I made my first visit to a Six Flags Park, let alone SFOT, on Dec. 22. I honestly didn’t know what to expect with all the bashing of Six Flags parks “atmosphere,” but I did know that SFOT was considered one of the best Six Flags parks around. The location of the park is terrible, from Superman I could see a traffic jam on the westbound highway (I-30?) just outside of the park from about 4-9 o’clock.

The park definitely didn’t give itself a good first impression, either. My mom was mad that only 15 minutes after opening, the restrooms by the entrance were out of paper towels. And the metal detectors caught me off guard, even though they are a pretty good idea.

We immediately headed right after grabbing a park map (which sucked by the way, no where on it was a list of the open rides, and only a few rides were labeled) and went around the park counter-clockwise.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the park. Parts of Looney Tunes land reminded me of a mini-IOA and other parts reminded me a lot of Silver Dollar City, which is not a bad thing at all. The park was pretty clean, and the employees were very friendly, which caught me off guard as well. The park really shows its age in a few places (one example being the Goodtimes Square), but overall it was a great park.

The first coaster we hit was Judge Roy Scream, and it was probably the biggest disappointment at the park. I loved the setting of the ride (the Bill Cobb plaque was a nice touch), but it was just too slow and boring. It was smooth and the headchoppers on the return run were pretty good, but the ride was just too slow for my liking. I didn’t feel any airtime on the course at all. I rode once towards the front and once towards the back, and there wasn’t much difference between the two, save for the fact that the first drop was much better in the back.

The next one was the mine train. I didn’t really know what to expect, as the only mine train I’ve ridden is a bit different than most. It was cool, mainly for the scenery. Even though it kinda ruined the “theme” of the ride, I thought it was cool how close it was to Mr. Freeze and Batman. It wasn’t exciting and was a little jerky, but it was better than I thought it would be.

Up next was Superman. I’d never ridden the turbo drop variety before, and this combined the best of both kinds of S&S towers. The launch didn’t seem as intense as, say, Detonator at WOF, but the drop more than made up for it, and the view was great. It wasn’t as intense as expected, but it was just a blast. I rode it I think three times.

On a side note, we rode it twice early, and once around 8:30, and the later ride did not seem intense at all, with hardly any airtime. My dad even noticed it. My guess is that it was colder later and that affected it? Any thoughts?

The next coaster was Shockwave. I hated the station, I hated the ramps to the station, I hated how it needed a paint job, and I really hated how the ride shimmied and shook all over. But despite all those things, this ride was awesome. It was a huge surprise. The first drop was good and the airtime was unreal. I actually got a bruise on my thigh from one of the drops. This thing packed probably the most intense and powerful ejector air I’ve ever felt. I loved this thing and I would love to see something like this at WOF. It was just so much fun.

After that, it was time for the big one, Titan. The line was the longest in the park, at about 30 minutes, but it wasn’t too bad. This is one of the first times in recent memory I can remember being a little nervous about a ride, mainly because I sometimes have a hard time with positive g’s (the helix on Mamba kills me sometimes). But this ride was amazing. The first fall was great, and I was really impressed with the steepness of the second drop. The first helix was nuts, and I couldn’t even begin to describe how the second half of the ride went. It wasn’t as intense as I thought it would be, but the constant speed and turns of the ride were unbelievable. It immediately shot to the top of my favorite coaster list, at #2 behind Hulk.

The final coaster we rode was La Vibora. The wait was pretty long, I think around 30 minutes. I had never ridden anything like this before, so it was pretty cool, but nothing spectacular. I got a couple good jolts going into the brakes on the course which kinda sucked, but nothing too bad.

Didn’t ride any other rides, most of the flats I’ve been on before, and I wanted to ride Shockwave and Titan as much as I could. The night went by pretty fast, which obviously means I must have been having fun, right? Anyway, this park was great, I would love to visit in the summer (I really really wanted to ride Texas Giant). It had a good atmosphere, and the theming wasn’t bad at all. Six Flags should be proud of this property because it has a lot of character and great rides. A fresh coat of paint is definitely needed in a few areas, but this is really a great park.

Sorry for making this thing too long, and sorry if it’s boring, but thanks for reading anyway. I had a great weekend in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. And KU won the Fort Worth Bowl 42-13 which was sweet... go 'Hawks!!!

Thanks again, and happy holidays everyone.

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Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!

You didn't ride Mr. Freeze? And I mean, how could you miss one of those fabulous Vekoma Boomerangs?

Anyway, sounds like you had a good time (besides the bathroom thing)

Last thing, you really should try to get out to some more parks if Hulk is you number one coaster.

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ROLL TIDE 5-0 BAMA'S BACK!

MR.Freeze isn't a vekoma,it's premiere rides LIM shuttle.

Can you show me where I said Mr. Freeze was a Vekoma?

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ROLL TIDE 5-0 BAMA'S BACK!

I thought your trip report was good sized and well written, compared too others. Not too long at all. You seriously need to rethink your favorite coasters list if Hulk is your favorite. Sucks Texas Giant wasn't open, and I would be anxious to ride it myself.

Nice trip report, I'm glad you appreciated the park. As far as ride closures, there's a humungo sign before you go through the metal detectors that show the rides that are closed...

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Proud Reporter of In The Loop

www.sfot-source.com

Nice TR, did you take pictures? I agree with you on most of your opinoins. The area around Runaway Mountain had a great western feel. Where did you sit on Shockwave when you rode it? I did very front and very back and felt air but not the best I've felt. I'd guess about -0.3 or so. It had better air in the front from my experience, over the last full bunny hill. Did you know before you went that Giant, BTR, Mr. Freeze, ect were going to be closed?

I do not condone your choice of HULK as your #1 coaster. It's all relative man. Hate is such a strong word too. I don't think I could hate an Anton Schwarzkopf creation. Shockwave was repainted a few years ago. The Texas sun so strong it must be. I may dislike how brief SooperDooperLooper is but I do not hate it.

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I rode towards the back on Shockwave. The most air was over the drops that went really close to the ground. I don't know why it was so intense, are there any trims on the ride that may have been turned off? And yes, I knew those rides would be closed. The only reason I thought the map should have listed the closed rides was because I couldn't remember if Runaway Mountain was open or closed, but it doesn't matter because I couldn't find it, and I didn't want to waste valuable Shockwave and Titan time.

And to everyone, sorry Hulk is my favorite coaster. I'll never have my own opinion ever again ...

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Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!

Yea thats true, I just noticed the map is 2005 HIP. Time and money, SFI can't handle it.

Shockwave has always been like that. I don't think there are any trims that they have to turn on or off. Speaking of trims, Texas Giant sure is one heck of a ride if you're lucky to catch a ride with the trims off. They usually do it during Lone Star Coasterthon.

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Proud Reporter of In The Loop

www.sfot-source.com

nice TR, i enjoyed reading it!

Texas Giant and Titan are both rides I'd love to get under my belt, the helix on Titan looks awesome

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Stanley Cup. CHAMPS.. CAROLINA HURRICANES
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Montreal, New Jersey, Buffalo, and Edmonton went home EMPTY HANDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes! I was fortunate to ride it at night once and they turned the trims off! It was not only more wild than in the daytime (it had had it's full day of rattling- everything was loose) it was more wild than ever! I wish that it was still in it's original glory. Oh well. Gotta love that park!

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"If you focus on your giants, you stumble. If you focus on God, your giants tumble."