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Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor, formerly The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, is an amusement park located in Queensbury, New York. It opened in 1954 as Storytown USA and was later renamed to The Great Escape before being acquired by Six Flags.
History
The Great Escape was 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 former 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, 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. The ride is located near the entrance of the park and is very popular. The same year, The Great Escape hosted its first Holiday in the Park, only for it to be cancelled the following season.
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.
Location
Present roller coasters
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcat | The Gravity Group | Wooden | 2024 | Open |
| Flashback | Vekoma | Shuttle | 1997 | Open |
| Canyon Blaster | Arrow Dynamics | Mine Train | 2003 | Open |
| Comet | Philadelphia Toboggan Company | Wooden | 1994 | Open |
| Frankie's Mine Train | Zamperla | Family | 2005 | Open |
| Steamin' Demon | Arrow Dynamics | Sit-Down | 1984 | Open |
Past roller coasters
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Bobsled | Intamin | Bobsled | 1998 | 2023 | Demolished |
| Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon | Schwarzkopf | Enclosed | 1999 | 2006 | Removed |
| The Italian Coaster | Pinfari | Steel | 1971 | 1988 | Removed |
| unknown | Vekoma | Inverted | — [Notes 1] | — | Relocated to La Ronde |
References
Notes
- ↑ In storage between 2005 and 2009; never set up.
External links
- Six Flags Great Escape official page at Six Flags
- Six Flags Great Escape at Coasterpedia
- Six Flags Great Escape at the Enchanted Parks Wiki
- Six Flags Great Escape at Logopedia
- Six Flags Great Escape at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Six Flags Great Escape at the Six Flags Wiki
- Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor at Wikipedia
| Six Flags Great Escape roller coasters | |
| Operating | Canyon Blaster • Comet • Flashback • Frankie's Mine Train • Steamin' Demon • The Bobcat |
| Former | Alpine Bobsled • Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon • The Italian Coaster |