Six Flags Great America facts for kids
| Previously known as Marriott's Great America (1976–1984) |
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Logo used since 2025
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The park's centerpiece attraction Columbia Carousel in 2026
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| Location | Gurnee, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 42°22′03″N 87°56′04″W / 42.36750°N 87.93444°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Public transit | 565, 572 |
| Opened | May 29, 1976 |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| Park president |
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| General manager | Hardeep Lall |
| Slogan | "Thrill Capital of the Midwest" |
| Operating season | April to November |
| Attendance |  3.045 million in 2024 |
| Area | 275 acres (1.11 km2) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 44 (as of 2026) |
| Roller coasters | 16 |
| Water rides | 3 |
Six Flags Great America, often called Great America, is a huge amusement park in Gurnee, Illinois, USA. It's located between the big cities of Chicago and Milwaukee. This park is the largest amusement park in Illinois. It is owned by Six Flags and has 44 fun attractions, including 16 exciting roller coasters. In 2024, about 3.05 million people visited the park. Next to it is Hurricane Harbor Chicago, a separate water park.
The park first opened on May 29, 1976, as Marriott's Great America. It was designed with an Americana theme, celebrating American history. In 1984, Six Flags bought the park and renamed it. Since then, many new rides and areas have been added. These include Batman: The Ride in 1992, which was the world's first inverted roller coaster. The Southwest Territory area also brought popular rides like Viper and Raging Bull. In 2005, the Hurricane Harbor water park was added.
Six Flags Great America has 11 themed sections. Some areas celebrate American history, while others are based on DC Comics characters. There are also special areas just for kids. The park is open from April to November each year. In the fall, it hosts a popular Halloween event called Fright Fest. The park has won many awards for its rides and shows. Three of its roller coasters are even recognized as ACE Coaster Landmarks because they are so important to roller coaster history. You might have seen the park in the movie Richie Rich or the web show Run BTS.
Contents
Park History
How the Park Began
Building a Dream Park
In the early 1970s, the Marriott company wanted to build a chain of modern theme parks. They planned to open these parks around the time of the United States Bicentennial, which was America's 200th birthday. Each park would be called Marriott's Great America and would celebrate American history.
Marriott planned three parks, but only two were built: one in California and one in Illinois. The Illinois park was designed by Randall Duell. He created a similar plan for both parks. Designers traveled across the country to find ideas and items to make the park feel truly American.
Instead of a central hub design, the park used a "Duell loop" layout. This circular path lets guests easily visit each themed area. Employees could also work behind the scenes in the middle of the park. The first six themed areas were:
- Carousel Plaza: The main entrance area.
- Orleans Place: Like the Southern United States in the mid-1800s.
- Yankee Harbor: A 19th-century New England port.
- Yukon Territory: Like a town in the Canadian Yukon.
- Midwest County Fair: Based on a 20th-century rural fair.
- Hometown Square: Modeled after small Midwest towns from the early 1900s.
Marriott chose 600 acres of land in Gurnee, Illinois, in 1972. This spot was perfect because it was between Chicago and Milwaukee. It also had direct access to Interstate 94. The company officially announced the Gurnee theme park in 1973.
Building the park took two years and about 700 workers. It cost $40 million to create the Illinois theme park.
First Years of Fun
The park opened on May 29, 1976. It had three roller coasters: Willard's Whizzer, Turn of the Century, and The Gulf Coaster. Other rides included the Columbia Carousel, which is the second-tallest carousel in the world. The Sky Whirl was a unique, 110-foot-tall "triple ferris wheel".
From the start, the park used Looney Tunes characters. Costumed characters interacted with guests. Each themed area had its own special costumes for employees. The buildings, shops, and restaurants also matched each theme.
In 1977, the park added new rides. The 285-foot-tall Sky Trek Tower offered amazing views. A new children's area called Fort Fun opened in 1978. Also, the park's fourth roller coaster, Tidal Wave, opened in Yankee Harbor. In 1979, the Pictorium, an IMAX theater, opened with a huge screen.
In 1980, the Turn of the Century roller coaster was updated. It got two vertical loops and new tunnels. It was renamed Demon and had a new theme. The American Eagle, a racing wooden roller coaster, opened in 1981. It was the tallest, fastest, and longest dueling wooden coaster at the time.
In 1983, two more rides were added: The Edge, a freefall ride, and White Water Rampage, a water rapids ride.
Six Flags Takes Over
By the mid-1980s, Marriott decided to sell its theme parks. They wanted to focus on hotels and restaurants. In 1984, Bally Manufacturing bought the Gurnee park for $114.5 million. The park was renamed Six Flags Great America. Six Flags also gained the rights to use the Looney Tunes characters at all its parks.
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In 1985, Six Flags added Z-Force, a unique roller coaster. The Edge ride was removed in 1986. In 1987, Power Dive, a swinging ride, was added. The Bugs Bunny Land kids area also got bigger. Z-Force was moved to another Six Flags park after 1987.
In 1988, Shockwave opened. It was an Arrow Dynamics mega-looper and the world's tallest roller coaster at the time. In 1989, Rolling Thunder, a bobsled roller coaster, was added.
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Iron Wolf, a steel stand-up coaster, opened in 1990. It was the first roller coaster built by the famous Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard. In 1991, Condor was added. The Tidal Wave coaster was moved to another park.
The park worked with Bolliger & Mabillard again to build the world's first inverted roller coaster, Batman: The Ride. It opened on May 9, 1992, and was very popular. The area around it was re-themed to match the Batman films.
New Areas and Thrills
In 1995, construction began on a new themed area. The first part was Viper, a wooden roller coaster that looks like the Coney Island Cyclone. It was themed after a snake oil salesman.
The Southwest Territory officially opened in 1996. This 11-acre area had an Old West desert theme. It added three new rides: River Rocker, a pirate ship ride; Chubasco, a teacup ride; and Trail Blazer.
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Two new thrill rides opened in 1997. Giant Drop, a 227-foot-tall drop tower, was added to Southwest Territory. Dare Devil Dive, a Skycoaster ride, opened in the County Fair area.
In 1998, the park expanded its kids' areas. Camp Cartoon Network opened in Yukon Territory with five new rides. Bugs Bunny Land was renamed Looney Tunes National Park.
On October 21, 1998, the park announced Raging Bull. This hyper-twister roller coaster opened in Southwest Territory in 1999. It was the park's most expensive roller coaster at $25 million. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it was 202 feet high and reached speeds of 73 miles per hour.
The 2000s and Beyond
The park celebrated its 25th season in 2000 with new shows and parades. The Sky Whirl and Hay Baler rides closed that year.
In 2001, two new roller coasters were added. Vertical Velocity (V2), an impulse coaster, opened in Yankee Harbor. Déjà Vu, a giant inverted boomerang ride, replaced Sky Whirl and Hay Baler. In 2002, plans to remove Whizzer were canceled after guests expressed their love for the ride. Instead, Shockwave was removed.
In 2003, Superman: Ultimate Flight opened in Orleans Place. This flying roller coaster was the second of its kind in the Midwest. Its layout is similar to versions at other Six Flags parks.
Mardi Gras, a new themed area, opened in 2004. It was built where Power Dive and Cajun Cliffhanger used to be. It featured a spinning wild mouse coaster called Ragin' Cajun and other rides. The Ameri-Go-Round carousel was replaced by Revolution, a HUSS Frisbee ride.
On September 17, 2004, the park announced a $42 million expansion: Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park. It opened on May 28, 2005, with 25 water slides and a large wave pool. At first, admission to the water park was included with a theme park ticket.
In 2007, Wiggles World, a children's area themed after The Wiggles, opened. It had five new rides. The park also introduced a new stunt show, Operation SpyGirl.
Great America added The Dark Knight Coaster in 2008. This indoor wild mouse roller coaster is themed after the movie The Dark Knight. It is mostly dark inside and tells a story about Batman and The Joker.
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In 2009, Six Flags replaced Déjà Vu with Buccaneer Battle. This pirate-themed boat ride in County Fair had interactive water elements. Six Flags Great America acquired the historic kids' wooden roller coaster Little Dipper in 2009. It opened at the park in 2010.
On September 1, 2011, the park announced X-Flight, a B&M Wing Coaster. It was the first Wing Coaster announced for North America and opened in 2012. A few days later, the park's stand-up roller coaster, Iron Wolf, closed permanently and was moved to another Six Flags park.
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Goliath, a Rocky Mountain Construction wooden roller coaster, was announced in 2013. It was built where Iron Wolf used to be. Goliath opened on June 19, 2014, as the steepest, longest, and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. In 2015, the park celebrated its 40th season. It brought back three classic kids' rides in a new area called Hometown Park.
An interactive dark ride called Justice League: Battle for Metropolis opened in 2016. It replaced the Southwest Territory Amphitheatre. The Joker, an S&S 4D Free Spin roller coaster, opened in 2017 in the Yankee Harbor area. To make room, some other rides were moved or removed.
Virtual reality headsets were added to the Giant Drop ride in 2017, temporarily renaming it Drop of Doom. King Chaos closed in 2017.
The park also announced Holiday in the Park in 2018, extending its season into December. The Pictorium IMAX theater was removed for future expansion. An S&S air-launched roller coaster named Maxx Force opened in 2019, replacing the Pictorium.
Recent Changes
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the amusement park did not open in 2020. However, a modified version of its holiday event, Holiday in the Park Lights, debuted that November without rides.
In 2021, the water park became a separate park called Hurricane Harbor Chicago. The amusement park reopened in April 2021.
In 2022, DC Universe, a DC Comics themed area, opened. It featured new paint, wider paths, and re-themed rides. Vertical Velocity became The Flash: Vertical Velocity. Whirligig became DC Super-Villains Swing, and Yankee Clipper was re-themed to Aquaman Splashdown. The Holiday in the Park event was removed from the park's schedule in 2022.
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In 2023, the park announced Sky Striker, a Zamperla Discovery pendulum ride, for the 2024 season. It was built where Dare Devil Dive used to be. Revolution was also removed from the park in 2023.
In 2024, the park built a new entrance building. Sky Striker opened in June 2024. Later that year, Wrath of Rakshasa, a B&M Dive Coaster, was announced. It opened on May 31, 2025, replacing the Buccaneer Battle water ride. It is the steepest Dive Coaster and has the most inversions of its kind.
In July 2024, Six Flags merged with Cedar Fair to form Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. In November 2024, the new company announced plans for a new kids' area and 50th-anniversary celebrations at Six Flags Great America for the 2026 season. On June 20, 2026, the 50th Anniversary Celebration debuted with extended hours, a parade, fireworks, and a drone show.
Park Location
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Six Flags Great America is in Gurnee, Illinois, USA. Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois. The park is about 45 miles north of Chicago, Illinois, and 50 miles south of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's also about 3 miles south of the Gurnee Mills shopping center.
The park is right next to the Interstate 94 highway. You can also reach it using Illinois Route 132, Illinois Route 21, and Washington Street. The Pace bus system also serves the park.
Six Flags owns the entire property, which includes both Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor Chicago. It covers 305 acres. This makes it the largest amusement park in Illinois.
Park Layout and Rides
Six Flags Great America is designed with a circular path called a "Duell loop." This layout helps guests easily explore all the themed areas. It also keeps employee work areas out of sight. The Southwest Territory and Metropolis Plaza areas are outside this main loop. As of 2026, the park has 11 themed areas and 16 roller coasters.
- Great America Scenic Railway — A narrow-gauge train ride with stations in Hometown Square and County Fair.
Carousel Plaza
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Carousel Plaza is the park's main entrance area. It features the beautiful Columbia Carousel. You'll also find shops and food stands here.
- Columbia Carousel — A 100-foot-tall double-decker carousel, opened in 1976.
- Sky Trek Tower — A 330-foot-tall observation tower, opened in 1977.
- Maxx Force — An air-launched roller coaster with five inversions. It opened in 2019.
Orleans Place
Orleans Place is themed like New Orleans in the late 1800s, especially the French Quarter. It opened in 1976. Part of this area later became Mardi Gras in 2004.
Rue Le Dodge is the only original ride from 1976 still in this area.
- Condor — A spinning aerial ride, opened in 1991.
- Rue Le Dodge — A bumper cars attraction, opened in 1976. It has the largest bumper car floor in the world.
- Superman: Ultimate Flight — A flying roller coaster themed to Superman, opened in 2004.
- The Dark Knight Coaster — An indoor wild mouse roller coaster themed to the 2008 film The Dark Knight. It opened in 2008.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is one of the park's newer themed areas. It opened in 2004, converted from part of Orleans Place. The area celebrates the Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans.
- Big Easy Balloons — A twirling balloon ride, opened in 2004.
- Roaring Rapids — A river rapids ride, originally opened in Orleans Place in 1983.
DC Universe
DC Universe is the park's DC Comics themed area. It was originally Yankee Harbor, an original themed area from 1976. It was re-themed to DC Universe in 2022.
This area has three roller coasters: Batman: The Ride, The Flash: Vertical Velocity, and The Joker.
- Aquaman Splashdown — A log flume themed to Aquaman. It connects with Logger's Run. It was formerly named Yankee Clipper and opened in 1976.
- Batman: The Ride — An inverted roller coaster themed to Batman. It opened in 1992 as the first of its kind.
- DC Super-Villains Swing — A swing ride themed to DC Comics villains. It was formerly named Whirligig and opened in 1976.
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity — An Impulse roller coaster themed to The Flash. It was formerly named Vertical Velocity and opened in 2001.
- The Joker — A 4D Free Spin roller coaster themed to the Joker. It opened in 2017.
Yukon Territory
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Yukon Territory is themed like the forests and mountains of northwest Canada. It includes references to logging and gold panning, like the Klondike Gold Rush.
- Little Dipper — A historic kids' wooden roller coaster moved from Kiddieland. It opened at Six Flags Great America in 2009.
- Logger's Run — A log flume ride that connects with Aquaman Splashdown. It opened in 1976.
- Sprocket Rockets — A kids' roller coaster, formerly named Spacely's Sprocket Rockets. It opened in 1996.
County Fair
County Fair is an original themed area at the back of the park. It's the largest themed area, based on a rural county fair. It has many shops, food stalls, and carnival games.
- American Eagle — A dual-tracked, racing wooden roller coaster. It is the tallest, fastest, and longest of its kind. It opened in 1981.
- Demon — A 100-foot-tall looping roller coaster themed to a demon. It was formerly named Turn of the Century and opened in 1976.
- Fiddler's Fling — A fast spinning ride.
- Goliath — A wooden roller coaster with 2 inversions. It is currently the tallest and fastest wooden coaster. It opened in 2014.
- Sky Striker — A 172-foot-tall pendulum ride, opened in 2024.
- X-Flight — A wing coaster with 5 inversions, opened in 2012.
- Wrath of Rakshasa — A 180-foot-tall Dive Coaster. It is the steepest of its kind and opened in 2025.
Kidzopolis
Kidzopolis is a children's area inside County Fair. It opened in 2007 as Wiggles World. The Wiggles theme was removed after 2010.
- Bouncer — A small drop tower, opened in 2007.
- Krazy Kars — A controlled car ride, opened in 2007.
- Krazy Kups — A small teacups ride, opened in 2007.
- Up, Up, & Away — An aerial ride, opened in 2007.
- ZoomJets — A plane ride, opened in 2007.
Metropolis Plaza
Metropolis Plaza is the smallest themed area. It's based on the Metropolis city from DC Comics. It replaced the Southwest Amphitheater in 2016 and has one ride.
- Justice League: Battle for Metropolis — An indoor DC Comics-themed dark ride, opened in 2016.
Southwest Territory
Southwest Territory is themed like an old Wild West town. It opened in 1996. This area is outside the park's main "Duell loop."
- Chubasco — An indoor teacups ride, opened in 1996.
- Giant Drop — A 227-foot-tall drop tower, opened in 1997.
- Raging Bull — A hypercoaster with many airtime hills, opened in 1999.
- Ricochet — A swinging ride, opened in 1977.
- River Rocker — A pirate ship ride, opened in 1996.
- Viper — A wooden coaster that mirrors the layout of the Coney Island Cyclone. It opened in 1995.
Hometown Square
Hometown Square is one of the park's original areas. It's themed like a small Midwestern town from the early 1900s. Guests can find shops, stalls, and classic carnival-style rides here.
Whizzer, a Schwarzkopf spiral-lift coaster, is the last of its kind in the world. Hometown Square also has two show venues: the Grand Music Hall and the Hometown Square Stage.
- Hometown Fun Machine — A spinning scrambler ride, opened in 1976.
- The Lobster — A spinning octopus ride, opened in 1976.
- Triple Play — A Troika ride, opened in 1976.
- Whizzer — A Speedracer family coaster, the last of its kind. It opened in 1976.
Hometown Park
Hometown Park is a kids' area within Hometown Square. This section existed from 1976 until 2001. In 2015, three of the original rides returned as part of the park's 40th-season celebration.
- Lady Bugs — A carousel-type ladybug ride, opened in 2015.
- Red Baron — A plane ride, opened in 2015.
- Tot's Livery — A carousel-type carriage ride, opened in 2015.
Hurricane Harbor Chicago
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago is a 20-acre water park that opened in 2005. It has 25 water slides. This water park is part of the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor chain. Since 2021, it has been a separate park from the theme park.
Fast Lane
Fast Lane is a special system that helps you wait less for popular rides. It has different levels: "Fast Lane Reserve" lets you save your spot in line virtually. "Fast Lane Priority" and "Fast Lane Ultimate" greatly reduce your wait time. This system started on April 25, 2026, replacing The Flash Pass. As of July 2026, all Fast Lane levels work for 20 rides. Fast Lane Priority and Ultimate also include Maxx Force and Wrath of Rakshasa for a limited number of times.
Yearly Events
Fright Fest
Fright Fest is a yearly Halloween event that started in 1991. It happens on weekends in September and October, sometimes into November. The park is decorated with "Scare Zones" and has haunted houses (for an extra fee). There are also scare actors, live shows, and re-themed rides. Kids Boo Fest, a family-friendly Halloween event, started in 2022. It runs during the day, and Fright Fest begins at dusk.
Many rides get special Halloween themes. For example, the Chubasco teacup ride becomes Terror Twister 2. Its building is enclosed, and special lights and music are added.
Fright Fest also has live shows. Love at First Fright is a long-running show that started in 1991. It's about a couple in a cemetery who meet classic Halloween characters. The Uprising is performed at dusk. It shows undead monsters rising, marking the start of Fright Fest.
Park Visitors
Six Flags Great America is a very popular park for the Six Flags company. In 2013, the park welcomed its 100 millionth guest! The park doesn't share its exact visitor numbers. However, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) estimates how many people visit.
| Year | Attendance (in millions) | North America Rank | Ref. |
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| 2006 | 2.62 | 19th | |
| 2007 | 2.63 | 20th | |
| 2008 | 2.67 | 20th | |
| 2009 | 2.50 | 20th | |
| 2010 | 2.70 | 20th | |
| 2011–2015 | No data | <20th | |
| 2016 | 2.95 | 20th | |
| 2017 | 3.04 | 20th | |
| 2018 | 3.11 | 20th | |
| 2019 | 3.17 | 20th | |
| 2020 | 0 | 20th | |
| 2021 | 2.68 | 20th | |
| 2022 | 2.54 | 20th | |
| 2023 | 2.90 | 19th | |
| 2024 | 3.04 | 19th |
Records and Awards
Park Records
When the park opened in 1976, its Columbia Carousel became the second-tallest carousel in the world. It stands 100 feet tall. Its sister park in California has the tallest carousel, which is 101 feet tall.
American Eagle opened in 1981. It was the tallest, fastest, and longest wooden racing roller coaster in the world. It is 127 feet tall, reaches speeds of 66 miles per hour, and each side is 4,650 feet long. American Eagle still holds all these records today.
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The roller coaster Shockwave, which opened in 1988, broke several records. It was the tallest, fastest, and most inverted steel roller coaster in the world. It was 170 feet tall, went 65 miles per hour, and had seven inversions.
Batman: The Ride opened in 1992 as the world's first inverted roller coaster. This type of coaster has trains that hang below the track.
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Goliath set three Guinness World Records when it opened in 2014. It was the steepest wooden roller coaster, had the longest drop on a wooden roller coaster, and was the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. Today, it still holds the records for the longest drop and fastest speed.
In 2019, Maxx Force opened with three world records. It has the fastest acceleration in North America, going from 0 to 78 miles per hour in 1.8 seconds. It also has the fastest inversion (a heartline roll) in the world at 60 miles per hour. Plus, it has the tallest double inversion in the world at 175 feet.
Wrath of Rakshasa, a B&M Dive Coaster, opened in 2025. It is the steepest dive coaster model at 96 degrees. It also has the most inversions on a dive coaster model, with five inversions. After Wrath of Rakshasa opened on May 31, 2025, the park had 16 roller coasters. This makes it the park with the second-highest number of roller coasters in the Midwestern United States.
Awards
Many of Six Flags Great America's roller coasters have won awards from Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards. Here are some of their highest rankings:
- Steel Coasters
- Raging Bull: 9th (2005)
- Batman: The Ride: 23rd (1998)
- Superman: Ultimate Flight: 35th (2004)
- Whizzer: 40th (2013)
- X-Flight: 45th (2013)
- Wooden Coasters
- Goliath: 13th (2016)
- Viper: 19th (1999)
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Three roller coasters at Six Flags Great America have been named Coaster Landmarks by the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE). This award is for rides that are very important to amusement parks. Six Flags Great America is one of only two parks with three ACE Landmark roller coasters.
- Batman: The Ride became a Landmark on June 20, 2005. It was recognized for being the first inverted roller coaster.
- Whizzer became a Landmark on August 10, 2012. It was honored for the park keeping this classic ride.
- American Eagle became a Landmark on June 16, 2025. It was recognized as Intamin's first wooden roller coaster and for holding its records as the tallest and fastest dual-tracked roller coaster.
ACE also gave Little Dipper the ACE Coaster Classic award. This award is for historic roller coasters that offer a traditional ride experience.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) has given awards to the park's shows and food. The Fright Fest show Love at First Fright won the IAAPA Big E! Award multiple times. It also won the IAAPA Brass Ring Awards several times. The park's Show Stoppin' also won a Big E! Award.
On USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards, Goliath was ranked number 4 for "Best Roller Coasters in the Country" in 2018. Maxx Force was ranked number 8 for "Best New Amusement Park Attraction" in 2019.
