Since I was born in New York, The Great Escape theme park has been a small part of my childhood which may have influenced my love for themed entertainment. I remember the sheriff in Ghost Town scared me because his gun was really loud. I have no memory of the really old days when The Great Escape was called Storytown USA, I only remember The Great Escape.
Storyland USA opened in Queensbury, New York in 1954 by philanthropist Charles Wood. The park had lots of kiddie rides so in 1957 Wood opened the Ghost Town section. In 1983 the name officially changed from Storyland to The Great Escape. The Steamin’ Demon roller coaster debuted in 1984 and a classic 41-year old wooden roller coaster The Comet was moved there from Crystal Beach amusement park in 1994. When I went in 1990 some of the cool new rides were the Condor, The Giant Wheel, Rainbow, and Balloon Race. A waterpark was added in 1995 called Splashwater Kingdom (now Hurricane Harbor). Charles Wood sold the park to Premier Parks (which became Six Flags) in 1996. It kept The Great Escape name and did not add “Six Flags” until 2022.
The themed sections of The Great Escape today are: Fest Area, Ghost Town, Storytown, Hot Rod USA, Timbertown, and the water park Hurricane Harbor.
0:10 Desperado Plunge. I remember riding this log flume ride several times as a kid. This opened in 1979 in the Ghost Town section. The log flume drop is out of a large Great Escape “billboard” which can be seen from U.S. 9. It was made by Arrow Development and was bought from Busch Gardens Los Angeles after it closed.
0:20 Steamin’ Demon. My dad rode this but I was too scared. This double corkscrew coaster opened in 1984 and was manufactured by Arrow Development. It was moved from Pontchartrain Beach and was called the Ragin’ Cajun. It is in the Ghost Town section.
0:40 Condor. My cousin rode this, but I chickened out. This is also in Ghost Town and was built by German manufacturer HUSS. It opened in 1990, so this was the “NEW” attraction when I went. This type of spinner ride is found in amusement parks around the world, and it made its debut at the 1984 New Orleans World’s fair. 28 spinning “birds” rotate on rising arms, each containing 1-2 riders each.
0:45 Rainbow. HUSS also made this ride which opened in 1987 and was removed in 2007. It was located in the Fantasy Land section. It can hold 32 passengers in three rows.
1:05 “Goin Hollywood” puppet show. I could find no information about this online. If you know what this is please leave a comment.
1:35 Swan Boats. These boats date back to the 1950s and operate in the Storytown section of the park. It has traversed the River Dee for 70 years, but is currently under refurbishment.
1:55 Balloon Race. This Fantasy Land attraction opened in 1989. It is a tilting spinner ride, which scared my little sister. 8 spinning hot air balloons could hold up to 4 passengers in the baskets. It is manufactured by Italian company Zamperla.
2:00 99 Locomotives. This kids’ single train ride closed in 2006. I was not able to find an opening date, but it has been around for a while. It operated in Fantasy Land and was made by Arrow Development. Flashback is there today.
2:30 Thunder Alley. We had a lot of fun driving around these cars. Thunder Alley opened in the 1970s and the cars were manufactured by Arrow Development. The cars can hold one or two drivers which have control of the motion of the car. The cars follow a guide rail along the road.
3:10 Magic Show. I have no information about this. Please comment if you know.
4:40 Sky Ride. This ride departed from an Arabian Nights themed building in Fantasy Land. Riders could get a good view of the park on this ride developed by Universal Design Ltd. It opened in 1964.
5:05 High Dive Show. A staple of The Great Escape, this show featured award winning high divers leaping from a ten-story tower into 8 feet of water.
7:35 Remote Control Boats. I could not find any information online about this. It currently looks closed according to recent RU-vid videos.
7:40 The Giant Wheel. This opened in 1989 and closed in 2019. I rode this 90-foot tall Ferris wheel with my sister and cousin. It was built by Chance Rides (Industries) and this Giant Wheel contained 20 cars, which could hold around 4-6 people each.
8:25. Raging River. This river rapids ride opened in 1986 and was manufactured by Liechtensteiner company Intamin (who also built Kali River Rapids and Grizzly River Run). The circular rafts hold 6 passengers each and load from a turntable. The rafts follow a swift river downstream and travel up a lift hill at the end.
8:40 Bumper Cars. My little sister rode the junior bumper cars, which had 4 small cars, while my other sister, cousin, and I rode the regular bumper cars. This indoor course was in the Fest Area, but now it looks like it is in Ghost Town and called Marshal’s Stampede. The cars are manufactured by Mac Duce and opened in 1985.
1 окт 2024
