I used to think Demon should be dismantled, until my daughter (5 YO in 2015) first rode it and LOVED IT! It might be simple and tame compared to other rides (ie. Raging Bull, Superman, Goliath, etc), but it's entry level ride for the kids! Another ride that should NEVER be talked about coming down is Whizzer. I know they tried to remove it to make Superman but wisely kept it and got rid of that headache called Shock Wave.
As for what should go to make way for a new ride, I think Eagle is the logical choice! Take that old thing down. Hardly anyone rides it anymore and you feel like you've been mugged after riding it! OR give it the Iron Horse Treatment like Colossus got and make it incredible. I doubt that's going to happen though since we have Goliath. I truly believe our park needs a giga coaster, built by B&M. Something like Leviathan or Fury 325 would be perfect in Eagle's spot.
I used to say Eagle should stay, mostly out of nostalgia, but the following facts are undeniable: A) that thing is 35 years old B) super rough C) almost nobody rides it anymore. In fact every time I actually go on the thing it kind of saddens me for the utter lack of interest in it. I remember its glory days when the line was 90 minutes long (at least) and they sold a bunch of concessions near the line.
As for flat rides going, at least keep Triple Play! That's a classic. Hometown Fun Machine can go. That one is a tamer version of Fiddler's Fling. King Chaos can go as well. That ride is super lame. Orbit could go if they're going to put up something similar like Cat Woman's whip in Texas. I agree that the enclosed gondola, especially on a hot summer day, is very suffocating.
As for boats or logs going, those have to stay! Those (along with the Rapids) are great on a hot summer day. I've never been in Hurricane Harbor because of my love for coasters!
Another feasible option is to take down Sky Tower and build a Sky Screamer there! I went on the one in Texas and it was amazing! The only problem was that it was shut down at times due to wind.
I also agree about keeping Revolution. That's a fun ride. I just hope our new ride is actually a ride and not a reburb of the kids area like 2015. Also, what is being planned for the Pictorium?
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New Ride(s) for 2017
Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark) ---- "Here we go, kids!! Here we go!!"
If all those things are actually closing, I wonder if it would just be Six Flags trying to save some money by not having to staff them. Doesn't necessarily mean anything is happening to those rides.
So you're saying that nobody can ever talk about Whizzer or Demon being removed because of sentimental value? What about people who felt sentimental about Iron Wolf, Deja Vu, Shockwave, etc. Did you hear those people say "I don't want to EVER hear you guys say Deja Vu is being removed..." No. Reasons those rides were removed: Iron Wolf - Unpopularity, "Rough" (I've never ridden it, so I can't judge) Deja Vu - Maintenance Nightmare Shockwave - Maintenance issues, Unpopularity, Whizzer outbreak I'd say Demon definitely falls under the rough category, but it's hard to tell if it's popular or not, it either has a 10 minute wait or an hour wait. Whizzer isn't rough or unpopular, but maintenance might be a factor if it's ever removed. I'm just saying, just because the rides are well loved doesn't guarantee that they'll never be removed.
Taking the flumes out is probably be the only way we can possibly add a big new coaster without taking another one out. Unless of course we add a free spin to replace Bucky's or possibly even a euro-fighter in the go-karts spot.
^If we ever got a Gerstlauer, I'd want a Launched Infinity. It'd give us a launch coaster, and a compact multi-looper. And if it's anything like Monster at Adventureland, I'd love it.
 Join the SFGAm Fan Discord! https://discord.gg/bNrTj9P The Voyage | Goliath SFGAm | Skyrush | Maverick | Viper SFGAm | Outlaw Run | Thunderhead | TTD | Lightning Run | Thunderbird
I could also see them restoring demon like how they did with Revolution at SFMM. They could get new cars and make the ride ride a lot smoother. They could fix all of the lights and fog machines that there used to be. This would be cheap for the park and still make a lot of people happy and excited for 2017.
As much as I agree with you about sentimental value only keeping a ride alive for so long, Demon is protected by staff and has a long history. I want to see Demon replaced just about as much as anyone else. "I've been told that some part of every wish will be heard but lately I lost sight of the truth in those words."
I also have a five year old who loves Whizzer, loves Demon, and can't go on anything higher due to height limits. I'm sure it's possible that the Demon will go one day, but I think it will be a shame because it's the rare ride that pretty short kids can go on and feel brave because it's not just a baby or family ride...
VR COMING TO DEMON!!!!
We already have an RMC. Iron Horse of Eagle just becomes redundant. It could use a retrack though and GCI has been doing great work in smoothing out and restoring woodies (except for Mean Streak, nothing is going to save that). Also, if you think Eagle is rough you must not have a lot of experience with woodies. As for the logs, everything about a log flume ride has an expiration date and is expensive to replace/repair. So G-Am would have to put in a ton of money keeping two flumes going (that really only see ridership in July and August) and doesn't do anything for the park (no one is coming just for the flumes). So why not rip them out, put in something bad ass there like a coast and then re-add a new log flume that can be advertised as a new ride. Let's face it, the flumes we have aren't even great flumes. Little theming and not much too look at while riding. We can do better.
RMC can fix Mean Streak! But anywho, ya seriously in this point of life, the flumes are pointless to keep. They are rotting up, and they are very boring rides. I mean if they really want to still have more than just Rapids and Bucky as water rides, they could probably fit a new shoot the chutes ride in the place of Little Dipper and the go karts.
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I didn't mean to say we should never TALK about removing Whizzer, but that I'd hope the Whizzer can stay at the park for a long time! It's a family favorite. Plus I don't know why but I LOVE that spiral lift.
I do also agree with the statement that the Demon is a good ride because it's a coaster and not some "baby" ride. As for Deja Vu, I can't imagine that being anyone's fave ride because it never ran! I never got to even ride that thing! Iron Wolf was ok, nothing special about it besides that it was a stand up. Shock Wave - that first drop did nothing for me at all and 7 inversions were too closely spaced! I know someone who did that ride 10x in a row one day after a long rain delay! That should get like a trophy or plaque or something. Heck, bring back Z Force and Rolling Thunder!! I actually rode La Vibora in Texas and that was a pretty cool ride. If they did take down Dark Knight, I would hope they'd put up another dark ride, like Runaway Mountain in Texas! Super cool ride and a great way to get out of the heat. But again, why remove a ride that's working, that people like and that's not a maintenance nightmare?? BTW, if Eagle did get Iron Horse Treatment, I predict they'd call it Steel Eagle Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark) ---- "Here we go, kids!! Here we go!!"
You say "bring back" as if it's easily accomplished....especially when all the materials have been melted down by now.
 "I've been told that some part of every wish will be heard but lately I lost sight of the truth in those words."
Was actually just kidding about both of those rides. Many people don't even remember Z Force. I had been on it maybe 2x as a teenager. I didn't get to ride Rolling Thunder though (hence the reference to La Vibora in TX). I do think Eagle is the most logical choice for rides to come down to make way for a huge coaster. But, I can also (thanks to reading these posts) see the possibility of both flume rides coming down. They are very old and probably expensive to maintain. We'd still have the awesome Rapids and Buc Battle (which you get absolutely soaked on). I've never actually been in Hurricane Harbor (yet) but maybe one day! What about the idea to take down Sky Tower and put a huge Sky Screamer there? Also, I don't understand why many people really hate Dark Knight. It's a fun ride! I do agree that the flume rides are kind of lame with zero theming. Probably due to the fact that they're 40+ years old. I just hope one day, we'll have a giga coaster. Six Flags needs to find a way to get it past zoning board, etc. I can't imagine them turning down the request because that park pretty much put Gurnee on the map! Last edited by CoasterRiderSC on August 5th, 2016, 1:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark) ---- "Here we go, kids!! Here we go!!"
Except Gurnee's zoning prevents Great America from rebuilding in that area.....at least not a coaster because it's too close to the roads surrounding it.
Questionable that they'd be able to put one up as big as Sky Trek Tower. I'm pretty sure they can't put in anything bigger than STT (can't remember the exact number) because they're in the path of Waukegan airport. If they were trying to put something different there might be some regulatory push back (it's one thing to leave something there that's been there, it might be different to build something new).
Great America had the height variance raised two years ago. http://www.gurnee.il.us/planning-and-zo ... 12-17-2014
From what I heard, the limit is 310ft (STT was grandfathered into this law) 125 ft+ must have permission with gurnee
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Edit: Removed from forum.
Last edited by staticshadows on July 8th, 2017, 10:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Since we're on the subject of height, I've often wondered why the park has never been tried to build something approaching 300 feet. There was a time there when they could have been a record holder with a coaster or SkyScreamer in that area, but that's obviously past.
From what I remember, it's anything over 125 feet within 500 feet of a residential area needs a permit. If it's outside of that 500 foot barrier, we can go to 200 feet. I think 333 feet is the absolute maximum.
Eagle's land occupancy is a total mess in my mind. I have a feeling the whole thing has to do with I-94. I honestly wouldn't be crying if they took out Eagle. I really wouldn't care what they did with it tbh. Join the SFGAm Fan Discord! https://discord.gg/bNrTj9P The Voyage | Goliath SFGAm | Skyrush | Maverick | Viper SFGAm | Outlaw Run | Thunderhead | TTD | Lightning Run | Thunderbird
They must've changed this when they introduced that 500/200ft height limit change. I sure wasn't aware of it. Last I remember the distance from Washington and I-94 as higher than that and if Eagle were to be replaced, the available land would be less than Eagle's original footprint. "I've been told that some part of every wish will be heard but lately I lost sight of the truth in those words."
So I just saw a rumor (that expands a rumor above) that Orbit, Jester's Wild Ride and East River Crawler will all close after tomorrow, and Orbit will be removed, Jester may be removed, and East River Crawler will relocate where Orbit was. If all that happens, and you combine it with the Ragin' Cajun spot, that opens up a decent sized piece of land (especially if you include some of the Batman queue). So, what would require that space?
Why tomorrow? Unless it's for something they need to start constructing early, I don't see why they can't all stay open until AT LEAST Labor Day.
If that's true, I'll make sure to visit the park tomorrow to get my last rides in. Kind of sucks, considering tomorrow's the last day for read to succeed.
I think there is more planned that we do not know about yet. This may be the reason to why rides are closing early. I'm excited though.
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