Six Flags Great Adventure! Our Review!

     You know what's weird?  Going to a place that you frequented as a teenager or a young adult with your kids.  Every summer until my late twenties I went to Six Flags Great Adventure with my buddies and we ran around like lunatics trying to beat the lines,   We jumped from one thrill to another, leaving as a complete and totally exhausted sweaty mess at the end but always with a smile on our faces. Well except this one time when my "friend" Adam told me that Nitro was just like every other roller coaster .  It was not and I thought I was gonna die the entire time (which was like five seconds because that's how long the ride is), and hated him afterwards.  But other than that particular incidence we had smiles. Adam if you are reading this, I am now mad at you again for that so beware my wrath.

      Anywhoo we were invited to visit this popular tri-state go-to this weekend and we brought our son. The whole experience changed as my husband and I witnessed a place we have known and loved through our child's eyes.  Instead of dashing like maniacs we strolled. We stopped to enjoy a magic show from Brad Ross which was wonderful.  We enjoyed our son's enthusiasm when he stopped and said "oh my gosh look at this" or "oh wow can I go on that ride?"  We got to view the theme park in a totally different light and the experience was delightful.

     First off, if you think that this park isn't geared towards the younger ones you're wrong.  In my mind when I think of Six Flags I think of King da Ka or the Dark Night, ooooh and Skull Mountain! They're all still there, and as per my most recent experience all still thrilling, however there are also a butt load of other more rides aimed towards the pre-Ks and in-betweens.

   Our first stop was the gigantic Ferris Wheel where we enjoyed a bird's eye view of the entire park. Then we headed over to the Safari kids area where there were great rides for the kids; a fun, high flying balloon spinner, a car ride that auto-drives along the tracks and the Dropper where they strap in and do a couple of free falls. All great for the youngsters.  Directly next to that is Looney Tunes

Seaport where there were swings, a mini roller coaster and three other equally exceptional rides.
From there we headed to the Congo Rapids where we cooled down as the giant rafts bumped into waves and walls, all the while splashing us silly!
   
     After all that excitement we had some lunch at Granny's--a place we always stopped in when we made the trip.  My son ordered the kids meal which was well worth the money and featured Welch's gummy snacks, Pop Crisps, applesauce, fries and two chicken fingers.

    Following lunch we and headed across the park in the best possible way, traveling on the Skyway. You thought that the Ferris Wheel had the best view of the park?  Ha were you mistaken!  Not only do you have views but
you also get to cross the width of the park without any blisters!  Frontier land here we come yee-haw!

     The one thing we absolutely wanted to hit was the safari, and boy was I glad we did.  Although we did wait in line for quite a while it was well worth the wait.  Ride aboard an open-sided truck (guard rails are on both sides but there are no windows only that and the roof) and take off for some really cool close encounters of over 1,200 species of animals. Enjoy your ride on the rough and often
bumpy road way while you see giraffes, zebras, lions and kangaroos among other amazing animals.  The tour guides give you a short, but in-depth, look at each species and the driver stops along the way so you can have a better look. It was absolutely surreal to be in a car and have a dazzle of zebras (which is the technical term for a zebra herd) just chillin' along side of you.  Or having a friendly ostrich give you a cheeky glance only a few feet away.  You can even stop along the way and get off of the 45 minute ride to enjoy some closer encounters with some reptiles, feed a giraffe and see an amazing ant eater!  Want even more fun then try the zip line! Whoo hoo! Just make sure you go before 4:30 so you do not miss out on the fun. The safari and all the side events during close at 5.

     So what did we take away from our experience at Six Flags?  A new way of viewing the park, thrills, laughter and even some learning!  So whether you have a family of four-year-olds, teens or a mix of them all you will find everything you need at Six Flags Great Adventure!

Thank you Six Flags for hosting us! For more information at Six Flags Great Adventure please visit their official website!