Six Flags Great America is home to super roller coasters, the Looney Tunes gang, shows, a parade, and two large kid areas. Season passes are available. Six Flags has also opened Hurricane Harbor Water Park right next to Great America. Seasonal.
Hurricane Harbor is a great addition to Great America, if you are planning a trip please keep in mind that hurricane harbor will close after labor day weekend. My kids love being in the water and on hot days it is so refreshing! I felt as if I was on vacation! Season pass holders also get to go in about 15 minutes earlier than regular guests, so if you have a season pass definitely use it!
My kids and I love going to 6 flags Great America! It is truly one of the highlights of their summer! Their ages are 13, 6, and 5. My 13 year old and I are season pass holders, the little ones are not. We usually attend 6 flags when season pass holders are allowed to bring a friend for $15, $10 or for free, this coupons are available in the season pass coupon booklet that you receive when you take your picture for your season pass. The booklet is very beneficial, there are many coupons for different areas of the park. The coupons can be used for go karts, popcorn, pretzels, and also for games. We are really excited about going for Fright Fest!
My daughter & I went the park on this past Monday the 7th. Jessica's ticket was free from the reading program at school & I got my ticket online for $39.99. On the way to the park it was sunny, warm & beautiful (about 12:30pm), but clouds rolled in by the time we got to the park about an hour later. We decided to hang @ Hurricane Harbor first then dry out on the rides later. About an hour or so in, it began to rain. I guess officials decided it was fine for a while, but it never stopped raining - they closed the water park around 5. We'd hoped that the rain would stop the remainder of the day, but we were dead wrong. It cooled off, continued to rain & the mosquitoes came out w/ a vengeance. Luckily we packed bug spray & armored up for the rest of the night. To keep costs down, we packed a lunch, snacks & tons of bottled water...Overall we had a great time!
It's been 3 years since my last visit, and I'm happy to say my experience was much better this time. The girls had free tickets from the reading program at school, and my hubby and I were lucky to get return tickets for $20 each from friends who had purchased them after their visit to the park and were then unable to use them. So for $40, our family of 4 got into the park. We went on an incredibly hot day so spent about 6 hours at the water park. Loved it, and could've stayed there all day but the kids wanted to ride some rides too. We put towels in a backpack rather than pay for the exorbitant lockers. We did not even see about half of the park, but the kids had a blast on the Whizzer and Viper and a few other rides and wanted to keep riding them. The lines were not bad on these rides, especially after dinner. We watched the illuminated parade which was very cool. If I lived closer, I'd be tempted to buy a season pass which is a great savings. What I still really don't like is the price and bundling of the food. You can't get a burger or slice of pizza without fries. I think that's awful, especially when we have such a problem with obesity. And it's $9 for one slice of pizza and fries! Yikes! Food service is slow but amiable. Keep in mind that when you leave the park, you can purchase return tickets at Guest Relations to come back another day for only $20.
My 6 year old loves Great America. This year she went on the "Demon" all by herself. She is so fearless. The food is overpriced and not very good. Sometimes we will bring our own lunch and go back to the car to eat it. If you are limited on time, the fast passes are something to consider. You literally have almost no wait with them. I felt guilty passing everyone up in line. We also loved Hurricane Harbour. You could make a whole day of just the waterpark if you want. I recommend planning your day and how much money you want to spend ahead of time.
What a great time. I will say this. It is expensive but Great America was great about letting us bring in drinks and snacks as long as it was not alcohol or glass containers. Also I have a very fearless 6 year old who will get on anyride unfortunately some rides have a height restriction so we could not ride all the roller coasters. Hurricane harbor was cool. I would bring a back pack because the lockers were ridiculously over priced. Food was also way over priced. Still overall pretty cool.
My husband took our 7 y/o to Great America for the first time on Monday. She had a great time! We have cute picture of her looking at the park map to make sure she didn't miss anything!
I love the fact that my son can earn a free ticket with reading during the school year - definitely saves some money for a great day in the summer. Fun on the roller coasters (long lines on some), water rides and of course the water park. The food items are a little costly, but you can always plan ahead.
We LOVE Great America. If you live close by, the season pass definitely pays for itself. You will also want to invest in the parking pass.. and put it one of your kids names (the one that is most likely to always be with you). During the school year, I went with my preschooler while my older one was still at school. We found it easiest to go later in the afternoon. People tend to stay during the week from 10 - 2. So, if you arrive around 2:30, lines are shorter and it seems to be less crowded. If you want to be there at 10, plan to wait to get into the parking lot for an hour or more. Also, you can't take food into the park unless you have a young child or food allergies. We rarely buy any food there because it is overpriced and awful. You can always take bottled water in and if you wanted I am sure you could take the kool-aid packets that you can add to a bottle of water if plain water does not cut it for you. For season pass holders, if you go to the park and plan to return for the parade, keep in mind that they will NOT let you re-enter after 8 PM.... not even at 8:01! If you have not been for the day though, you can arrive after 8 PM. They do not charge parking that late in the evening either. One last tip... if you have a spouse/child that won't go that much. Don't waste money on buying a season pass for that person. You get free tickets to use during specific weeks and there are other ways to get free tickets. We got one from a reading program at school and one for signing up for Funatics on their website. You can also post a "want" on freecycle.org and usually be able to get one.
Took my two boys (8 & 10) on a Tuesday so that the crowds weren't so bad. The kids love the American Eagle. We pack a lunch and drinks that we leave in the car to cut down on food costs. If you keep your receipt you can leave and come back to the parking lot. We had dinner at El Norte in Gurnee and went back for more rides. We were there from the time it opened until closing.
Went when it was B1G1 free on teh admission and I have to say I feel like it wasn't worth it with lines we had to wait in and the lack of things we found for a child that is just below the height limit.
We've been to Great America twice so far this year. We got the season passes so well worth it. They took down Bugs Bunny Land and that is where they are putting the Little Dipper from Kiddieland. It was not running yet when we went so I hope it is next time and I hope they add more kiddie rides. Right now it is just Camp Cartoon Network and Wiggles World. Food is still expensive but if you bring a picnic lunch, it is not bad. We had a great time both days and plan to go back again soon.
