Hard to believe it, but Raring Rapids will be 45 years old this season. It was only the second ride of its kind in the world when it opened in 1981. www.greatadventurehistory.com/Roaring%20Ra...
GreatAdventureHistory.com
@gahistory.bsky.social
Unofficial history of the world’s largest seasonal theme park, Six Flags Great Adventure
The 2026 season will mark the 20th year for El Toro! Great to see that it's getting some much needed TLC in the off season to bring it back to the great ride it started out as.
Excited to share that “Ticket to Ride- America’s Theme Park Trains” is now available for pre-order! rivershorepress.com/ticket-to-ride This book will be a “must have” for train & theme park fans everywhere. Photos from my Great Adventure History collection and my personal collection of are included.
From this date in 2008– both coasters are gone now…
These photos are so awesome— I time capsule of the late 70’s/early 80’s in a theme park! The fake Darth Vader/C3PO photos are rare and amazing!
Walt Keegan@wjkcreations.bsky.social · 2y ago2 of my favorite Six Flags Great Adventure memories: Getting to pose with the bootleg C3PO and Darth Vader (with bonus BTS pic from my dad) and getting picked to pet a dolphin. @gahistory.bsky.social #sixflags #greatadventure
Another Monday, another map! This week it's 1987-- Splashwater Falls made a big splash, but it was another rough year for the park with bad publicity. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1987_Yearboo...
This could have interesting implications for the theme park world. I believe the licensing with Six Flags runs out next year...
How Bowers@goawaygreen.bsky.social · 2y agoSomewhere in California, Bob Iger is considering pulling out his corporate gold card… www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...
Map Monday this week is 1986, and the debut of the first (and only) Togo Ultra Twister outside of Japan! The unique ride was thrilling, but low capacity and only lasted a few years. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1986_Yearboo...
Today’s Map Monday brings us to 1985, a “rebuilding” year for the park. Looping Starship was the new ride, and the Looney Tunes took over as park mascots. Behind the scenes a $5 million fire safety system was retrofit park wide. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1985_Yearboo...
More ‘84 goodness with a look at the Season Passholder mailer: www.greatadventurehistory.com/New1984SPMai...
To go with our Map Monday, the 1984 season also had Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man.
GreatAdventureHistory.com@gahistory.bsky.social · 2y agoDo you still have Pac-Man fever? Did you know that Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man used to be walk around characters at Great Adventure? While Bally (owner of Pac-Man) owned Six Flags the larger than life Pac-Man characters were there to greet guests and take pictures.
This week’s Map Monday takes us to 1984, the year that changed everything for Great Adventure and industry wide. The Sarajevo Bobsled was the marquis addition for the season. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1984_Yearboo...
Smithsonian Magazine has a post about the demise of Kingda Ka: www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...
Thrill Seekers Say Goodbye to the World's Tallest Roller Coaster
After towering over Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey for two decades, Kingda Ka is slated for demolition—and fans are sharing their favorite memories of the iconic ride
smithsonianmag.com
I missed Map Monday, so we’re doing a Two Map Tuesday to make up for it! Here’s the 1982 map featuring the “new” Games Area, and the 1983 map which introduced Freefall, Parachutes, and the Ski Show! www.greatadventurehistory.com/1982_Yearboo... www.greatadventurehistory.com/1983_Yearboo...
Before AI, computer animation, and CAD drawings were used to show new rides, elaborate models used to be made to help show off what was coming to the park. The Roaring Rapids model was one of the most elaborate, and actually could hold water! www.greatadventurehistory.com/RoaringRapid...
Another Map Monday— 1981 and the arrival of Roaring Rapids! The rapids ride was developed by Six Flags and Intamin and was only the second in the world when it opened. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1981_Yearboo...
It’s Map Monday again! This week we’re looking at 1980, when swinging ship mania was in full swing and the Buccaneer was introduced. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1980_Yearboo...
This week’s Map Monday brings us to 1979, the year Rolling Thunder made its debut. The wooden racing coaster would remain Great Adventure’s largest coaster for ten years.
It’s Map Monday, and this week’s map is from 1978, the year Great Adventure became a member of the Six Flags family. Lots of new additions to the park for 1978 including the Monster Spin, Americana Music Hall, and Lightnin’ Loops, the park’s first looping roller coaster!
I love that it is almost exactly what the rendering looked like.
bioreconstruct@bioreconstruct.bsky.social · 2y agoAerial look at Constellation Carousel at night. Frame for a bandshell recently added at top right.
We cannot let hate win--
Alicia Stella@alicia.social · 2y agoSTOP HATE FUNDRAISER 2025 The Stop Hate Fundraiser has returned for 2025, raising money for The Trevor Project to protect LGBTQ youth. Event kicks off June, but donations are open now! This year, more than ever, we must come together to weather the storm: give.thetrevorproject.org/ParkStop
Our next Map Monday brings us to 1977, and the introduction of the popular rainbow logo 🌈 . The only new attraction introduced was the historic Gondola ride which only ran for a portion of the year.
Our next Map Monday takes us to 1976– new park entrance, new kiddie area, and a few new rides all debut! www.greatadventurehistory.com/1976_Yearboo...
To help everyone through the “off season” we’ll be featuring poster maps from the park through the years. Our first is 1975, which was the first one issued. www.greatadventurehistory.com/1975_Yearboo...
Happy Holidays and let’s all hope for a better 2025!
