If you don’t know Six Flags, then you don’t know amusement parks. Six Flags, Inc. owns and operates 21 different theme parks in the United States, Mexico and Canada, making it the largest amusement park company in the world.
The Six Flags legacy began back in 1961 with one park: Six Flags Over Texas. In 1966, Penn Central Corp. bought Six Flags and put the name on five new parks: Six Flags Over Georgia in 1967, Six Flags St. Louis in 1971, Astroworld in Houston in 1975, Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey in 1977, and Magic Mountain in Valencia, California in 1979. Bally Manufacturing bought out Penn Central in 1982, and they bought Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Bally then lost the company to Wesray Capital Corporation in 1987.
Time Warner began gaining ownership shares in Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. in the early 90s and became the sole owner in 1996, when they changed the company name to Six Flags. A few years later they bought Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Premier Parks,an amusement park company out of Oklahoma City, bought the entire chain of parks from Time Warner in 1998 and took over the Six Flags name in 2000.
Despite the popularity of its theme parks, Six Flags has had financial problems for many years. Millions of dollars in debt, they have been forced to begin selling off properties. Fortunately, many of the best Six Flags parks remain and are preparing for a smashing summer season, some even opening new rides.
Batman and his arch enemy, The Joker, are bringing a little bit of Gotham to two Six Flags parks this summer. The Dark Knight Coaster debuts at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey on May 15. Six Flags Great America & Hurricane Harbor in
Chicago, unveil their own Dark Knight Coaster on May 21. With hallucinogenic hallways and pitch black perilous plunges, this season promises to be an exciting one for guests of these Six Flags amusement parks.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is entering into the “5th Dimension” this year with the reintroduction of X as it transforms into X2. This one-of-a-kind coaster is 20 stories tall and reaches speeds of up to 76 mph. The transformation turned the trains into wings, so some riders won’t ride on the track at all. This one truly has to be seen to be believed.
If Six Flags doesn’t know how to make great business decisions, they sure are good at creating amazing amusement parks. With a list of 21 amusement parks, water parks and animal parks in 12 states, Canada and Mexico, you should be able to find a Six
Flags park near you!