amusement-park

The Flash Pass One Shot at Six Flags Over Georgia is a Great Value

/ printingddd / 1 Comment

On my last visit to Six Flags Over Georgia I noticed for the first time several of these green signs offering the Flash Pass One Shot. When you follow the QR code you’re taken to the Flash Pass website where you can buy a flash pass for the day, the season and now a Flash Pass for a single ride. This “One Shot” is reminiscent of the Lightning Lane Single Pass at Disney parks where you can buy “skip the line” access to certain attractions. The cost seems to vary by ride and day (similar to the Disney system) and I’ve seen prices range on a Friday between $6 and $14 each. However, a Flash Pass on that same Friday went for $60 for the Standard (virtual line holder) Flash Pass all they way up to $145 for the Ultimate (no wait) Flash Pass. So if you’re a regular and only going for a few hours, Single Shots seem to be the way to go.

Continue reading →

ACE’s “World’s Largest Ride” at Wild Adventures on Boomerang

/ printingddd / 3 Comments

On June 16th at 2pm participating parks simultaneously dispatch coasters as part of “The World’s Largest Ride” to celebrate the anniversary of LaMarcus Thompson’s Switchback Railway, the first modern roller coaster. The event is organized by American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and this year is the 3rd annual celebration of the event. About 20 parks participated this year including Wild Adventures of Valdosta, GA where I participated.

Continue reading →

Who Wants to Buy a Used Roller Coaster for $15,000? How Parks Buy and Sell Old Rides.

/ printingddd / 1 Comment

Update September 2025: It appears Canada’s Marineland is selling most of its rides. Bill Ossim of Rides Plus, LLC is handling the sale with details like pricing managed through a formal inquiry process for qualified buyers. There have been some reports of pricing online with family rides going for $75,000 and thrill rides as high as $2.5 million.

Continue reading →

Review of an Afternoon at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park

/ printingddd / 1 Comment
Arial view of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
View of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk from Sky Glider

On a recent business trip to California I had a free afternoon and decided to check out the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This seaside park opened in 1907 and is California’s oldest surviving park. Walking down certain parts of the boardwalk feels a bit like a trip in a time machine, but most of the rides are now modern with one huge exception, the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster. The Giant Dipper is the signature attraction of the park dominating the skyline and it was the main reason for my visit.

Giant Dipper Roller Coaster
Giant Dipper Roller Coaster
Giant Dipper Roller Coaster
Giant Dipper Roller Coaster
Continue reading →

Georgia Surfer Construction Update for Six Flags Over Georgia’s New Intamin Launch Coaster!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

I visited Six Flags Over Georgia on Saturday, May 18, 2024 and was able to check out the construction progress on the new Georgia Surfer coaster by Intamin. It was surprising to see a flurry of activity on a weekend day, so they must be pushing hard to get this done. There were now retaining walls in place, concrete footers poured, the beginning of what appeared to be a water retention area. No track or supports were seen anywhere, but I can’t imagine we’re far away from seeing the installation of the first few pieces.

Continue reading →

Construction Walls in Jungala, Does this Mean Long Rumored Busch Gardens Giga is Coming?

/ printingddd / 5 Comments
Work walls up at Jungala at Busch Gardens
Work walls in Jungala courtesy of /railfan_andrew
Jungala at Busch Gardens
Tree Top Trail signs removed courtesy of /railfan_andrew
Survey markers near Jungala at Busch Gardens
Survey markers in Jungala courtesy of /railfan_andrew

Update April 2025: So the construction walls ended up being for a new area of the park called Wild Oasis. It is sort of a reincarnation or Jungala complete with a new version of Wild Surge called Tree Top Drop. Is the Giga still coming? Maybe. The future of Kumba is still uncertain and there’s also the area of Scorpion that could be used as a station to have a Giga sprawl all over the park like Goliath does at Six Flags Over Georgia. We’ll have to stay tuned.

Continue reading →

Get a Six Flags Diamond Pass for $100. A Great Deal with Admission to 27 Parks! A SFOG Review.

/ printingddd / Leave a comment
Six Flags Diamond Pass

Update March 2025: The Six Flags Diamond pass is essentially no more. It has been replaced with the Prestige pass which does NOT have the “all parks” access. You can still get many of the same “all parks” benefit by buying anything as low as the Gold Pass and then get the All Park Passport which could be $75 to $150 more depending on your park. It is more expensive than the old Diamond pass with all parks for sure, but it’s also a lot more parks including all the legacy Cedar Fair parks and not just the legacy Six Flags parks. The Prestige Pass would also be required to get you into the VIP Lounge. The new price of the Prestige Pass at SFOG is $149 in 2025 instead of $100 in 2024.

Continue reading →

Don’t Take Your Phone on Roller Coasters. You too Mark Rober!

/ printingddd / Leave a comment

I saw the above video where YouTube star Mark Rober tested the fastest seat on a coaster, but subsequently got kicked out of a park for having his cell phone out on a ride. As a big fan with a 7 year old son who loves him too it was honestly disappointing to see. The parks though have good reason to take this seriously though as there have been a number of major injuries caused by foreign objects on rides with lawsuits looking to hold the parks responsible.

Continue reading →