Six Flags Great America has one of the most well-rounded coaster lineup in the country.
They have 15 different roller coasters covering all ride types and thrill levels.
They also have a strong non-coaster lineup as well, so in this video I will countdown
my top 15 favorite rides an attractions at this Gurnee, Illinois theme park.
15) American Eagle- This historic wooden roller coaster was not only first major roller coaster
built by Intamin, but it opened as the world’s fastest roller coaster and coaster with the
longest drop.
While those records have since been broken, American Eagle is still an imposing coaster
with its massive wooden support structure.
While the ride rarely races anymore, the coaster isn’t too rough outside of the giant helix.
But that element is taken with so little speed that the bumpiness is comical rather than
painful.
The second half is slowed by trims, but the ride has a few bunny hills that offer some
weak airtime throughout the train.
14) Demon- This classic Arrow looper looks great.
The ride has a commanding presence with its rockwork and delightful theme song.
As for the ride itself, I love the ejector pop of airtime on the first drop and the forceful
vertical loops.
I greyed out on each ride.
The second half has a few jerky transitions, but thankfully my head cleared the top of
the over-the-shoulder restraint to avoid any pain.
13) Tsunami Surge- I know this is technically in the Hurricane Harbor water park next to
the main gate, but I’m still counting it for the purposes of this list.
Tsunami Surge opened in 2021 as the world’s tallest water coaster, standing 86 feet or
26 meters tall.
This water coaster uses water jets to propel riders uphill and unfortunately, this one
has a speed problem.
You crawl at several points.
However, the ride does have a few steep drops and a triple down finale, so there are still
a few tiny pops of airtime scattered about.
And remember, a disappointing water coaster is still a top tier water park attraction
overall.
12) Whizzer- This classic Schwarzkopf has a wonderful setting in the woods.
This coaster isn’t about the thrills and that’s evident when you see how shallow
the drops are.
They’re more like ramps.
Instead, this coaster is about graceful banked turns and the coaster has a unique feel thanks
to the inline seating.
11) Vertical Velocity- This Intamin Impulse coaster has a simple layout, but it packs
in the thrills.
The sense of speed up front is great and it’s really unnerving heading up those spikes.
It really feels like you’ll shoot off the end.
Instead, you stop at the last second and get some nice weightlessness on the way down.
Unfortunately, the holding brake is broken on this one but it’s decent otherwise.
10) Justice League: Battle for Metropolis- This DC Comics themed dark ride is a nice
contrast from the park’s thrill machines.
The ride has a few nice animatronics in the queue line and start of the ride, but most
of your time is spent taking aim at screens.
Most scenes work well, but the subway sequence is too chaotic and dark, which is an issue
that plagues all the Justice Leagues.
9) Joker- This S&S free spin is a chaotic experience.
The ride is perfectly smooth between the trackwork and restraint design, which allows you to
enjoy and laugh at the flipping.
I got around 4 flips on most of my rides and the best flips occurred on the first drop
and the raven turn.
8) Superman- Ultimate Flight- This Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster is one I don’t
ride too often at Great America since it usually has one of the worst lines in the park, but
it is a fun ride.
Most of the coaster is graceful as you glide past trees and over the queue line, but the
pretzel loop is undoubtedly one of the most intense elements on any coaster.
It feels like your body will explode from the positive Gs as you’re thrown towards
the ground.
7) Giant Drop- This 227 foot or 69 meter tall Intamin drop tower is the park’s best non-coaster.
The views of the park from the top are wonderful and I love the Western-themed audio that plays
at the top.
It accentuates the ride’s height and builds anticipation for the drop.
And that drop occurs with zero warning.
You drop like a rock and you float the whole way down.
6) Viper- This Coney Island Cyclone clone gets a lot of love, but I personally find
the coaster a bit overrated.
That being said, it’s still a fun ride.
Viper doesn’t have the crazy airtime of the original Cyclone, but it does have a few
instances of floater airtime.
Where this coaster excels is in the smoothness and lateral department.
Six Flags seems to take great care of this ride as it was perfectly comfortable even
in a wheel seat.
And then all the turnarounds slam you to the side of the train due to their lack of banking.
5) Batman the Ride- The original B&M invert has been cloned many times, but that doesn’t
make Batman the Ride any less impressive.
This coaster is a fast flurry of forceful inversions.
I always greyout on the vertical loops and the snap through the other three inversions
is cool.
Great America’s Batman seems to run faster than most and the original lets you see why
the layout is shaped how it is.
4) X-Flight- One of the first B&M wing coasters, X-Flight has a relatively compact layout.
Most of the inversions offer some great hangtime while many of the turns and valleys pile on
the positive Gs.
The juxtaposition of float and force is wonderful.
The coaster also mixes in some awesome near-misses, most notably on the inline twist through the
control tower.
The one downside with this coaster is that the vest restraints have no give, so it can
take a toll on your collarbone.
3) Raging Bull- One of the original B&M hypers provides two radically different ride experiences
depending where you sit.
In any seat but the back, you are treated to a graceful coaster mostly free of airtime.
But in the back, you get strong floater airtime on a majority of the drops.
The airtime on the first drop is particularly powerful as it aggressively pops you out of
your seat.
Raging Bull also features an interesting layout for a coaster of this scale and rides very
smoothly.
2) Goliath- This ride is very short, but very sweet.
Goliath has the least elements of any RMC, but it has several high quality elements.
The ejector airtime on the first drop and camelback is exceptional.
And I also love the pull on the dive loop and the sustained hangtime on the stall.
This is probably the worst RMC, but that’s only because of its duration.
The ride is still smooth and a wild ride start to finish.
1) Maxx Force- The park’s newest roller coaster is also my favorite.
This S&S compressed air launch coaster holds the record for the fastest acceleration in
North America.
And that launch is exceptional.
There’s no countdown and the launch is very powerful.
It feels like you’re instantaneously teleported down the track.
And the coaster has more too.
The giant inversions at the start and end offer great hangtime while the barrel roll
in between offers some crazy laterals.
Maxx Force may be short, but it’s an adrenaline rush start to finish.
So those are my top 15 favorite rides and attractions at Six Flags Great America.
What are your favorite rides at this park or thoughts on any of the attractions I mentioned?
I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments.
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Thanks for watching!