1 Great America Pkwy
Gurnee, IL 60031
(847) 249-1776
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park located at Gurnee, Illinois, in the Chicago metropolitan area. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain. As of 2016, the park has ten themed sections, a 20acre water park, three specially themed children's areas, and various other forms of entertainment. The annual attendance of the park is estimated to be around 2.7 million.Marriott era (1974–1984)Marriott Corporation began construction on the park in 1974 and opened it on May 29, 1976, as "Marriott's Great America" (a sister park, with almost identical layout and attractions, opened in northern California in Santa Clara the same year). The park was an immediate success due in part to its Americana themes and grand opening during the American Bicentennial. It originally consisted of six themed areas: Carousel Plaza, the first section beyond the main gates; small-town-themed Hometown Square; The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition at County Fair, with its early 20th century rural-fair theme; Yankee Harbor, inspired by a 19th century New England port; Yukon Territory, resembling a Canadian/Alaskan logging camp; and the French Quarter-modeled Orleans Place. A seventh area, The Great Southwest, was planned but was not built until 1996, when it opened as Southwest Territory.
The 34 year old Schwarzkopf Speedracer has been thrilling guests of all ages since Marroitt opened the park in 1976! Six Flags now owns Great America, but the Whizzer still whizzes down the tracks every day of the operating season!
The Demon opened in 1976 under the name Turn of the Century and was built by Arrow Dynamics. It included two airtime hills and two corkscrews. In 1980, Marriott decided to retheme and rename the ride, The Demon, replacing the two airtime hills with vertical loops. The ride was themed with rock formations, red blood, and chaser lights. While not all of the original elements are present today, many of which are restored during the park's annual Fright Fest event in October. Standing 102 feet tall, the Demon inverts rides 42" and taller 4 times after it's 90 foot drop and reaches speeds of up to 50 mph. The ride's 2,130 feet of track, takes approximately one minute and 45 seconds to complete, with riders arranged in pairs among the 12 rows!
Great America will debut a triple world record wooden coaster, GOLIATH, this spring! Goliath will have the tallest drop (180 feet), the steepest drop (85 degrees) and the FASTEST (72mph) of any wooden coaster in the WORLD! Featuring two HEART PUMPING inversions, this ride is sure to be a SMASH hit!
KeyLime Cove's RipTide Reef Arcade is a place where "talented tots, tykes and teens travel to attempt to tackle trendy technology and topple tricky targets, taking their ticket totals to trade for tremendous treasure." Try saying that three times fast. At Riptide Reef Arcade, real fun is virtually guaranteed, and virtual fun is really guaranteed. With the latest and greatest arcade games, you'll have a blast...and so will the alien you're aiming at. 9,000 square feet of exciting fun crafted for everyone. Test your skill shooting hoops, show off your bowling skills or try your luck with The Giant Claw. The better you play, the better it pays. Thats because, at Riptide Reef Arcade you'll earn tickets and redeem them for some incredibly cool stuff -- from toys and candy to stuffed animals. Game Cards: $2-------- Play Card & 4 Chips 8 Chip For Recharge $5--------- Play Card & 16 Chips 20 Chips for Recharge $10-------- Play Card & 36 Chips 40 Chips for Recharge $20 ------- Play Card & 80 Chips!! Player cards are available at all Kiosks or hit the prize counter for our specials!!