Introduction (hope this is the proper section)

[ribsinbacon]

So, after thinking that most of my life I wouldn't be able to stomach a coaster, my girlfriend got me to go to Six Flags Great America for Fright Fest. (I went once as a kid but didn't ride the coasters). Now I can say I'm properly hooked. I only got on about 5 coasters, and wanted to go on more. We picked up the gold passes through the black Friday sale. What can I expect to get out of the gold pass? Any suggestions on visiting the park? We learned some things on our trip there, like packing light, and possibly bringing a cooler in the trunk of your car so we can go eat in the lot. I'm hoping to make the trip a few times this season from up here in Madison. Any travel suggestions, or affordable hotels you all prefer?

Did any one notice the stray cats in the area? I noticed a black cat sitting on a transformer by the tunnel at Batman coaster. (How appropriate.)

I've been trying to read up on some of the history of the park, and it all seems pretty interesting.

[Necropolis]

Yeah it can get pretty addicting going to SFGAm, hence the reason this site exists! Frightfest is the one time i go if I know Im only going once that season, which is of course a blast. The Gold pass pretty much lets you get to the front of the line at a specific time. You get a small device in which you set the times you're planning on riding each coaster and you must arrive at that time, otherwise you can't get on the ride and have to schedule again. That's the catch with it, you're responsible for the device and arriving on time whenever you schedule that time.

Depending on when you go, July is by far the busiest time after Frightfest, seeing as everyone is off of school and families taking summer vacays. I avoid SFGAm that month, I hate waiting. The food at the park is pricy so if you dont want to spend around $50 for a family meal, your options are to leave the park and eat at one of the local fast food places five min away such as McDonalds, Burger King, Jimmy Johns, Subway, ihop or even the gas stations have food too. Other than that, packing a cooler with food and drinks and tailgating in the parking lot works too of course. Plus you won't have to leave your parking spot as with planning on leaving to eat and come back, which you may have to park in the far back when you come back.

Madison isn't far, I mean it takes me an hour or so to get to SFGam, so pricy hotels are not a need.

[KI2014]

Yeah it can get pretty addicting going to SFGAm, hence the reason this site exists! Frightfest is the one time i go if I know Im only going once that season, which is of course a blast. The Gold pass pretty much lets you get to the front of the line at a specific time. You get a small device in which you set the times you're planning on riding each coaster and you must arrive at that time, otherwise you can't get on the ride and have to schedule again. That's the catch with it, you're responsible for the device and arriving on time whenever you schedule that time.

He's referring to the Gold season pass, I believe. I don't think you would by a Gold Flash Pass during the Black Friday Sale if the sale doesn't include them...

[Necropolis]

Yeah it can get pretty addicting going to SFGAm, hence the reason this site exists! Frightfest is the one time i go if I know Im only going once that season, which is of course a blast. The Gold pass pretty much lets you get to the front of the line at a specific time. You get a small device in which you set the times you're planning on riding each coaster and you must arrive at that time, otherwise you can't get on the ride and have to schedule again. That's the catch with it, you're responsible for the device and arriving on time whenever you schedule that time.

He's referring to the Gold season pass, I believe. I don't think you would by a Gold Flash Pass during the Black Friday Sale if the sale doesn't include them...

I assumed it was a one day gold pass, but hey if it includes an all season Gold Pass, shoot I'm going to get one. I think the catch is, you have to buy a minimum of four passes, from what I saw on the email. Of course I wouldnt buy a one day gold pass haha, I dont think the park would benefit from that either in terms of income. At this rate, I wonder if the park will have decent size no waiting lines too now.

[Dan The Coaster Man]

So the 2014 season was the first season I had a Gold Season Pass. I'll share my "knowledge" with you.

So I live about a hour and 45 minutes south of SFGAm. Despite the distance, I was able to visit the park 12 times.

May is a great time to visit the park. Most schools are in class through May, including Chicago Public Schools, so it has lower attendance. Even when the schools go to SFGAm, it's alot lower of an attendance.

June is a pretty decent month to visit. Most kids are in school the first week of June and sometimes the second. So again lower attendance.

July is a busy time. Although (at least for me) it's bearable. I never waited more than an hour for any ride the whole season (including Goliath). So if you play the cards right you can still ride a lot.

I didn't visit the park in August so I can't tell you.

September was better than July. Schools are in but yet there is a better attendance than May.

Fright Fest is a busy time. But it's like I've said, just look for the shorter lines. If V2's line is a hour long, go check Batman's line. If it's shorter go and ride, and check if V2's line is shorter later. (Works with any rides not just these two)

As for the Gold Season Passes, it's great. Parking is free and so is admittance into the park. It's also works at all the Six Flags parks. I was able to use my Season Passes at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags America, and Six Flags Over Georgia all this year without a hassle. It's VERY convenient and easy Ive without a doubt saved over $1,000 this year with the season pass.

So now some tips inside the park. Food is pretty expensive. You can bring your own food and keep it in the car. They have picnic tables in the middle of the parking lot, and if you go further back there's some grass and trees. But if you want to get the most of your day, just buy food inside. Food and drinks is the only stuff I spent money on this year. Basically I spend about $15 each trip, which isn't bad since you don't have to pay for the ticket. GET THE REFILLABLE CUP. It's free refills the first trip, and 99 cents for each refill after the first trip. But, there is a way around that. You can buy a refillable wristband for about $5.15ish for free refills on every trip after the first. To get your money's worth, you need to get 6 refills. So depending on how much you're gonna drink, either way can be cheaper. But if you and your girlfriend will share the refillable cup, the wristband is probably the cheaper way. Keep in mind there are CocaCola Freestyle machines (100+ Flavors) around the Whizzer and train station.

I highly encourage zippers. Preferably a sweatshirt/jacket with zippers. You can ride with your phone and wallet without worrying it will all out, and won't have to leave it behind in the containers. Shorts/pants with zippers are fine too, but the problem with that is on rides like Raging Bull and X-Flight, the restraints will push down on your items and hurt your thighs. Unless if the zippers are on the lower half of the pants. And on rides they have cup holders for your refillable cup. I leave my refillable cup behind all the time and it is very convenient.

Also it gets pretty hot in the summer, so I suggest sunscreen. In addition, it can get very cold for Fright Fest, so dress warm. This year alone I was riding coasters in sleet. And that's no exaggeration. It was about 30 degrees or so and on Raging Bull I was pelted with sleet. It hurt my face!

That's about all I can think of as of now. Best of luck!!

[Brewersdawg828]

Typically I get the majority of my visits in during May and early June because my mom takes me out of the (she's the real MVP) I avoid July as much as I can but if a friend will take me for free I'll go. The Fourth of July is awful some years and amazing others. In 2012, I had an average wait of around 1-1.5 hours, but this year my longest wait was an hour and a half for goliath and after that was 30 minutes.

For food, I usually stop at the subway in paddock lake (i live in burlington) and put the sandwich and a box of cookies in the cooler. I don't recommend buying food at the park. In late August last year I bought pizza from the pizza stand by the eagle and it took 45 minutes to get it. There were 3 people in front of me. So instead, I usually bring a granola bar in with me and have that as a snack at 6 and then go to steak and shake for dinner after we leave the park (it's like 5 minutes away, and in the mall parking area).

Yes refillable water bottles are a must. Every day I get the refill wristband because I refill it whenever we're close to the fudge shop so I can use the coca cola freestyle. If you're going more than 3 times just get the gold pass and get parking on it. Otherwise if you're looking for a hotel, the gurnee in is a 5 minute walk from the park and they'll let you park your car there. It's not horribly expensive either. Other than that, the gold flash pass is basically useless if you're patient and only really helps on goliath and superman

[ribsinbacon]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! We picked up Gold Season Passes, and are planning for at least a may weekend trip, and possibly day trips after that where we can all split driving back and forth. We usually drive from Madison, to Milwaukee, to Gurnee since the GPS says that's the quickest route.

We are still considering the flash passes, but if need be I'll go multiple days to try everything out. What does every one think about Hurricane Harbor? Is it good? I've been spoiled by being able to visit Noah's Ark waterpark in Wisconsin Dells which has some impressive water slides.

I'm already looking into getting shirts/sweaters with zippers, and we'll look into getting the soda bottles that allow you to refill.

[Brewersdawg828]

I've been to both hurricane harbor and Noah's ark and Noah's ark is better by a long shot. Though there's probably more slides at great america, I think the rides at Noah's ark are way better. Not mention, Noah's ark has a water coaster and a looping slide. Six flags should step up their game.

[Guy_With_A_Stick]

For me, I can see Great America out my window, so I'm a very frequent visitor.

The gold pass is without a doubt one of the best investments my family has ever made at SFGAm. Parking, admission, and waterpark are all free. You can go to any other SF park with free admission, which saves an average $50-$70 a park.

The food is alright. It's better to get something at a nearby restaurant(I recommend either Burger King, Cravings, or Chicago Red Hots, all of which are in the area across from the main park entrance). Also, their service is horrid.

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[Dan The Coaster Man]

Also, Viper's line has lets been 30mins or less of a wait. The line might look long, but I've entered the line where the people are backed up to the sign of Viper and only waited 30 mins.

Don't always let the amount of people in line scare you. Rides like Raging Bull and Batman have a higher amount of people riding per hour versus rides like Goliath and V2. So there might be more people in line for Batman, but due to V2's lower capacity you may be waiting less in Batman's line.

[ribsinbacon]

Also, Viper's line has lets been 30mins or less of a wait. The line might look long, but I've entered the line where the people are backed up to the sign of Viper and only waited 30 mins.

Don't always let the amount of people in line scare you. Rides like Raging Bull and Batman have a higher amount of people riding per hour versus rides like Goliath and V2. So there might be more people in line for Batman, but due to V2's lower capacity you may be waiting less in Batman's line.

When we went on the Viper during Fright Fest the first time, the wait wasn't bad. Going on the second time when it was dark out, it was actually much longer. I think we waited in Batman between two and three hours. It was pretty brutal since it was cold out. But at least watching all the shmucks in flip flops and shorts made it worth it!

[Dan The Coaster Man]

I think we waited in Batman between two and three hours.

Holy cow I can't imagine. I waited in Batman for one hour once this Fright Fest and all the other times (3 or 4) were 40 minutes or less. In fact, I've never waited for any ride at SFGAm for two or three hours ever. I've seen lines that long but don't bither waiting in them. It must've been pretty bad . I've only waited that long once, for Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom at SFGAd for about 2 and a half hours. It was about 60 degrees so I can't imagine waiting in the cold that long

[Necropolis]

SFGAm boasts the most intense and awesome looking features of Hurricane Harbor to lure you in. My sister has been a few times and she says it's not all the hype as it's made to be. Theres only a few cool attractions to Hurricane Harbor.

I went to Frightfest twice one season a few years ago. The opening weekend it was semi-slow and the final weekend, my goodness I did not go on any major coasters, wait times were all well over an hour to an hour and a half. THAT is when the Gold passes come in handy.

[Iron Wolf 90-11]

Do you mean Flash Passes?

[ribsinbacon]

Do you mean Flash Passes?

I think Necropolis meant Gold Level Flash Passes.

[Necropolis]

Do you mean Flash Passes?

I think Necropolis meant Gold Level Flash Passes.

Yes I did, thanks for clarifying!

[ribsinbacon]

Here's another question: My girlfriend's mom is going to be going with us a few times, and I see they have rentals for scooters for those who need it. (She's in her late 60's and has really bad arthritis.) Any one know how much one costs to rent there? We almost considered buying a cheap one for her, but that would be silly if she won't use it only for special occasions.

[DejaVu2001]

Scooter rental is $45.00 plus a $50.00 deposit that will be refunded when the scooter is returned.

[ribsinbacon]

Does anyone know when they'll release the days and hours of operation? I'd like to be able to plan some vacation time in the near future!

[snowey]

My name is snowey...!! That community had massive info about one of my favourite travel destination. Great america is a fascinating attractive area among tourists. With plenty of thrilling and amazing rides. I would love to go there again and again. The best time to have fun there is just enjoy yourself.

[ribsinbacon]

So six flags just posted their park hours for the season. So far they only have two weekends listed in September as the only open days. Is this how they usually do it? I thought they were open more during September!

[KI2014]

So six flags just posted their park hours for the season. So far they only have two weekends listed in September as the only open days. Is this how they usually do it? I thought they were open more during September!

Two weekends are normally reserved for private events

[ribsinbacon]

So six flags just posted their park hours for the season. So far they only have two weekends listed in September as the only open days. Is this how they usually do it? I thought they were open more during September!

Two weekends are normally reserved for private events

For season pass holders, or for corporate interests?

[ribsinbacon]

So I see they have also listed "Exclusive Discover Ride Time Events" If you're a discover card holder or pass holder there is some sort of events going on. Has anyone attended these? What goes on? Exclusive access to coasters?

[Chitown]

So six flags just posted their park hours for the season. So far they only have two weekends listed in September as the only open days. Is this how they usually do it? I thought they were open more during September!

Two weekends are normally reserved for private events

For season pass holders, or for corporate interests?

Private corporate events.