Atlanta/ Six Flags Over Georgia 9/5-9/6

[KI Kevin]

Part 1: The Game 8/5/09

The Chick-Fil-A College Football Game is the reason we went so I thought I needed to give some credit where it's due and write some about it. It was Virginia Tech vs. Alabama, and we are big Virginia Tech fans.

So we got to Atlanta at around 10, and took MARTA to Olympic Centennial Park. The park was very scenic, but that's not why we were there.

They were broadcasting ESPN College Gameday there. It was really cool to see the actual thing as opposed to on TV, but they were all picking Alabama. But whatever, predictions are not what decides the game.

After that we walked over to Taco Mac at the CNN Center. We got there at 12:30. They had very good food. We stayed until about 6:15, eating food, watching other games (man OSU almost lost that game), and I drank probably 5 Cherry Cokes. So I had to go to the bathroom. The restaurant was ridiculously crowded, and the line for the men's bathroom had probably 25 people in it, while the line for the women's didn't even go outside the door. Probably the first time I've ever seen that.

After lots of food and drinks, we went over to the Georgia Dome. Now this is a really neat building, for those of you who have not been in it. It's shorter than a pro stadium (this stadium is also used for the Atlanta Falcons games), because it goes underground. The best way I can describe it, is like in Harry Potter 4. Sorry for the reference to those who don't enjoy the series, but in the movie, they go to a stadium which is underground (you go down instead of up when you get inside. The top, or ceiling is made of fabric, I believe. It was pretty chilly down there.

After an hour and a half, the game started. Not exactly the way I'd hoped it would go, so I won't write much. Point-wise, it wasn't too bad, but Alabama got around 500 yards while VT only got 155, so I'll leave it there.

Part 2: Six Flags Over Georgia 8/6/09

After getting mediocre sleep yet a tasty breakfast (thanks Mariott!), we were off to Six Flags. If you can tell me anywhere where there are seven lanes in a highway around Cincinnati, I would be seriously surprised. There were driving on I-20. Suddenly, off in the distance, I saw the familiar camelbacks of a B&M hypercoaster.

We entered the parking lot at around 9:40. There were some sweet views of Batman and Mind Bender from there. I had heard that Georgia Cyclone opened for sure at 10 and sometimes Scorcher did too. We decided we would do Cyclone and work our way around the park in a counter clockwise motion, ending with Scorcher, then rerides.

They hadn't opened the gates yet, so there was a line of about 15 people in front of my dad and I. We were finally let in at about 9:55, maybe a few minutes before. We ran straight to Georgia Cyclone, and weren't happy to see that there was a chain at the entrance (but then again it wasn't 10 yet), but were happy to see that no one was outside the entrance. Soon a short line had built up behind us, as we were at the front. At 10 we saw employees carrying a water bucket up the exit. They told us it would be open in no more than 10 minutes. At about 10:05, another employee came up and unlocked the chain, stating that we could now go up and ride the ride. We walked through to queue, and up the stairs. My dad and I were the first in the station, and quickly walked to the front seat. One of the ride ops rudely said "we're not open yet", and so my dad asked her why an employee let us in and she said (rudely again) "nobody let you in, you opened the chain by yourselves. Can you go back down the stairs?" Not a good start of the day. So we waited by the stairs until about 10:10, when they had tested it enough that we were allowed to ride. We went to the front seat, and hopped in.

Ride Review: If anyone doesn't know, it was modeled after the Cyclone at Coney Island. The drops were fun, and had some great floater airtime. There were many turns that offered nice breaks. The bunny hills offered some great ejector air. I found the rumors about it being horribly rough to be untrue, but we were sitting in the front. 8/10.

After getting off, we waited by the bridge and railroad tracks where a security guard kept us. We chatted with him about the park for a while, until 10:30, when he let us past. Most ran to Acrophobia. Our aim was clear: Superman: Ultimate Flight, my first B&M flying coaster. It was a kind of long sprint back there, and we were the only ones in sight, aside from employees. We crossed the bridge, passed the Riverview Carousel, until finally, there it was, the monstrous blue, yellow, and red pretzel loop. We went to the entrance, only to find trash cans in front. An employee told us that the ride was still testing. It was about 5 minutes until other people actually got in line behind us. I guess nobody rushes to rides like us Ohioans. After probably 15 minutes, they finally opened up. I ran through the queue and entered the left station. Once I got up, an op told me I was on the wrong side, which confused me because there was nothing blocking the left station. But I went to the other side and still was the first person in the station. If there's no line for a ride, I'll usually go for the front. But on this one, I directed my dad toward the back, hearing about the super intense pretzel loop in the back. I boarded the train (which looks like a very wide inverted train), and was lifted into flight position.

Ride Review: This was the first B&M flyer in the US, and it has two clones: one at Six Flags Great America, and the other is at Six Flags Great Adventure. I guess Magic Mountain didn't want to add a Superman clone so they could wait and add Tatsu. Anyway, I recall people saying that the restraints were more comfortable on the Vekoma flyers than the B&M's. I disagree. The shoulder restraints were soft, and the ankle harnesses were fine. I was a bit disappointed when we lifted up and you could clearly see the car in front of you. Good thing nobody was riding there! Overall, the ride was awesome. The pretzel loop was awesome, very intense, the heartline roll was sweet. I also thought that the fact that you were face down going up the lift hill and in the station was cool. Pummels Firehawk in almost every aspect IMO. 9/10.

Next up was Great American Scream Machine. No, not the Arrow Looper, the out and back woodie that was once the tallest and fastest in the world. No line for this either.

Ride Review: I know it's almost as old as Racer, but it's a bit taller. It's very similar in terms of elements. It wasn't too rough either. The airtime was a bit better than that of The Racer, also. The part over the water was really cool, and it was a pretty long ride. I think I like it more than the Cyclone. 8/10.

Next was Ninja. I will admit, I was a bit scared, after hearing of so many that hate it for headbanging. The theming is neat. Everything from ninjas holding up the sign to a statue of a dog. There was absolutely no line. This was my first Vekoma sitdown looper.

Ride Review: Right when I got in the car (front seat), I noticed a few things wrong. First of all, there was a hole, right there in the front of the car, giving you extra leg room. Relaxing yet unnerving at the same time. Also, the pads on the seat, I'm not sure if those were there for comfort, but they sure didn't comfort me. As we went down the drop, I experienced minor headbanging and the track was actually pretty smooth. The first inversion was kinda neat. Butterfly, I believe is the name for it. It got less exciting (and the headbanging increased) after that. Overall, I think the ride was a bit poorly designed. There were a few turns where the track wasn't banked enough. 6/10.

This was the part I was most excited about: Goliath, the third B&M hyper I've ridden after Diamondback and Apollo's Chariot, and fourth hyper overall, after those and Magnum XL-200. As we got into the USA section, the queue and station came into view. Our quick rides on the previous ones came to a halt, as there was a 20 minute wait for it. Without even considering waiting til later to ride it, I got in line. There were a considerable amount of people in line, but Diamondback has taught me that B&M lines move very quick. This was no exception. We were at the station in 20 minutes easy. One thing I didn't like was the long lines for rows, similar to T2 at SF Kentucky Kingdom, if you've ridden it. Oh well, it goes 4 at a time though, instead of 2 on T2. We got in line for the second row, and we were off in no time.

Ride Review: Another fantastic B&M hyper, and the best ride of the day. I will do some comparisons to Diamondback. The airtime was very comparable, with awesome floater air over the first camelback. Each ride has only one set of trim brakes, but Goliath has no MCBR. The helix was forceful, and the overbanked curve was sweet. The airtime on that last little bunny hill was awesome. And it's finally not a hyper coaster where the track out and track back are beside eachother. I do like the splashdown and open seating on DB, not to mention the extra 30 feet. I'd give a slight edge to Diamonback on this one. But still, this ride is amazing. Easily a top 5 coaster of mine. I rate it above the Chariot and far above Magnum. 10/10.

The rest coming soon! Sorry I don't have time right now. Oh and I will post a few pictures once I find the cardreader.

[The Interpreter]

Wow. The Georgia Cyclone is very much a back seat ride. In the front, it's a big old puttytat. It has, of all the coasters I have ridden, perhaps the most difference in the front and back seats!

And that's the kindest review of Ninja I've seen in a very long time. I'm glad it apparently wasn't up to its usual . . . uh, performance.

[KI Kevin]

Sorry Terp but I had heard that Cyclone is horribly rough in the back, and I didn't want to experience (and neither did my dad) a Mean Streak back seat scale of roughness ride (if that made sense).

[The Interpreter]

Others tell me all the time that The Georgia Cyclone is rough. If they say so, I am sure they think so. I do not find it such. Then again, I am often the only person riding it back there during coaster club ERT's. Particularly when Goliath and/or The Georgia Scorcher are competing attractions.

For the record, I ride The Georgia Cyclone in the back seat, usually on the right side. I ride Mean Streak in the front seat, usually once a season.

[KI Kevin]

I do enjoy Mean Streak. Just not in the back. I think anywhere from middle to front isn't intolerable. However, back seat is awful. I don't think I need to repeat how my dad described it. It's not bad or anything, but I think I've already said it.

[The Interpreter]

I'm just hoping you rode and give us your impressions of Monster Mansion!

[KI Kevin]

Nope! I REALLY wanted to but the by the time we came back to it the line was outrageous and it didn't seem to be going anywhere. Looking back I wish I would have stayed a bit longer and ridden it.

[KI Kevin]

Continued:

After Goliath we went down the hill for Gotham City. It was quite a steep hill. The first things I saw were the Batmobile and the Gotham City Crime Wave, a Wave Swinger. We didn’t ride that, but it was quite a creative theme. I should have taken a picture. It had pictures of the Batman characters on it. This is one of the best themed areas I’ve seen outside Busch Gardens Europe (can’t beat Festa Italia as far as theme goes!). We headed for Mind Bender first, and we were greeted with an almost- station wait. We said “what the heck” and went for the front seat. I have to admit, I was a little annoyed that 3 people with flash passes (or gold flash passes most likely) cut right in front of us and we had to wait ANOTHER cycle. I mean, they’re paying Six Flags to cut. How is Six Flags being hurt? They’re not being hurt at all. This sounds ridiculous, but that would be awesome if a certain amount of money came out of your ticket when somebody buys a flash pass. Now I’m really dreaming.

Ride Review: Older than The Beast and still running smooth as glass! I LOVED this ride. In the station I was wondering why it took so long for the train to get from the chain to the drop, but when we got up there, we were going very slow. Only adds to the suspense. Oh- and there’s no OSTR. Just plain old lap bars. Much less restraint than the Premier Rides lap bars. Greezed Lightnin’ at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom has the same trains and restraints. After the drop, the loop is extremely intense, but it only gets better from there. I will say: I think it’s ridiculous to call that “diving helix” or whatever a loop. Who cares though? It’s awesome! The second loop also plasters you to your seat, forcing your face backward. The layout was really nice and I loved the part by the waterfall. Nice job, Schwarzkopf! I’d rate this just a tiny notch above Superman. 9/10 (on the borderline, but using whole numbers, I’d say 9).

After a great ride on Mind Bender, we finally found our way to Batman (and almost got lost). Fantastic theming here. Everything from the Bruce Wayne plaque to the park to the sewers to the Batcave. Everything was great. We went for the third to back (back two rows were blocked off for flash pass), and when it was our turn, nobody was in the back so they filtered through.

Ride Review: My third B&M Inverted Coaster, after Raptor and Alpengeist. Both of those were very good. This one was no exception. We were screaming (speed, not physically screaming) down that first drop, and the inversions were some contenders (intensity wise) to the ones on Superman and Mind Bender. Constant action, no breaks, which is always nice. It’s always kind of eerie riding a ride that has killed a few people, but nonetheless, a clone of the first inverted coaster ever was not bad. Where would I rate this? Better than Wicked Twister, and miles above T2, Invertigo, and Runaway Reptar, but not quite as good as Raptor, and honestly it doesn’t come close to Volcano or Alpengeist. Sorry, but that’s the truth. Great ride though. 9/10.

Well, we took the steep hill back up to USA, pulled around the curve, and made our stop at Georgia Scorcher (my feet felt perfectly fine afterwards, thank you very much). The sign and station are cool looking, and the track is very twisted. The line did move a bit slow, and the lines for rows were a bit long. But worst of all, it would take like 5 minutes for one dispatch! When it was our turn, the previous riders got off, and I swear the air gates didn’t open for probably 3 minutes. The op was writing something in a notepad. Soon enough, we were going up the yellow lift track.

Ride Review: Well let me start off saying that I am a HUGE fan of Chang at SFKK. I was convinced it was the best standup, maybe besides Riddler’s Revenge. Boy was I blown away by the Scorcher. Easily the best standup I’ve been on. Like I said, the track was very twisted, and I loved the (Apollo’s Chariot) drop, compared to the similar ones on Chang, Shockwave, and Mantis. There was some really nice airtime on this one. Shockwave made me realize that airtime is not always good (actually Corkscrew at CP taught me that, but that’s another story, and one with bruises). Especially on a standup. That was just very painful ejector airtime (on both). Scorcher air was very graceful, and is not painful at all. The inversions don’t have too many positive G’s, which is also good on a standup coaster. I’m now convinced that this may be better than Riddler’s, even if it was cut a bit short. Amazing! 10/10.

By now it was 1:30, and we were pretty hungry. I was a bit surprised I could get most of the coasters in in that amount of time on Labor Day Weekend. We stopped in Papa John’s by the entrance, checked the prices, and left. You couldn’t even get a slice of pizza by itself, you had to get a combo or a full pizza. So we went over to Johnny Rockets. We quickly realized that food wasn’t going to get any cheaper, so we just ate here. The line wasn’t bad, and when we got there, we were pleasantly surprised by the employees. They were enthusiastic, and one asked how our day was going. This was a very kind gesture, especially compared to our other employee encounters that day. Our food took a while, about 20 minutes, but my chicken tenders were good (far better than the Johnny Rockets at CP), and a nice employee made up for it.

My dad and I were ready to conquer the nearby Acrophobia. Think of your standard gyro drop. 200 feet tall. Now, let’s add a twist: you’re standing, instead of sitting. Sound scary? Well, it’s not stopping there. When you get to the top, you’re actually leaned forward (15 degrees, I think), so you’re forced to look down. Yeah, I was scared looking at it. The line took up about three rows (about the size of a row in the Drop Tower queue), but we actually ended up waiting around an hour. They were loading the thing at the speed of a snail. Now I know the capacity isn’t as good as DT because it doesn’t hold as many people, but seriously, the Drop Tower crew could have gotten at least 2, maybe 3 dispatches, in the time that one ride ran on Acrophobia. We had already decided we were only doing this thing once.

Ride Review: If you don’t thing 15 degrees is enough, wait until you get to the top, and YOU’RE the one looking down. Yeah I’ll admit, this one actually scared me a bit, and the last ride that actually scared me was Top Thrill Dragster when I was 9 years of age. But, I still had my hands up (a policy I’ve forced myself into on every ride ever). There’s little that can give you the adrenaline rush that this does. 9/10.

We walked over to Dahlonega Mine Train. The wait wasn’t bad, but we could definitely see the crowds start to increase. We got somewhere around the middle.

Ride Review: I’ve been on 3 mine rides (including this: Adventure Express, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, DLMT), and this one was the worst. First of all, there’s little, if any, theming here. I mean, on CCMR at least theres carts with sacks of gold, and on Adventure Express, the theming is extensive. This one, you go through a work shed, complete with two work benches. Second, what is with the three lift hills? Why couldn’t the just make one taller? Third, the transitions were jerky and painful. I put my hands up in the underground tunnel, and my neck just about snapped when we turned. Not impressed. 4/10.

The park was really starting to get crowded, so we said we’d ride Monster Mansion, Riverview Carousel, and Goliath, then go back to the hotel and sit in the hot tub. When we got to Monster Mansion, the line was horrific. Filled up all of the queue, and more. And I don’t exactly have the best experiences with capacity on dark rides. So we went to Riverview Carousel. I also really wish I would have taken a picture of this. You will probably be able to find it on Google Images. But it’s very scenic. It’s on top of a hill, and the building it’s housed in is really neat. Other than that, I’m not sure what else I need to say. I mean, it’s a carousel, not that different of an experience as the one at KI, or at least I didn’t think so. I actually thought the horses were a bit uncomfortable and seat belts that went around your back probably didn’t help much. I mean, if you fell off horse, what could a seat belt possibly do? You’d probably get all caught up. I think I’d personally rather fall straight to the floor. Oh well, safety is safety, and safety is first.

We ended the park with a reride on Goliath. This was around 5 o’clock. The line had increased by a good 10 minutes, but since we knew we probably wouldn’t come back here in the next few years, and it would be our last ride, we waited for the front. I personally prefer the front on the hypers to the back.

We exited the park, took the tram back to the parking lot, and left. Our car was the hottest I’d ever felt it. We got back to the hotel, sat in the hot tub (very relaxing by the way), went to Pig-n-Chick for dinner (very good BBQ, I would recommend it, along with Wilson Brothers), and hit the road the next morning. I had a very good trip, despite the VT loss.

Looking back I wish I had ridden Monster Mansion.

Overall Park Review:

Strengths: Rides were amazing. A bit better than KI in those terms. Four B&M’s, you can’t beat that. They had a lot to offer in that area. Some other employees were also really cool, like Richard on Goliath, he was hilarious. Also, the park is very pleasant in terms of looks. Clean, lots of trees, easy to find your way around. Some rides were also themed very well (Batman, Superman, Ninja) and others weren’t as good but still certainly had an edge on CP themes besides Dragster or Maverick (Mind Bender, Goliath, Great American Scream Machine).

Weaknesses: I think this park needs to work on a few things. For one, my dad and I were not at all impressed with ride operations. Acrophobia was awful, Mine Train certainly wasn’t good, and neither was Scorcher. Also, employee friendliness is key. I felt like kind employees were very hit and miss. Some were very kind, while others *cough*Cylcone*cough* were rude. Other than that, pretty good!

I’d put it above CP, just for that atmosphere that Over Georgia certainly has, and the Point is certainly lacking, but I can’t bring myself to say that I like it more than KI, Holiday World, or Busch Gardens. Kings Island and Holiday World just have that excellent safe, homey feeling, and Busch is extensively themed with some sweet rides. 9/10.

[KI Kevin]

Dang, I was posting my last picture and I hit backspace and it went back to the last page. No worries, I'll do it tomorrow.

[KIfan1980]

Thanks for sharing this trip report - sounds like I need to add SFOG to my "parks to visit list" especially with a Stand Up, Invert, Flyer, and Hyper B&M to try.

Unfortunately the visit list is getting kind of long at the moment, but I know I'll be able to start knocking them off as my boys get older and I get to take a trip with them like this was for you and your Dad. Sounds like you had a great time and only the game was a little disapointing!

[KI Kevin]

Yeah it was a pretty good family park. Nothing bad went on while we were there (but that's expected), and they had two children's areas. Mind Bender is also great for people that won't ride everything, but would ride the mid core coasters, like Vortex. No scary factor here, just a whole lotta fun.

[KI Kevin]

Here are the pictures. My phone doesn't have the best quality but it's not bad.

ESPN College Gameday. It was pretty sweet seeing it in person.

Yes that is indeed a cow riding a blimp, giving out cow actuion figures.

Superman's drop and going into the pretzel loop. Look at the cool queue theming.

Great American Scream Machine. Pretty awesome.

Best ride here: Goliath. Looks a bit like Diamondback, don't you think?

The Batmobile with some awesome Gotham City theming in the background.

Mind Bender's drop and loop.

Batman going up the hill and a cool shot of the zero-G roll.

Georgia Scorcher, the best stand up coaster ever! It's pretty twisty.

Acrophobia is taller than Godzilla. I honestly can't say I knew that.

[CoastersRZ]

Excellent pictures and trip report. I have never been to Six Flags Over Georgia, but would love to get down there at some point. It seems like it is a very fun amusement park with a great collection of rides. Hopefully, I can find time and money to make a trek down there soon, but until I land a full time job, the chances are that it will be a few years off still.

[Scooby_Doo]

Fantastic report and pictures I've always been told to make a visit to Six Flags Over Georgia I hear great things....I find it funny they used the american ''Godzilla'' from the 1998 remake of Godzilla.Six Flags is mocking sony pictures ad's for godzilla anyone else remember those billboards & bus ad's saying ''His Tail is longer than this bus'' and ''He's taller than empire state building''.

[CincyMan98]

What is Acrophobia? Is it a roller coaster?

They are wrong! Godzilla is exactly 220ft. tall. How can they not get that right?

[maverick2007]

^Acrophobia is a stand up Drop Tower. Yes, actually you stand up on it.

[KI Kevin]

Acrophobia is a gyro drop where you're standing. It's in the TR.

EDIT: Whoops I was beat to it.