Six Flags Over Atlanta - 45 Year Anniversary (schools, celebs)

[ATLTJL]

Was there ever a ride where you leaned up against a wall, the ride spun really fast, the floor dropped, and you stuck to the walls?

I don't know if Six Flags ever had it, but you definitely aren't making the ride up.

It's called a Rotor and is made by Chance Rides: Chance Rotor

It was relatively common in the 70s. You may have ridden one at a travelling carnival, but there were also permanent installations. For example, I know Carowinds had one that they called the Oaken Bucket.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

From a roller coaster purist standpoint, our Six Flags tried to be really cheap with Ninja and Batman. They just figured lets turn people upside down as many times as we can so we can say it has 6 loops or whatever. The problem is, good roller coasters give you some straightaways and more track between inversions so you have time to get your bearings before going upside down again. That way, you can actually know what is going on. On Ninja, you just twist and turn so much and so rapidly that by the end of it you don't even know what direction you are facing anymore. It's because Six Flags was either cheap and wanted to limit how much track they built or they didn't have a big enough footprint to buid suitable coasters.

There's a really interesting story behind Ninja. If you look at the supports, they kind of bend all over the place for no apparent reason:

photo source: Erik Sakowski, RCDB
It's because the ride was originally custom-designed for a pier in New Jersey. The supports were designed to straddle the other rides on the pier. Unfortunately, it's by a manufacturer (Vekoma) known for their rough rides, and Ninja is not held in high regard. Batman, on the other hand, is a well regarded ride by coaster enthusiasts.

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

If you talk to real coaster enthusiasts, they will tell you that while Six Flags has an impressive number of coasters, the only ones that are above average are the Scream Machine, Goliath, and Mindbender. It seems like our Six Flags is about the most neglected in the chain because parks like Magic Mountain and Six Flags over Texas seem to get more impressive rides. I don't know if it's a space issue or money issue or what, Lord knows our Six Flags was severely mismanaged for a really long time and I don't think it has fully recovered from that yet.

Six Flags over Georgia is generally considered to be one of the best Six Flags parks. Most enthusiasts actually hate Magic Mountain, because it has rude employees and poor operations. A complete park is about more than just the coasters. Six Flags over Georgia has a more beautiful setting and better operations. Look how much the members of "Theme Park Review" enjoyed the park during their event last year: Six Flags Over Georgia - Deep South Bash 2011

And you're right about Goliath and Mindbender. Both are highly ranked. In fact, Goliath is the #16 steel coaster on earth according to what I consider to be the most accurate poll. While Scream Machine is a nostalgic classic, it's certainly not considered to be a top-notch ride. It's not even ranked in the top 80 wood coasters.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by CMMom

I have a vague memory and don't know if it was from Six Flags or some other park. Was there ever a ride where you leaned up against a wall, the ride spun really fast, the floor dropped, and you stuck to the walls? I might be making that up; I'm just not sure.

It was called the Spindle Top and was one of the original rides in the park. It was near the rear entrance in what was the far backside of the park before the section with the Scream Machine opened in the 70s.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by NY2ATL2NY

Ive been To Iy also about 7 Years ago I wanna say...Hadda a great time I favored the Georgia Schorcher which was pretty cool...I must say I wished we had drove though...That Express 201 Marta Bus was Horrible,Crowded,Loud as Shyt...U would think people didnt know how to ride a bus. Plus the fact the last bus leaves before the park closes cutting down on the ride time...Considerin Now that Metro Atlanta is well out that way..it wouldve een Nice if they Had the Rail line extended To six flags as a seasonal terminal and Terminate At Fulton Industrial For the rest of the year...Either way though the park was nice considering im from New York and only used to the one we have in New Jersey.

The 201 to Six Flags is a great deal. The bus stops running 1hour after the park closes. It would be nice if the train was extended, but that's Cobb County and they want to transit into their county. It could be used as a park-and-ride during the off season.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by berkeleylake

Not sure if you guys saw in the news about Six Flags in Atlanta turning 45.

Trying to make this fun for the kid in all of us. What are some of your best memories of Six Flags? I mostly went there as a kid back in the late '80s and early '90s. Any great concerts you saw there or other events?

I road all the rides I could. The Mind Binder, Georgia Cyclone and the Scream Machine were my favorites. I never could deal with the spinny rides no matter what age. Nowadays, I could not stomach most any of the rides, other than the Carousel.

ii have motion sickness as well, I've still got on many of the rides, because I was paying. Its an ok park. I've seen worse coming from Florida. Lines are super long though even when the parking lots are not full. So either they need more rides or Atlanta needs another theme park.

[ATLTJL]

Lines are super long though even when the parking lots are not full.

This is anecdotal, I don't have any type of numbers or data to back it up....

But I have noticed that Six Flags is not very good at knowing how to run the rides very efficiently. For example, I've seen lines for Goliath get really long and they are still running only two trains, and that ride could easily accomodate three trains. I've seen them only running one train on Mindbender even during peak times.

All parks can have long lines for various reaosons, but other parks seem smarter about knowing when to add capacity to rides.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by JPD

Six Flags was never the same after they got rid of Buford the Buzzard. They really could have used him during the ghetto era to take all the p#ss-ant gang banger wannabes down a few pegs.

This is a person or a ride?

[JPD]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

This is a person or a ride?

It was a guy with a buzzard puppet telling hilarious jokes and put-downs of people in the audience, or people who walked by. He was usually set up outside of the Monster Plantation.

[JPD]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

But I have noticed that Six Flags is not very good at knowing how to run the rides very efficiently. For example, I've seen lines for Goliath get really long and they are still running only two trains, and that ride could easily accomodate three trains. I've seen them only running one train on Mindbender even during peak times.

I noticed that, too. I haven't been to Six Flags in a few years, but the last few times I went, they were running only one train on just about all of the roller coasters.

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by shivtim

I think you're right on target. Six Flags got really bad in the late 90's / early 2000s. They realized there was a problem, and took a lot of steps to correct it. A new management team was brought in and they changed their growth strategy. They put in place a whole new employee training and reward system. They've also shifted their ride installation plan. Instead of a new coaster every two years, there have been more family friendly rides and attractions. For example, this year's new attraction is 6 new family-friendly shows. Last year was a family-friendly roller coaster (only 95 feet tall) and the year before that was the refurbishment of Monster Plantation into Monster Mansion.

It's still not perfect, and surely can't be compared to the customer service at Disney, but it's leaps and bounds ahead of other Six Flags parks (anyone been to Six Flags America near DC or Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey? Visit those places for a lesson in horrible customer service!)

Anyone who hasn't been in a few years, I highly suggest you give them another shot. As long as you can get past the ridiculous $20 parking fee...

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

This is anecdotal, I don't have any type of numbers or data to back it up....

But I have noticed that Six Flags is not very good at knowing how to run the rides very efficiently. For example, I've seen lines for Goliath get really long and they are still running only two trains, and that ride could easily accomodate three trains. I've seen them only running one train on Mindbender even during peak times.

All parks can have long lines for various reaosons, but other parks seem smarter about knowing when to add capacity to rides.

I have been 3 times 3 different summers..They parking lot always had at least 200 open spaces. Made us think getting on rides would be quick, and some rides were always down. The raft rid is my favorite. Thunder River or Thunder Rapids?? That's the one that is fun for me.