Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a large amusement park in Gurnee, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee. It opened on May 29, 1976 as Marriott’s Great America and was built by the Marriott Corporation. In 1984 the park was sold to Six Flags and renamed. The park sits on about 273 acres and is part of a larger complex that includes Hurricane Harbor Chicago, a 20-acre water park that opened in 2005. Since 2021 the water park has been separately gated from the theme park. The combined property draws about 3 million visitors each year.
Today the park has 47 attractions, including 16 roller coasters and three water rides, spread across twelve themed areas such as Americana, DC Universe (opened in 2022), Yukon Territory, Mardi Gras, County Fair, Hometown Square, Hometown Park for kids, Camp Cartoon, and Metropolis Plaza. It is known for its iconic coasters, including Batman: The Ride (1992), the world’s first inverted roller coaster; American Eagle (1981), a famous dueling wooden coaster; X-Flight (2012), a Wing Coaster; The Joker (2017), a 4D spinning coaster; Maxx Force (2019), noted for its extreme launch and inversions; and Wrath of Rakshasa (2025), a high-inversion Dive Coaster.
Over the years the park has expanded many times, adding rides like Shockwave (1988), Rolling Thunder (1989), Raging Bull (1999), and a major 2005 upgrade that introduced Hurricane Harbor Chicago. The DC Universe area joined in 2022, bringing re-themed attractions and new paint. Other developments have included the addition of kid-focused zones such as Camp Cartoon and Kidzopolis, and new experiences like the Dark Knight Coaster (2008) and Justice League: Battle for Metropolis (2016).
Six Flags Great America operates seasonally, typically from spring to late fall, with special events such as Fright Fest in the fall and Holidays in the Park during the winter months. The park has earned recognition from industry groups for its entertainment and rides, and several attractions have appeared in films and television over the years.
In 2024, Six Flags merged with Cedar Fair to form a new Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The company has announced substantial investments for the 2026 season, including new enhancements and a new kids area to celebrate the park’s upcoming 50th anniversary. Wrath of Rakshasa opened in 2025 as the park’s 16th roller coaster, reinforcing Great America’s place as one of the Midwest’s most coaster-rich parks, second only to Cedar Point.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:41 (CET).