Chicago Vacations – Superb Six Flags Great America

One of the most distinct and inherent characteristics of human beings is the ability to move, travel and to explore places. This is explicitly shown through the actions of one of the famous explorers Christopher Columbus who boldly plan and tirelessly venture an expedition in order to have a glimpse of other places. But in the course of his travel he accidentally discovered huge vast tracks of lands which we called now United States of America. The world is thankful because USA has become a leader of all the nations in the world. Another purpose for people to travel is to look for pleasure and entertainment and these things can be easily found in USA.

One of the best entertainment places in the United States of America is the Superb Six Flags Great America which is located in Chicago metropolitan area. It is a first-class family entertainment complex which showcased the electrifying rides, stunning shows and exhilarating attractions. The park which is opened from May through October is situated in the northern part of Chicago and in the Gurnee’s suburb. Aside from entertainment and thrilling adventures, Superb Six Flag Great America has plenty of shopping and dining establishments. These retail stores offer goods such as souvenirs, clothing, shoes, candy just to name a few. While dining saloons include burgers, chicken, pizza, pasta, cakes, pastries, special kids’ meals, and many more.

These are just a few of the attractions that you will experience in superb Six Flag Great America and I’m sure that if you plan a trip to Chicago it would be very unlikely for you not to put it in your itinerary. There is no problem in getting a booking because a lot of travel agents are willing to assist you and offer fantastic travel package deals through the Chicago cheap flights.

The Superb Six Flags Great America began its construction in 1974 and opened on May 29, 1976 as “Marriott’s Great America” ( a sister park, with almost identical layout and attractions in Santa Clara, California). The Marriott Corporation owned-park was an immediate success because of its Americana themes and grand opening coincided with the American Bicentennial. There are six original themed areas as follows: Carousel Plaza, the first section beyond the main gates; small-town-themed Hometown Square; The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition at County Fair with its Turn of the Century rural-fair theme; Yankee Harbor, inspired by the 19th century New England port; Yukon Territory, resembling a Canadian/Alaskan logging camp; and the French Quartet-modeled Orleans Place. A seventh area, The Great Southwest, was planned but was not built until 1996, when it opened as Southwest Territory.

For some reasons or another Marriott sold the park to Six Flags, then owned by Bally Manufacturing, in 1984. Then there were many attempted quick acquisitions after it was purchased but did not materialize and Bally was really desirous to sell it. In 1987 the company was purchased by Wesray Capital Corporation together with a group of Six Flags managers. The new owner engaged further in improving the facility and added several attractions and innovations but all of these did not come without great cost.

In 1991 unfortunately the Six Flags was close to bankruptcy but Warner Brothers, a major influence and a minority owner in the company, purchased additional shares for a 50 percent controlling interest. The acquisition added fame for being a Time-Warner properties. The new owner introduced added attraction in 1992 and one of these is Batman: The ride, the first-of-its-kind B&M inverted roller coaster. It was so popular that lines of people awaiting for a ride stretched past East River Crawler, through the bridge to Yankee Harbor and all the way back to the bridge near Power Dive. As a result recognition was given in June 20, 2005 and Batman was awarded landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) at their annual convention, Coaster Con XXVIII. Warner Brothers continued to upgrade its attractions and in 1994 a Space Shuttle America, a motion simulator ride was built. It re-created inter-planetary escapade provided via “Space Shuttle America”. Since its operation, it has been home to four different films.

In spite of their success a sudden turn of events happened which caused Time-Warner to sell its stake in Six Flags in 1995 to Premier Parks. The new owner chose to pursue the trend set by Bally’s and began acquiring more properties. In 2000 Great America commemorated its Silver Season (25th Anniversary). In December 2005 Mark Shapiro was appointed as CEO of Six Flags and began some major changes to make it a family-friendly environment. The era from 2006 up to the present has been called the Shapiro Era.

These attractions will encourage you to visit Superb Six Flags Great America if you happen to be in Chicago. It will not cause you a lot of difficulties in getting a booking because a lot of travel agency is willing to assist you and will offer you great deals through the Chicago cheap flights.

Next Post

New Book Reveals Personal, Life-Changing Benefits of Travel

Anyone who loves to travel will not be surprised by Tom Leegstra’s belief that travel transforms us for the better. But few of us have taken the time to analyze that transformation. In The Transformative Power of Travel: How to Discover Yourself by Exploring the World, Tom shares just how […]
New Book Reveals Personal, Life-Changing Benefits of Travel

You May Like