I finally got around to going to Six Flags Great America this past Monday for the first time in 2 years.  Boy was I impressed.  The park has really come a long way since Mark Shapiro has taken over and the improvements were very noticable.

We started off the day getting my season pass processed which took about 15 minutes.  My picture turned out hilariously and it looks like I am frowning, but I guarantee you that I wasn’t.  Other than the poor camera work, the process was smooth and problem free.  I was also very excited to find out that the season pass parking qualifies for the $25 Plus parking spots, making that $60 I spent seem somewhat worth it.  I think I was even more excited to find out that I can use it for parking at any Six Flags park as I am moving to Texas and probably won’t make it back to Great America this year.

The first ride we went on was Raging Bull.  Immediately I noticed the giant new TVs in the queue lines, speakers that you could actually here out of, and an abundance of trees and plants that I don’t remember being there.  I was very impressed and I hope Six Flags keeps up their work with themeing/planting around the ride.  The ride itself was just as amazing as it has always been, it actually felt a little faster though and the trim brakes were tuned just right for maximum airtime.

Next we rode the 2 wooden roller coasters that call Great America home.  Viper was first up and after about a 20 minute wait we enjoyed this airtime machine.  Afterward we headed over to American Eagle, but first enjoyed some Cheesebread from Papa John’s.  I really love having Papa John’s in the park now, it is a brand people recognize and I think it is a positive relationship for both companies.  American Eagle seemed to be running well, they even had both trains running.  Unfortunately the helix’s are still very rough and almost ruin the rest of this fun ride.

Following Eagle we rode Iron Wolf.  Still a great ride but its definitely been getting rougher over the years.  Hope Six Flags can find a way to give this ride some love.  Then we rode V2 which unfortunately was not running the holding brake today.  Not sure if that was an on-purpose move or if there was something wrong with it but without it some of the excitement of the ride suffers.  Next we headed across the midway to Batman and waited about 20 minutes.  This ride still packs a punch and I love every minute of it.

We ate a quick lunch at Jimmy John’s (sorry Six Flags, its soooo much cheaper to leave the park) and headed back in to do the loop in reverse, starting with Superman: Ultimate Flight.  We waited about 30-40 minutes and had some great G-Forces from the back row.  Afterward we did The Dark Knight as I have never ridden it before.  I give Six Flags credit for trying with the pre-show and dark ride, but it is still a wild mouse and therefore not very fun and kind of rough.

Next we rode Yankee Clipper and Logger’s Run (it was like 90 out), two log flume rides that really only have the drop going for them.  After that we went over to Buccaneer Battle, the new attraction for 2009.  This was a FUN ride.  Not fast, not intense, but spraying strangers with water is extremely fun.  Also, expect to get SOAKED!  We had to ride Raging Bull afterward to dry off and we still were pretty wet.  Also, you get to spray people on shore too depending on what side of the boat you are on.  Unfortunately they also get to spray you back, for FREE!  Finally a water ride you can interact with from land without it costing you.  Anybody can just walk up and shoot people for 30 seconds.  This ride is also a great workout for your right arm if you shoot a lot.

After the subsequent ride on bull we headed back around the park and hit Batman and Superman one more time before calling it a night.  On the way out we stopped at the gift store and I got 2 T-Shirts for $13 (using a BOGO coupon in the season pass booklet).  Best deal I’ve ever gotten on amusement park merchandise.  I am happy that Six Flags is lowering their T-Shirt prices because it turns into free advertising for them when people wear them.  Another big plus for Six Flags and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.