Sunday, March 20, 2016

Six Flags Over Georgia 2016 Trip Report!



Hello everyone! :}


It is so good to see you all again! 


(well…I can't actually see you. And you're seeing the blog, not me. You know what I mean)


It feels so good to kick off Thrillography's 4th year with two visits to Six Flags Over Georgia! A visit during each of the park's first two operating weekends of 2016 gave us lots of time to explore all of the exciting new changes taking place! It's going to be a great year for Six Flags and for all of North America's parks!



I can't think of a better subject for the first Thrillography photo of 2016 than the incomparable Mindbender. :}

As you can see, pre-spring foliage coupled with continued hillside clearing has left Mindbender quite visible!

The dwindling number of trees is in stark contrast to the way the ride looked in 2014, but nobody wants the threat of slumping trees to endanger Mindbender! When the ride opened, it had very few trees around; things will be looking full again in no time!

Georgia Scorcher now has a shiny new Church's Chicken train wrap. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the blue Georgia National Gas wrap!

First coaster of 2016 is the obvious choice. 

Hello, beautiful :}

The Georgia Cyclone continues to run wonderfully following the completion of its retrack last year.

The topper track on the first two drops is breaking in nicely. Surprisingly, it's actually starting to feel like traditional wood!

Hill 4 is still that hill. 

The look on people's faces on this drop is always priceless.

Also, I can't tell you how happy I am that the Twix train wrap is finally gone. It just don't think it photographed that well. 

Speaking of trains, red train is at the spa and will be returning soon. :}

Acrophobia had no line, so I took advantage of the opportunity. Still one of the scariest drop rides ever. 

Did I mention we're having great weather?

Hello Mine Train! :}

I just love all of this foliage, don't you? :}

Oh wow! This looks different!

The "U Name It" store building has been replaced with a playground and marquee for the new Bugs Bunny BoomTown!

BoomTown is still a work in progress, but Daffy Duck's Bucket Blaster's are already making waves with the kiddos!

I love how open this area feels now. Before it felt cramped and outdated.

My only complaint is this collision of various shades of asphalt and concrete. Maybe some fresh paving and planters are to come?

Next door, JB's Sports Bar is well on its way! 

And the DC Super Friends area is coming along nicely. 

Mostly just infrastructure developments now, but soon there will be rides popping up all over!

Another new adventure awaits us in U.S.A.

No, not you Goliath.

(who was skipped for running only one train)

Time to take part in the technical dress rehearsal for "The New Revolution" on DareDevil Dive!

Take a good look at the size of this queue.

This took 2.5 hours. 

While capacity is / will be a big problem for DDD's virtual reality overlay,  gotta say the experience is top notch.

The Samsung Galaxy / Oculus Rift headsets are comfortable and secure, and the clarity and precision of the VR animation is on point! 

Things to consider before taking your first VR ride.

The headsets are rotated through a checking and cleaning process after each ride. There are ride operators who focus solely on cleaning the headsets or collecting / delivering them.

The headset feels sturdy and features a button on the side that lets riders fire lasers from their fighter jet. Unfortunately they're already getting dropped a lot and apparently battery life isn't what the park was hoping it would be. 

Alright! Now that we've rescued a dystopian futurescape from the threat of invading aliens, it's time to pay a visit to SFOG's other German lovely!

Hello, you. :}

It feels so open back here!

So yeah. One train on Mindbender right now. :{

But that's ok. Right now it's still a short wait. :}

WOOO! <3

Gotham City is quite lively these days.

I think Harley Quinn turned out great. Love the classic look of the cars!

Whoops! Joker's Chaos Coaster is having some issues. 

Meanwhile, Thunder River hasn't any water yet.

Soon it will be ready to drench guests. :}

No Splashwater Falls today either. 

Also the Sky Buckets were closed for some reason.

And now that the playground has moved to Bugs Bunny Boomtown, Whistlestop Park seems to be all but condemned. 

Oh! What have we here…?

Prep work has begun for the transformation of Ninja!

Confirmed are new trains and a new paint scheme. I'm sure there are other surprises to come!

Like Georgia Cyclone, Great American Scream Machine is kicking off 2016 with great rides. However, there seemed to be some issues with the buzz bar release on one of the trains, which temporarily closed the ride in less than an hour. 

Hello Carousel Hill. :}

Not only is Splashwater Falls closed for nearby construction, but all of its boats are gone!

It's so nice to see costumed characters out and about. :}

Unlike the other two large water rides, Log Jamboree is ready to party!

Goliath is also ready to party, but I'm not ready to stand in line for one-train op. Maybe next time?

I finished off the day with a spin on Church's Chicken: The Ride.

Bye Mindbender! I'll be back for more next week!

Sorry, Bat. Maybe next time?

Alright! That's a wrap on our first SFOG visit of the season!

BAM! It is now a week later. I got off work early enough to spend a few hours at the park. Let's roll!

Mindbender is hard at work bending minds

Scorch is hard at work peddling 2nd-rate fast food chicken.

YAY SKY BUCKETS ARE OPEN! Let's Fly!!

Wide open spaces abound in Bugs Bunny BoomTown!

DC Super Friends Land is still dirt. 

You'll notice that BJ's is all fenced in. I think that means beer is coming!

Shockingly, Acrophobia was a portrait of reliability again this week. 

DC SUPER FRIENDS AERIAL POV MADNESS!

Foundations for Superman: Tower of Power, Wonder Woman Flight School, and more are well underway. 

There's a lot more space here than I thought. It's amazing how much space the shuttered water stadium was tying up.

I spy a casualty in the bottom right corner! The Spashwater Falls sign was still intact  last week, but now it's toast. Splashwater Falls and the pathway leading to it are not included in the DC Super Friends area concept art, but I have a hunch they'll be connecting them over where that little patch of concrete has be demolished (middle, far left in the photo).

No activity over at Ninja this week.

Some smart new signage in the park. 

Back for more GASM. :}

And Superman, oddly enough.

Superman: Ultimate Flight is the coaster I skip the most at SFOG. I'm usually just never in the mood to deal with the dispatch times. 

Amazingly, dispatches were only about 3 minutes apart (which is pretty darn quick for a flying coaster), so the line moved swiftly. Way to go, Superman crew!

The Santa Maria is now Bugs Bunny's High Seas Adventure! This Intamin Flying Dutchman looks great with its new colors!

In a world full of changes, the Dahlonega Mine Train remains constant. :}

What's that I see…?

Sexy new paint for The Joker Funhouse Coaster!

You can see all the way to Monster Mansion from here now!

That's pretty much the extent of what there is to see around here at the moment. Things will be going vertical soon, though!

Gotham time!

After a failed attempt at riding Batman (which broke down 45 minutes before park close and never re-opened), I finished my night with Mindbender.

Goodnight, Six Flags Over Georgia! I'm sure I'll see you again real soon!


And that concludes the first Thrillography update of 2016! 

This is a very exciting time over at Thrillography HQ. Lots of fresh changes and new possibilities! The only thing that's certain about 2016 is its uncertainty! I can't wait to see where it takes us! 

:}