Tag: amusement park

After more than 50 years, the Six Flags America amusement park in Bowie, Maryland, will close its gates for the last time on Sunday.

This past May, Six Flags announced that this would be the last season for the amusement park and its water park, Hurricane Harbor.

A storied history

Billionaire and former presidential candidate Ross Perot was one of the early investors involved in what is now Six Flags America.

In July of 1974, the ABC television network’s attractions division opened ‘The Wildlife Preserve’, which was a drive-thru safari. The park did not take off, and in less than two years it was closed. In 1978, the park was sold to Jim Fowler, the host of ‘Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom’, and renamed it ‘Wild Country’. That park also closed after two seasons.

In 1981, the park reopened under the name ‘Wild World’, and over the next decade it would get rid of the animals and add rides, roller coasters and a water park. In 1992, the park would undergo another name change, thanks to its purchase by Premier Parks.

For the next six years, the amusement park was called ‘Adventure World’, until its parent company bought Six Flags. Since then, Six Flags America has been where families from the D.C. area have spent their summers.

The park went through some turmoil in 2005, during then-Washington NFL team owner Dan Snyder’s time as the chairman of its board. Snyder was removed as chairman after Six Flags filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010.

Park visitors say goodbye

In the summer of 2024, Six Flags merged with rival amusement park company Cedar Fair, which owns Kings Dominion. D.C.-area thrill-seekers will still be able to get their kicks at that park, which is located in the Richmond, Virginia, area. They can also visit Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, which is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from D.C.

Still, many area adrenaline junkies wanted to enjoy one last day at Six Flags — including Kim Varzi, a D.C. resident who told WTOP she conquered her fear of heights thanks to ‘Superman: Ride of Steel’, a rollercoaster boasting a top speed of 73 mph and a 205-foot drop.

“I had to just tell myself that it was only 30 seconds,” she said. “The first couple of times, I just closed my eyes.”

There were also some first-timers at the park, like Jennifer Rolls. She, along with her husband and daughters, came from Manassas, Virginia, to experience the park before it was too late.

Rolls, who was using crutches due to an Achilles tendon issue, thought it was sad that the park was closing.

Other visitors trekked to the park from outside the Capital Beltway, including William Craig, who traveled with his children from Martinsburg, West Virginia, for one last ride.

He said he’s been to the park more than 100 times, and said it will always mean a lot to him: “For me it’s about the personal memory of when I separated from my ex-wife. … It was a way to bond with my kids.”

Craig’s 14-year-old son, Johnny, said his favorite part of coming to Six Flags America was spending time with his dad.

Chad Reams drove in from York, Pennsylvania, with his wife, son and daughter. As excited as his kids were to ride the coasters, Reams said he was looking forward to shopping. He loaded seven bags of Six Flags merchandise into the trunk of his SUV, telling WTOP that the swag was on sale for 85% off and cost a little over $100.

Rodney Slade came all the way from Greensboro, North Carolina, to make some memories. He said this was only his second time at the park: “Last time I was here, I got sick on a ride,” recalling how he fell asleep on a bench after his turn on ‘The Pirate’s Flight’.

When asked if he was going to try the ride one last time, Rodney said: “The boat will not see me.”

As people exited Six Flags America for the final time, they walked by a sign quoting Porky Pig that felt quite fitting: “That’s all, folks.”

For generations of people around the D.C. region and beyond, Six Flags America was — as its tagline said — the “Thrill Capital of D.C.”