Guide for Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America is a little rough. It is crowded, tired in spots, and operates at an impressively inefficient pace. You will find things about which to be unhappy, but you can shorten the complaint list with a plan. In 2026 there is finally a real reason to give the Gurnee, Illinois park another look: it is celebrating its 50th anniversary, the company is partway through a multi-year, roughly half-billion-dollar capital plan announced after the 2024 Cedar Fair merger, and there is a genuinely terrifying new dive coaster out back. What can you use as a guide for Six Flags Great America to actually survive (and occasionally enjoy) the day?

One clarification before we go any further: this is the Illinois Great America in Gurnee, between Chicago and Milwaukee. It is staying open and getting money poured into it. Do not confuse it with California’s Great America in Santa Clara, which faces a possible closure after the 2027 season. Different park, different coast, different fate.

How Can You Use the Guide for Six Flags Great America to Improve Your Day?

1. Set Your Expectations Low

2. Pick the Best Time to Visit

3. Save Money

4. Arrive Early

5. Eat at an Off Time

6. Dining with Dietary Restrictions

7. Guide for Six Flags Great America Rides

8. Fright Fest Great America

9. Six Flags Great America Holiday in the Park

10. There Are Characters

11. What’s New for 2026 (50th Anniversary)

12. Six Flags Great America Parking Options

13. Download the App

14. Make a Six Flags Great America Touring Plan

15. The Show Options Change

16. Cash is Not Accepted

17. Combine Six Flags and Great Wolf Lodge

18. No Pets Allowed

19. You Can Come and Go

20. Six Flags Great America Guide to Pack the Essentials

21. Is Fast Lane Worth It?

22. Six Flags Great America Kid Swap

Six Flags Great America Chicago Entrance

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

The Quick Verdict

Is Six Flags Great America worth it? If you have kids who love coasters and you can get a discounted ticket or a season pass, yes — with a plan and low expectations. If you are hoping for Disney-grade polish and customer service, hard no. This is a workhorse coaster park run on a teenage-summer-job budget, not a destination resort. Go for the rides, not the magic.

Where: 1 Great America Pkwy, Gurnee, Illinois — between Chicago and Milwaukee, less than an hour from downtown Chicago.
Season: Spring through fall, plus Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park. The 2026 season opened in late April; the park is not open year-round.
Daily gate price: Starts around $45 online and climbs from there — varies by date and promotion. Almost never pay full walk-up price.
Parking: Roughly $39 general / $59 preferred per day in 2026. Buy online if you must, or get a pass that includes it.
Headline thrill: Wrath of Rakshasa, a 180-foot dive coaster with a beyond-vertical 96-degree drop and five inversions — billed as the steepest, most-inverted dive coaster in the world.
Cashless: Card or mobile pay only, with Cash-to-Card kiosks inside.

1. Set Expectations Nice and Low

What should I know before going to Six Flags? First and foremost, you should know that Six Flags Great America is no Disneyland. It is also no Universal, no SeaWorld, and no local county fair. Let’s not set ourselves up for failure here. Walk into Six Flags Great America expecting what you will actually find.

There are signs everywhere notifying the guests they are currently in the cleanest theme park in America. I’m not sure where this place called America is located, but there is no way it is in North America.

On a similar note, a lot of the staff is not overly excited to be there. In fact, they are downright cranky. When I encounter one that goes out of his or her way to be friendly, I find myself relaying this encounter to someone else like it was an event. “Someone just smiled at me! He must have just started here.”

That said, give the place a little credit for 2026. After the Cedar Fair merger, the company committed to a big capital push across its parks, and Gurnee is in the middle of it: a new world-class dive coaster opened in 2025, a tired kids’ section is being torn out and rebuilt, and the 50th-anniversary season brings a nighttime spectacular and a drone show. Expectations can creep up from “county fair” to “decent regional coaster park.” Just don’t expect the lines to load any faster.

2. Pick the Best Time to Visit

Six Flags Great America Calendar

The park is only open during certain times of the year, and hours vary. The 2026 season opened in late April, with the 50th-anniversary festivities running roughly from late June through early August. Before you commit, make sure it is open on the day of your visit and check the operating hours so you can maximize your time.

Check a Six Flags Crowd Calendar

Is It Packed has a Six Flags Gurnee crowd calendar. Spoiler alert, pretty much every single weekend is listed as “Forget About it”, which does not require any additional explanation. If you have the flexibility to go during the week, this website can help you pick a less crowded day.

Visit on a Weekday

The parks are open on weekdays during the summer. The weekends are bananas packed. If you have the luxury of picking the day you visit, seriously consider going during the week.

Check the Six Flags Great America Weather

There are no refunds or rainchecks. If you pay to get in and the rides never open, you are not getting your money back. Check the weather for Six Flags Great America to make sure visiting will be worthwhile.

3. Ways to Save

Six Flags Great America admission prices and food costs are stupid expensive, but there are ways to save. Don’t pay full price.

Travel with a Group

Six Flags offers group rates for large parties. If you can round up at least ten people, you can get discounted tickets.

Hotel Packages

If you are staying overnight and don’t have hotel points available, you can stay at one of partner hotels near Six Flags Great America and receive discounted tickets.

Pro tip: Don’t do this. If you want to take your trip up a notch, consider a stay at Great Wolf Lodge. This hotel is perfect for kids.

Save on Six Flags Great America Tickets

Individual Tickets to Six Flags Great America

Walk-up one-day tickets for Six Flags Great America are ridiculously overpriced and should be avoided whenever possible. Online daily admission starts around $45 in 2026 and varies by date — book ahead and you will almost always beat the gate price. The waterpark, Hurricane Harbor Chicago, is not included with a general admission ticket. Parking (roughly $39 general or $59 preferred per day in 2026) is also not included with these tickets.

You may be able to find discounted tickets on sites like Tiqets.com.

Pro Six Flags Great America tip: Kids under age three do not need a ticket.

AAA Discounts to Six Flags Great America

AAA members have historically gotten a few dollars off Six Flags Great America tickets. The exact discount changes year to year, so check the current AAA offer before you count on it.

Military Six Flags Great America Discounts

Six Flags typically runs a military discount on one-day tickets, often around 20% off, plus special Memorial Day and Veterans Day offers. Verify the current military deal at the time of your visit.

Coke Cans

Six Flags has long partnered with Coca-Cola on coupon promotions, so some Coke cans turn up Six Flags discounts. Whether it’s running in any given season varies, but it costs nothing to check the can before you recycle it (or to grab a soda at the gas station on the way).

Six Flags Great America Jewel Osco Tickets

The grocery chain Jewel-Osco has historically sold discounted Six Flags tickets and season passes. Availability and pricing shift season to season, so confirm it’s still offered before you make a special trip to the store.

Read to Succeed

Read to Succeed is a free program that lets elementary-school kids earn a free ticket by logging reading hours. It has come and gone over the years, so check whether Six Flags is running it at the time of your visit before promising your second-grader anything.

Groupon for Great America

You can sometimes find deals for Great America on Groupon.

Six Flags Great America Season Passes

Season passes are dirt cheap, and they are the single best money move at this park. Prices vary by year, but you can usually cover the cost of a pass in about two visits. After the Cedar Fair merger, Six Flags renamed the tiers, so in 2026 you choose from Silver, Gold, and Prestige. All of them include general parking and admission to Hurricane Harbor Chicago, which is the part that makes the math work.

As an added bonus, season passes take away the pressure of feeling like you need to stay all day to cram everything in. Go for a few hours and cut out when you have had enough.

Pro tip: For most families who visit a couple of times a season, the entry-level Silver pass beats buying single-day tickets — and beats committing to a year-round monthly membership.

Bonus pro tip: Unlike more popular parks, like Disney, Six Flags season passes have no blockout dates.

Extra bonus pro tip: You can upgrade a one-day ticket to Great America Gurnee into a season pass at Guest Relations — they apply what you already paid toward the pass.

Extra bonus pro tip: Passes are usually cheapest bought the year before. Six Flags runs deep flash sales in the fall, so buy your 2027 pass before you leave the parking lot in 2026.

Which Season Pass Should I Buy?

Pricing shifts constantly with Six Flags sales, but the 2026 lineup and roughly where it starts looks like this. Treat these as ballpark starting prices and confirm the live number before you buy.

Silver (starts around $79): This park plus Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Rockford, general parking, valid through Labor Day. For a local family that visits a couple of times, this is the one.
Gold (starts around $99): Everything in Silver, plus all-season validity and admission to the other Midwest Six Flags parks — including Cedar Point. Worth the small upcharge if you take even one road trip.
Prestige (starts around $155): Every Six Flags park nationwide, preferred parking, VIP entrance, and one free Fast Lane per visit. Only makes sense if you are a serious park hopper.

Pro tip: For nearly everyone reading this, Gold is the sweet spot. Cedar Point access for roughly twenty bucks more than the local-only pass is the closest thing to free money this park offers.

Passes vs. Memberships

Six Flags also sells monthly memberships, which are different from a season pass. Instead of one upfront payment, a membership charges your card year round — yes, even in January when the park is buried in snow — in exchange for the same admission plus a few perks. After the merger, Six Flags collapsed its old four-tier benefit maze (the Gold Plus / Platinum / Diamond / Diamond Elite alphabet soup is gone) into membership versions of the same Gold and Prestige tiers as the passes.

Pro tip: A membership usually requires a 12-month commitment, and you can add a dining pass to it. For most families, though, a flat-fee season pass is simpler and cheaper than a year of monthly charges. Only go the membership route if you genuinely visit a lot and want to spread the cost out.

Save on Dining

The official policy is that no outside food or drinks are allowed other than for infants and those with dietary restrictions. Is this enforced? Your mileage may vary, but I have never had anything confiscated.

Pro tip: Eat early. The lines and seating areas are outrageous starting around noon.

Get a Six Flags Great America Meal Plan

A dining plan from Six Flags is at the very tippy top of things I never thought I would purchase, but it is cost effective. The meal plans are affordable and can be used all season. Six Flags Great America prices vary by the season, but you can usually choose from options that include one or two meals per day.

Pro tip: You do not have to purchase a meal plan for your entire family. You can purchase one or two and share.

Bonus pro tip: Check to see if the refillable drink bottle is included in your meal plan when you calculate which is the best Six Flags Great America deal for you.

Buy a Refillable Mug and Popcorn Bucket

Most of the food is expensive, but there are a couple of gems to be found if you visit often.

Six Flags sells refillable sports bottles that can be used all season. No one has said these drinks have to be consumed by one person. Bring extra empty bottles from home.

Refillable popcorn buckets are also a good deal. Refills are only a dollar each for the entire season.

Six Flags Great America Illinois Daffy Duck

4. Arrive Early

Six Flags Great America moves like molasses. Everywhere. The line is always a mile long to get into the park. Arrive thirty minutes before opening. If you wait until after opening on a busy day, plan to hang out in that line for about an hour.

5. Eat Early

Most of the restaurants open around 11:30 a.m. You should try to eat around that time.

The food booths are often manned by one teenager total. Said teenager has to take the order, accept the payment, make the food, and deliver it to the customer. Alone. Slowly. The lines for food are absolutely insane by 1:00 p.m. Eat as early as you can.

6. Dining with Dietary Restrictions

The dining options aren’t great in general. They are overpriced. Consider a meal plan to save.

Six Flags isn’t overly impressed with your allergy needs. For gluten free food, there are decent tacos at Macho Nacho in the food court area. You can also get salad, nachos, and fries around the food court if you aren’t worried about cross contamination.

There used to be a gluten free only counter service place in the Kidzopolis area, but it was almost never open, and has now been removed from Six Flags’ website.

Pro tip: Six Flags has alcohol.

Bonus pro tip: Use mobile ordering on the app. The regular lines move like the sloth in Zootopia. You can pay with a dining plan on the app as well.

7. Rides at Six Flags Great America

Note: When it comes to Six Flags Great America kid rides, pack your patience in your stroller. The speed at which they load the rides is maddening. They do not make any attempt to fill the cars. More often than not, one kid is riding in a car made for four while forty other kids wait. The rides for adults load faster, but there is still room for improvement.

The headliner: The big draw is Wrath of Rakshasa, a B&M dive coaster that opened in 2025. It stands 180 feet tall, drops you down a beyond-vertical 96-degree face, hits around 67 mph, and flips you through five inversions — Six Flags bills it as the steepest and most-inverted dive coaster in the world. Height requirement is 48 inches minimum, 78 inches maximum. Ride it first thing or expect a serious wait.

Pro tip: If you want to skip the lines, the park’s paid front-of-line system is now Fast Lane (it replaced the old FLASH Pass in early 2026). More on whether it’s worth it below.

The Old Camp Cartoon Area (Now Under Construction)

Camp Cartoon was a small, Hanna-Barbera-themed kids’ section that had been quietly falling apart for years. In early 2026 Six Flags finally tore it down — Crazy Bus and Yahoo River were dismantled, and the nearby Winner’s Circle Go-Karts came out too — to clear land for a new kids’ area tied to the 50th anniversary. Spacely’s Sprocket Rockets, the little kid coaster, survived the demolition.

Pro tip: As of this writing the replacement kids’ area had been announced but not confirmed open, so check the current park map before you promise your toddler anything specific over here.

Spacely’s Sprocket Rockets Six Flags

Sprocket Rockets Great America is a small roller coaster. It is relatively smooth, and anyone tall enough can ride. It is one of the few attractions in this corner of the park that survived the 2026 demolition.

Height requirement: 36″

Fast Lane accepted: No

Note: The wait for this ride would make anyone homicidal. Kids pile into the area. There is no attempt to enforce anything resembling a line. The less assertive kids get cut. There is only one line of cars running, so you must wait for the ride to be loaded, completed, and vacated by the person in front of you before you can climb in. Mentally prepare yourself.

Rides in Carousel Plaza

Carousel Plaza is the first section you encounter upon entering.

Pro tip: Unless you are dying to ride Maxx Force, save this section for the afternoon. Veer to the left and head toward the back upon park opening.

Columbia Carousel Six Flags

Columbia Carousel is not special, except that it has two levels. The line for the bottom half is shorter, but both lines are generally reasonable.

Height requirement: 42″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: Save this one for the afternoon when the more popular rides have long lines.

Six Flags Great America Maxx Force

Maxx Force is a major roller coaster that goes upside down and reaches almost 80 miles per hour. This one is not for the faint of heart.

Height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: If you want to ride this, go to this ride first thing in the morning. The line builds quickly.

Sky Trek Tower Six Flags

Sky Trek Tower Great America takes you high into the air then turns slowly to give you a view of the park. It is a ride everyone can handle.

Height requirement: None

Fast Lane accepted: No

Note: This ride is closed quite often. There is a sign in front of the ride with the operating hours. Check its availability upon entering the park so you don’t miss it.

Six Flags Great America in Gurnee Illinois Sky Trek Tower

Rides in County Fair

County Fair is located in the back of the park. You can probably reach it more quickly by veering to the right upon entrance to the park, but you can really pick either direction.

Six Flags Great America American Eagle

Six Flags American Eagle is a large, wooden roller coaster that has been around for 40 years. It is not easy on the spine.

American Eagle Six Flags Great America Gurnee IL height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This line is usually fairly short for a roller coaster. You can save it for the afternoon.

Six Flags Great America Demon Roller Coaster

Six Flags Demon roller coaster goes upside down. It is past its prime. This. Ride. Is. Rough. Your head gets jostled around in the headrest like you are off-roading in the desert.

Demon Six Flags Great America Gurnee IL height requirement: 42″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: Pack headache medication.

Bonus pro tip: This ride almost never has a line. Save it for the afternoon.

Fiddler’s Fling Six Flags Great America

~~Vomit Central~~ Fiddler’s Fling Great America is a very, very fast spinning ride. It looks fast from the outside. It feels ten times faster when you’re on it. This is not something to ride if you are sensitive to motion.

Height requirement: 42″ to ride alone, 36″ with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This line is never long. Save it for the afternoon.

Six Flags Great America Goliath

Six Flags Goliath Great America is a wooden roller coaster that is unique because of its maximum speed of over 70 miles per hour and the fact that it goes upside down. It is not as smooth as some of the other Six Flags Great America coasters.

Six Flags Goliath height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Scenic Railway

Scenic Railway is the Six Flags Great America train ride around the park. It also has a stop in Hometown Square.

Height requirement: None

Fast Lane accepted: No

Note: This ride seems to be closed more than it is open.

Six Flags Great America X Flight

Six Flags X Flight is a smooth roller coaster that gives one the impression he or she will smash into a wall at one point. It is one of the best rides at the park.

X Flight Six Flags Great America height requirement: 54″, 76″ maximum

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: This ride is popular, but the line usually moves quickly. Save this one for the afternoon over other roller coasters.

Six Flags Great America images Buccaneer Battle

Rides in Hometown Park

Hometown Park is a kids’ section near the front of the park to the right of the Six Flags Great America entrance. It is located inside of Hometown Square.

Pro tip: None of these rides ever have long lines. Save this for the afternoon.

Lady Bugs

Lady Bugs is a slow moving ride in a circle in ladybugs.

Height requirement: 54″ maximum

Fast Lane accepted: No

Red Baron

The Red Baron has slow moving planes that fly in a circle. You can control the height with a lever in the plane.

Height requirement: 54″ maximum

Fast Lane accepted: No

Tot’s Livery

Tot’s Livery is a slow moving ride in horse carriages in a circle.

Height requirement: 54″ maximum

Fast Lane accepted: No

Rides in Hometown Square

Hometown Square is located toward the front of the park to the right. Unless you are dying to go on the Whizzer, do not go here first.

Hometown Fun Machine Six Flags Great America

Hometown Fun Machine is basically the Scrambler from a carnival. Nay, it is exactly the Scrambler from a carnival. No upgrades were made.

Height requirement: 48″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This is always a walk on. No need to arrive early.

Six Flags Lobster

The Lobster Six Flags Great America is a spinning ride you can often find at carnivals. Expect to get dizzy.

Lobster Ride Six Flags height requirement: 42″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This line is usually short. Save this for the afternoon.

Six Flags Scenic Railway

Six Flags Great America Scenic Railway is the park’s train that circles the park. There is also a stop in County Fair.

Height requirement: None

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This ride is often closed.

Six Flags Triple Play

Six Flags Great America Triple Play is a spinning ride that gives one the illusion they will fall face first out of the car.

Triple Play Ride Six Flags height requirement: 42″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: There is never a wait for this ride. Save it for the afternoon.

Six Flags Great America Whizzer

The Whizzer Six Flags Great America is a smooth roller coaster that can be tolerated by most. Because most can ride, it is popular. The line builds quickly.

Six Flags Whizzer roller coaster height requirement: 42″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: If you are looking for a roller coaster small kids can ride, this is it. Go here first.

Six Flags Great America pictures Whizzer

Rides in Kidzopolis

Kidzopolis is a kids’ section located in the back of the park inside County Fair.

Pro tip: In addition to the rides, there is a play structure and splash pad in this area.

Six Flags Bouncer

Bouncer is a small bench that bounces kids up and down. See what they did there? You can find this type of ride at a lot of other theme parks.

Bouncer Six Flags Great America height requirement: 36″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Krazy Kars Six Flags

Krazy Kars is four slow moving cars around a small track.

Height requirement: 36″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: The wait is obscene for what you get. One child is routinely in a car that holds four. It takes forever to load. This ride is not worth any kind of a wait. If you can’t walk on, come back later.

Krazy Kups

Krazy Kups is a mini teacup ride. If you have to ride, you can control the spinning, assuming you are stronger than your child.

Height requirement: 36″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Up, Up & Away

Up, Up & Away Six Flags lifts kids up in cages shaped like fruit and spins them around in a circle.

Height requirement: 42″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Zoomjets

Zoomjets is a plane ride in a circle. The planes have two rows, but the joystick that controls their motion is only in the front.

Height requirement: 48″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Rides in Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is located on the path to the left when you enter the park. You can save this entire section for the afternoon. You won’t find any long lines here.

Six Flags Big Easy Balloons

Big Easy Balloons is a smooth, spinning ride in hot air balloons. The baskets can comfortably hold four people. It doesn’t move too quickly, and the fresh air makes it tolerable for those sensitive to motion.

Height requirement: 48″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Six Flags Roaring Rapids

Six Flags Great America Roaring Rapids is a water ride where you sit in a circular boat and move through rapids. It can be found in many other parks. Bystanders can also shoot water at the boats to add insult to injury. You will get soaked. Bring a poncho.

Roaring Rapids Six Flags Gurnee height requirement: 42″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Note: This ride is only open during the summer, and even then, it is closed often.

Ride in Metropolis Plaza

Metropolis Plaza is located toward the back of the park. To reach this area, walk toward the right upon entering the park, then go through the Southwest Territory entrance.

Pro tip: The line for the only ride in Metropolis Plaza builds quickly. It is a good idea to head to this area first.

Six Flags Great America JUSTICE LEAGUE Battle for Metropolis

The Battle for Metropolis Six Flags Great America is the only ride that reminds one of Universal. There is an animatronic visible from the line. You wear 4D glasses and shoot things. It is quite fun.

Battle for Metropolis ride height requirement: 48″ to ride alone, 42″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: The line for this Six Flags Great America 4D ride gets long. If it is important to you, go here first.

Note: This ride may be scary for young children.

Rides in Orleans Place

Orleans Place is the first section you will encounter if you select the path to the left.

Six Flags Condor Ride

The Condor Six Flags Great America is a ride that flies high up into the air and spins quickly. You might have trouble with it if you are sensitive to motion, but the fresh air helps cancel out the spinning.

Six Flags Great America Condor height requirement: 48″ to ride alone, 42″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: The line usually isn’t too long. Save this one for the afternoon.

Rue Le Dodge Great America

Rue Le Dodge Six Flags is a bumper car ride.

Height requirement: 54″ to ride alone, 42″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: This ride sucks up a lot of people, so the line is usually reasonable. Save this one for the afternoon.

Six Flags Great America SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight

Six Flags Superman ride is an upside down roller coaster where occupants lay facedown, simulating the way Superman himself flew. It is a smooth ride, but not for the nervous.

Six Flags Superman height requirement: 54″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

The Six Flags Great America DARK KNIGHT Coaster

THE DARK KNIGHT Coaster, not to be confused with the much more fun outdoor Batman roller coaster, is indoors. It is creepy, dark, startling to young children, and the line moves more slowly than people attending a Barry Manilow concert. Even when the sign says it has a 30 minute wait, plan on it taking much, much longer.

Six Flags DARK KNIGHT height requirement: 48″ to ride alone, 42″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Rides in Southwest Territory

Southwest Territory is located toward the entrance of the park. You must veer to the right initially, then go right again to enter Southwest Territory.

Pro tip: This is a great section to visit first thing in the morning.

Chubasco

The Chubasco ride has larger teacups you can spin.

Height requirement: 42″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This is almost always a walk on.

Bonus pro tip: Six Flags decorates this ride for Holiday in the Park.

Six Flags Great America Giant Drop

This Six Flags Great America drop tower lifts its riders high into the air, then drops them. The name of the ride is quite creative.

Giant Drop Six Flags Great America height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Six Flags Great America Raging Bull

Six Flags Raging Bull is a smooth roller coaster that is tolerated by most. It is very popular. The line builds quickly.

Six Flags Great America Raging Bull height requirement: 54″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Six Flags Ricochet

Six Flags Great America Ricochet spins you in a circle while moving you up and down. It is intense. You often have to wait to board while the employee cleans up the vomit from the riders before you.

Ricochet Six Flags Great America height requirement: 54″ to ride alone, 42″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Six Flags River Rocker

River Rocker Six Flags Great America is a swinging pirate ship that you can find at most carnivals. It isn’t special, but it is guaranteed to make you feel sick.

Height requirement: 48″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Six Flags Great America Viper

Viper is a Six Flags Great America wooden roller coaster that does not go upside down. It is a rocky ride to say the least.

Six Flags Viper ride height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Rides in Yankee Harbor

Yankee Harbor is located toward the back of the park on the path that veers to the left. This is a good section to visit first thing in the morning.

Six Flags Great America BATMAN The Ride

The Six Flags BATMAN ride is a smooth roller coaster that most will be able to tolerate. Your legs dangle from the seat, making it more comfortable than most other cars.

Six Flags BATMAN roller coaster height requirement: 54″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

THE JOKER Six Flags Great America Free Fly Coaster

THE JOKER Free Fly Coaster is the most brutal Six Flags Great America roller coaster for those who don’t like spinning. The track runs in a vertical circle. The seats flip upside down in circles at the same time. This will be a hard pass for most people over age 30.

Six Flags Great America Joker height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: This line moves more slowly than most. If you want to ride, this is a good place to go first.

The Flash: Vertical Velocity

Now branded The Flash: Vertical Velocity, this is a launch coaster on a track shaped like a U — it shoots you up one tower, back down, and up the other. Short but intense.

Vertical Velocity height requirement: 54″, 80″ maximum

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: The shape of the track lends itself to inefficient ride loading. If this ride is important to you, consider going here first.

Whirligig Ride

Whirligig is a swing ride that can be found at a lot of other theme parks. It spins quickly, but you get a nice breeze.

Height requirement: 48″

Fast Lane accepted: No

Pro tip: This line is usually short. Save this for the afternoon.

Six Flags Great America Yankee Clipper

Six Flags Yankee Clipper is like the log ride, but in slightly different boats. You take a smooth ride up high, with a substantial drop at the end.

Yankee Clipper ride at Six Flags height requirement: 42″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: You will get wet. Bring a poncho.

Bonus pro tip: This ride does not have seatbelts. Hold onto your children.

Note: This ride is only open during the summer.

Yukon Territory

Yukon Territory is located toward the back of the park to the left. There aren’t any hot ticket rides in this area. You can save this section for the afternoon.

Six Flags Great America Little Dipper

The Six Flags Little Dipper is a mini wooden roller coaster. It is the oldest ride in the park, manufactured in 1950. It shows.

Note: This line is complete torture. Little kids move slowly. When they finally get on the ride, the employees do not make them sit next to others. There is only one row of cars, so you have to wait for the ride to complete its cycle and the person in front of you to get out before you can get in. This ride is not worth the wait. Ever.

The Little Dipper Six Flags height requirement: 42″ to ride alone, 36″ to ride with an adult

Fast Lane accepted: No

Logger’s Run Great America

Logger’s Run is the Six Flags Great America log ride. You move slowly in a boat on a high track. The ride ends with a substantial drop.

Logger’s Run Six Flags Great America height requirement: 42″ to ride alone

Fast Lane accepted: Yes

Pro tip: You will get wet. Bring a poncho.

Bonus pro tip: There are no seatbelts on this ride. Hold onto your kids.

Note: This ride is only open during the summer.

8. Six Flags Great America Fright Fest

Six Flags features a Fright Fest in September and October. The park is a virtual ghost town during the day during this time. There is trick or treating and a cute show that has not been updated in at least 20 years. It is worth a visit.

Pro tip: Fright Fest Six Flags Great America has haunted houses and aspiring actors (not going to make it) roaming around as zombies at night. If you don’t want to be there for that, and you shouldn’t with little kids, leave the park by 6:00 p.m.

Note: There isn’t scary stuff going on during the day, but the disgusting decorations are out.

Note: Great America Fright Fest tickets do not include haunted house admission.

9. Holiday in the Park Six Flags Gurnee

Six Flags Holiday in the Park Gurnee is hit or miss. If the weather in Six Flags Great America is tolerable and it’s not crowded, you can have a decent time. Unfortunately, neither of those things are likely to happen for you.

The park shuts down almost everything during Six Flags Holiday in the Park Illinois. Only a few rides are open. Most of the food stands are closed. The few stands that are open have lines that are a mile long. There is a show, but it’s not good. The highlight is supposed to be the Six Flags Great America holiday lights the park sets up, but if you are too cold and miserable to make it until dark, you won’t see them anyway.

Pro tip: You can now drive through the park to see the lights. If the Six Flags Great America light show is the main reason you want to visit, this is a much better option.

Bonus pro tip: You can get into the drive through experience with a season pass or membership, but you do need Six Flags Great America reservations.

10. There Are Characters

Six Flags Great America Looney Tunes characters are routinely parked near the entrance for pictures.

11. What’s New for 2026?

2026 marks the park’s 50th anniversary — it opened back in 1976 as Marriott’s Great America — and for once there is real news worth planning around.

Wrath of Rakshasa: The 180-foot dive coaster that debuted in 2025 is the marquee thrill ride. Beyond-vertical 96-degree drop, five inversions, around 67 mph. If you only ride one big coaster, make it this one.
50th-anniversary celebration: Running roughly late June through early August, with a new nighttime spectacular, a nightly drone show, an anniversary brick program, and a small museum of historic park artifacts.
A kids’ area in transition: The old Camp Cartoon section and the Winner’s Circle Go-Karts were demolished in early 2026 to make room for a new kids’ area. Expect some construction walls and a smaller-than-usual little-kid ride lineup while it’s being built.
New ownership, new passes: The 2024 Cedar Fair / Six Flags merger means new Silver / Gold / Prestige passes and a Fast Lane system that replaced FLASH Pass. Your old benefit chart no longer applies.

Note: The park is still crowded, especially on weekends. If you are uncomfortable in big crowds, aim for a weekday and arrive early.

12. Parking for Six Flags Great America

How much is Six Flags Great America parking? In 2026 it runs roughly $39 per day for general parking and about $59 for preferred — yes, that is a lot of money to leave your minivan in a field. You can prepay online, which usually beats the gate rate.

Pro tip: The parking lot isn’t that crowded when the park opens. Arrive early and you’ll be toward the front. Don’t pay for preferred parking for Great America.

Bonus pro tip: General parking is included with all three 2026 season passes (Silver, Gold, and Prestige), so if you are buying a pass anyway, do not pay for parking separately.

Extra bonus pro tip: The parking lot is huge. Take a picture when you park to avoid having to walk up and down every aisle in the dark to find your car.

13. Download the App

The park has a free app that allows you to mobile order food and check Six Flags Great America queue times, among other things. Don’t forget to download it before you visit.

Pro tip: Six Flags offers free Wi-fi.

Bonus pro tip: Bring a portable cell phone charger. Your battery may not be able to make it all day.

14. Make a Six Flags Touring Plan

Prior to visiting the park, review the Six Flags Great America map. Figure out your priorities and make a plan to visit as many as possible.

Pro tip: When you enter the park, you will need to pick a path to the left or right. Most people go right, so you shouldn’t. People will get distracted by the shiny rides along the way and stop. The rides in the back will have the shortest lines first thing in the morning.

15. Shows

The park sometimes offers shows. The options change by the season. The choices usually aren’t great, but it is a good way to sit down in some air conditioning. There aren’t many other ways to get out of the sun. Check the Six Flags Great America schedule at the time of your visit if you are interested in seeing one.

Grand Music Hall Great America Gurnee Illinois

16. Cash is Not Accepted

The park is cashless — card or mobile pay only. You shouldn’t use cash anyway, because, points, but it is an annoying policy if you wanted to hand your preteens a twenty and turn them loose for the afternoon.

Pro tip: You can convert cash into a debit card at kiosks throughout the park.

17. Combine Your Visit with Great Wolf Lodge

Where is Six Flags Great America located? The address is 1 Great America Parkway in Gurnee, Illinois, less than an hour from Chicago.

Great Wolf Lodge is located within minutes of the park. You can see both properties from the highway. If you want to make a weekend out of it, consider staying at this hotel by Six Flags Great America and visiting the park after you check out.

18. No Pets Allowed

Only service animals are allowed in the park.

19. You Can Come and Go

You are allowed to leave the park and re-enter. If you want to eat off property at one of the restaurants near Six Flags Great America, you have the option.

Note: You must get your hand stamped to come back later, even if you hold season passes to Great America. I once saw a preteen walk through the exit with his parents before his hand was stamped. The family figured it out immediately, but the staff told them he would not be let in later if he came back even though he was only a few feet from the exit and it happened 30 seconds before. Some Six Flags employees are on a power trip.

20. Pack the Essentials

You don’t need to bring much to Six Flags. If you don’t have a stroller to hold your junk, you want to go light. Don’t forget to pack:

A. Sunscreen

B. A portable cell phone charger

C. Pain relievers

D. Motion sickness medication

E. A hat or sunglasses

F. Ponchos

G. BAND-AIDs

H. Credit Cards

I. Tickets for Great America Gurnee, season passes, or membership cards

J. Refillable sports bottle

K. Six Flags drink bottles and popcorn buckets

L. Cooling towels (only if it’s hot)

21. Is Fast Lane Worth It?

In January 2026 Six Flags retired FLASH Pass company-wide and replaced it with Fast Lane, the same skip-the-line system used at the old Cedar Fair parks. The idea is the same: you pay extra to wait in a shorter line. Given how slowly this park loads its rides, it can genuinely save your sanity on a crowded summer day.

There are several tiers, and prices float with demand, so check the live price for your date. In general terms:

Fast Lane Reserve: The cheapest option — a virtual queue where you reserve a ride time and come back.
Fast Lane Priority: A skip-the-line pass that roughly halves your wait on participating rides.
Fast Lane Ultimate: The pricey one — closest thing to walk-on-and-ride access.

Honest verdict: If you are visiting once, on a weekend, with a teenager who wants to ride everything, a mid-tier Fast Lane can be worth it. If you have a season pass and can come back on a quiet weekday, skip it and save the money — arriving thirty minutes before opening does most of the same work for free.

22. Kid Swap Passes

Is your child under 54″ holding you back? Get a Kid Swap Pass. These free passes are located at the Ride Information Center. They allow one adult to ride while the other waits with the short person, then swap without waiting in line a second time.

Six Flags Great America FAQ

Is Six Flags Great America closing?

No. The Illinois park in Gurnee is staying open and is actually in the middle of a big investment push — a new dive coaster, a rebuilt kids’ area, and a 50th-anniversary season. The closure news you may have seen is about California’s Great America in Santa Clara, a completely different park facing a possible shutdown after 2027.

How much are Six Flags Great America tickets?

Online daily admission starts around $45 in 2026 and rises depending on the date. But the smarter buy is almost always a season pass: Silver starts around $79, and you cover its cost in about two visits. Whatever you do, don’t pay the full walk-up gate price.

How many days do you need at Six Flags Great America?

One full day is plenty to hit the major coasters if you arrive early and have a plan. Add a second day only if you also want the Hurricane Harbor waterpark. If you want a longer trip, pair the park with a stay at Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee and make a weekend of it.

What should I bring to Six Flags Great America?

Go light: sunscreen, a hat, a portable charger, a refillable bottle, ponchos for the water rides, and a credit or debit card (the park is cashless). Our full Six Flags packing list breaks down the must-haves, and the what-to-pack-for-Chicago guide helps if the park is part of a bigger trip.

Is it worth it with little kids?

It can be, but temper your expectations — the little-kid rides load painfully slowly, and the dedicated kids’ area is mid-rebuild for 2026. Bring patience and a plan. Our theme park tips for little kids apply double here. If you’re road-tripping the Midwest, the smaller, calmer Michigan’s Adventure is an easier day with young ones.

Final Thoughts – Guide for Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America is like that relative you don’t really like, but with whom you keep spending time at family gatherings. It can be fun under the right circumstances. The good news is that the 50th-anniversary investment — a world-class new coaster, a rebuilt kids’ area, and a nightly drone show — has nudged it from “endure it” toward “actually pretty fun,” at least for the coaster crowd. Use this guide for Six Flags Great America to maximize your day and save money.

Buy the right pass, arrive early, eat before noon, and head to the back of the park first. Do that and your kids will have a great day — even if the relative is still a little rough around the edges.