to that shops galore so spend away. Don't miss Chicago and go and see the White Sox our only modern day World Champions. They also have the best food of any major league club. Milwaukee is home to wonderful world class attractions like it's Zoo. Have a wonderful time in the great MidWest.

SFGAm is very nice. Be sure to check out Show Stoppin' and both parades. Hurricane Harbor is also very nice. I'm not sure where they got their information, but according to SF's website, Hurricane Harbor Chicago is the Best Water Park in the USA. IMO it's not the best, but indeed VERY GOOD!

You won't be disappointed with this park. It's first class when it comes to big scale corporate parks.

If you don't plan on getting a season pass, all the hotels in Gurnee (most likely the one you are staying at), have discounts.

Enjoy yourself and make a pitstop at Gurnee Mills if you are into mass shopping. This mall also has cool restaurants like RainForest Cafe.

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Seahawk & the Wave said:4., 5., and 6. WHIZZER!!! stuff that seat full with you and someone you love - or even like just a little

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:)

As much as I love Viper and V2, Whizzer just plain ROCKS! Next time I'm up in the area, the Cubbies had BETTER have a home game I can attend. I'll probably plan my trip around it... ;)

Here's a more straightforward, real-world answer....

1. Since you're not bringing a family with kids, the park is about a 3.5-4 out of 5. Decent number of coasters, which are mostly pretty good. Raging Bull is trimmed to death, unfortunately. It's definitely worth a stand-alone visit once a season.

2. While the SF season pass is the best deal going, if this is your only SF visit this summer then skip it. And since you're coming from MI, I would think a Kroger or Meijer would have discount tickets that you could maybe get on your drive in Kalamazoo. Go to a GAm fansite closer to the season and someone there will know.

3. If you're like me and busy with your job during the week, a weekday visit may not always be possible, and I'd be saving those vacation days for a CP or CW weekday visit!! Instead, just get a flash pass and you won't have to worry as much about lines and can go when it's convenient for you and your schedule (and the weather is good).

Lastly, since you're from MI and not like a kid or anything (I looked at your profile) most likely you've been to Chicago before. And especially since your trip is solo, I wouldn't worry about any sightseeing this time around if your main intention is the park...Gurnee Mills is the same as Pontiac Mills, and if you're going during a Cubs-Sox series, you won't find (cheap) tickets as it is, and are probably a Tigers fan anyway.

But good luck with your trip and enjoy GAm!!

Just don't stop in the lovely town of Gary.. They got something for you and it's not tickets.

Coastermonkey said

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The minor league White Sox are home that week and there is so much to do and see in downtown.

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That was a joke, right? Last time I checked, they won the World Series in 2006 unlike another Chicago team... :)

Anyways, Do no pass up this park. It's a great, clean, friendly, rollercoaster greatness park. Crowds tend to be moderate to heavy, but worth every penny. Too bad they still don't offer the $2.00 twicket... Or was is $5.00, anyways, those were the days.....

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CoasterMonkey said:
Just don't stop in the lovely town of Gary.. They got something for you and it's not tickets.

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Post of the Week! Hilarious!!!

ride Raging Bull and form your own opinion.

The key to getting a good ride out of the Bull is sitting in the back row. That will get you two automatic big pops of air: the main drop and after the MCBR, you just get whipped off of those drops.

the key to getting a good ride on Raging Bull is sitting in any one of the 36 seats in the train.

That, and reminding yourself after you hit the hard upward trim on the 3rd hill that you're still going pretty darn fast. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for all the great feedback. It is a wealth of knowledge. I was planning to stop in Chicago to visit Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium on the return trip to Michigan.

As for Ronman....are you a CP hater? Everyone emulates someone else. I am not the biggest SF fan given my experience with the former SF park near Cleveland.

The key to getting a good ride on Raging Bull is by bringing a pillow and taking a short nap after walking around the park all day.

-Nate

If you don't go the season pass route, usually discounts are available by getting a can of Coke in the Chicago area and save the can for a discount at the gate. In the past Speedway gas stations have offered discount coupons with a minimun gas purchase. There is a Speedway station right before you reach the park's main entrance drive. Also, beware the road construction scheduled for this summer on the Edens Expressway between Chicago and Gurnee. Traffic is sure to be an issue because of this. Have fun and don't miss Hurricane Harbor.