Six Flags Great Adventure, also known as simply Great Adventure, is a Six Flags theme park located in Jackson, New Jersey. It was created by New York businessman Warner LeRoy and opened on July 1, 1974. After three seasons, Six Flags acquired Great Adventure from LeRoy in 1977, and the park became a part of the Six Flags family.
Great Adventure is the largest seasonal theme park in the world, and is home to ten themed lands (including two children's areas), containing 13 world-class roller coasters, as well as many other rides and attractions.
History
Conception
In 1972, entrepreneurial businessman Warner LeRoy, grandson of Harry Warner, one of the founders of Warner Bros., developed plans for a seven-park entertainment complex that he called Great Adventure. LeRoy intended for the massive complex to have an amusement park, a safari park, a show park, a floral park, a sports complex, a shopping district, and a campground with a beach/waterpark and stables. His proposal also included plans for multiple hotels which were connected to the parks and could be reached by boats, buses, a sky ride and/or a monorail, similar to the then-recently opened Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. LeRoy wanted his parks to flow naturally through the forest and lakes, capitalizing on the back-to-nature movement of the era. He chose a property then owned by the Switlik family, in an area centrally located between the New York City and Philadelphia regions. The property on County Route 537 had easy access to the newly constructed Interstate 195, which connected central New Jersey to the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) and would eventually (in 1981) connect to the Garden State Parkway. LeRoy collaborated with Hardwicke Industries, who previously built safari parks in Canada and Europe. Together, they set out to open the seven parks in stages over a 5-year period.
It was a wonderful coincidence Warner LeRoy was the grandson of a Warner Brother, as the park eventually became the prime destination for WB fans on the Northeast.
Construction
To be added
Grand opening and early years
After a 4,500 invitation-only guest opening on June 30, 1974, the Great Adventure entertainment complex opened to the general public on July 1, 1974, at a price tag of $10 million. At the time of the opening, only the Enchanted Forest and Safari parks were operational, with elements from five of the other planned parks being used to create the Enchanted Forest.
Round 1975, Great Adventure aired a commercial with a tune highlighting things to do at the park. According to it, the park had a Wild West show, a chariot race, and a dolphin show.
1977: Acquisition by Six Flags
In fall 1977, Great Adventure was purchased by Six Flags. They were then owned by Penn Central which had large stakes in the Philadelphia and New York City regions.
1978–1981: Penn Central era
Six Flags used Marvel Comics characters for awhile in Great Adventure's Kiddie Kingdom area. Spider-Man, Captain America, and Ms. Marvel could meet and greet guests in the area, and even rode rides. This eventually became ironic not even twenty years later.
1982–1987: Bally era
Bally granted Six Flags the ability to use Pac-Man and the gang in their parks, as they also owned Midway, which owned the franchise along with Namco. In 1984, when Pac-Man's popularity was waning, Six Flags got the rights to the greeting card characters the Shirt Tales, and used them at Great Adventure.
In 1985, Six Flags' acquisition of Great America meant they were able to use the Looney Tunes in their parks. Shirt Tales Land became Looney Tunes Land, then Bugs Bunny Land. In fact, this move was so grand, that a certain company noticed Six Flags and decided to take them in...
1988–1989: Wesray era
To be added
1990–1998: Time Warner era
In 1990, Time Warner acquired a 19.5% stake in the Six Flags Corporation, giving them partial ownership of the company and its theme parks. For the 1990 season, Great Adventure introduced Shockwave, a stand-up coaster that had previously operated at Six Flags Magic Mountain. At the end of the season, Adventure Rivers was announced as the next season's addition.
For the 1991 season, the all-new Adventure Rivers opened in what was once a quiet corner of the park near the Splash Down flume ride. It was the most highly themed area to be added to the park since its opening in 1974, signaling a turn in direction for Six Flags Great Adventure. The new land was themed to the rivers of the world, and contained three dry water slide complexes themed after North America, Africa, and Asia. It also had an Australian-themed children's area named Koala Canyon. To complement the new attractions, existing rides located within and near Adventure Rivers also received new names and themes. Splash Down became Irrawady Riptide, Roaring Rapids became known as Congo Rapids, and the Rotor ride was rechristened as the Typhoon.
In 1992, Time Warner increased their ownership of the Six Flags Corporation to 50% and Six Flags Great Adventure opened its gates that year as a Time Warner-affiliated company. Former MTV executive Bob Pittman headed up Six Flags as the Chairman and CEO, and longtime Six Flags veteran and former Six Flags Great Adventure president Larry Cochran served as President and COO. At Great Adventure, Ray Williams remained at the park, serving as Park President.
Six Flags being owned by Time Warner meant they could also use DC Comics characters in the parks now. 1992 was headlined by the introduction of the The Batman Stunt Show, located in the newly-constructed 3,200-seat arena known as the Batman Stunt Arena.
By 1993, Time Warner was now in total control of the park for the first time and they jumped in head-first to making their presence known, starting with a new highway sign on Route 537 featuring Six Flags' new Time Warner-era corporate logo. The company's mission was to offer locals a heavily themed experience in a theme park that was "bigger than Disneyland but a whole lot closer to home." Enhancements were done to the park to give give its areas a more cohesive theme, improving the overall experience.
Batman: The Ride
1993's addition was Batman: The Ride, the first "Inverted Coaster" by B&M on the East Coast. Six Flags became Time Warner's way of promoting their movies and shows thru theme park attractions, just like Disney.
1997 saw the next DC-related ride open at the park, Batman & Robin: The Chiller. Based on the mixed-received movie, Chiller was notable for being a maintenance nightmare, and after opening on June 7th of that year, didn't operate again until April 1998.
1998–2005: Kieran Burke era
Premier Parks purchased Six Flags from Time Warner and Boston Ventures on April 1, 1998.
In 1999, Six Flags Great Adventure declared a "War on Lines", adding a dozen new flat rides. One of these rides was the world's first floorless coaster, Medusa.
2005–2010: Mark Shapiro era
May 2005 saw Kingda Ka, the world's tallest and at the time fastest coaster, open in the all-new The Golden Kingdom section.
At the end of 2005, a proxy battle resulted in two major stockholders assuming control of the Six Flags Board. The Premier Group was ousted in December and the new board appointed Mark Shapiro as CEO.
In January 2006, Ron Sevart was named the new General Manager of Six Flags Great Adventure. The park opened on March 31 for Great Adventure's 45th anniversary. That year, the featured addition was El Toro and the new Plaza del Carnaval, including a new restaurant and shopping experiences. For kids, the all-new Bugs Bunny National Park children's area opened with new kid-sized Looney Tunes attractions.[1] In September, Sevart resigned as GM and he was replaced by Mark Kane on September 7.
In 2007, the park added Wiggles World, replacing half of Looney Tunes Seaport, and removed the long-troubled Batman & Robin: The Chiller after just 10 years. The rolls had been replaced with banked hills to enhance ride performance, however the ride closed forever on June 28 due to increasing technical problems. Disassembling occurred that September. In addition, the path leading to Chiller was blocked off and several other attractions in Movietown were removed including Stuntman's Freefall and Movietown Water Effect.
In 2008, The Dark Knight Coaster opened on the former site of the Movietown Water Effect.
In 2009, Medusa was rethemed to Bizarro. The company marketed the new coaster theme with an elaborate ARG posted on their website, about Jimmy Olsen's reports of Bizarro attacking Metropolis.
2010–2019: Weber/Anderson/Duffey era
The theme park's parent Six Flags emerged from their 2009-2010 Chapter 11 bankruptcy with Al Weber Jr. as an interim CEO, who was subsequently replaced by Jim Reid-Anderson in August 2010. The company parent also moved its corporate headquarters from New York City back to Texas where the company started.
2020–present: Spanos/Bassoul era
The first major addition Great Adventure got was Jersey Devil Coaster, which was built in 2020, and opened in 2021.
2025 will give us The Flash: Vertical Velocity, the first Vekoma Super Boomerang in the US and the first ride on the East Coast themed to The Flash. It began construction in 2024, intending to open that year, but just like The Chiller before it, got delayed.
Location
Areas and attractions
Main Street
- Main article: Main Street
Dining
- Ale House
- Main Street Sugar Shack
- Funnel Cake Factory
- G.A. Café
- Johnny Rockets Express
- Liberty Snacks
- Main Street Pub
- Main Street Snacks
- Primo's Pizzeria
- Sweet Cakes & Cones
Fantasy Forest
- Main article: Fantasy Forest
Attractions
Dining
Adventure Alley
- Main article: Adventure Alley
Attractions
Dining
- Dippin Dots
- Granny's Country Kitchen
- Mama Flora's Cucina
Pine Barrens
- Main article: Pine Barrens
Attractions
Dining
- Jersey Devil BBQ
- Nitro Snacks
- Pine Barrels Bar
Jr. Thrillseekers
- Main article: Safari Kids
Attractions
- Air Safari
- Barnstormer
- Bugaboo
- Lil' Devil Coaster
- Raja's Rickshaws
- Safari Tours
- Sky Zooma
- Storm Chaser
- Tree Top Hopper
Movietown/Metropolis
- Main article: Movietown
Attractions
- Batman: The Ride
- Cyborg: Cyber Spin
- The Dark Knight Coaster
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity
- Justice League: Battle for Metropolis
- Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth
Dining
- Catering Pavilions
- Fatburger
- Heroes Grill
- Metro Grill
- Munchopolis
- Villains Tavern
The Lakefront
- Main article: The Lakefront
Attractions
Dining
Frontier Adventures
- Main article: Frontier Adventures
Attractions
Dining
- Best of the West
- Wicked Saloon
- Main article: Plaza del Carnaval
Attractions
Dining
Bugs Bunny National Park
- Main article: Bugs Bunny National Park (Six Flags Great Adventure)
Attractions
- Bugs Bunny Camp Carousel
- Bugs Bunny National Park Water Tower
- Bugs Bunny Ranger Pilots
- Daffy Hot Air Balloons
- Foghorn Leghorn Stagecoach Express
- Porky Pig Camp Wagons
- Wile E. Coyote Canyon Blaster
The Golden Kingdom
- Main article: The Golden Kingdom
Attractions
- Kingda Ka
- Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom
- Wild Walkway
Dining
- Kingdom Gyro
- Primo's Pizzeria
Boardwalk
- Main article: Boardwalk
Attractions
- Dare Devil Dive
- Great American Road Race
- Green Lantern
- Rockwall
- Slingshot
- Superman: Ultimate Flight
- Twister
Dining
- Boardwalk Steak and Fries
- Chickies
- Garden State Grill
- Green Lantern Dippin Dots
- Rita's
- Totally Kickin' Chicken Sports Bar
Special events
Current
Retired
- Winter Lights (2002-2004)
- Halloweekends (1989-1991)
Management
Presidents/General Managers
- Warner LeRoy (1974)
- Ralph Wienshienk (1975)
- Robert W. Freeman (1976–1977)
- Larry B. Cochran (1978–1982)
- David L. Patzik (1983–1986)
- Donald F. Conway (1987)
- Raymond C. Williams (1987–1994)
- Scott Bernstein (1995–1996)
- Vince Lupinacci (1996–1998)
- Bill Muirhead (1999–2001)
- Tim Black (2001–2003)
- Rick McCurley (2004–2006)
- Ron Sevart (January–September 2006)
- Mark Kane (September 2006–2010)
Gallery
Commercials
References
- ↑ Six Flags Great Adventure (March 31, 2006). Six Flags Great Adventure Starts 45th Anniversary Season (Press release). Ultimate Rollercoaster.
External links
- Six Flags Great Adventure official page at Six Flags
Six Flags Great Adventure at Coasterpedia- Six Flags Great Adventure at Logopedia
- Six Flags Great Adventure at the Looney Tunes Wiki
- Six Flags Great Adventure at the Roller Coaster Wiki
- Six Flags Great Adventure at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Six Flags Great Adventure at Wikipedia
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