Trip Report for Six Flags over Georgia
6/10/04
Crowds/Weather: Medium/Sweaty Hot!
Park Rating
Mike: 3.5 out of 5
Mike’s Park Comments: I’m beginning to lower my expectations before entering a Six Flags park. With my expectations lowered, Six Flags Over Georgia was a pleasant surprise. There was better theming then other SF parks so far, and better operations. Also, most of the attractions were open. But I shouldn’t be reviewing parks with the qualification “for a Six Flags park” and so I’ll try to be more fair.
As I’ve stated, most attractions were open. However, 2 of SFOG’s most notable attractions, Déjà vu and Acrophobia, were closed, with no coherent reason given as for why.
At most parks, I trust that when any attractions are closed, the park is working as hard as they can to get it open as soon as possible. This faith does not exist for me at Six Flags. It seems at their parks, any attraction can be closed, with no explanation given.
Then there is the absolutely infuriating practice of running multiple train operation on coasters, but then running one train empty and the other train full.
Toward the end of the day, Georgia Cyclone, Georgia Scorcher, and I heard Ninja were all running with 4 to 5 train waits when they should have been walk ons. While waiting on the Georgia Scorcher I witnessed the penultimate image of Six Flags:
A Scorcher train would come in and the ride ops would fill it. Then the next train came in. Instead of loading the train, the ride ops stand there idly. One appears to be busily writing on a chart. The full train comes in and STACKS. The ride ops release, at this point, the empty train.
Later, when I board the ride I sneak a peek at the ride ops chart. He was doodling.
When asked why they run an empty train, thereby creating waits when there should be none, the ride op laugns and says “I’m just doing what I’m told to do.”
SFOG’s coaster collection is interesting if not fantastic. It says something when I consider the Batman clone the best coaster in the park.
However, SFOG may have the most attractions yet that I’ve rated a 4.0 or higher (6 coasters) and that shows an impressive coaster collection. But SFOG is lacking a coaster I’d rate a 5, and that combined with it’s untrustworthy and infuriating operations, makes it a park I’m unlikely to fly to specifically. But if I’m ever in the area I’ll be sure to stop by.
Clarisse: 3.5 out of 5
Clarisse’s Park Comments: The first thing I noticed upon entering Six Flags Over Georgia were some things that were heretofore missing in the south. It was the feeling of familiarity and comfort. The people acted exactly the way I expected, I could understand them without having to try to decipher the accent, and the park looked exactly the way I expected. After our week in places like North Carolina, Pigeon Forge-Tennessee, and Alabama, arriving at Six Flags Over Georgia felt like going to a local fast food joint after being out of the country for a week.
Having said all that, Six Flags over Georgia is unmistakably a Six Flags park (albeit a better than average one, or just better than Great Adventure and Six Flags America). 2 of the attractions we were excited to ride were unexplainably closed. I searched through the park trying to drink something other than soda and paid over $2 for a 6 ounce orange juice. But they do have semi decent Mexican food in the park, and they also have water fountains.
Georgia Cyclone
Mike: 4.75 out of 5
Comments: This is a seriously rough and crazy wood coaster in the back. It actually manages to be rougher and crazier then the C.I Cyclone, which is both a good and bad thing. I was unable to ride this with my hands up the whole time in the back. I will return and accomplish that, dammit!
Clarisse: 3.3 out of 5
Comments: This ride is jarringly rough, even in the front seat. I was reluctant to ride it again, but Mike dragged me into the penultimate seat, which was absolutely ridiculous. Expect airtime if you ride! But you might want to make sure you’re wearing adequate breast support. The Georgia Cyclone is quite pretty.
Georgia Scorcher
Mike: 4.0 out of 5
Comments: The best stand up coaster yet. Good, solid layout, if a bit too short. Very forceful, yet fairly smooth.
Clarisse: 3.4 out of 5
Comments: This is an OK stand up coaster. I was small for the restraints, I could virtually stick my head in the space between my shoulder and the over the shoulder restraints. It was a pretty smooth ride as well with inline twists and a loop. At one point during the ride, I greyed out.
Great American Scream Machine
Mike: 4.5 out of 5
Comments: Classic out and back that still delivers the goods while looking incredibly pretty. Third seat from the front offers airtime so violent I bruised my knee.
Clarisse: 3.6 out of 5
Comments: This baby is at least 50 times better than its namesake at Great Adventure. It’s rough as hell though! The front seat is the most ridable, because it has the least amount of jackhammering (read wear boob and back support if you need to). This coaster has a classic layout that doesn’t disappoint. It also gives a classic ride on an old wooden coaster; rough, but with significant airtime! On one of our rides, someone rode the coaster with a helium balloon. The balloon surprisingly survived the coaster, only to pop right before we pulled into the station.
Superman
Clarisse: 4.44 out of 5
Comments: This is a flyer coaster. It has the same elements of the Great Adventure flyer, Inline twists, loop. banked turns...They appear to be in a different order which makes it more fun. This one also has a tunnel!
Mike: 4.3 out of 5
Comments: This gimmick coaster is slightly superior to it’s Great Adventure brother due to superior theming and a small tunnel. Still a one trick pony with a really good trick, though.
Ninja
Clarisse: 3.695 out of 5
Comments: After the urban legend that this coaster popped someone’s eardrum , I prepared myself by putting my hair in Princess Lea buns that covered my ears. If you have the head banging problem I have, have long thick hair, and don’t mind looking slightly ridiculous the Princess Lea buns are a decent solution.
This steel coaster is seriously rikety and shaky. If the coaster falls into the 2 foot green pond under it, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a quick ride, with 3 loops which should make it intese for some and fun as fuck for others.
Mike: 2.75 out of 5
Comments: I imagine if Ninja was the only roller coaster in the world I’d love it and ride it over and over. Still, I’m rather happy this violent and unexceptional multi-looper is not the only coaster out there.
Dahlonega Mine Train
Mike: 3.25 out of 5
Comments: 3 lift hills, solid theming and general uniqueness gests this borderline kiddie coaster extra points from me.
Clarisse: 2.5 out of 5
Comments: I’m not thrilled by mine trains in general. I guess I could be if I was riding with a 4 year old. This one goes fastish and features 3 lift hills.
Batman
Clarisse: 4.875 out of 5& less head banging than Great Adventure’s Batman Ride. For those who are unfamiliar with Batman the Ride it’s a suspended coaster (foot dangly) with a loop, inline twists, & banked turns. I greyed out on it.
Mike: 4.75 out of 5
Comments: A much better themed Batman then the one at Great Adventure. The ride itself seems the same, possibly a little better though it’s difficult to tell.
Monster Plantation
Clarisse: 3 out of 5
Comments: This is a slow moving boat ride. There are no surprises in the track layout. But the animatronics in the attraction are AMAZING. They are plentiful and cute; they are designed in a style kind of like Maurice Sendack collaborated with Barney.
Mike: 3 out of 5
Comments: Best scenes of any dark ride yet but I’m still in a boat staring at stupid puppets with 5 year olds.
Mindbender
Clarisse: 4.2 out of 5
Comments: This ride is old, scary and fun. The Back seat is wild! At one point inn the back seat, the G forces pushed my head down into Mikes lap…I guess you can translate that into, don’t ride the back seat with a stranger. And surprise surprise, I greyed out coming out of the loop.
Mike: 4.6 out of 5
Comments: A really fun sit down steel multi looper that delivers a fun ride that’s a bit short on intensity but high on fun. This coaster has a special uniqueness and personality that’s missing from most coasters.
Thunder River
Mike: 3.25 out of 5
Comments: It looks better then most, it has lots of bumps and direction changes, and 2-3 riders will get completely soaked. Fun stuff.
Clarisse: 2.9 out of 5
Comments: I got TOTALLY soaked on this ride. I was also pretty pissed off during it too cause Mike treated this ride like a rollercoaster ride and didn’t tighten the seatbelt at all. This allowed me to get painfully thrown out of my seat twice before I flipped out. I got a monster bruise on my arm and didn’t really enjoy the ride because of it.
Shake Rattle and Roll
Mike: 2.25 out of 5
Comments: Not dark enough for an indoor, dark flat with an incredibly short ride cycle. Runs well enough, though.
Déjà vu and Acrophobia
Mike: CLOSED
Comments: Both of these attractions were closed with an informative sign saying they needed to be closed for scheduled maintenance. Of course, not a single human being was seen near either attraction all day. I would later see on Screamscape that both attractions have been closed for some time so this sign was complete horse shit. I’m beginning to expect this when I go to Six Flags parks, but that doesn’t make it ok.