The first Six Flags theme park chain was built in Texas. It all started with a vision from a man named Angus G. Wynne, Jr. in the late 1950s.
He envisioned amusement parks that would be expansive in scale-far more so than Disneyland-but would be situated in closer proximity to people's homes, making them more accessible, less expensive, and simpler to visit.
Wynne also wanted his amusement parks to place an emphasis on exciting rides and fun for the whole family.
He had no idea that this concept would one day become the Six Flags Theme Parks chain of amusement parks.
Building the theme park came from Wynne's idea, who also saw it as a short-term way to make more money from some vacant land prior to actually transforming it into an industrial complex.
The construction of the park took a year and cost $10 million.
However, after seeing how things went positively for Six Flags, Wynne is said to have changed his mind about the park's temporary status after recouping his personal investment of $3.5 million within 18 months.
The Beginning of Six Flags
Six Flags' first amusement park is Six Flags Over Texas, which had its first soft opening on August 1, 1961, situated on 212 acres in Arlington, Texas.
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People who enjoyed going to amusement parks headed there to experience the thrills. Five days later, on August 5, the park officially opened to the public for the first time.
The park was the first to offer log flume and mine train rides. Eventually, the park offered the first 360-degree looping roller coaster, a modern parachute drop, and a man-made river rapids ride.
According to History, the amusement park was also the first of its kind to offer all-inclusive admission prices; prior to that time, the industry standard was to charge visitors separate entrance fees and individual ride tickets.
A day pass to Six Flags cost $2.75 for adults and $2.25 for children during the park's inaugural year of operation.
The price of a hamburger was fifty cents, and a can of soda cost the purchaser ten cents.
Six Flags Today
In its first decade of operation, the park received 17.5 million guests, making it the most popular for-profit tourist attraction in the Lone Star State.
At this point in time, over 3 million people visit the park on an annual basis on average.
One of the things that set Six Flags apart from other amusement parks was the fact that it wasn't just a random collection of rides; rather, it was built around a theme, which was the history of Texas.
The park was given its name as a tribute to the six flags of the Confederacy, the United States, Mexico, France, Spain, and Texas that had flown over the state at various points in its history.
With that idea in mind, the rides and attractions of the park were organized into six distinct themed sections, each of which represented the culture of one of these governments.
These sections allowed guests to experience everything from the culture of cowboys and Southern belles to that of pirates.
Adventurous Rides at Six Flags
According to Six Flags, the theme park offers a total of ten different themed areas throughout the park.
In addition to the six original sections, USA & Bugs Bunny Boomtown offer activities that are especially entertaining for younger children.
Nowadays, there have been additional thrillers and adventurous rides based on our well-loved superheroes and cartoon characters.
One of these is the USA & Bugs Bunny Boomtown and Batman: The Ride in Gotham City.
The park introduced the ride that would go on to win multiple awards, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis, in March of 2015.
Then, in 2016, the Super-Villains started their invasion of Gotham City with THE RIDDLER REVENGE and CATWOMAN Whip Rides.
After that, Six Flags introduced The Joker, as the 13th and most maniacal roller coaster in the park's history.
Then, in 2018, HARLEY QUINN Spinsanity made its debut as a first-of-its-kind, gyroscopic thrill ride.
The next year, the park introduced El Diablo, the world's largest loop coaster, in the Spain section of the theme park as part of the park's expansion.
This summer of 2022, the theme park is slated to introduce Aquaman: Power Wave, the first water coaster in North America. This will also be the park's 15th coaster.
In 1969, Angus Wynne sold Six Flags, and in the years that followed, the theme parks expanded and were subsequently sold again.
Six Flags, Inc. is currently the largest regional theme park company in the world. It currently owns and operates a total of 26 theme parks, water parks, and zoological parks across the continent of North America.
