ThrillNetwork.com :: Destination Spotlight: Six Flags Marine World

Special Features: Destination Spotlight: Six Flags Marine World

By Kyle L

Jan. 2nd, 2007 -- Six Flags Marine World has been an outdoor entertainment staple of Northern California for over 25 years. Many California visitors are unfamiliar with the past history of the Northern California Park. Six Flags Marine World started off as a simple zoo, called “Marine World Africa U.S.A.”. It was the perfect getaway for any family with young children. Marine World Africa U.S.A. allowed park visitors to get in touch with animals and get up close. Many exclusive attractions set Marine World apart from your average city zoo. For one thing, park guests are allowed to take a ride on an elephant, or participate in a tug of war contest between several human competitors all looking to beat a humongous elephant. Marine World offered fun and close up experiences with animals that normal zoo’s couldn’t provide.

In later years, Marine World’s south bay competitor, Paramount’s Great America started to draw crowds and lure in families to their array of thrill rides and roller coasters, Marine World knew they had to compete. In a bold move, the city had Premier Parks take over and they decided to install two coasters: Kong, a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster and a standard Boomerang. Premier didn’t find that enough, and when Six Flags took over in 1999, they installed one of the better attractions today: Roar, a GCI creation that provided Marine World with a fantastic new approach.

In 2000, to mark the new Millennium, Six Flags went all out and installed the 15 million dollar floorless coaster, Medusa. This was the turning point in Marine’s World history, when they wanted to transform their park into a thrill seekers heaven in Northern California. One year later, V2: Vertical Velocity was put into place, only to get modified due to height restrictions one year later. Marine World’s latest addition would only live a short life, Zonga (Formerly known as Texas Tornado) provided rides with one of the most unique coaster experiences in the park. Unfortunately, due to maintenance and low rider interests, Zonga was removed only two seasons later. Regardless, Six Flags Marine World is the coaster destination for Northern California tourists.

Don’t let Six Flag’s website fool you; Six Flags Marine World is nowhere near San Francisco. Marine World is located in the remote town of Vallejo California, which is about one hour north of San Francisco. Any way you get to Vallejo, you’ll notice that its’ quite an odd place. As I’d like to describe it, it’s sort of a deserted

expansion-town at the hub of many highways. The town of Vallejo borders against the wine county of Sonoma and Napa and just a little south of Vacaville. Vallejo itself offers very little in outside attractions and things to do within the city, but first, let me tell you how you can master Six Flags Marine World, and make the most out of your visit.

Marine World is much smaller and compact than your typical Six Flags Park. All the attractions a coaster enthusiast will want to conquer will be right in front of you. The front of the park offers all of Marine World’s bigger hitters: Medusa, Roar, V2, and if you’re daring: Kong. The rear of the park is for anyone interested in animals, with lots of exhibits and a few terrific flat rides. The back of the park is almost always deserted and empty, so if you’re looking for a quick getaway, the back of the park is your personal haven.

If you’re looking to get your heart pumping right away, Medusa is an easy stroll to a corner of the park. Medusa was the West Coast’s first floorless coaster and is easily Northern California’s best coaster. With a mammoth 150 ft. drop

, 7 tasty inversions, and a fantastic layout don’t be surprised if you want to ride Medusa multiple times. The waits are almost always short, and the ride is very thrilling. If Medusa leaves you hungry for some other coaster thrills, Roar is my second pick. It’s certainly not the tallest or fastest wooden coaster, but I can certainly tell you: it packs a punch. With an insanely twisted layout, lots of airtime, a wealth of twists and turns, you’ll be sure to love Roar. Built by GCI (Great Coasters International), Roar offers riders with a fantastic wooden coaster experience, with relatively short waits; you’ll find yourself riding Roar and Medusa quite often. Last on my “Must Ride” list is V2: Vertical Velocity. This version of V2: Vertical Velocity isn’t your average impulse. It offers a

45 degree front spike, and a rear 150 ft. spike. The new design turned heads, but has limited re-ride value. You should certainly ride it, but I personally recommend spending more time on Medusa and Roar.

A lot of people tend to only see half of Marine World. The back-end of the park offers quite a lusher and relaxing atmosphere. The rear of the park is filled with tons of trees, gardens, and animal exhibits. Since the coasters in front of the park often draw guest’s attention, the rear of the park is actually a great place to get away from everyone and enjoy the animal life. It’s a great reminder that Marine World actually was intended to be an interactive zoo rather than a thrill park. The lack of other guests crowding the area often gives way for you to get even more up-close with the animals. Trainers feeding or playing with animals might be able to show you a few tricks or two or if you feel really adventurous, there is a Giraffe feeding station where guests can grab some food and get up close and personal with Giraffes.

Looking to ride something completely brand new? How about riding an elephant? Although Six Flags has reduced some of the older attractions that made Marine World Africa U.S.A. particularly special, Six Flags has kept this staple for many years. Riders can ride a real live elephant around a small garden and experience something completely out of the ordinary. It offers guests a completely new experience and interaction with animals.

Animals aren’t the only attraction in the back of the park, there is an array of great flat rides in the back as well. My personal favorite is Hammerhead Shark. It’s similar to a “Kamikaze” at your local fair, but with open-air carriages, dangling feet and great height; this is a must ride if you love flat rides. Other flat rides include a Top Spin, Tasmanian Devil (Huss Frisbee), and of course, a rocking-pirate ship. Included in the array of attractions in the back of the park is a river raft ride and Jambo, which is a great attraction for kids. In the end, the back of the park is certainly worth checking out. With less people, different attractions and a great setting, the back of the park is sure to please.

If you’re staying in the area, and want to take a break from the park, look to head west on Highway 37. It may look boring, but believe it or not, Highway 37 gives way to some of Northern California’s hottest tourist spots. If you’re a speed junky, then you can’t miss Infeneon Raceway. Infeneon is one of the only road tracks in NASCAR and every July, NASCAR fans and racers flood the Sonoma area and put on a show. Other events at Infeneon include: Drag Racing, Motorcycle Racing and even Mountain Bike racing in July.

Northern California is also known as wine country. Sonoma and Napa are home to hundreds of vineyards and wine tasting spots. If you’re looking to spend a relaxing day, you could spend hours driving along the highway, taking pit stops and wine tasting what California has to offer. Wine tasting is just the beginning. Sonoma offers a fantastic deli with great cheeses from local dairies and Central Park is a perfect place to sit down and relax. Sonoma offers a great laid back setting with nice, warm summer temperatures. Sonoma also offers guided-plane tours and rides. You can take off in a classic airplane and tour the skies of Northern California.

Looking to get in touch with California’s history? It’s right at your fingertips! Mission Sonoma is part of many historical landmarks all over California. Tours are given daily, and it’s a great place to learn about California’s history and background.

If you really want to get ritzy, then travel further up north to Napa. This town in Northern California is very popular with tourists. Wine tasting and fancy dining is what Napa is all about. Napa also offers cozy bed and breakfast places, as well as a few other activities to do. If Six Flags Marine World didn’t tickle your thrill fancy, the Calistoga area, which is just outside of Napa, offers Glider tours. “Glider” planes are un-powered airplanes which slowly coast towards earth. Using a standard powered airplane to tug the Glider to extreme heights, the glider plane is eventually let go, as you float down to earth. If you like airtime, you’ll never want the glider plane ride to end. Riding in a glider plane offers a feeling of weightlessness and floating. If you get sick easily, you may want to skip this ride though, as it can upset your stomach quite a bit.

Six Flags Marine World is a standout attraction in Northern California. If you’re a thrill junky, it’s definitely worth the visit. If Six Flags Marine World was too intense for you, the relaxing wineries and parks in Sonoma and Napa are sure to please. If Six Flags didn’t thrill you enough, Calistoga and Sonoma both offer plane rides in two completely different styles. Either way, Northern California has something for just about everyone.