Six Flags Great Adventure is the premier amusement park in the New York City metro market.
This Jackson, New Jersey theme park is a destination for thrill-seekers with 14
different roller coasters including the world’s tallest coaster in Kingda Ka, the acclaimed El
Toro wooden roller coaster, and the brand new Jersey Devil Coaster. But this park also has some
record-breaking flat rides, some surprising dark rides, and even a full-fledged safari.
So in this video, I will rank the top 25 rides and attractions at Six Flags Great Adventure.
25) Tea Cups- This is a very good spinning ride. Supplied by Zamperla,
these tea cups are super easy to spin so you’re in for a dizzying good time.
24) Congo Rapids- This Intamin rapids ride has a simple layout.
It’s just a rectangle. But it does offer some neat views of the Jersey Devil Coaster
and the rest of it feels pretty secluded with all the trees. There aren’t many rapids,
but there are two colossal ones that will soak you to the bone if they hit you.
23) Saw Mill Log Flume- This Arrow log flume has a weird, elevated layout off in the woods.
This setting is the ride’s strength since the drops are pretty average on this one.
22) Twister- This is America’s last Huss top spin and while it doesn’t have the craziest cycle,
there is a short chain of forceful flips at the start.
The middle of the ride does nothing. And then the finale has a long stall that comes about as close
to inverting you without actually doing so. 21) Houdini’s Great Escape-
This Vekoma madhouse is one of the park’s best themed attractions. The pre-show tells the
story of the famed magician’s death and you’re involvement in his newest trick. The main ride
has a great inverting effect between the themed room and the well-timed motion of the seats.
20) Slingshot- This upcharge attraction blasts riders 220 feet or 67 meters into the sky.
The initial launch is ok and on par with an S&S space shot,
but that flip at the apex is very thrilling between its speed
and visuals. The ride is a one-trick pony, but it’s a fun- albeit costly- trick.
19) SkyScreamer- This Funtime star flyer has a short cycle consisting of two ascents,
but it offers a decent view of the park. At the same time you get some light Gs and a cool breeze
as your swings dance in the wind. The ride is extra magical during Holiday in the Park when you
can see the park’s dazzling lights from above. 18) Dark Knight- This indoor Mack coaster
is one of the best wild mice coasters out there. This one has very minimal braking,
so you get some great laterals on the hairpin turns and a little bit of airtime on the drops.
While the theming isn’t Disney level, the few sets and scenes do enhance the ride,
including an effective jump scare at the end. 17) Skull Mountain- This quirky indoor Intamin
coaster looks well-themed from the outside, but the ride takes place in a dark box.
Make sure to ride this one in the back and you’ll get a nice pop of ejector airtime on
the first drop. The rest of the ride has a lot of meandering, but you likely will hear some
heavy metal music while you lock eyes with the rainbow-eyed skull statue late in the ride.
16) Runaway Mine Train- This Arrow mine train has a scenic layout through the woods
and over the water. This has a few jerky turns towards the start, but it has a great finale.
The final bunny hill delivers a shocking pop of ejector airtime no matter where you’re sitting.
Rolling Thunder- This dual track wooden roller coaster was removed after 2013.
Most of my rides on this old wooden roller coaster were slow and boring.
But my final rides on a super rainy afternoon had it running better than ever. The first
half still crawled, but the return run delivered some surprising floater airtime.
15) Cyborg Cyber Spin- This ABC (TEE OR BEE ON) Tourbillon gets a lot of flack for its downtime,
which is warranted. And it can give a lackluster ride. But I’ve had good luck getting a ride
loaded with flips start to finish as long as it isn’t fully loaded. Under those conditions,
I was getting hangtime non-stop throughout the ride. And if you sit on the end, you also get some
amazing footchoppers with the frame. And there’s no denying how visually stunning this ride looks.
14) Joker- This S&S free spin is a chaotic but comfortable ride. I usually get a strong flip
off the lift hill and then 2-3 others on the rest of the layout. I know this ride has been
cloned ad nauseum, but I don’t mind since the experience contrasts with the rest of the park.
13) Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth- This Zamperla giga discovery is the world’s tallest pendulum
ride. I personally prefer the slightly smaller giant discoveries since they have more max swings,
but this ride still has sustained floater airtime on the ones it offers
plus great speed and Gs on the downswings. 12) Superman- Ultimate Flight-
This Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster has one insane moment surrounded by grace.
The positive Gs during the pretzel loop are some of the craziest on any ride, but the rest of
Superman has relaxing turns that rely more on the visuals than the forces. This is the weakest of
the park’s five B&Ms, but it’s still enjoyable. 11) Dare Devil Dive- This skycoaster is another
upcharge, but it’s especially worth it if it’s discounted as it sometimes is for Holiday in
the Park. Pulling the ripcord to initiate a pure freefall is a rush. And that drop is scarier than
any element on Great Adventure’s coasters. 10) Justice League: Battle for Metropolis-
This shooting dark ride is a wonderful change of pace from this park’s thrills.
The effects always seem to work on this one. The physical props in between screens are a nice
touch, but the focal point are the screens. There are plenty of targets to shoot at and I
love the integration of the famous DC characters. I do find the final scene a bit dark and chaotic,
but everything that precedes it is very good. 9) Green Lantern- This B&M stand-up coaster is a
powerhouse. The valleys will make your legs feel like jelly as the positive Gs try and slam them
through the floor. I know that sensation isn’t for everyone, but I can tolerate the show of power.
I also make sure to get the bike seat well below my crotch and my
ears above the top of the shoulder restraint to prevent any other pain during the ride.
8) Bizarro- The original B&M floorless coaster is a ride that grew on me in 2021 after a series
of back row rides. Back there, many of the 7 inversions delivered some sort of hangtime.
The standout element is still the very snappy zero-G roll and I also love the crazy headchopper
with the spiky auger during the corkscrews. 7) Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom- This giant Intamin
drop tower is built on the side of Kingda Ka and while I have yet to experience the
two operating simultaneously, I still really like Zumanjaro. You feel every bit of this ride’s 415
foot or 126 meter height and the view of the park is incredible. The drop is a rush too.
It starts with no warning and the drop seems to last forever as you keep building up more
and more speed. I go into more detail in a separate review, but this is a fun drop tower.
6) Batman the Ride- This B&M inverted coaster was the second of this popular clone built, but
it still delivers a great ride. The inversions are forceful and snappy. The turns will have the blood
rushing to your feet. And the ride is still pretty smooth after nearly 3 decades of operation.
5) Safari- Whether it’s operating with the tram out of the amusement park
or as a separate drive-thru, this is a can’t miss attraction while at Great Adventure.
The route brings you very close to a lot of impressive animals. Some even run in front
of the road. You have giant elephants. You have a picturesque giraffes. And then you have predators
such as tigers and later an entire bear area. I know people who hate amusement rides but go to
Great Adventure for the safari. It’s that good! 4) Kingda Ka- The world’s tallest and formerly
fastest roller coaster is over in a flash, but it’s a pure adrenaline rush. This Intamin
hydraulic coaster has a strong launch. There’s no countdown, so it really catches you off-guard
and forcefully yanks you forwards. It’s one of the best launches in the world and the sense of
speed is especially unreal up front. Then the top hat offers a pop of airtime at the top,
a brief but amazing view, and a lateral heavy descent. After some powerful positive Gs
you have some very weak floater airtime on one final hill before hitting the brakes.
I always hit the brakes speechless and I talk about it more in a separate review.
3) Nitro- This may be one of the older B&M hypers, but it’s still a good one.
This ride delivers floater airtime in droves. Every single hill will have you levitating
out of your seat for a few seconds. Some of B&M’s later hypers have more forceful airtime though,
but this one has one of the best settings in the woods. And Great Adventure’s willingness
to run this in super cold and windy conditions has resulted in some funny rides over the years.
Rides in the frigid cold feel like they’ll rip my face off and sometimes the mid-course brake run is
disabled, which gives the return run the power of Fury 325’s final hills. I go into more detail in a
separate review, but this ride compliments the top two coasters on this list well.
2) Jersey Devil Coaster- Great Adventure’s newest coaster and first RMC came closer to
number one than you may expect. If you ride this coaster in the back, you’re in for a wild ride.
The first drop is one of the best out there with the intense ejector airtime. The dive
loop offers some great laterals and airtime. The stall and zero-G roll offer insane hangtime
with some sneaky laterals. And then the ride has several other decent airtime hills as well,
especially now that the mid-course brake run barely slows you down.
While the seating position is a bit awkward straddling the track, the ride is smooth and it’s
a well-paced ride with plenty of great elements, and I talk about more in a separate review.
1) El Toro- America’s only pre-fabricated Intamin wood coaster is wonderful. It has one of the best
starts of any coaster. The first drop delivers sustained and very powerful ejector airtime in
the back. And then there are two camelbacks that deliver some of the strongest and most
sustained ejector airtime of any coaster no matter where you’re sitting. They’re spectacular. Then
you have the famous Rolling Thunder hill midway through the ride with similarly strong airtime.
The rest of the ride is merely decent, but still fun. The middle has some floater airtime and the
finale has a series of low, fast turns. The park has done a pretty good job keeping this
coaster smooth, but there are some bumps along the way, particularly on the first turnaround.
El Toro is a borderline top 10 wood coaster for me and I go into more detail in a separate review.
So those are my top 25 best rides at Six Flags Great Adventure.
This really is one of the strongest Six Flags parks for both coasters and non-coasters. What are
your favorite rides at Great Adventure or thoughts on any of the rides that I mentioned? Likewise,
let me know if there’s a ride I missed. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if you
gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot
more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!