Six Flags Great America — Attraction in Gurnee

Six Flags Great America consistently has ranked in the top two in the chain in terms of quality and my favorite in the chain when it comes to coasters. Currently home to 16 coaster tracks (15 physical coasters) The park opened American Eagle in 1981 as the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster. Dropping 147 foot drop, speeds of 66.23mph on 9300 feet of wooden track. The park still holds the record of it being the tallest, fastest, and longest racing coaster, and statistically remains in the world's top 10 for woodies on height and speed. Since some count it as a single coaster, it holds the unrivaled record of having the most track of any coaster in the world. American Eagle was the first major installation by Intamin AG which would begin a long relationship with two famous employees. In 1985 The park contacted Intamin to create the world's first space diver coaster with the first coaster carts to sit 4 across. In 1988 Six Flags broke it's own record by building the world's newest tallest and fastest full circuit coaster with 7 loops, the world's most, the world's highest vertical loop at 136 feet, and the world's first steel banked first drop. This coaster reached 172 feet with a 155 foot drop at speeds of 68mph. At some point the coaster was slowed to 65mph due to issues with the top forces exceeded on the first three vertical loops. This gave the park the world's top two largest coasters as of 1988. On 1989 a relocated bobsled coaster was built at SFGam but the park president wanted two across seating carts as a first of its kind for the coaster type. Once again they called Intamin the original manufacturer of the coaster and overtime developed a good relationship with two employees that were exiting the coaster business. The park convinced them to open up their own firm and would acquire their first coaster, meet B&M. That's right SFGam and Jim Winthrop are responsible for one of the best manufacturers ever. In 1990, SFGam opened a B&M standup twister coaster, featuring the tallest, fastest, and longest stats, including a worlds tallest 80 foot vertical loop, a first ever corkscrew, and first ever twister design on a standup. The park also broke the record of becoming the first park to add a coaster 3 seasons in a row. In 1992, park president Jim Winthrop wanted a suspended coaster but optioned one with the potential to allow for inversions. B&M took on the project and therefore six flags great America opened the Worlds First Inverted, Outside looping coaster, with a worlds first Zero G Gravity Roll added as one of its 5 inversions. The coaster stands 109.5 feet, 50-55mph and 2700 feet of track across 5 inversions. In 1995 the park became the first and to date only six flags park to build a inhouse ground up new coaster called Viper. The coaster is a larger mirror image of the world famous Coney Island Cyclone and featured a double down on its 4th hill instead of a shallow straight down. The coaster remained the largest version of the coaster until bandit opened years later overseas. It remains Americas largest by height and length. In 1998 Great America canceled a cloned record breaking coaster that ultimately would go to St Louis and instead in 1999 added the first Hyper Coaster in the Six Flags chain, the 2nd B&M Hyper to ever open, The worlds first and only B&M Hyper Twister Coaster with a record breaking 5 second ejector hill from the backrow on the first drop. At 65 degrees, it was tied for steepest hyper coaster in the world, and had the highest lift hill for a B&M Hyper at 202feet. The coaster introduced us to the worlds first open air sideless carts. In 2001, SFGam opened 2 coasters in one season, 1 being a Giant inverted boomerang standing 191 feet (the world's largest) plus the inverted coaster that currently ties for fastest speed at 70mph in N.A. The park added The worlds tallest, steepest, and fastest woodie in 2014 with the worlds first Zero G Stall and wooden dive loop, and now Maxx Force is the worlds fastest accelerating coaster 0-78 in 1.8 sec with the...

Hello,

I'm writing to you because I experienced shame, humiliation, and disrespect today at your Six Flags Great America park on August 12, 2025.

I should mention that I've been a Gold Member for years in Canada. We're traveling to the United States for 14 days with our All Parks Pass to visit all the parks in the western part of La Ronde (Montreal). We are almost at the end of our trip.

I should point out that I purchased the pass, but I'm NOT GOING ON ANY RIDES BECAUSE I HAVE BACK PAIN.

I'm a member again this year with my child. Everything was going well until a security guard asked me to put my backpack, which has wheels, on my back. I calmly explained to him that my back hurts, which is why I'm not carrying it, and that my backpack has wheels. I've been to many other parks and have never, ever, ever been asked to carry my backpack.

He rudely told me it was a rule to wear it. I told him I was going to customer service to explain.

Of course, my child was in a ride, so I had to wait.

I saw another security guard, #2, and I went to ask her about the rule, which I didn't see in their website. She told me her boss had asked her about it, but she'd never seen it as such. The other security guard, #1, came rushing towards me, talking into his radio, saying he'd just seen me still rolling with my backpack.

I explained to him that I hadn't even taken 10 steps to go see the other security guard, #2. He rudely told me again that I had to stop or he'd escort me out of the park. I asked to speak to his supervisor.

He arrived, and I didn't even have time to explain that he jumped on me, asking, "What are you still rolling your backpack around?" I saw my employee tell you earlier.

I stayed calm. And I tried to explain that it was because my back hurt.

He didn't want to hear of it. He also told me he would escort me out of the park if I didn't stop.

All this happened in front of people. Lots of people. I was ashamed. I was humiliated. I felt like a criminal. And for what????? For a backpack??????

What's the difference between my mini backpack and a wagon where children sit, or even a children's stroller ?????? I'm not hurting anyone.

There were four of them after me. I asked to speak to the park supervisor.

Security guard #1 escorted me to customer service.

I spoke with Kicha (the supervisor). After explaining the situation, she told me she had to make calls because she herself had never heard of it.

She came back after 25 minutes (she called another security guard supervisor) telling me it was a regulation. I felt they were all helping each other.

I asked her to see it. She left again to print it out because I wanted to write it down.

Even when I was talking to the supervisor, the security guards stay near customer service.

She came back to tell me it wasn't possible to get it because the regulation is with security, not with the park.

I told her that was absurd. In your policies... it mentions skateboard, shoes with build in wheel, etc., but never about rolling backpacks.

They didn’t want to do nothing.

I tried calling your park's head office, but after three times... They hung up on me.

What difference can it make in their lives? It helps me with water bottles, raincoats, hats, etc. All day.

I find it extremely inappropriate, humiliating, disrespectful, shameful, and lacking in compassion and respect from the security guards towards me. I felt like a criminal. And threatening me to escort me out for that, OMGGGG. Horrible.

I wasted 3 hours of my day with you over a backpack issue. That's a long time to carry a backpack for 14 consecutive days in parks for 10 hours a day.

If Great America Park can't show me the rules... it's ridiculous to want to threaten to escort me out of the park. Disrespectful even! I don't deserve to be treated like this. I don't hurt anyone. All I do is wait for my son at every ride all day long, sitting on a bench so he can live out his ride dream.

I demand an apology for the awful situation I experienced. My backpack is the same as a stroller or a wagon, and...

my pals and i love spending time at six flags. we always get a joyous thrill on the rides and a burst of enegry from the decent food.

although we enjoy the rides, some of the lines are not welcoming. including many couples showing public indecency of displays of affection towards each other. we believe that this should be more monitored and prohibitied.

another issue we are experiencing is the amount of vape use in the lines. not only are there numerous people vaping, they are disrespectfully blowing flavored air into the faces of actual air intakers. and the worse part about it all is that the workers don't seem to care at all. in fact, they seem to be a bit inebriated themselves.

wait times were pretty good. we would find it perferable if all of the rides had workers assign thrill seekers their lane pior to the ride. the loading lanes become very crowded and confusing with little to no directory information.

workers are all very nice for the most part. some that we have encountered and enjoyed their output of the park has been johnny and famous. they positively represent six flags and enhance our experience.

on the other hand, we have the workers who have stopped me from visting certain restaurants. at thrill burger, there is a very un focused and non attentive worker. her name is melanie. she is very slow at delievering the requested orders and doesnt appear to have any sense of urgency. melaine also often makes catastrophic mistakes. such as not registering our $40 all season cups. she also cares more about her social life than the starved customers awaiting their precious meals.

another dreadful worker that we have be forced to converse with has been sammy at six below ice cream. sammy seemed to have a goal and that goal was not serving ice cream to the female population. sammy's goal looked to have been to find a spouse of the male catagory. sammy was blatantly ignoring my pal and i while directing her attention towards the fellos with xy chromosomes. this was frustrating given the fact that i paid for the same price and ice cream as the gentlemen and did not get the same service. apparently, the flirtatious gestures towards the paying costumers was not enough. sammy also felt the need to flirt with her fellow coworker, famous. who was not reciprocating the romantic interest.

overall, six flags great america is a very nice park. the rides are exceptional and most of the time are all functional. but some staff need to be further trained and be reminded of their expectations as a representation of six flags. the workers also need to inforce the costumers actions in lines awaiting their thrill seeking experience. we will be returning to the park, but due to bad employees, thrill burger and six below will not be receiving our time or money...