Six Flags Great Escape

Amusement park in the United States
(Redirected from Great Escape)


Six Flags Great Escape
Location
Queensbury, New York, USA
Status Operating
Opened 1954
Owner Six Flags
Area 150 acres (60.7 hectares)
Website https://sixflags.com/greatescape

Six Flags Great Escape & Hurricane Harbor is an amusement park located in Queensbury, New York, USA. It opened in 1957 as Storytown USA and has since been renamed to The Great Escape after being acquired by Six Flags in 1996. It was one of three Six Flags parks that are not branded as a Six Flags park. The two currently not using the branding are Frontier City and La Ronde.

History

The Great Escape first opened in 1954 as Storytown USA, a Mother Goose themed amusement park. In 1957, realizing that the park was geared only toward small children, the park opened its Ghosttown area, the first of many themed areas opened in the park's history.

In 1983, the park officially changed its name from Storytown USA to The Great Escape. For publicity, the park placed bumper stickers on every car in the parking lot. This practice stopped a few years later due to complaints.

In 1984, the Great Escape opened Steamin' Demon, the first of its eventual seven roller coasters. The main attraction, a wooden roller coaster called the Comet, re-opened at The Great Escape in 1994. This roller coaster had moved from Crystal Beach after 41-year history as The Comet. Roller coaster enthusiasts recognize it as one of the best wooden roller coasters in North America.

The logo used until 2012

In 1995, The Great Escape opened its waterpark, Splashwater Kingdom. The next year, the park was acquired by Six Flags, though it retained its park name. In 1997, it opened another coaster, the Boomerang Coast-to-Coaster (now Flashback), and the Alpine Bobsled opened the next year. The rapid addition of roller coasters included the next year with the addition of the indoor ride Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon. These additions slowed and did not continue until the opening of Canyon Blaster in 2003. This was the most recent roller coaster to be introduced, excluding the family coaster Road Runner Express (later renamed Frankie's Mine Train in 2010).

The Great Escape has its own indoor hotel, The Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark. The hotel is located across from the park and includes a 38,000 square foot indoor waterpark. This is New York's first indoor waterpark. The hotel opened in 2006 and has received many positive reviews and quickly sold out its opening week. In 2009, The Great Escape opened Sasquatch, an S&S Combo Tower relocated from Six Flags New Orleans. Sasquatch is located near the entrance of the park. The same year, The Great Escape hosted its first Holiday in the Park, only for it to be cancelled the following season.[1]

In addition to typical amusement park rides, the Great Escape offers a variety of unique shows, most notable of which is a high dive show featuring a team of divers scaling an 80-foot tower and plunging into a 10-foot-deep pool.

In September 2020, Great Escape announced that it would remain closed, along with Six Flags Darien Lake until 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, the state of New York had not allowed amusement parks to reopen.[2] The park was rebranded as Six Flags Great Escape in 2022.

Roller coasters

Under construction

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Status
Bobcat The Gravity Group Wooden 2024 Under construction

Present

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Status
Canyon Blaster Arrow Dynamics Mine Train 2003 Operating
Comet Philadelphia Toboggan Company Wooden 1994 Operating
Flashback Vekoma Shuttle 1997 Operating
Frankie's Mine Train Zamperla Kiddie 2005 Operating
Steamin' Demon Arrow Dynamics Sit-Down 1984 Operating

Past

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Relocated
Alpine Bobsled Intamin Bobsled 1998 2023 Scrapped
Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon Schwarzkopf Enclosed 1999 2006 Scrapped
Italian Roller Coaster Pinfari Sit-down 1971 1988 Unknown

Attractions

Operating

Name Manufacturer Type Opened
Adirondack Outlaw Funtime Booster 2021
Balloon Race Zamperla Balloon Race 1989
Blizzard Eli Bridge Company Scrambler 1971
Bucket Blasters Zamperla Watermania 2019
Cannonball Express Mack Rides Superbob/Musik Express 1985
Condor HUSS Condor 1990
Convoy Zamperla Track Ride 1987
Dare Devil Dive Sky Fun 1 Inc. Skycoaster 2001
Desperado Plunge Arrow Dynamics Log Flume 1979
Extreme Supernova Zamperla Frisbee 2014
Grand Carousel Chance Rides Carousel 1989
Greezed Lightnin' Larson International Super Loop 2016
Hootie's Treehouse Zamperla Junior Drop Tower 2005
Island Air Adventures Zamperla Jets 2007
Marshal's Stampede SDC Dodgems 1985
Oakley's Honey Swings Zamperla Junior Waveswinger 2005
Pandemonium Chance Rides Trabant/Satellite 2018
Raging River Intamin River Rapids 1986
Ranger Randy's Scenic Railway Zamperla Junior Railway 2005
Rocky’s Ranger Planes Chance Rides Junior Jets 2005
Sasquatch S&S Worldwide Drop Tower 2009
Screamin' Eagles Larson International Flying Scooters 2013
Sheldon's Speedway Zamperla Junior Whip 2005
Sky Ride Universal Design Ropeway 1964
Spruce's Wilderness Bus Tours Zamperla Junior Flying Carpet 2005
Storytown Train Chance Rides Miniature Railway 1956
Thunder Alley Arrow Dynamics Track Ride 1970s

Removed

Name Manufacturer Type Opened Closed Relocated
99 Trains Arrow Dynamics Track Ride 1970 or earlier 2005 Scrapped
Astro Wheel Chance Rides Ferris Wheel 1969 1992 Scrapped
Balloon Ferris Wheel Zamperla Junior Ferris Wheel 1987 2014 Unknown
Bucky's Shore Patrol Theel Brothers Manufacturing Roundabout 2005 2014 Scrapped
Carousel Arrow Dynamics Carousel 1965 1989 Scrapped
Danny The Dragon Arrow Dynamics Track Ride 1965 1996 Scrapped
Flying Bobs Chance Rides Matterhorn 1993 1998 Unknown
Flying Trapeze Chance Rides Waveswinger 1993 2022 Unknown
Giant Wheel Chance Rides Ferris Wheel 1989 2020 Unknown
Jumbo Barbieri Jets 1975 2004 Relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure
Pirate Ship HUSS Pirate Ship 1995 2013 Scrapped
Rainbow HUSS Rainbow 1987 2007 Scrapped
Rotor Chance Rides Rotor 1983 2001 Relocated to Sylvan Beach Amusement Park
Sea Dragon Chance Rides Pirate Ship 1980 1994 Relocated to Lake George Action Park
Screamer HUSS Ranger 1982 1986 Converted into Rainbow
Skylab HUSS Enterprise 1986 2000 Scrapped
Tornado Arrow Dynamics Tracked Dark Ride 1967 2002 Scrapped
Trabant Chance Rides Trabant/Satellite 1969 Unknown Relocated to Gaslight Village
Trabant Chance Rides Trabant/Satellite 1993 2010 Scrapped

References

  1. "Great Escape cancels Holiday in the Park 2010".
  2. "Six Flags Darien Lake + The Great Escape Announce Plans to Stay Closed in 2020". NewsPlusNotes.
Amusement parks operated by Six Flags