If you’ve read any of my previous posts or know me personally, you know that I love roller coasters and theme parks. I am a member of numerous clubs and organizations who share this same passion. These memberships occasionally give me an opportunity to see a side of parks that most people don’t often, if ever, get to see.
I had such an opportunity come up this past weekend so I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to check out Six Flags Over Georgia in the off season. Thanks to American Coaster Enthusiasts for hosting this off season event!
You can tell we are getting close to Atlanta as the traffic picks up.
After arriving at the park, Security directs me to the employee parking lot. Here we get a close-up look at a gem for enthusiasts, disassembled coaster trains. If it is not obvious, these are trains for Ninja, one of the park’s roller coasters.
Here are the boats for their log flume, Log Jamboree, getting some attention in the off season.
Not far away are some of the boats for Monster Mansion.
After meeting up, we are escorted to The Carrot Club in Bugs Bunny World.
Carrot anyone?
We were given presentations covering numerous parks both in our region and in other areas of the country. Dale Kaetzel, the Park President of Six Flags Over Georgia welcomed us and filled us in with some of the new things to expect at Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags in general.
Pete Owens, the director of Public Relations for the Dollywood Companies stopped in to fill us in personally with everything going on at Dollywood.
I love roller coaster pictures in the snow so I had to share the picture of their new coaster, FireChaser Express in the snow. It is still on schedule to open this spring.
I would also like to thank Pete for mentioning a great organization, National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives. Their mission is to discover, preserve, interpret, and share the historical heritage of the roller coaster for present and future generations. Consider sending them a donation to help their efforts. Too bad they didn’t have a ‘society’ of some sort with an annual fee as I’d be very interested in joining.
For lunch, The Varsity food truck was there asking us ‘What’ll Ya Have?’ and filling us with their famous fast food.
Afterwards we took a stroll through the nearly deserted park. Enjoy this shot of Dahlonega Mine Train with some snow still on the roof.
In 2014, Six Flags Over Georgia is having a huge expansion with the addition of a water park, Hurricane Harbor. This water park will be included with park admission and is slated to open by Memorial Day.
These slide pieces pictured in the above three pictures are parts of the water slides waiting for the towers to be built so they can be fully assembled.
One of the signage that has not yet been removed from Fright Fest. I’m willing to bet this will be long gone by opening day.
On the way back to the water park (that is taking the place of the former Southern Star Ampitheater), we stop by what I consider to be Six Flags Over Georgia’s best wooden coaster, Great American Scream Machine.
Do I spy workers by the track?
Why yes, they are replacing some of the track in the off season.
It is not uncommon for parks to replace parts of a wooden coaster each year to keep it running as good as possible.
And the work continues on Great American Scream Machine.
Next we move on to Skull Island, or Kill Island as it was known during Fright Fest this year. This will become Paradise Island in a few short months, as the kids area for Hurricane Harbor.
Workers are actively working on the foundation for the back of the wave pool.
Here’s a wider shot of the location of the new wave pool in the upper middle of the picture. The gravel in the lower portion of the picture will be a slide complex.
Here’s a shot of most of the area that will soon be a water park.
Dale does a great job of being the tour guide.
Here’s a lower level shot of what is soon to be Hurricane Harbor.
After a great few hours at Six Flags Over Georgia, it’s time to head back home. Yes, we’re in Atlanta which you can tell from the traffic.
Good bye, Atlanta!