Six Flags Great America

Gurnee, IL

After going to Legoland in the Spring and realizing how much my children enjoyed rides I added Six Flags to our Summer bucket list. The amusement park is only twenty minutes away from our home so I knew we could easily make it a day visit. The second we walk through the doors I was instantly transported to memories of myself going here as a child.

First up was the double-decker carousel. Of course, we have to go to the top deck to ride.

Not to our surprise, two-year-old Carson wanted to ride every ride we went on. There were a couple he wasn’t tall enough to get on yet. Overall I was surprised by how many rides he could go on as long as he had an adult with him. This gave us the opportunity as a family to ride most of the rides together.

Our favorite family ride the was Log Ride. Thankfully the day we went the line only took about 10 minutes to wait in.

My favorite memory of the day was riding American Eagle with Caden. This was the first roller coaster I went on as a child and it was fun to have that experience with my own child.

Six Flags Great America has three children’s areas for the younger kiddos. Hometown Park, Kidzopolis, and Camp Cartoon. I spent some time in Hometown Park with the younger two while Dave took Caden to ride my roller coasters.

What to know before you visit Six Flags Great America.

• If you want to try to avoid long lines try to visit during the week, preferably Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
• The end of the summer tends to be less crowded than the beginning.
• Food is expensive. I mean really expensive!
• Children 2 and under are free and do not need a ticket.
• There is a waterpark but check the dates for when that is open. It closes down in early August.
• Download the six flags app to access an interactive map that shows wait times.

Overall our experience at Six Flags Great America was amazing! I think the timing, a Tuesday in August, and our kids’ ages, 2/4/7 really helped with making it fun. I think longer wait times could have derailed the experience for us as my kids are impatient at this age. Being so close to the park we will be back much more!

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