Monday, November 24, 2014

Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Over Georgia with the Family Trip Report!



Hello Thrillographers! It's so nice to see you yet again. :}


Six Flags Over Georgia has decided to join Dollywood, Six Flags Over Texas and others this year on the late-season-holiday-celebration-bandwagon, extending their season through New Years. Thanks to "Holiday in the Park," we've managed to push this seemingly endless 2014 theme park season into November! Can you believe we started this year's coaster season all the way back in March??

This is a very special trip to Six Flags Over Georgia for me: today I'm being joined by my entire immediate family! It's only fitting, since the holiday season is a time for family and togetherness and all that jazz.

:}

Everyone say hello to my family! My mom, Deb, my dad, Jack, my brother-in-law, Mike, my sister, Erin, and my one-and-a-half-year-old niece Emma. :}

And everyone say hello to Goliath!

Family portrait in front of Six Flags Over Georgia!

Mom: "But honey, don't you wanna be in the shot?"

Me: "I got it covered."

Six Flags Over Georgia's "A Main Street Christmas" dazzles even in the daytime!

As we will see throughout the day, Six Flags went to great lengths to fill the park with festive details. :}

Here we have my favorite Christmas / pagan holiday artifact, the Christmas tree!

Plus bonus snow! :D

"This holiday selfie is sponsored by Armitron."

The weather was so lovely and fair that it still felt like a typical late-season day at the park.

Georgia Cyclone is still my favorite here. It's the only ride here that I've ridden on every single visit. :}

This was my mom's first ride on Georgia Cyclone. We rode in the front of the second car, and now it's her favorite ride here, too. :}

Here in "S'mores Village," you can purchase kits to make s'mores at one of the various fire pits.

S'mores Village is also home to these lovely giant Christmas lightbulbs. :}

The park's trellis tunnels have been given lovely holiday makeovers! 

Six Flags Over Georgia's train makes for a thrilling haunt during the park's wildly-popular Halloween event; at Holiday in the Park, however, the train becomes "The North Pole Express," a one-way trip to the home of Santa Claus himself. :}

If you're lucky, you might catch a peek at Georgia Cyclone between the sparkling pines of the train platform. 

The North Pole Express includes a jolly sing-along of Christmas songs as it scoots around Carousel Hill. A glimpse over a temporary fence, however, provides a view of the not-so-jolly rides in the Cotton States Expedition.

Hopefully we'll see the entire park open in future seasons. :}

Emma loves theme parks, but she's quite the critic. 

We're now entering the North Pole! :}

Six Flags Over Georgia took full advantage of their forest of mighty pines and oaks trees, turning an often-overlooked area into the star of Holiday in the Park!

This charming elf was giving me quite the look. Seems a tad naughty if you ask me. ;}

The classic marquee of Six Flags Over Georgia's "Retro Christmas U.S.A." is home to an old-post-modern-Americana front lawn must-have: the plastic, light-up Santa's sleigh and reindeer!

It's still early in the evening, so the park has yet to really fill up. 

I don't know if I've ever seen such a magnificent series of light-wrapped trees. 

*o*

Holiday in the Park has $7 refillable drink mugs that you can fill with fancy hot cocoa, spiced apple cider, or coffee. Refills on day of purchase are free!

Holiday Monster Mansion is quite popular, but that shouldn't come as a surprise to any Monster Mansion fans. It always has a line. :}

I'm not exactly sure when, but at some point in the last few years, this area of Six Flags Over Georgia had its name changed from "The Confederacy" to "Peach Tree Square." During Holiday in the Park, however, it's called "A Georgia Christmas." :}

It doesn't get much more Six Flags Over Georgia than this. :}

The gift shop in the west station building of the old Astro Lift ride is now "Stocking Stuffers."

They have the park's seasonal Christmas ornament inside. :}

Time to take Emma to Spanish Bugs Bunny World!

The Warner Bros characters are all decked out in holiday cheer.

Emma appreciates the just-my-size Christmas trees. 

Who's ready for a ride on Convoy Grande??

Emma is! Sorta. 

What lurks in the shadows in Spanish Bugs Bunny Land? It's the Dahlonega Mine Train, of course!

Next up is the Intamin classic, the Santa Maria!

Emma is positively fascinated by this moving-around business.

Carousel Hill obscured by trees! We're heading there next.

As a big fan of the these Intamin "Flying Dutchman" rides, I can now finally say that I've ridden the one here! :D

The bridge to the "Candlelight Carousel" on Carousel Hill is festooned with a branch archway! Not only is it beautiful, but it obscures the view of the dormant Splashwater Falls below.

Six Flags has planted a bunch of baby electric firs on Carousel Hill this year! They'll live on the hill permanently, but the park will only turn them on during the Holidays. :}

As the little electric trees grow, Six Flags will have to keep them pruned short so that they don't sprout an excess of bulbs and run up the park's electric bill. :}

Carousel Hill feels like it was made for Christmas!

The Riverview Carousel really comes alive at night. 

Emma and Grandma are ready to ride Up, Up, and Away!

What do you think, Emma?

Emma remains calm and analytical about the ride. 

Here are the namesake candles of the Candlelight Carousel!

They're rather Harry Potter-ish if you ask me. :}

Monster Mansion = still crowded.

The peaches are still glowing bright at A Georgia Christmas. :}

The giant tree next to The Crystal Pistol makes quite the impression!

More tanenbaum-y goodness on the Pistol's porch.

And now for nighttime in the North Pole. :}

The number of man hours that went into wrapping these trees is probably staggering.

Another, more blue-ish look at the North Pole station of the North Pole Express. :}

And now we're back in the USA!

Nothing says old-post-modern-Americana like a giant Santa statue. :}

Ooooh! What have we here?

It's DareDevil Dive dressed as a Christmas tree! :D

Lots of giant things to see in Retro Christmas USA, including a giant snow man, giant ornaments, 

and giant lightbulbs!

We also have this fabulous ornament tree inside the Attitudes store. 

This year, instead of presents under the tree, we're going to have presents under the Goliath. :}

The view makes quite the first impression if you're coming from the other direction!

Now into the other themed trellis towards the front of the park.

IIIIIII'M GONNA SWIIIIIIIIIING FROM THE CHANDELIIIIIIIIIER!

FROM THE CHANDELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIER!

Awwww :}

What is normally the "Georgia" part of the park is now "Peppermint Plaza!"

The candy cane tree is pretty badass. This is some Disney-level stuff right here. 

Georgia Scorcher, Georgia Cyclone, and Goliath all ran one train on our visit. I suspect it has something to do with Holiday in the Park cutting into the park's regular offseason. You gotta rehab those trains sometime, right?

And now we're back on Main St. :}

The main tree's all set up!

SIx Flags' holiday performers were an unexpected treat. :} 

Did I mention the weather was unseasonably warm? It was still over 50 degrees after sundown. One-train operation on the coasters may work better once a frost comes and scares all the people away!

S'more's Village all lit up!

The first trellis we saw earlier is a different beast entirely after dark!

On the hill across from the Dahlonega Mine Train is the park's Nativity scene.

It's quite lovely. :}

One last look at the Pistol with Goliath lights in the distance!

Had to come back and give the extra-festive DareDevil Dive some more love!

I was definitely tempted to ride, but not with 2-car operation. ;}

Bye-bye Christmas Tree DareDevil Dive! I'll be back for a ride next spring!

Hot cocoa for the road! We must've filled up our cups four or five times each. :}

Six Flags Over Georgia's Holiday in the Park is a huge success! The park was beautiful and quite busy, so I think it's safe to say that this will become a regular thing. :}

Goodnight Six Flags! I'll see you again for ACE Spring Fling '15!



I'm definitely in a festive mood now! Hooray for the holidays being upon us! And thank you so much for reading! :D

Thrillography wishes everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanza, Yule, New Years, and/or whatever you celebrate during the holiday season.



If you think Thrillography is neat and would like to know whenever something Thrillography-related happens, be sure to like us on Facebook! You'll be the first to know when interesting Thrillography-type-things occur! 

:}