Childhood Memories

[planea380]

So in Business we were talking about childhood memories and how the lesiure industry uses them to bring people back to their company. So what do you remeber as a kid at great america. Personally, I have many:
1. Being forced on American Eagle red
2. The Batman stunt show
3. The diving show
4. Being rejected from Shockwave for the first time
5. Riding Shockwave the first time(I have a feeling this is where my enthusiasm for coasters came from)
6. Riding the scenic rail road
7. Riding Columiba Carousel the first time

[Da Chillin16JG]

I remember when I went to SFGAm every year from 1990 to 2004 except year 2000 so I got 13 Great America passes at my house. When I started to like rides in like 1996, I was 6 I loved to go Rolling Thunder, Whizzer, lady bugs and my favorite, the airplanes. I remember being Forced on to American Eagle at Fright Fest in like 96 or 97 and I didn't want to go on it because of the big spider Tiny.

[Virtua Tennis]

Well, my childhood memories at parks (before I started visiting a lot):
Riding B:TR for the first time.
Riding Splash Mountain for the first time.
Alien Encounter when I was 8.
Hearing "Like a grand and miraculous Spaceship" for the first time, just kind of clicked with me .
My first ever Eagle ride (memorable cause it was night).
My Bull ride when it opened in 1999.
Whizzer going down while I was on it "wait, is it supposed to do that?"

[SFGAm Rules]

Here are my memories of when I was little:

SFGAm:
First visit "You mean that you can ride that giant flag pole?"
First time on Bull
First Fright Fest
First Funnel Cake

Disney World:
I was really little (like 3 or something). I was scared of everything other than Mr. Toad and Haunted Mansion. (Does that make sense?)

[Jamesb58]

Boy oh boy, my childhood memories. I was born in 1979 and I can
remember going to SFGAm for as long as I can remember. Some of
my memories are:

1-Always going on Roaring Rapids
2-Going on Rolling Thunder for the first time
3-Going on Batman The Ride for the first time. It was also the first
coaster I've ever been on.
4-For years, I only went once a year and it always rained in the morning.

Those are my most favorite memories!

[DejaVu The Ride]

My childhood memories.(Well, from my first few visits.)
1. Trying to get into SWT through Carousel Plaza(near Winner's Circle)
2. Riding my first ever roller coaster(Demon), and waited what felt like forever.
3. Loosing my souvenier cup on my first Whizzer ride.
4. Leaving the park at 7pm(open til 10pm) and I wanted to still stay.
5. Riding only Demon, STT, Dino Island, Roaring Rapids, Whizzer, and Scenic Railway on my first visit.
6. Going to ride Shockwave for the first time and walking right into the station. I was so estatic.
7. And last but not least, remembering when my parents said we would be passing Six Flags. I said "What's so great about seeing six flags?"(literally 6 flags.)

[Danhockey04]

From when I was really young.
1. Riding Rolling Thunder over and over (my favorited coaster and only one I rode)
2. Going on Whizzer for the first time.
3. Eating a lot of food at the park, I still try, but it is too expensive and I have to pay.
4. Going on Demon for the first time, started my liking for coasters
5. First Fright Fest

My worst memory ever, just had to state it, I'm sorry to all the fans of this ride, but is the removal of Sky Whirl for the addition of Deja Vu to the park. Deja Vu is an okay ride, but it just looks ugly when you are next to it and it never works.

[DejaVuGurl1203]

I only started going when I was 10, so, I was never there as a little kid. But that doesn't mean I don't have memories...

1. Riding BTR for the first time
2. Riding some of the other coasters for the first time, especially AE, Bull, and Shockwave... and IW I suppose.
3. First Fright Fest
4. The first time I visited GAm...

LOL DejaVu The Ride, that last one is funny.

[Mr. SFGAm]

My memories include:
1.) Though not SFGAm, being taken directly from Beastie to the Beast at PKI. This is were my coaster enthusiasm came from

2.) Riding Demon for the first time. You wouldn't believe how scared I was to go upside down!
3.) First time on Bull, and then V2.
4.) First time on Giant Drop. (Wow )

[w00dland]

Of my few park memories from back in the day most of them were at SFGAm with one at WDW.

1: Being deathly afraid of going upside down when I was 8, but loved every coaster that didn't go upside down. One night after riding American Eagle tons of times my Dad forced me on Demon. I loved it completely and have been hooked on coasters ever since.

2: Drizzly day all day during August when I was around 10 or 11 and riding viper 9 times without getting out, 3 times in the front row.

3: At WDW trying Alien Encounter in the 3rd grade. Needless to say I just about shat my pants.

[SFGA 11]

1. Going on Batman for first time and being scared of the queue lol.
2. Going on Eagle with my dad when I was 5.

[The Beast]

When I used to live in Iowa, as a kid, I went to SFGAm twice. It was the first big park I have ever been to. I remember sitting in the BTR test chair and getting my picture taken. I didn't ride any rides til' the end of the day, and I finally rode Whizzer. Unfortunately it was time to go, but, I finally rode a roller coaster. What a first coaster!

[coastrcorey]

I remember clearly getting in line for Demon at night and being deathly afraid because it had loops. I really wanted to do it, but I started crying so me and my dad got out of line.

Obviously I made a turn-around since then.

[Sedir]

1. My first coaster - Demon
2. First Eagle ride - the height really scared me
3. First Raging Bull ride
4. First Batman ride
5. Watching Shockwave
6. Watching Giant Drop

[playerplex]

My best are riding Rolling Thunder and Haybaler.
Then going on Sky Whirl the 1st time with three older cousins and they shook the cage. Scared the crap out of me. I was only five or six at the time.
The 1st upside-down ride I went on was Shockwave and I rode 1st car, 2nd seat. I was either 10 or 11. The person in front of me lost their hat and it flew into my face during the 1st loop.

[RBull4life]

Marriots Great America grand opening in 1976.

My first "big" coaster, Willards Whizzer

Being scared to death of the Tazmanian Devil in the Loonet Tunes shows

Riding The Demon for the first time after in was converted from The Turn of the Century. That song that use to play is still in my head.

Seeing all of the changes that has happened to the park since in first opened.

[StealthNet]

1.) Going with my family when I was younger. It was always a big event since we would only go once or twice a year and getting to ride the kiddie rides was fun. Going through the jungle gym type stuff they had was also a blast. Just the memory of having the whole family together in a car, driving an hour (we lived in Chicago), and pulling into the Six Flags lot and how excited I was... I would literally look forward to these days for months. Riding in the Sky Whirl was one of my favorite rides because you could see everything so clear from near the top with the open air cages, and it was closer to the midway it seemed (unlike Sky Trek).

Then, when I was growing, the feeling of riding the larger rides as I got older, such as Demon and American Eagle was amazing. I remember waiting in line for the Eagle while all the switchbacks in the tent were full, and the line was out of the tent! Same situation with Demon, those were THE rides about 10 years ago. Then, of course, my first ride on Batman was incredible... waited through the entire GCPW barriers for that, but well worth it. Then there was the time I went with a friend when I was about 11 and he wouldn't ride any coasters, but he was obsessed with riding the Condor.

2.) Going with my now ex girlfriend a couple years ago during Fright Fest before we started going out. We were in a big group and it was a big awkward at first, since she was talking to her friend for the first part of the day... but then we rode some rides together near the end of the night, and afterwards while sitting in the car in the front of her house was the start of our relationship.

3.) Fright fests. I love going to the park during these times. Just getting to see the park in a whole new way, the creepy music, the cold weather, and getting to laugh at the scary characters walking around. It isn't so much about riding rides for me during this time... I could just walk around, go in the haunted houses, and of course the freak show (great show) and still have a lot've fun. Speaking of that, the multi-colored lighting they had on the midways last year were great. I really hope they continue that this year, along with the improvement in theming they had (King Kong, etc.)

To me, having a dedicated area like Picnic Grove and turning it into Necropolis is awesome. I don't know how many other parks have an area like this, but I always love ours. I always see Love at First Fright every year, and also ride the train.... my friends and I love those. LOL... Pigman was still the most amusing train one because of how ridiculous it was.... but the "Fugitive" scene they had a number of years back was great!

4.) The past three seasons. For the past few seasons, I've been friends with a group of people that go out about once every two weeks to Great America... we all get passes, we love all the rides, we generally just have a great time. Lots of funny moments.... we're in our early 20s, and we get a kick out of when 16 year olds hit on us, for example. We were also pretty amused a couple years ago when the Raging Bull control op would always say "You all ready to ride?" everyone would say "yeah!", then he'd say again, "I said, are you all ready to ride?" and everyone would scream... Then he'd say, "All right, let's do this!" He did that for every train he dispatched... it was funny and never got old.

Or, just this season, some girl came up to me and thought I was her uncle. It sounds stupid explaining it, but there's a lot of fun we have at the park. Or... getting the River Rocker to shout "We Love.." then "Six Flags!" Or.... one of us asking for a life-preserver on Roaring Rapids and have everyone in the station and the line and the bridge stare at us, like "What the heck is that guy doing with a life vest?!" Or... one of acting like a Pirate and singing the Pirates of the Carribbean theme song on Logger's Run all throughout the ride as the other boats stare at us. Nothing harmful or that obnoxious, but still funny when you're in the moment.

5.) Great America at night. The park really transforms, and I love the night especially. Just the ambiance of all of the lighting, the darkness, how fun it is to ride rides, it's a little bit cooler and not so hot... awesome. We always try to make it to Batman to ride the front row at night.... no lights on the track, lots of trees.... always intense... the best! Then, after a long day, all of us piling in the car and heading to TGI Friday's... good times.

[Mr. D.T.]

Oh, I have a handful of childhood memories. But there aren't as many as my more recent memories here. I won't have time to explain them all.

A. Bugs Bunny Land
a. Punching the gigantic bean bags
b. Playing on the playground (I couldn't get enough of it!)
c. The bumble bee ride.

B. Yankee Harbor
a. Being forced on the East River Crawler
b. Riding the Yankee Clipper with my day camp group (Warren Township) and family. I can never forget the time I ascended the first hill and zooming under it after the drop at the end.
c. Observing Tidal Wave

C. Picnic Grove
a. My day camp group had a picnic at the park one time or two. One of my leaders told me as we walked by the Yankee Clipper that the ride was closed. It could be a staffing problem, but I don't know.

D. Yukon Territory - So far, none I can recall.

E. County Fair - Oh yeah, now you're talking!
a. Fiddlers Fling, of course. I think the ride ran under a different program. It ran slow for a minute before speeding up. Did the ride run under a different program, or has it always been like that?
b. Sticky Fingers - I think this is where I met cotton candy for the first time. We used to get it here all the time. The Whirligig and Z-force were a step away at the time. I wanted to ride Whirligig but I didn't have the gumpton back then. I think I rode it back then.
c. The Haybaler and Sky Whirl - I wasn't too thrilled with Haybaler but the Sky Whirl I really enjoyed.
d. And of course, how can we forget the vine tunnel nearby?
e. Oh, I forgot about the antique cars. Me and my mom used to drive these together. I got to see the American Eagle up-close which was too bad because I didn't have the guts to ride it.
f. The games. I can't remember much but I do recall the one where you roll the bowling ball along the track.

F. Hometown Square
a. Hometown Park
b. Probably Bottoms Up
c. Seeing the Whizzer from the midway.
d. Pictorium (I have no idea the film)

G. Carousel Plaza
a. The carousel, of course. Most of the time, I sat on the bench.
b. Sky Trek Tower

H. Orleans Place
a. My first bumper car ride. Rue Le Dodge definetely goes back into my childhood. They got the same ride system from my childhood, probably since the ride opened. But I never go on it anymore because most of the time it's tough to board. Aargh!
b. White Water Rampage - I don't know if it was my day camp or family, but I still remember parts of this ride. When I rode it again in 99 some familiar sights I saw was the boarding area, the waterfalls on the side, the falls in front of the cave, the water fountain which gets you wet, and the ramp at the end.
c. The bridge to Picnic Grove. Unforgettable sight. Too bad they took it down for RC.

So far, that's all I had in mind. Any comments?

[SFGAm Rules]

Or... getting the River Rocker to shout "We Love.." then "Six Flags!"

Brings back memories for me too. My mom would have us shout "Taste Great... Less Filling". At the time I had no idea what it meant. The ride op got involved and started saying it on the microphone.

[mr. dejavu]

I was only three, but I remember going to SFGA and loving camp cartoon network. I also recall staring in awe at the Eagle.

[UnBullievable]

1. Filming the Southwest Territory commercial in '96.
2. First time on Eagle backwards (in 1994)
3. First Demon ride (first looping coaster for me)
4. The scooters in Bugs Bunny Land
5. Yankee Clipper running all season long
6. The Batman stunt show
7. Tiny being stolen
8. Wilderness Theater in all it's diving show glory
9. Shooting down all the other planes as the Red Baron in Hometown Park. BANG BANG! GOTCHA!

[sixflagsguy5]

Whenever i think of my childhood memories at six flags, i think of how the park used to seem to be bigger to me even that they had less rides. I think the park overall seems better when you don't go that much, or when you haven't been there for a while, or know you wont go for awhile. I know i wont go for 3 weeks.

Anyways:

1) Looking at shockwave for the first time.
2) Going on Viper for the first time.
3) Getting my hand stamped with a 48.
4) Going to six flags with my aunt and waiting 1hour and 20 minutes for shockwave and then being told i was too short.
5) Going to six flags with my aunt and waitng 45 minutes for batman the ride and being told i was too short to ride.
6) Sneeking on Iron Wolf with my aunt when i was 2 inches too short to ride.
7) Waiting in line for the Wizzer with my aunt and yelling at her for not getting me on batman.

In 2001
1) Having my aunt pay 100 or more in fast lanes and then none of the good rides being opened. It was the last day of the 600 minute reading thing, so there was about a 10 minute line jsut to get your fast lanes stamped.

In 3rd grade we got our first seasons passes. We went about 10 times a year until 2004 when i got my own pass and just go with friends now.

Current Trip count is 19.

[Mr. SFGAm]

Or.... one of us asking for a life-preserver on Roaring Rapids and have everyone in the station and the line and the bridge stare at us, like "What the heck is that guy doing with a life vest?!"

I can't believe I forgot to put that in mine! Back in August, me and a friend dared one of our other friends to ask for alife vest on IMS.
We almost died when he actually did it! The look we got from the ride op before the big drop was priceless!
Four people in the boat, and only one was wearing a life vest!:D

[DejaVu The Ride]

Oh, I forgot one. Waiting 2 hours on a hot summer day for Loggers Run. Man, was I stupid and young.

[Sedir]

Cajun Cliffhanger rides... I miss that thing.