- "The Thrill Capital of Northern California"
- ―Slogan[src]
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a Six Flags wildlife and theme park located in Vallejo, California. It is marketed as the "Thrill Capital of Northern California", and features thrill attractions mixed with animal attractions.
The park originally opened in 1968 as Marine World, and went through other names and ownership before being rebranded Six Flags Marine World in 1999. It held this name for eight seasons, before the park was official rebranded again to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2007. This rebrand gave a new theme of dividing the park into three sections; Land, Sea, and Sky.
History[]
Marine World (1968–1998)[]
The park first opened in 1968 as Marine World, a small oceanarium in Redwood City, California. In the mid-1970s, they merged with a failing land-animal park and became Marine World Africa USA.
In late 1985, the increase in value of the property the park occupied became too great of a tax burden. Following an intensive search for a new site, construction began on a new and larger park facility in Vallejo, California, about 55 miles (89 km) north from Redwood City. The new Marine World opened to visitors in 1986, and remained under control of the non-profit Marine World Foundation. The park began using the comic strip character Garfield as a mascot at various points. The park defaulted on its debt to the city of Vallejo, and became owned by the city in 1996.
The City of Vallejo then hired Premier Parks to manage the park, upgrade it, and improve its attendance. Premier added some non-animal attractions, particularly amusement rides, to increase attendance. In 1997, the park added two major ride attractions, "Popeye's Seaport" and "DinoSphere". Popeye's Seaport offered eleven children's attractions, including an interactive foam ball play structure and an interactive water play area. DinoSphere took the place of the park's Australian Walk-A-Bout attraction (also the former home of the "DINOSAURS!" attraction). DinoSphere was an Iwerks Turbo Theater, capable of seating 100 riders per showing. The theater played the Iwerks film called Dino Island for its first season of operation (the theater has since changed films numerous times).
The number of amusement rides increased over the next few years, including the addition of several major roller coasters. In 1998, the park's name changed again, this time to "The New Marine World Theme Park". The 1998 season saw the addition of two major roller coasters, Kong and Boomerang: Coast to Coaster. Kong was relocated from Opryland USA after that park shut down in 1997, while Boomerang was an original attraction. Boomerang: Coast to Coaster opened on March 27, 1998, followed by Kong in May. Other major additions for 1998 included Hammerhead Shark, a Zamperla Hawk 48 prototype; VooDoo, a Top Spin ride; and Monsoon Falls and White Water Safari, two water attractions. DinoSphere also received a new ride film, Dino Island II: Escape from Dino Island, which featured improved graphics along with a new storyline.
Six Flags Marine World (1999–2007)[]
Road Runner Express in Looney Tunes Seaport was the first new roller coaster added to the park under its new Six Flags branding.
For the 1999 season, the park was rebranded Six Flags Marine World. The most notable result of the rebranding was the inclusion of different Warner Bros. properties like Looney Tunes and DC Comics, a staple of Six Flags. Along the new name, the park received a new wooden roller coaster, Roar. Built by Great Coasters International, it was the first coaster to feature "Millennium Flyer" trains. The 1999 season also saw the introduction of Tasmanian Devil, a Frisbee flat ride manufactured by Huss Rides, and Scat-A-Bout, a scrambler flat ride. Although both flat rides opened in 1999, they had been purchased by the park in 1998 but not constructed until 1999 due to construction timetables that prevented the rides from being constructed in time for the 1998 season opening. Popeye's Seaport was given a complete makeover and expansion, becoming Looney Tunes Seaport. The featured attraction in this new area was the new children's roller coaster Road Runner Express.
In 2000, the park opened its fourth major roller coaster, Medusa. It was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, and lasts three minutes. Starting with a 150-foot-tall drop, it then goes through a 128-foot-tall vertical loop, a dive loop, a Zero-G roll, a sea serpent roll, and two corkscrews. Medusa is one of the park's most popular rides. With the addition of Medusa, the park also received the Cobra family coaster, and built a new parking lot south of the park.
In early 2001, Six Flags announced V2: Vertical Velocity as the new attraction for the park's summer season. It was then scheduled for a Memorial Day opening. Built by Intamin, the ride was the first "Spiraling Impulse Coaster" on the west coast and took the record for being the tallest and fastest coaster in Northern California. The ride was plagued with technical issues when it opened, which resulted in extensive down time. The park also eventually turned off the LIM motor on the back tower that held the train in position for a few seconds on its second trip up the tower. The park also added the Warrior of the Dawn film to its DinoSphere theater.
The 2002 season saw a notable modification to Vertical Velocity. Because of local building restrictions, the height limit on all roller coasters at the park is 150 feet (46 m), while V2 exceeded that limit by about 36 feet (11 m). Thus, they lowered the reverse tower 36 feet (11 m) and turned the forward tower into a 45° angle with an incline heartline roll that spiraled over the park's main entrance. So far, Vertical Velocity is the only Impulse Coaster to do this. The park turned the LIM motor on the reverse tower back on in 2002 season; however the motor failed to hold the train completely in place and slipped significantly. The motor was eventually turned off again in the 2003 season. Also the park began to show 7th Portal, a 3-D comic book film by Stan Lee, in its DinoSphere Theater.
The park added its sixth major roller coaster, Zonga, in 2003. The ride designed by Schwarzkopf, was relocated from Six Flags AstroWorld, and received major track modification by Premier Rides before it opened at Marine World. Zonga opened in late April to a sporadic operation. The ride was often closed because of mechanical problems, and when it did operate, it often closed for short periods of time due to ride errors. Eventually the park delayed its opening to 12 PM every day, completely blocking the ride plaza to park guests. The park also began showing Stargate SG-3000 in its IWerks 3D Turbo Theater which finally received new branding and was no longer called "DinoSphere". Stargate, however, did not feature the 3D effect and rarely received good reviews from guests.
In 2005, the park added "Ocean Discovery", a major interactive marine animal area that lets guest interact and pet sting rays and Atlantic bottlenose dolphins as well as getting up close to South African penguins.
The 2006 season saw the addition of Tava's Jungleland, a children's area located in the back of the park near the main land animal attractions, featuring nine new attractions for families and small children to enjoy.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (2007–present)[]
Rebranding to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom[]
On January 17, 2007, the park announced its new name, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The new name reflects the image of an animal park, a thrill-ride park, and a marine park. The park was separated into different themed lands of Land, Sea and Sky. $16 million was spent on park improvements including new signage, new shows, and converting the 3D theater into a "4D" theater. The park also added a new Thomas the Tank Engine-themed children's area called Thomas Town, which opened on June 20. On June 5, 2007, Six Flags confirmed media reports that Six Flags will exercise their option to buy the park.
For 2008, the park featured its longest operating season since it was branded as a Six Flags park. The park shut down the IWerks 3D Turbo Theater due to escalating repair costs on the out of date operating system and hardware. The park received its 8th roller coaster, Tony Hawk's Big Spin, which is located on the former Zonga concrete pad. The ride features a unique layout compared to the three other coasters which share the name, including a base frame instead of permanent concrete footers and a higher top speed. Tony Hawk's Big Spin opened on May 23, 2008.
In 2009, the park introduced the all new Odin's Temple of the Tiger. The new tiger exhibit and show features the diving, white tiger named Odin. Discovery Kingdom also acquired two new Bengal tiger cubs, Nalin and Akasha.
In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions as a cost-cutting move following their Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring. They terminated several licenses including their license with Thomas the Tank Engine and Tony Hawk.
SkyScreamer flying riders 150 feet in the air.
For the 2011 season, the park introduced SkyScreamer, an 150-foot high swing tower that soars in a 98-foot circle at speeds of over 43 miles per hour. The ride opened on May 27. A few days before July 25, 2011, SkyScreamer at Six Flags St. Louis experienced a major malfunction that has caused it to be closed for the rest of the 2011 season. According to more than one report, something caused the counterweight to suddenly drop to the bottom of the tower, while launching the empty rider carriage to the top, causing damage on both ends. Discovery Kingdom's version was closed as a precaution to allow for further inspection. Discovery Kingdom's SkyScreamer was reopened on August 12, 2011. At the end of the season, Pandemonium was removed for a new attraction.
In 2012, the park added Superman: Ultimate Flight, a launched roller coaster based on Superman from DC Comics. It was notable as the first major DC-themed ride to be added to the park since it was rebranded as a Six Flags park in 1998. It opened to the public on June 30, 2012.
The 2013 season saw the addition of Cirque Dreams, a show performed by aerialists and acrobats in the Dolphin Theater Area.
For the 2014 season, Tsunami Soaker, a water ride by Mack Rides, opened as a Sky attraction.
For the 2015 season, Discovery Kingdom opened the Dare Devil Chaos Coaster. This ride is a standard Larson International Super Loop ride, one of several added to Six Flags parks that year. It opened to the public on May 23, 2015. On July 16, the park announced the closure of Roar, which closed on Roller Coaster Day, August 16 after over 16 years of operation. The park held a special farewell event for the ride.[1]
For the 2016 season, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom debuted The Joker, a steel hybrid conversion of Roar by Rocky Mountain Construction. The park held a soft opening of the ride on May 25, followed by a full public opening on May 29.[2] On September 1, the park announced the addition of Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth, a Giant Discovery pendulum ride by Zamperla, as the featured new attraction in 2017. It would be added to the area that would later become DC Universe, near Superman Ultimate Flight and The Joker.[3]
At the end of the 2017 season, the park announced the addition of Harley Quinn: Crazy Coaster as the park's new attraction for the 2018 season.
In summer 2018, Harley Quinn Crazy Coaster opened to the public. On August 30, Six Flags announced the addition of Batman: The Ride, a "4D Free Fly" coaster by S&S - Sansei Technologies which would be the park's 10th coaster.
The logo of Sidewinder Safari
Batman: The Ride opened to the public on May 25, 2019. It opened alongside the all-new land, DC Universe. Another featured attraction of DC Universe was the newly rethemed The Flash: Vertical Velocity, which was a renovated version of the former Vertical Velocity. On August 29, the park announced the addition of Sidewinder Safari, a new spinning roller coaster by Zamperla that mixes the thrills of a roller coaster with exhibits of live animals. It was marketed as Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's 12th roller coaster, and features 1,378 feet of track.[4]
Attractions[]
Animal attractions[]
- Dolphin Harbor
- Seal Cove
- Stingray Bay
- Penguin Passage
- Walrus Experience
- Shark Experience
- Butterfly Habitat
- Alligator Isle
- Odin's Temple of the Tiger
- Reptile Discovery
- Tava's Jungleland Animal Exhibits
- Bird & Small Animal Exhibits
- Cougar Rocks
- Wolf's Den
- Tiger Island
- Lion's Lair
- Giraffe Encounter
Roller coasters[]
- Boomerang
- Kong
- The Joker
- Medusa
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity
- Cobra
- Road Runner Express
- Superman: Ultimate Flight
- Batman: The Ride
Thrill rides[]
Family rides[]
Water Rides[]
Children's rides[]
Looney Tunes Seaport[]
- Main article: Looney Tunes Seaport (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
- Acme Foam Factory
- Acme Water Works
- Pepé Le Pew's Rafts of Romance
- Elmer's Weather Balloons
- Sylvester's Pounce and Bounce
- Bugs' Buccaneer
- Taz's Typhoon
- Daffy's Deep Sea Dive
- Foghorn Leghorn's Seaport Railway
- Yosemite Sam's Flight School
- Seaport Carousel
Tava's Jungleland[]
- Main article: Tava's Jungleland
- Tava's Elephant Parade
- Congo Queen
- Safari Jeep Tours
- Nairobi's Lookout Balloons
- Frog Hopper
- Safari River Journey
- Monkey Around
- Zoe's Tree House
Seaside Junction[]
- Main article: Seaside Junction
Upcharge Attractions[]
- Skycoaster – Riders are harnessed to two long cables and hoisted 100 ft (30 m) above the park. The riders must pull a ripcord and drop within 6 feet (1.8 m) of the ground before swinging back and forth for a few minutes. Prices range from $35 for a Single Rider, $40 for a Double (two fliers), and $45 for a Triple (three fliers).
- Rockwall Climbing Challenge – Riders climb a 45 ft (14 m) rock wall. Price range is $7 per 1 climb.
Management[]
Park Presidents[]
- Eric Gilbert (2008–2010)
- Dale Kaetzel (2010–2013)
- Don McCoy (2013–2020)
- Janine Durette (2020-present)
Controversy[]
There have been countless complaints from various animal rights groups about the treatment of animals at Six Flags. They claim that most of the animals, such as lions, camels, tigers and giraffes, are kept in small, inadequate enclosures. These organizations have also complained that animals sensitive to loud noises, such as fennec foxes and flamingos, are surrounded by roller coasters and loud speakers. One of the complaints involves the treatment of elephants. In Defense of Animals, an animal rights group, is against the idea of elephants performing, and find the elephant enclosure to be too small and barren.
References[]
- ↑ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (July 16, 2015). Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Prepares to Silence the ROAR (Press release).
- ↑ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (May 25, 2016). The Maniacal, Twisted New Coaster, The Joker, Makes Its Highly-Anticipated Debut at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Press release).
- ↑ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (September 1, 2016). Wild New WONDER WOMAN Lasso of Truth Ride Attraction Set to Open at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2017 (Press release).
- ↑ Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (August 29, 2019). New Spinning Roller Coaster Sidewinder Safari, Slithers into Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2020. BusinessWire.
External links[]
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom official page at Six Flags
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at Coasterpedia- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at Logopedia
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at the Looney Tunes Wiki
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at the Roller Coaster Wiki
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at Wikipedia
