Six Flags America park info, rides and attractions

You might think that a Six Flags theme park close to the United States' Capital, Washington DC, would be Six Flags' flagship park. Unfortunately, Six Flags America feels like one of the more neglected in the chain.

The theme park does have a few nice rides in its collection: Roar, a 1998 GCI woodie, packs a punch; and the PTC/Dinn Corporation 1917 Wild One (relocated from Paragon Park in Massachusetts) was at one time the tallest rollercoaster in the world. The park's version of Superman: Ride of Steel is a mighty 200ft tall Intamin Mega Coaster.

Unfortunately, the rest of Six Flags America is just not that good. Much of it feels like a bog standard Six Flags experience, with straight out of the catalogue rides given a fancy name but plonked down with minimal theming or storyline. There's little of any note or special to make you feel you are in Six Flags America as opposed to any other Six Flags park.

Opened	July 1974
Season	April to October
Owner	Six Flags
Website	www.sixflags.com/america/
Nearby	Kings Dominion (82 miles) Busch Gardens Williamsburg (116 miles) Idlewild and SoakZone (163 miles) Kennywood (194 miles) Conneaut Lake Park (265 miles)

In the past there has been some slightly better attempts at making the experience more immersive. The 10-acre Coyote Creek area opened in 1994 maybe a stereotypical Wild West themed area seen in theme parks the world over, it is at least something more than concrete paths. In 2010 the park opened Thomas Town, a lesser-themed version of Drayton Manor's Thomasland, but this barely lasted an entire season and was rethemed in 2011 to a more generic kiddie area.

Another issue is the mixed clientele that Six Flags America attracts. While you can find some nicely brought up kids around the park, there are also a lot of more obnoxious teens out to see what trouble they can get away with. Staff do their best to control them, and while the atmosphere is nowhere near as bad as other parks in the chain such as Six Flags Over Georgia, it is still not exactly pleasant.

Six Flags America is a disappointment. What could easily be a showcase park under fifteen miles outside the Nation's Capital is instead a corporate unloved shell of a park, underinvested in and seemingly uncared for by its Six Flags owners.

Attractions