News: Six Flags announces new waterpark

Posted at 10:47 AM EDT (1447 GMT)

Sep. 16th, 2004 -- GURNEE, ILLINOIS - Say "bon voyage" to the outside world! Six Flags officials have announced plans to build a massive new water park on a site next to Six Flags Great America, in Gurnee, IL. Carrying the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor brand name, details of this 13-acre, outdoor water park include a lavish Caribbean theme with more than 25 major water slides, the world's largest interactive waterplay structure and a 500,000 gallon wave pool.

"The Six Flags Hurricane Harbor brand is well known in the theme park industry for top quality water attractions that deliver a whole day of fun," said Hue Eichelberger, executive vice president, Six Flags, Inc. "This new Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park will live up to its brand name by featuring some of the most exhilarating water thrills on the planet."

As guests enter the new Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park, it will feel as if they have just stepped off a vacation cruise ship onto a private Caribbean island. This "shore excursion" will provide Six Flags Hurricane Harbor guests with a vacation-full of water attractions for the whole family. Island music and lush landscapes will provide the backdrop to a fabulous collection of water slides, erupting water geysers, rafting options, waterfalls, beach areas and lazy hideaways.

"This new water park will give guests the opportunity to vacation close to home," said Tim Black, vice president and general manager of Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. "You don't have to travel to the Caribbean islands to experience all of its exciting thrills. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will offer the ultimate family escape and a full day of Caribbean fun."

At the porthole to this tropical get-away is the exciting adventure river where guests can float down a relaxing river through waterfalls and rich landscaping while circling a large portion of the new water park. A gigantic, half a million-gallon wave pool will produce ocean-like waves every few minutes and dozens of water slides will tower above the park offering a variety of high-speed thrills.

Anchoring Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will be the world's largest interactive waterplay structure, Skull Island, complete with seventeen towers connected by swinging bridges and net climbs, intertwining children's slides and hundreds of water gadgets, jet sprayers, water blasters and more! Connected to an additional 23,000 square-foot activity pool geared for the park's younger guests, this area provides countless play opportunities for families.

"The sheer size of this waterplay structure is unlike anything else in the world," said Black. "Six Flags is known for building the biggest and best for our guests and our new water park is no exception."

"This world-class, water park complements all the family fun and thrills of its sister theme park, Six Flags Great America" Black continued. "With an entertainment complex of this magnitude, guests will need multiple days to experience all the excitement Six Flags has to offer."

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will have its own entrance plaza and admission, separate from the theme park. Ticket information, operating hours and season pass information will be available soon by visiting sixflags.com.

Six Flags, Inc. is the world's largest regional theme park company. Through its subsidiaries, it owns and operates a total of 31 parks in North America and Europe. Six Flags parks serve 34 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Six Flags, Inc. is a publicly held corporation with corporate offices in New York City and Oklahoma City. The Company's stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol: PKS.

SIX FLAGS and all related indicia are trademarks of Six Flags Theme Parks Inc. ®,™ and © 2004.