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Firehouse BBQ at Six Flags Over Georgia Up for USA Today 10BEST Award with More New Food Options Coming in 2026

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The Firehouse BBQ at Six Flags Over Georgia (SFOG) has been nominated for “Best Theme Park Restaurant” in USA Today’s 2026 10BEST. Firehouse BBQ was a new dining option for 2025 at SFOG and it’s great to see it already getting such great recognition. We had a chance to review Firehouse BBQ last year and it’s easily the best dining experience in the park and part of a broader initiative to improve dining options across the chain. This has included multiple Six Flags parks hiring their first-ever executive chefs including Jeremy Hacker at Six Flags Great Adventure, Josh Streeter at Six Flags New England and Priscilla Nicole at Six Flags Over Georgia. I’ve personally met Pricilla, she is simply wonderful and has been doing great work for the park.

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Downtown Atlanta Amusement Park History: From the Site of Ponce de Leon Amusement Company 100 Years Ago “Springs” Skyline Park Today

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Ponce de Leon Amusement Company
Skyline Park
Skyline Park (Courtesy of Slater Hospitality)

Back in the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s there was a popular tourist destination called Ponce de Leon Springs near downtown Atlanta. It was seen more like a local spa with the mineral content of the water thought to provide health benefits. In January 1903, 47 acres of the land surrounding the spring was purchased by the future Ponce de Leon Amusement Company. Construction quickly started on a theater, a carousel and a casino. The owners tried to mimic Coney Island by building a ping pong parlor, a gravity railroad (precursor to our modern roller coasters), a Ferris wheel and a penny arcade and the park soon became known as “the Coney Island of Atlanta”. It only lasted to the 1920’s, but fast forward 100 years and remarkably on the same site today you’ll find Skyline Park, a modern carnival-style rooftop amusement park!

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Does Splash Island at Wild Adventures Have the Best Lazy River in America?

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The Paradise River at Splash Island Water Park (part of Wild Adventures Theme Park) has been nominated for “Best Lazy River” in USA Today’s 10BEST. Paradise River is in a beautiful setting with palms trees and foliage all around as you pass under several bridges around the course. There are some fun water features to interact with, but nothing too much that takes the “lazy” out of lazy river. Paradise River has been nominated along with 19 other lazy rivers and includes prestigious company such as Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach along with its sister property, Dollywood Splash Country. If you love Wild Adventures and Splash Island be sure to VOTE NOW!

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Busch Gardens and SeaWorld Parent Company United Parks Sued by Sesame Street Over Unpaid License Fees

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Sesame Workshop (the company behind Sesame Street) has sued United Parks & Resorts (parent of SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens) over unpaid royalties. Sesame Workshop file in federal court in New York on March 12, 2026 and is seeking to end its licensing agreement with United Parks & Resorts. United Parks & Resorts operates full themed park lands around the Sesame Street IP with rides, shows and parades and for many locations it is the centerpiece of their kid’s area. In addition to unpaid royalties Sesame Place also alleges plans for a 3rd Sesame Place theme park were shelved and that United shortened seasons or completely closed Sesame Street themed lands without proper notice.

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The Lumber for Your Favorite Wooden Roller Coaster May Have Come From S.I. Storey in Armuchee, Georgia

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Wooden Roller coasters primarily use a very specific type of wood called Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) for their structure and track. Southern Yellow Pine has become the industry-standard wood used worldwide for most modern wooden roller coasters due to its density, strength, and pressure-treatment capabilities. For more than two decades, S.I. Storey Lumber Company in Armuchee, GA has specialized in high quality treated Southern Yellow Pine that has been used in roller coasters around the world. S.I Storey lumber is in use at many Six Flags parks, smaller local parks across the United States and even international parks like Walibi Belgium. Please note that of the coasters pictured in this article only Viper and Weerwolf are known for certain to have S.I. Storey lumber.

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Is Holiday in the Park Returning to Six Flags Over Georgia in 2026?

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Front entrance at Six Flags Over Georgia Holiday in the Park

Six Flags Over Georgia announced last summer that its Holiday in the Park event was cancelled for 2025 as the were focusing resources “during the time when the majority of our guests visit the Six Flags Over Georgia” and “weather conditions can more consistently support our goal”. This closed the park about a month earlier than usual and was met with a lot of disappointment from the season pass base who only got a “free bring a friend” as compensation. However, during the company’s quarterly earnings call on Feb. 19, 2026 there was a glimmer of hope that this event might return in 2026 as the new management reflected that the decision last year may have been a mistake.

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Wild Adventures Upgrading 3 Rides for 2026 Season

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In a recent press release it was announced that Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia would be making upgrades to 3 guest favorite attractions. This off-season, the maintenance team at Wild Adventures was hard at work improving the ride experience on Island Falls, the Safari Train, and Boomerang. Island Falls has 2 new boats, delivering shorter wait times and more splash-filled fun. The Safari Train has a second locomotive joining the track, meaning less time spent waiting in line to hop on board. The beloved Boomerang roller coaster features an all-new control system and new magnetic brakes from Vekoma, designed for smooth stops and reduced unexpected closures throughout the season.

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Conflict in the Middle East and the Impact on Theme Parks

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Six Flags Qiddiya Theme Park Near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia via Saudi Press Agency (SPA)

New and significant military conflict has bean in the Middle East on Saturday, February 28, 2026. The United States and Israeli forces took action against Iran who retaliated with attacks on US facilities throughout the region. This included Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Several of these house major theme parks now popular with tourists including potentially your favorite theme park influencers from the United States. One of these is the brand new Six Flags Qiddiya City near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with its record breaking coasters like Falcon’s Flight. This conflict is expected to last at least 4 weeks, so anyone with a trip scheduled this month will have some decisions to make. The US State Department is currently recommending US citizens leave these Middle East countries ASAP and new travel is not recommended or even possible in many cases either in or out.

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Rampage at Alabama Adventure to Reopen in Summer of 2026!

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Rampage at Alabama Adventure Logo (Courtesy of Alabama Adventure)

On February 20th during the 2026 ACE Preservation T-Shirt Gala it was announced by Alex Ramsey of Alabama Adventure that the park would likely be reopening their wooden coaster Rampage during the summer of 2026! Alex is Alabama Adventure’s Human Resources, IT and Marketing Manager (he wears many hats) and was presenting during a night dedicated to wooden roller coaster preservation. The night also featured a screening of the documentary, “Save the Wooden Coaster”. The park will be doing a traditional retrack as the ride has been SBNO “for too long”. Things like Titan Track and RMC were considered, but were just too expensive at this time. There are still plans to do a more durable and permanent retrack (likely Titan Track), but this will come later and in steps over the next 5-6 years.

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Bobsled Roller Coasters

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bobsled on 2010 Olympic track

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan are currently taking place and with it the bobsledding competition. For many watching Bobsleds scream at 80 miles/hour down an ice track is the highlight of the Olympics. Celebrities like Jason Kelce and Colin Jost are also taking their turns with rides down the track. It looks like a roller coaster ride with its intense turns and speed and the roller coaster industry even designed a special type of coaster based on the bobsled experience.

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