Mariotts/Paramount/California's Great America July 1977 

By far the best part of the video was the drive. Kudos to the camera person who dutifully recorded freeways as a time capsule to the journey. The empty roads, the 101 interchange under construction, taking the 680 to 280 and getting off on 10th, which is 5 minutes away and a drive I do all the time... Thanks for the upload!

This park used to be so well maintained when Marriott's still owned it.

I went to Cali in 76 when I was 10, first time outside of New England. My grandparents took me to Great America and did not take a single photo! This is the first time I have seen the park as it was back then. Brought a bit of a tear to my eye. Thank you so very much.

So cool to see the cars driving before the Grizzly was built over the top. And before the Turn of the Century turned into the Demon.

Great video, the land outside the park is vacant compared to today. The trees were so small.

That freeway under construction is the 280-680-101 interchange. It was stuck in construction like that until the early 80s.

Thanks for the memories. I worked there from 1976 until 1981. Got to work at Great America in Gurnee Illinois the last week of the 1976 season. Great times. Was also in the Night Time Comes Alive at Great America commercial .

Thank you soooo much for sharing this!!! I grabbed at least 20 awesome screenshots of the park that I literally grew up in.(Take a glance on google earth now, it’s unrecognizable). And the three piece freeway to nowhere? My goodness we drove past it dozens of times a year and I had not thought of that image in 40 years

Thank you for this, it was great to relive some old memories. The current CGA is only half the park that it was in the 80s and 90s. There used to be so many shows at this park that you could get a hotel room and stay 2 days and still have trouble seeing everything. The saloon show, IMAX theatre, ice show, dance show, dolphin/bird show, and atmosphere entertainment, plus they had a lot more rides back then, and people would travel here from all over the country to book hotel rooms for multiple day stays. You cannot imagine the current CGA being like that. It really is sad when you compare what this park used to be with what it is now. I appreciate the old footage, I had many good times there with people that are no longer around, and this helped me relive some of that :)

This 8mm film is a treasure. I watched the 680/280/101 interchange being built from my bedroom window in Evergreen, right at the top of San Felipe Rd, for years. I so miss the old Marriot's.

Awesome time capsule! So much has changed!!!

Great to see this footage! I was there every year from the opening in '76 until I was on my own. By mid eighties I was an adult and off on my adventure outside of NorCal.

I remember going to Marriott's in the 70's, starting in '77. The air time on those hills (before they were converted to loops) were insane! Fond memories.

I was in the 2nd grade that year on a classroom field trip, my first time there. It was an eye opener!

Omg All this rides literally look soooo fun I wonder why they took them out? The one that was a big wheel spinning looked cool

OMG! I REMEMBER ALL THAT WHEN I WENT. THE 1ST TIME I THINK WAS 1979. I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HS AND WON A STUFFED STRIPED LEOPARD. IT WAS SO BIG IT HAD TO GO IN THE STORAGE BIN AT BOTTOM OF THE BUS! OHHHH THE MEMORIES!!

Wow, thank you for uploading this! I was born and raised in San Jose and it's so cool to see how things looked like a long time ago

Thank you so much for sharing!!!! Childhood memories.....❤❤❤❤

Great video! Worked there in 76 and 77.

This was my childhood theme park. I’m also going there this Saturday.

This is great footage, the park isn't even recognizable. I'm putting together a video about all the coasters at GA, do you mind if I use a couple shots from this video? I'll link back to it and give on-screen credit.

WOW!!! Does this bring back memories! I remember first going around 1978 and was FREAKED because Whizzer didn't have any seat belts at the time. I seem to remember Looney Tunes characters providing the entertainment. Thanks so much!

For some reason I was expecting a guest appearance from the Griswalds.

Nearly identical to the one in Gurnee. So many great memories going there as a kid.

Brings back a lot of memories. I loved The Turn of the Century rollercoaster!

Demon rollercoaster has been there for THAT long... omg

This was when Great America in California was at it’s best. After Marriott sold it, it went downhill, especially in the Paramount days when they just trashed it. Today, it’s barely recognizable if at all from what it once was. A shame.

This is awesome, thank you so much for sharing this video. The freeway shots and all that are great, these are what home movies were like back then, I remember that.

There's this new film out... It's called Star Wars... All the swell kids are watching it

I miss the triple tree, the train and yankee clipper!

Great video, thanks for sharing it.

That's awesome footage. 👍🏻

I was 12 when it opened and it was wonderful. Lots to do and a fair price. The last time I went was in 2001 with my kids under Paramount control. They had a good time being in the Nickleodeon show, but I could see that it cost almost $200 for the 5 of us to get in with a Coke can promotion. Then the extra attractions cost $20 a head to play. It doesn't surprise me that it is closing.

Wow, so much has changed!! That's a +2 hour drive from Sac. I was shocked to see the 101/680 interchange under construction, too! Nice video of the pre-Demon Turn Of The Century & The Whizzer. My first visit was in 84 and I only rode the Whizzer once as it was torn down the following year.

Two of the best roller coaster rides I've been on was at Marriotts Great America in San Jose California. The year was 1977..I was 17 at the time. The roller coaster rides were called the Turn Of The Century and the Tidal Wave.

Thank you for a wonderful film, everyone I know will agree, the Paramount years were the best. I should know I always had a season pass. I did not realize how long it takes for trees and bushes to grow, it's funny to see a naked Demon. I have uploaded a video called memories of Great America, I like yours better thanks again. Also working with video and film cameras, it looks to me like this was 8 mm film, instead of a video camera, if I'm not correct please tell me which format you used to shoot this film.

Great video!!!! The Turn of the Century!!!!!

The absolute lack of traffic on 80 and 680...those were the good old days. Grew up in Palo Alto.

No sound... but I hear everything! :)

Man thanks for the video. All the way from 80 highway 12 to Napa lol I forgot what that used to look like. This must have been before the tidal wave was introduced?

Didn't someone get killed on the Turn of the Century way back then? That's why they took it down. I was only about 5 years old when this video was taken and this is about the time my family went to Great America for the first time. What great memories! Thank you for sharing this.

2:50 The Whizzer. First coaster I ever rode.

It opened in '76. We went that summer for the first time. I was 5 and so scared of going on the Lobster

Oh this park used to be so charming!!! The shows were fantastic and professional. I can’t stand the shows now

All I gotta say is WOW

Thanks for posting this. It a little before my time, so it's pretty neat to see it as it originally was. So did those cars go through The Demons corkscrew?

I was there opening day as a kid. Now it’s being closed for good. Sad.

Did anyone else get the feeling this ride was haunted when it was The Turn of the Century? No one had died or been injured on it and I don’t mean haunted as paranormal or spirits of the dead. I just mean that spooky feeling some of us get at times for whatever reason. Probably just me.

Damn San Jose changed

Oh man seeing that 280 overpass

This looks to be the opening season 1976 actually only reason why I say absent is the tidal wave which did not open until the following year in 1977

Turn of the century. First deaths at the park

The Grand Opening of Jimmy's Great America (May 20, 2001)

Why did an Americana themed amusement park have a Yukon Territory section with a Klondike Cafe and a Saskatchewan Scrambler? Ay?

They say in the title it's California's Great America words not it's in Gurnee

1:10 that ride looks sooooo weird

Where were the dolphins at? I have an old flag of Marriott G.A. that have dolphins but never knew exactly where they were located at.

Hey up you don’t mind if I use this on a video of cgas history right I will credit you and Everything

R.I.P. Turn of the Century Roller Coaster EST. 1976-1979 at Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara, California USA 🇺🇸 is now Demon EST. 1980-Now at Marriott's Great America / Great America / Paramount's Great America / California's Great America in Santa Clara, California USA 🇺🇸.

I was one month old

Was that corkscrew ride the Turn of the Century? Looks like they kept the corkscrews and added some loops and called it the Demon

what is the opening freeway shot?

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Ride at 1:55?