Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor

Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor
Previously known as Storytown USA (1954–1982), The Great Escape Fun Park (1983–1994), The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom (1995–2018)
Location	89 Six Flags Drive; Queensbury, New York
Coordinates	43°21′04″N 73°41′24″W / 43.350991°N 73.690112°W
Opened	1954; 71 years ago
Owner	Six Flags
Slogan	New York’s Most Thrilling Theme Park
Operating season	May through October
Area	351 acres (142 ha)
Attractions
Total	35 (excluding water park); 45 (including water park); 3 (upcharge);
Roller coasters	6
Water rides	10
Website	www.sixflags.com/greatescape

Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor is an amusement and water park owned and operated by Six Flags. It is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of Albany, in Queensbury, New York.^[1]

History

The Great Escape was opened in 1954 as Storytown USA, a Mother Goose themed amusement park by businessman Charles Wood who bought the land with his wife for $75,000.^[2]^: 47 In 1957, realizing that the park was geared only toward small children, the park opened its Ghost Town area, the first of many themed areas opened in the park's history.

For publicity, the park placed bumper stickers on every car in the parking lot. This practice stopped a few years later due to complaints and employees switched to attaching cardboard versions with wire. This was when a car bumper was separate from the body and one could get all the way around it with wire. In 1983, the park officially changed its name from Storytown USA to The Great Escape.

In 1984, The Great Escape opened the Steamin' Demon, the first of its eventual seven roller coasters. The showpiece attraction at The Great Escape is the Comet. Re-opened at The Great Escape in 1994, this roller coaster already had a 41-year history as The Comet at Crystal Beach (an amusement park near Niagara Falls, Ontario). It was saved shortly after the park closed down forever after the 1989 season. Charley Wood, the owner of Great Escape Fun Park and Fantasy Island in Grand Island, New York, successfully bid for The Comet and it sat in storage for a few years in Fantasy Island before making its way to the park in Queensbury, NY and reopening in 1994. Roller coaster enthusiasts recognize it as one of the best wooden roller coasters in North America.

In 1996, Charles Wood sold the park to Premier Parks who would later go on to purchase the Six Flags company. Unlike many parks during that time, Great Escape was not rebranded or flagged as a Six Flags park.

In February 2006, The Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark opened up with positive reviews and sold-out weekends throughout the first month. This major addition includes a 38,000 square feet (3,500 m²) waterpark exclusively for lodge guests. This is New York State's first indoor waterpark.

The park debuted several new features for the 2006 season. These included character greetings from the likes of the whole Justice League.

For the 2007 season, The Great Escape re-themed their dive show to a pirate-themed show, branded their pizza restaurant as Papa John's, and brought back the Superstars and Legends: Elvis! Show (which featured throughout the summer not only Elvis, but also Buddy Holly, and Billy Joel) to JollyTree Theatre.

In addition to typical amusement park rides, the Great Escape offered a variety of unique shows, most notable of which was a high dive show featuring a team of divers scaling an 80 feet (24 m) tower and plunging into a 10 feet (3.0 m) deep pool. This also featured a fire diver.

Other milestones include:

1954 — Charles Wood opens Storytown USA.
1957 — Ghost Town section of the park is opened.^[2]^: 61
1960 — Jungleland section of the park is opened.^[2]^: 69
1971 — First roller coaster introduced, The Italian Coaster
1995 — Great Escape opens its water park, Splashwater Kingdom.
1996 — Acquisition by Premier Parks, which later bought and changed its name to Six Flags.
2005 — Debut of Looney Tunes National Park: a Looney Tunes themed children's area which included eight new children's rides, including Road Runner Express, the park's seventh roller coaster and a re-themed restaurant as well as a cartoon walk-through. Replaces the old Jungleland area. Accompanying Looney Tunes National Park are the Looney Tunes characters. The Flash Pass system is introduced.
2008 — Wiggles World Children's Theme Area is introduced.
2009 — The park hosted the first Holiday in the Park (Christmas event) during the weekends in November and December.

2010 — Old theme elements from the park's Storytown USA era, including PoPo the Purple Cow and a rebuilt Cinderella's castle, were restored and placed back into the park.^[3] In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions. The Great Escape would terminate their license with The Wiggles, with Wiggles' World being rethemed to KIDZOPOLIS starting in the 2011 season. The Great Escape also terminated their licenses with both Looney Tunes and DC Comics despite Six Flags having the rights to use the characters in their parks. Looney Tunes National Park was rethemed to Timbertown and the Flash Pass system was renamed to Go Fast Pass, all in time for the 2011 season.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]
2016 — Greezed Lightnin' opens across from Thunder Alley & Flashback. The area gets renamed Hot Rod USA.
2020 — On September 11, 2020, the park announced on its social media channels that it would remain closed for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All season passes and tickets were carried over to the 2021 season.^[8]
2024 - The park announced the addition of Bobcat for the 2024 season, a Gravity Group family wooden roller coaster.^[9]

Rides and attractions

Themed areas

Fest Area – Bavarian themed.
Ghost Town – Old West themed.
Storytown – Storybook themed.
Hot Rod USA – Race car themed. Opened in 2016 with Greezed Lightnin'.
Timbertown – A children's area, previously themed as Jungleland prior to 2005, and as Looney Tunes National Park from 2005 to 2010. As Jungleland, the area featured an animal show and a walking tour of jungle-like conditions adorned with animatronic animals along with a wood and rope bridge. In 2016, some elements of Jungleland were returned to the area.
Hurricane Harbor – Formerly called Splashwater Kingdom, a water park section located at the back of the park. There is no additional charge to visit Hurricane Harbor.

Roller coasters

Name	Area	Manufacturer	Type	Year opened	Notes
Bobcat	Fest Area	The Gravity Group	Family wooden coaster	2024	The Bobcat replaced the former Alpine Bobsled.^[9]
Canyon Blaster	Ghost Town	Arrow Development	Mine train	2003	Previously located at Opryland USA from 1972 until the park's closure in 1997.
The Comet	Fest Area	Philadelphia Toboggan Company	Double-out and back wooden coaster	1994	Previously located at Crystal Beach Park from 1948 until the park's closure in 1989.
Flashback	Hot Rod USA	Vekoma	Boomerang	1997	The first Boomerang to be installed at a Six Flags park. Formerly called Boomerang: Coast to Coaster.
Frankie's Mine Train	Timbertown	Zamperla	Family Gravity Coaster	2005	Known as Road Runner Express from 2005 to 2010.
Steamin' Demon	Ghost Town	Arrow Development	Corkscrew coaster	1984	Previously located at Pontchartrain Beach under the name Ragin' Cajun. A virtual reality experience was offered on the ride in 2017.

Family rides

Name	Area	Manufacturer	Model	Year opened	Notes
Alice in Wonderland	Fest Area		Walk-through attraction	1967
Balloon Race	Fest Area	Zamperla	Balloon Race	1989	Located in Storytown prior to 2013.
Blizzard	Fest Area	Eli Bridge	Indoor Scrambler	1971	Originally called Chipper's Magical Mystery Tour. Operated outdoors from 2005 to 2013.
Cannonball Express	Fest Area	Mack Rides	Music Express	1985
Desperado Plunge	Ghost Town	Arrow Development	Log flume	1979	Relocated from Busch Gardens Los Angeles after it closed in 1979.^[10]^[11]
Grand Carousel	Storytown	Chance	Carousel	1989	Features both horses and fantastic creatures.
Marshal's Stampede	Ghost Town	Mac Duce	Bumper cars	1985	Located in Fest Area prior to 2013.
Raging River	Fest Area	Intamin	River rapids	1986
Screamin' Eagles	Fest Area	Larson International	Flying Scooters	2013
Sky Ride	Fest Area	Universal Design Ltd.	Chairlift	1960s
Storytown Train	Storytown/Timbertown	Chance	C.P. Huntington	1956
Swan Boats	Storytown	Adventureglass	Swan Paddleboats	1950s	Closed for refurbishment in 2023.
Thunder Alley	Storytown	Arrow Development	Turnpike cars	1970s

Thrill rides

Name	Area	Manufacturer	Model	Year opened	Notes
Adirondack Outlaw	Ghost Town	Funtime	Vomatron	2021
Condor	Ghost Town	Huss	Condor	1990
Dare Devil Dive	Fest Area	Skycoaster, Inc.	Skycoaster	2001	Upcharge attraction. Formerly called Skycoaster.
Extreme Supernova	Fest Area	Zamperla	Discovery	2014
Go-Carts	Fest Area				Upcharge attraction.
Pandemonium	Fest Area	Chance Rides	Freestyle	2018
Greezed Lightnin'	Hot Rod USA	Larson International	22m Giant Loop	2016
Sasquatch	Hot Rod USA	S&S Power	Turbo Drop / Space Shot	2009	Includes a drop tower and a launch tower; each has its own queue. The ride was previously named Bayou Blaster and Sonic Slam when the ride was located at Six Flags New Orleans, which closed due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2017, Drop of Doom VR was temporarily added to the attraction.

Children's rides

Name	Area	Manufacturer	Type	Year opened	Notes
Convoy	Fest Area	Zamperla	Convoy	1987	Miniature trucks driven on a guided path.
Oakley's Honey Swings	Timbertown	Zamperla	Flying swings	2005	Known as Taz Twister from 2005 to 2010.
Hootie's Treehouse	Timbertown	Zamperla	Miniature drop tower	2005	Known as Tweety Treehouse from 2005 to 2010.
Ranger Randy's Railway	Timbertown	Zamperla	Miniature train	2005	Known as Elmer Fudd Scenic Railway from 2005 to 2010.
Rocky's Ranger Planes	Timbertown	Zamperla	Revolving planes	2005	Known as Bugs Bunny Ranger Pilots from 2005 to 2010. Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure.
Sheldon's Speedway	Timbertown	Zamperla	Race car loop	2005	Known as Speedy Gonzales Camptown Racers from 2005 to 2010. Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure.
Spruce's Wilderness Bus Tours	Timbertown	Zamperla	Pendulum	2005	Known as Daffy Duck Wilderness Bus Tour from 2005 to 2010.

Hurricane Harbor

Name	Opened	Description
Typhoon Twister	1995	A pair of enclosed water slides that guests ride in small inflatable boats. Previously called Black Cobra.
Adventure River	1995	1,050 ft (320 m) long, 28 in (0.71 m) deep river. Riders may travel in tubes or swim freely. Features waterfalls, geysers, strong current and continuous waves. Located in Upper Splashwater Kingdom. Previously called Capt'n Hook's Adventure River from 1995 to 2018.
Splashwater Island	1997	A treehouse featuring spraying water, 5 body slides, and a 500 US gal (1,900 L) water bucket that drenches the area every 8 minutes. Located in Lower Splashwater Kingdom. Previously called Paul Bunyan's Bucket Brigade from 1997 to 2018.
Hurricane Bay	1997	500,000 US gal (1,900 kL), 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m²) wave pool with six wave patterns. Located in Lower Splashwater Kingdom. Previously called Lumberjack Splash.
Buccaneer Beach	2015	Pirate-themed water fountains, pools and body slides for children. Located in Upper Splashwater Kingdom. Previously called Noah's Sprayground.
Bamboo Shoots	1995	Three thrilling water slides including (Twister Falls, Banshee Plunge & Blue Typhoon). Previously called Kingdom Cascades
Tornado	2007	A ProSlide Tornado that takes riders through a short section of an enclosed slide before coming out at the top of a giant funnel where riders slide back and forth before gently landing in a splash pool. Installed in 2007. Located in Upper Splashwater Kingdom.
Big Kahuna	2008	A specially designed tube bowl made by ProSlide. Similar to the standard CannonBOWL but a slightly smaller size. Located in Upper Splashwater Kingdom. Previously called Mega Wedgie.
Island Air Adventures	2008	A rotating plane ride, formerly known as Big Red Planes (2008 to 2010) and ZoomJets (2011 to 2018) in the former Wiggles World and Kidzopolis respectively. The ride operates with the water park operations.
Alpine Freefalls	2012	This slide complex features a Wahoo Racer (a ProSlide KrakenRacer) and a Paradise Plunge (a trapdoor released ProSlide speed slide). Located in Lower Splashwater Kingdom. Previously called Twisted Racer and Cliffhanger.
Bonzai Pipelines	2017	Thrilling body slide complex.
Bucket Blasters	2019	Zamperla Watermania - Spinning flat ride where riders are equipped with water blasters.
Shipwreck Cove	2019	Activity pool with interactive water sprays, geysers, and fountains.

Special events

After Labor Day Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor has two special events, Oktoberfest and Fright Fest, before closing for the winter. Oktoberfest is held during the weekends in September, while Fright Fest is held Fridays thru Sundays in October.

Oktoberfest is marginally a celebration of German heritage but is expanded to include ethnic foods, various beer games, ethnic music and dancing and other activities. (In the past, vendors were included, but none since 2006).

Fright Fest has the entire park decorated for Halloween, while many of the usual shows are changed over to Halloween events as well including trick or treating among the miniature houses in Ghost-town and 4 elaborate haunted houses, which are located near the North-woods Picnic Grove and in the Ghost Town.

In 2009, The Great Escape experimented with a late-season festival named "Holiday in the Park" to compensate the ecenomic slowdown of the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. It included live entertainment and holiday-themed shows, lights adorning the park and a sledding hill making it the winter equivalent of the Fright Fest autumn event. Though Six Flags called the 2009 event successful, it also claimed a "business decision" was the reason behind the cancellation of the "Holiday in the Park" for the 2010 season.^[12]

Defunct rides and attractions

Ride	Year opened	Year closed	Picture	Description
99 Trains		2006		Children's train ride
Alpine Bobsled	1998	2023		Intamin bobsled roller coaster. Removed in 2023 for the addition of Bobcat.
AstroWheel	1969	1992		Chance AstroWheel. Replaced by Flying Trapeze
Balloon Ferris Wheel	1980s	2014
Bucky's Shore Patrol	2005	2014		Horizontally-revolving boat ride. It was known as Yosemite Sam Shore Patrol from 2005 to 2010
Carousel	1965	1989		Classic Carousel that was originally at Freedomland U.S.A. in The Bronx and purchased by Storytown when Freedomland closed.
Cinderella Coach	1954			While the coach is no longer pulled by live horses, it is still available for stationary pictures with Cinderella
Cinema 180	Unknown	late 1990s		Theatre later converted to an arcade then used as storage. Removed for the addition of Screamin' Eagles
Danny the Dragon	1965	1996		Motorized scenic ride with cars shaped as a dragon's body. Built by Arrow Development and purchased from Freedomland U.S.A. in The Bronx when the park closed after the 1964 season. Replaced by Flashback
Dragon Ride	Unknown	2009		Kiddie Dragon ride
Flying Bobs	1993	1998		Matterhorn style ride. Replaced by Boomerang
Flying Trapeze	1993	2022		A Yo-Yo wave swinger ride by Chance Rides. In a reply to a comment on a Facebook post, the park announced that the ride had been retired before the 2023 season.^[13]
Ghost Town Railroad	1957	2002		Arrow Development train. Removed in 2002 for the addition of Canyon Blaster
Giant Wheel	1989	2019		A Chance Rides 90-foot (27 m) tall Ferris wheel. It was retired as part of the Six Flag's 15 rides removal cost-cutting initiative.
Jungle Land USA	1965	2004	1973	African-themed land. With animatronics animals Re-themed to Looney Tunes National Park in 2005 and later to Timbertown in 2011
Kidzopolis	2008	2018		Originally themed as Wiggles World from 2008 to 2010. Rebranded to Kidzopolis in 2011. It closed in October 2018 to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Krazy Kars	2008	2018		Car ride. Was originally named Big Red Cars from 2008 to 2010. Renamed in 2011. It closed in October 2018 with the rest of Kidzopolis to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Krazy Kups	2008	2018		Teacups ride. Was originally named Dorothy's Rosy Red Tea Cups from 2008 to 2010. Renamed in 2011. It closed in October 2018 with the rest of Kidzopolis to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Motorcycles	Unknown	2009		Kiddie motorcycle ride
Nightmare	1999	2006		Indoor roller coaster located in Ghost Town. The building still stands and is used as a haunted house during Fright Fest
Noah's Ark	Unknown	2009		Kiddie Pirate Ship
Octopus	Unknown	early 90s		Classic Octopus ride
Petting Zoo	1954	2010		Classic petting zoo
Pirate Ship	1995	2013		Huss Pirate Ship
Rainbow	1987	2007		Huss Rainbow- dismantled in 2007
Rotor	1983	2001		Rotor ride
Screamer (Ranger)	1982	1986		Huss Ranger. Rethemed and modified into Rainbow ride
Sea Dragon	1980	1994		Pirate Ship style ride. Replaced by Boomerang
Skylab	1986	2000		Huss Skylab
Splish Splash Zone	2008	2018		A water play area. Was originally named S.S. Feathersword's Playship from 2008 to 2010. Renamed in 2011. It closed in October 2018 with the rest of Kidzopolis to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Starship Kaleidoscope (Tea Cups)	Unknown	Unknown
Storytown Railroad	1956	Unknown		The original engine is defunct. However, the station is used for the current train.
Tip Top	Unknown	Unknown
Tornado	1967	2002		Dark ride that brought riders through the eye of a tornado in the west. Originally created for Freedomland U.S.A. in The Bronx. Removed after the 1962 season and sent to Kennywood Park before it settled at Storytown. Removed at the end of the 2002 season for Canyon Blaster. (Flipper Version)
Trabant	1969	2010		Chance Trabant
Tumble Weed	1979	1988		Chance Sky Diver, Replaced by Condor

References

^ "Recreational Opportunities (Map)" (PDF). Department of Community Development, town of Queensbury. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hirsch, Rose Ann (2006). Kiddie Parks of the Adirondacks. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4470-1.
^ Jones, Blake. "Great Escape to debut new Storytown features". Post Star. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
^ MacDonald, Brady (25 November 2010). "Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers". LA Times. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
^ "Kids Rides". The Great Escape.
^ "All Attractions". The Great Escape.
^ "Great Escape".
^ Kathleen Moore (September 12, 2020). "Great Escape not opening in 2020". The Post-Star. Queensbury.
^ ^a ^b "Bobcat wooden coaster coming to Great Escape". The Post Star. August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
^ Futrell, Jim (2006). Amusement Parks of New York. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811732622.
^ "Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: The Great Escape 1984". NewsPlusNotes. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
^ Donnelly, Scott. "Great Escape cancels Holiday in the Park 2010". Post Star. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
^ "Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor". Facebook. Six Flags. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-06-04. After a very long run, [...] Flying Trapeze has been retired. We greatly value the history and tradition of this original ride, but it had reached the end of its cherished and useful lifecycle.