Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor

This article is about the theme park and outdoor water park. For the adjacent indoor water park and resort hotel, see Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark.

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)
Map
Interactive map of Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor
Location89 Six Flags Drive
Queensbury, New York
Coordinates43°21′04″N 73°41′24″W / 43.350991°N 73.690112°W / 43.350991; -73.690112
Opened1954; 72 years ago (1954)
OwnerSix Flags (current)
EPR Properties (pending sale)
Operated byEnchanted Parks (pending sale)
Slogan"New York’s most thrilling theme park!"
Operating seasonMay through October
Area351 acres (142 ha)
Attractions
Total
  • 34 (excluding water park)
  • 47 (including water park)
Roller coasters6
Water rides13
Websitewww.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 in Queensbury, New York, United States.[1] In March 2026, it was announced the park would be sold to EPR Properties and operated by Enchanted Parks.

History

Logo used until 2012

The park opened in 1954 as Storytown USA, a Mother Goose-themed amusement park owned by businessman Charles Wood, who bought the land with his wife for $75,000.[2] In 1957, after realizing that the park was lacking in attractions appealing to older children, the Ghost Town area was added, the first of many themed areas opened in the park's history. In 1960, another themed area would be added in the form of Jungleland. In 1971, the park opened its first roller coaster.

In 1983, the park changed its name from Storytown USA to The Great Escape Fun Park.

In 1984, the park introduced Steamin' Demon. In 1994, the park would open another roller coaster, The Comet. The Comet already had a 41-year history of operation at Crystal Beach Park in Niagara Falls, Ontario. After the park's closure, Charles Wood, the owner of The Great Escape Fun Park and Fantasy Island in Grand Island, New York, successfully bid for The Comet. It sat in storage for a few years at Fantasy Island before making its way to The Great Escape Fun Park.

In 1995, the park's water park, then known as Splashwater Kingdom, was introduced. In 1996, Charles Wood sold the park to Premier Parks, who would later go on to purchase the Six Flags company. Unlike most of the other parks owned by the company, Great Escape was not rebranded as a Six Flags park immediately following this purchase, and would not take on the Six Flags name until 2019.[citation needed]

In 2005 and 2006, Looney Tunes and DC branding would be brought into the park, respectively. In February 2006, The Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark opened. The lodge includes a 38,000 square feet (3,500 m2) water park exclusively for lodge guests. In 2009, the park hosted Holiday in the Park for a single season.[3] In 2010, the park would reintroduce some of the Mother Goose themes that existed when the park was first created.[4][5]

On September 11, 2020, the park announced 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.[6] In 2024, the park introduced The Bobcat, a family wooden roller coaster.[7] In 2026, it was announced that the park, alongside several other Six Flags parks, would be sold to EPR Properties.[8]

In addition to amusement rides, the park offers a variety of live shows.

Current attractions

Themed areas

  • Fest Area – Bavarian-themed
  • Ghost Town – Old West-themed. Opened in 1957.
  • Storytown – Mother Goose-themed. Opened in 2010.
  • Hot Rod USA – Race car-themed. Opened in 2016.
  • Timbertown – A children's area. Themed as Jungleland from 1960 to 2004, and as Looney Tunes National Park from 2005 to 2010.
  • Hurricane Harbor – A water park. Formerly called Splashwater Kingdom. Entrance to Hurricane Harbor is included with general admission to the dry park.

Roller coasters

Name Area Picture Manufacturer Type Year opened Notes
Canyon Blaster Ghost Town Arrow Development Steel mine train coaster 2003 Originally located at Opryland USA from 1972 to 1997
Flashback Hot Rod USA Vekoma Steel shuttle coaster (Boomerang) 1997 Originally called Boomerang: Coast to Coaster
Frankie's Mine Train Timbertown Zamperla Steel children's coaster 2005 Known as Road Runner Express from 2005 to 2010
Steamin' Demon Ghost Town Arrow Development Steel coaster 1984 Originally located at Pontchartrain Beach as Ragin' Cajun from 1978 to 1983
The Bobcat Fest Area The Gravity Group Wooden coaster 2024
The Comet Fest Area Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters Out-and-back wooden coaster 1994 Originally located at Crystal Beach Park from 1948 to 1989

Family rides

Name Area Manufacturer Type Year opened Notes
Alice in Wonderland Fest Area Unknown Walkthrough 1967 A walkthrough themed to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Balloon Race Fest Area Zamperla Balloon Race 1989
Blizzard Fest Area Eli Bridge Company Scrambler 1971 Enclosed in a building. Originally called Chipper's Magical Mystery Tour.
Cannonball Express Fest Area Mack Rides Music Express 1985
Grand Carousel Storytown Chance Carousel 1989 Features horses and fantasy creatures
Marshal's Stampede Indoor Bumper Cars Ghost Town Mac Duce Bumper cars 1985
Screamin' Eagles Fest Area Larson International Flying Scooters 2013
Sky Ride Fest Area Universal Design Ltd. Chairlift 1960s
Storytown Houses Storytown Unknown Play area Unknown
Storytown Train Storytown Chance Rides Rideable miniature railway 1956
Swan Boats Storytown Adventureglass Paddleboats 1950s Refurbished in 2024[9]
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 Park Attractions Condor 1990
Extreme Supernova Fest Area Zamperla Pendulum 2014 Previously operated as Eclipse at Luna Park from 2010 to 2013[10]
Pandemonium Fest Area Chance Rides Wipeout 2018
Greezed Lightnin' Hot Rod USA Larson International Fire Ball 2016
Sasquatch Hot Rod USA S&S Power Turbo Drop / Space Shot drop tower 2009 Includes a drop tower and a launch tower side. The ride was originally located at Six Flags New Orleans, where it was named Bayou Blaster and Sonic Slam. In 2017, a VR experience was temporarily added to the attraction.

Upcharge rides

Name Area Manufacturer Model Year opened Notes
Dare Devil Dive Fest Area Skycoaster, Inc. Skycoaster 2001 Formerly called Skycoaster
Olympiad Grand Prix Go-Carts Fest Area J&J Amusements Go-karts

Water rides

Name Area Manufacturer Model Year opened Notes
Desperado Plunge Ghost Town Arrow Development Log flume 1979 Relocated from Busch Gardens Van Nuys after the park closed in 1979[11][12]
Raging River Fest Area Intamin River rapids 1986

Children's rides

Name Area Manufacturer Type Year opened Notes
Convoy Fest Area Zamperla Truck ride 1987
Hootie's Treehouse Timbertown Zamperla Miniature drop tower 2005 Known as Tweety Treehouse from 2005 to 2010
Oakley's Honey Swings Timbertown Zamperla Swing ride 2005 Known as Taz Twister from 2005 to 2010
Ranger Randy's Scenic Railway Timbertown Zamperla Miniature train 2005 Known as Elmer Fudd Scenic Railway from 2005 to 2010
Rocky's Ranger Planes Timbertown Zamperla Spinning plane ride 2005 Known as Bugs Bunny Ranger Pilots from 2005 to 2010. Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure.
Sheldon's Speedway Timbertown Zamperla Race car track 2005 Known as Speedy Gonzales Camptown Racers from 2005 to 2010. Relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure.
Spruce's Wilderness Bus Tours Timbertown Zamperla Crazy Bus 2005 Known as Daffy Duck Wilderness Bus Tour from 2005 to 2010

Hurricane Harbor

Hurricane Bay wave pool in 2006
Name Opened Description
Adventure River 1995 Lazy river. Previously called Capt'n Hook's Adventure River from 1995 to 2018.
Alpine Freefalls 2012 Slide complex featuring Wahoo Racer (ProSlide Technology KrakenRacer) and Paradise Plunge (ProSlide Technology trapdoor slide). Previously called Twisted Racer and Cliffhanger.
Bamboo Shoots 1995 Three thrilling water slides including (Twister Falls, Banshee Plunge & Blue Typhoon). Previously called Kingdom Cascades
Big Kahuna 2008 ProSlide Technology CannonBOWL slide. Previously called Mega Wedgie.
Bonzai Pipelines 2017 Body slide complex
Buccaneer Beach 2015 Water play area with small slides and water features. Previously called Noah's Sprayground.
Bucket Blasters 2019 Zamperla Watermania
Hurricane Bay 1997 Wave pool. Previously called Lumberjack Splash.
Island Air Adventures 2008 Spinning plane ride. Previously known as Big Red Planes (2008 to 2010) and ZoomJets (2011 to 2018). Was originally part of the dry park, but now operates as part of the water park.
Shipwreck Cove 2019 Water play area
Splashwater Island 1997 A water play area featuring five body slides and several water features. Previously called Paul Bunyan's Bucket Brigade from 1997 to 2018.
Tornado 2007 ProSlide Technology Tornado slide
Typhoon Twister 1995 A pair of enclosed raft water slides. Previously called Black Cobra.

Former attractions

Ride Year opened Year closed Description
99 Trains Unknown 2006 Children's train
Alpine Bobsled 1998 2023 Intamin bobsled roller coaster
AstroWheel 1969 1992 Chance Rides AstroWheel
Balloon Ferris Wheel 1980s 2014 Ferris wheel
Bucky's Shore Patrol 2005 2014 Spinning boat ride. Previously known as Yosemite Sam Shore Patrol from 2005 to 2010.
Carousel 1965 1989 Carousel. Originally operated at Freedomland U.S.A.
Cinderella Coach 1954 Unknown 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 for storage
Danny the Dragon 1965 1996 Arrow Development scenic ride with dragon-shaped cars. Originally operated at Freedomland U.S.A.
Dragon Ride Unknown 2009 Children's dragon ride
Flying Bobs 1993 1998 Matterhorn
Flying Trapeze 1993 2022[13] Chance Rides swing ride
Ghost Town Railroad 1957 2002 Arrow Development train
Giant Wheel 1989 2019 Chance Rides Ferris wheel
Krazy Kars 2008 2018 Car ride. Previously called Big Red Cars from 2008 to 2010. Closed in 2018 with the rest of Kidzopolis to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Krazy Kups 2008 2018 Teacups ride. Previously called Dorothy's Rosy Red Tea Cups from 2008 to 2010. Closed in 2018 with the rest of Kidzopolis to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Motorcycles Unknown 2009 Children's motorcycle ride
Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon 1999 2006 Indoor roller coaster located in Ghost Town. The building still stands and is used as a haunted house during Fright Fest. Previously operated at Beech Bend (Jet Star, 1968 to 1984), Noble Park Funland (Jet Star, 1985 to 1986), Kentucky Kingdom (Starchaser, 1987 to 1995), and Six Flags Darien Lake (Nightmare At Phantom Cave, 1996 to 1998).
Noah's Ark Unknown 2009 Children's swinging ship
Octopus Unknown Early 90s Eyerly Aircraft Company Octopus
Petting Zoo 1954 2010 Petting zoo
Pirate Ship 1995 2013 HUSS Park Attractions Pirate ship
Rainbow 1982 2007 HUSS Park Attractions Rainbow. Previously known as Screamer from 1982 to 1986, when it was a Ranger. Modified in 1987 to become a Rainbow.
Rotor 1983 2001 Rotor
Sea Dragon 1980 1994 Swinging ship
Skylab 1986 2000 HUSS Park Attractions Skylab
Splish Splash Zone 2008 2018 Water play area. Previously called S.S. Feathersword's Playship from 2008 to 2010. Closed in 2018 with the rest of Kidzopolis to make way for the Hurricane Harbor water park expansion.
Starship Kaleidoscope Unknown Unknown Teacups
Tip Top Unknown Unknown
Tornado 1967 2002 Dark ride that took riders through the eye of a tornado in the Midwest. Originally operated at Freedomland U.S.A., and later at Kennywood.
Trabant 1969 2010 Chance Rides Trabant
Tumble Weed 1979 1988 Chance Rides Skydiver

References

  1. ^ "Recreational Opportunities (Map)" (PDF). Department of Community Development, town of Queensbury. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  2. ^ Hirsch, Rose Ann (2006). Kiddie Parks of the Adirondacks. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4470-1.
  3. ^ Donnelly, Scott. "Great Escape cancels Holiday in the Park 2010". Post Star. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  4. ^ Jones, Blake. "Great Escape to debut new Storytown features". Post Star. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  5. ^ MacDonald, Brady (25 November 2010). "Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers". LA Times. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  6. ^ Kathleen Moore (September 12, 2020). "Great Escape not opening in 2020". The Post-Star. Queensbury.
  7. ^ "Bobcat wooden coaster coming to Great Escape". The Post Star. August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. ^ "Looking Forward: A New Chapter for Six Flags". www.sixflags.com. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  9. ^ Field, Andy Tsubasa. "The Swan Boats at Great Escape are back, plus a new wooden coaster". Times Union. Archived from the original on 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  10. ^ "Town Planning Board Meeting". 21 January 2014. p. 32.
  11. ^ Futrell, Jim (2006). Amusement Parks of New York. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811732622.
  12. ^ "Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: The Great Escape 1984". NewsPlusNotes. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  13. ^ "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.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Escape_%26_Splashwater_Kingdom