Six Flags America Baltimore/DC--Feedback needed!

[EMom]

The kids at school have been yakking about Six Flags and DD is determined to go. I grew up going to Six Flags Over Texas yearly and DH grew up going to the now defunct Six Flags Astroworld. So we know what it's all about and wonder if she'll be let down once she compares it to WDW.

At any rate, we had been pricing a trip to SFOT and between the gas, hotel for 2 nights, tickets, parking, food, etc., it could easily run $500-600 for one measly day there. I hate to spend that much for one day.

We may have an opportunity to go to DC over the summer (we've already been a few times, so we've seen some of the biggies) and I understand that Six Flags America is nearby. Could anyone who has been there please tell me anything and everything you know about it? It wouldn't put nearly so big a dent in the budget to go there if we're already in the DC area. Just a bit of gas, entry tickets, food and we're done. But I have no idea what it's like, so I'd appreciate any info you can share.

Before anyone says they wouldn't waste a day of a DC trip to go to Six Flags, bear in mind, that is the ONLY thing she has asked to do this summer and she's got her heart set on it.

THANKS!!!!

 

[bdcp]

I haven't heard good things about it. First, the location isn't the best. It's located there because a previous park was purchased by Six Flags. It wouldn't be my first choice of parks. Kings Dominion 20 miles north of Richmond is a better park. I have heard of gang problems and it's in an area we never go to and DH and I grew up in the same county, just south of there. It's definitely not the same park as Texas (I've been there a couple of times). It's also a good 30min to an hour from DC depending on what part of the city you're coming from.

 

[EMom]

I haven't heard good things about it. First, the location isn't the best. It's located there because a previous park was purchased by Six Flags. It wouldn't be my first choice of parks. Kings Dominion 20 miles north of Richmond is a better park. I have heard of gang problems and it's in an area we never go to and DH and I grew up in the same county, just south of there. It's definitely not the same park as Texas (I've been there a couple of times). It's also a good 30min to an hour from DC depending on what part of the city you're coming from.

We'd actually be in Virginia, so Richmond might work out well. Is King's Dominion a nice park? DD wants lots of rollercoasters and thrill rides.

I can relate to the gang thing. Before Astroworld closed, it could be that way at times. And as for zoos, we'll go to the San Antonio zoo, but the only time I ever went to the Houston zoo was maybe 15 years ago. We kept joking that we couldn't figure out why anyone would want to have a gang initiation at the ZOO. I told my friend that DH and I might as well have had blinking signs on our foreheads that read, "SUBURBANITES---WE DON'T BELONG HERE!!" because we stuck out like a sore thumb. She had to one-up me by telling me that when she and her DH took their kids to Houston zoo, they parked in the lot, took a look at all the people who "strongly resembled" gangbangers going in, and never even got out of the car. They started it back up and took the kids elsewhere. Later they took them to the San Antonio zoo. It used to cost something like 50 cents or $1 to get in to the Houston zoo, and they've raised that price. But the one time we went, those thugs were pestering the animals, and DH was afraid my mouth would get us killed.

I have no desire to go to a theme park with that sort of clientele. We just want to have a good time without going to WDW.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

It's been about 6 years since we went to Six Flags in Largo. And I agree, the clientele was not the best; a lot of thugs.

 

[coastermom]

Not a HUGE fan of the SF in Maryland ... Go to Kings Dominion instead ... Six Flags America is not a nice place ... WE go to the Six Flags in NJ and enjoy that but since we have season passes we stoped one year in the DC area on a trip home from WDW ... WE NEVER will stop there again !

How tall is your DD ? I can tell you about the rides in the area and the thrills she maybe looking for ... we kind of travel to coasters so we have been to lots of parks !

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

We've been to the Six Flags in Baltimore many times. We had Six Flags season passes last summer and since it is only 30 minutes from us, we went a lot. Of all the Six Flags we've ever been too (Atlanta, St Louis, Baltimore, and New Jersey), this one is definitely the smallest and probably the least exciting. That said, for one day, it is not bad.

If I remember correctly, they have 4 metal coasters. DS8 loves Jokers Jinx (very twisty) and another one I can't remember the name, but your feet hang down. The other 2 have a 54" height restriction and he wasn't quite tall enough. One (superman) is really high and has super high drops. The othe one (batman) you lay on your stomach for.

There are also 2 old style wooden coasters, a couple tilt a whirl type rides, 2 water flumes, 2 wate raft type rides, and a few stray others. The kids section is pretty large (probably a dozen or more).

Lines are never very long. The most we ever waited was probably 20 minutes and we always go on Saturdays. Some have mentioned the clientelle. We never experienced any problems with other park guests or anything inapproriate.

There is also a water park, but we've never been to that. It is usually very crowded.

We've never been to Kings Dominion so I can't compare it to that.

I wouldn't make a special trip to the DC area to go there, but if you're coming anyway, it's not that bad and it is pretty affordable compared to other theme parks.

Check out the Six Flags website for more ride descriptions and see if it has enough for you to feel like it is worth the trip.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

It's been about 6 years since we went to Six Flags in Largo. And I agree, the clientele was not the best; a lot of thugs.

This is really the only problem, IMO. I'd certainly never *live* in the area.

Really, I don't think it's unsafe, and I let my dd and ds go with friends a few times last year. The mom that took them said it was clean and safe and the staff was all great. If your dd wants to go for the coasters, she will love it there.

We used to get season passes when my big kids were younger and they loved it. I would take the kids by myself or go with other moms with young kids and we never had any problems, or even saw anything questionable. I've been to the one in Atlanta and the only real difference I saw was that Atlanta Six Flags had much longer lines!

 

[EMom]

Not a HUGE fan of the SF in Maryland ... Go to Kings Dominion instead ... Six Flags America is not a nice place ... WE go to the Six Flags in NJ and enjoy that but since we have season passes we stoped one year in the DC area on a trip home from WDW ... WE NEVER will stop there again !

How tall is your DD ? I can tell you about the rides in the area and the thrills she maybe looking for ... we kind of travel to coasters so we have been to lots of parks !

DD is 57 inches tall and in the middle of a growth spurt, so I assume she is tall enough for pretty much everything. ?????

 

[Pea's Mom]

DH and I grew up in the area, no way will we allow our daughter to go there.

 

[WDSearcher]

I've visited nearly ever Six Flags park in the US, and I enjoyed Six Flags America. It does not and will not ever compare to a place like Disney, as much for its size as for its theming and atmosphere. It is a "Six Flags" park -- that is, it's an amusement park with some heavily themed areas.

I did like the colonial theming to their "main street" area -- it's kind of like walking into a larger version of Liberty Square, without the attention to detail. But the patriotic theme is evident.

I didn't notice any "thugs" at the park. There were lots of groups of teenagers, but I didn't come across any that made me fear for my safety. It's a totally different dynamic from Disney or SeaWorld, since most of the kids there are visiting as groups of kids, not with their families. But the vibe was far better than Six Flags Magic Mountain or Astroworld.

The park was clean and the employees were mostly friendly. There's no theming to speak of for the rides -- they're steel coasters with occasional theme overlays. Entertainment was pretty good, surprisingly, and their character performers were actually really great. I remember commenting on how engaged Bugs and Tweety were with my nephew and how they truly seemed to want to interact with people. The characters at Six Flags don't have the same popularity as the Disney characters, so I think that when someone comes up to them for a hug or autograph, they're so thrilled that they go the extra mile.

If you consider WDW to be a "10" (on a 1-to-10 scale), then I'd give SF America about a 6.5. It's above average, but not the best Six Flags of the bunch.

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

At 57" your DD should be able to ride all the coasters.
I think your family will enjoy the park.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I visit Six Flags America at least once a year. It's not a beautiful place, but it is a fun diversion for a day. Don't go expecting Disney quality though. The park can be a little messy.

The staff can be excruciatingly slow and disinterested. The clientele can be a little off-putting if you're not used to an mixed ethnicity urban environment. You have to go through metal detectors to get in, so safety is not something I've been concerned about. I've was there last summer with my pre-school age daughter, and will go again with her this year.

I'm a little puzzled at the "I wouldn't let my kids go there" comments from previous posters. Six Flags America is located in Prince George's County in Maryland, which is a majority African-American area and THE COUNTY has a crime problem. But the area where Six Flags is located is a very nice, somewhat upscale semi-rural area. The closest things nearby to the park are open land and nicer (for the area) housing and retail developments.

Parts of Orlando also have major crime problems, but you don't see people being warned against visiting WDW because of that problem.

But if you can do Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens Williamsburg just as easily, absolutely go to one of those. KD is three to four times the size of Six Flags. BGW is beautifully themed and has some fantastic rides, though not as many as Kings Dominion.

 

[Hoodie]

It's rather nasty and has had some issues with gangs the past couple of years.

Skip it.

 

[SingingMUA]

I visit Six Flags America at least once a year. It's not a beautiful place, but it is a fun diversion for a day. Don't go expecting Disney quality though. The park can be a little messy.

The staff can be excruciatingly slow and disinterested. The clientele can be a little off-putting if you're not used to an mixed ethnicity urban environment. You have to go through metal detectors to get in, so safety is not something I've been concerned about. I've was there last summer with my pre-school age daughter, and will go again with her this year.

I'm a little puzzled at the "I wouldn't let me kids go there" comments from previous posters. Six Flags America is located in Prince George's County in Maryland, which is a majority African-American area and THE COUNTY has a crime problem. But the area where Six Flags is located is a very nice, somewhat upscale semi-rural area. The closest things nearby to the park are open land and nicer (for the area) housing and retail developments.
Parts of Orlando also have major crime problems, but you don't see people being warned against visiting WDW because of that problem.

But if you can do Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens Williamsburg just as easily, absolutely go to one of those. KD is three to four times the size of Six Flags. BGW is beautifully themed and has some fantastic rides, though not as many as Kings Dominion.

This.

I grew up in PG County (and not exactly in the "nicest" part... not the roughest by any means, though). PG County is very large, and very diverse. You have some very urban areas, some very rural areas, and some pretty upscale areas all in the same county.

Just because parts of PG County might have a bit of a "reputation", it doesn't mean that the entire county should be completely avoided by those who may not be "used to" such diversity.

Yes, there are all kinds of people who come to the park, and honestly, you will find more "urban" kids at this park than, say, WDW because of it's proximity to the city, and the fact that it's much more convenient to people in the DC area than Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens. However, *in my opinion* I think saying "I'd never live in that area" is a bit much... considering that the area surrounding the park is (as a PP said) a combination of rural area and sprawling suburban homes.

Regarding the actual content of the park itself, it's much less interesting to me now than when it first became a Six Flags (it used to be "Adventure World"... then it was "Wild World" before that), though it does house one of my favorite rides... "The Superman". I'd much rather go to KD or Busch Gardens than Six Flags, even though Six Flags is closer. I think KD has better thrill rides, and Busch Gardens has better theming.

 

[Christine]

This park is an easy day-trip for local area school students. My son, while in middle school, took their end-of-year band trip there every year.

He said it could be kind of funky, but he still had a good time and enjoyed the rides that were there. That said, I don't think I'd plan a whole day trip there with the family because it's just not that big or that great but I think it services its purpose for local area kids. It's just not much of a "destination" park to me.

I also grew up in PG County and I don't think it's all that dangerous--at least not in and around the park.

 

[sbell111]

My brother and I went there for a day several years ago. It was a fun day.