'''Six Flags Great America''' 
To jeden z największych parków rozrywki w USA, znajdujący się w Gurnee w stanie Illinois i należący do sieci ''Six Flags''. Park został otwarty w 1976 na uroczystość 200 lat niepodległości USA jako Marriott's Great America. Six Flags kupiło park w 1984, czyniąc go siódmym parkiem sieci. Obecnie park składa się z ośmiu tematycznych dzielnic, 13 akrowego parku wodnego, dwóch dzielnic specjalnie dla dzieci i różnorodnych form pokazów. Park położony jest w odległości 37 mil (60 km) od Chicago. Co roku odwiedza go blisko 3 miliony gości. Najwięcej odwiedzających jest w lipcu, sierpniu oraz w październikowe weekendy.

Six Flags Great America zatrudnia ponad 3000 pracowników. Większość to licealiści lub studenci. Duża ich liczba pochodzi z innych krajów, dzięki programowi "Nauki i Pracy".

--Surrender 01:01, 28 wrz 2007 (CEST)

== Era Marriott ==
thumb|right|Columbia Carousel - Z podwójnym dekiem "Karuzela Columbia", atrakcja która wyróżnia się od innych.
Korporacja Marriott zaczęła budować park w 1974 r. i otwarła go 29 Maja 1976 r. jako "Marriott's Great America". Park był ogromnym sukcesem, ponieważ miał bardzo dobrze udekorowane tematycznie dzielnice i była to dwusetna rocznica Niepodległości USA. Originalnie park liczył 6 tematycznych dzielnic: "Carousel Plaza", pierwsza dzielnica po wejściu do parku; małe amerykańskie miasteczko "Hometown Square", "County Fair" przedstawia codzienne rozrywkowe życie środkowej Ameryki,"Yankee Harbor" przedstawia codzienne życie rybaków w porcie w 19 wieku w południowej Brytanii. "Yukon Territory", przystań kempingowa w stylu kanadyjskim i "Orlean Place" w stylu francuskim.

== Atrakcje ==
Park ma ponad 60 różnych atrakcji dla gości w różnym wieku. Znajduje się w nim: 12 kolejek górskich, 4 wodne atrakcje, a reszta to atrakcje dla amatorów mocnych wrażeń lub rodzinne, gdzie cała rodzina może się zabawić.

-Teraźniejsze Płaskie Przejażdżki
*Columbia Carousel (Tradycyjna karuzela piętrowa) - otwarta w 1976; lokalizacja: Carousel Plaza 
*Sky Trek Tower (Sky Tower (Intamin)) - otwarte w 1977; lokalizacja: Carousel Plaza 
*Space Shuttle America (I-Werks Symulator) -  otwarte w 1994; lokalizacja: Carousel Plaza (pokazuje kilka różnych filmów) 
*Triple Play (Troika (Huss)) - otwarte w  1976; lokalizacja: Hometown Square (przejażdżka była tymchwilowo zburzona w 2006) 
*Scenic Railway Hometown Station (Custom Fabricators, Inc. Train)- otwarte w  1976; lokalizacja: Hometown Square .
*Hometown Fun Machine (Scrambler) -  otwarte w 1976; lokalizacja: Hometown Square. 
*The Orbit (Enterprise (Schwarzkopf)) - otwarte w  1976 jako Orleans Orbit w Orleans Place; teraz znajduje się w Hometown Square. W byłej lokalizacji znajduje się Roaring Rapids. 
*Chubasco (Tea Cups (Zamperla) - tzw. "filiżanki") -  otwarte w 1996; lokalizacja: Southwest Territory 
*Ricochet (Swing Around (Huss)) - otwarte w  1977; lokalizacja: Southwest Territory; oryginalna nazwa Big Top i znajdował się w County Fair aż do 1996. Teraz jest tam Dare Devil Dive. 
*Giant Drop (Freefall Tower (Intamin)) - otwarte w  1997; lokalizacja: Southwest Territory 
*River Rocker (Swinging ship (Zamperla)) - otwarte w  1996; lokalizacja: Southwest Territory 
*Splashwater Falls (Hopkins Shoot-the-Chutes (atrakcja wodna)) - otwarte w  1986; lokalizacja County Fair.
*Great America Raceway (antyczne autka (Arrow)) -  otwarte w 1976; lokalizacja: County Fair 
*Revolution (Frisbee (Huss)) - otwarte w  2004; lokalizacja County Fair; przysłane z Six Flags Great Adventure 
thumb|right|Déjà Vu.
*Scenic Railway Fairgrounds Junction (Custom Fabricators, Inc. Train)- otwarte w 1976; lokalizacja: County Fair 
*Fiddler's Fling (Calypso 3 (Schwarzkopf)) -  otwarte w 1976; lokalizacja County Fair 
*Logger's Run (Log Flume (Arrow)) - otwarte w  1976; lokalizacja: Yukon Territory 
*Yankee Clipper (Hydroflume (Arrow)) - otwarte w  1976; lokalizacja: Yankee Harbor 
*Whirligig (Wave Swinger (Zierer)) -  otwarte w 1976; lokalizacja: Yankee Harbor.
*East River Crawler (Polyp (Schwarzkopf)) - otwarte w  1976;  lokalizacja: Yankee Harbor. Oryginalna nazwa "The Lobster". 
*Roaring Rapids (Intamin Rapids (atrakcja wodna)) - otwarte w 1984 as White Water Rapids; lokalizacja: Mardi Gras. 
*The Jester's Wild Ride (Rockin’ Tug (Zamperla)) -  otwarte w 2004; lokalizacja: Mardi Gras. 
*Big Easy Balloons (Balloon Race (Zamperla)) - otwarte w  2004; lokalizacja: Mardi Gras. 
*King Chaos (Top Spin (Huss)) -  otwarte w 2004; lokalizacja: Mardi Gras. 
*Condor (Condor (Huss)) - otwarte w 1991; lokalizacja: Orleans Place. 

-Atrakcje dla dzieci

-Lokalizacja: Camp Cartoon Network (otwarta w 1998):
*Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine (Crazy Bus (Zamperla)) - otwarte w 1998 
*Bedrock Boulder Roller (Ferris Wheel (Zamperla)) - otwarte w  1998 -kiedyś znajdował się w Six Flags Astroworld. 
*Flinstones - Rocky Road Rescue Service (Hampton Rides) - otwarte w  1998 
*Yogi's Yahoo River (Herschell) -  otwarte w 1998 
thumb|left| Raging Bull- Najwyższy i najszybszy [[roller coaster w Six Flags Great America.]]

-Lokalizacja: Bugs Bunny National Park:
*Yosemite Sam's National Park Tour (Rio Grande (Zamperla) - kolejka widokowa) 
*Looney Tunes Lodge (SCS Plac Zabaw) 
*Pepe Le Pew's Peak (Plac Zabaw) 
*Waddaview National Park Charter Service (Herschell) 
*Porky's Buzzy Beez (atrakcja dla dzieci) 
*Petunia's Lady Bugz (atrakcja dla dzieci) 

-Lokalizacja: Wiggle's World (otwarta w 2007):
*Big Red Plane Ride (Telecombat (Zamperla)) otwarte w 2007.
*Big Red Car Ride (Convoy (Zamperla)) otwarte w 2007.
*Bouncin' With Wags (Jumpin' Star (Zamperla)) otwarte w 2007.
*Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cups (Mini Tea Cups (Zamperla)) otwarte w 2007.
*Yummy Yummy Fruit Salad Tower Ride (Samba Tower (Zamperla)) otwarte w 2007.
*Henry's Splash Fountain - wodny plac zabaw, otwarte w 2007.
*S.S. Feathersword Pirate Ship - sluchy plac zabaw, otwarte w 2007. 
-Teraźniejsze odatkowo płatne atrakcje:
*Winner's Circle Go-Karting (Go-karty) - otwarte w  2000; lokalizacja: Carousel Plaza 
*The Wall (ściana wspinaczkowa) -  otwarte w 2001; lokalizacja: County Fair 
*Dare Devil Dive (Skycoaster) - otwarte w  1997; lokalizacja: County Fair

== Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago ==
thumb|left|"Tornado", nowe w 2006
Six Flags Hurricane to karaibskim stylem wodny park, który zadebiutował na 35 rocznice parku Six Flags Great America. Przepustowość tego parku to 7,500 ludzi dziennie. Zbudowany w Six Flags Great America w 2005, wliczony jest w cenę parku rozrywki. Znajduje się w nim 25 rożnych ślizgawek wodnych, lazy river (dryftująca sztuczna rzeka), basen sztucznych fal, największy na świecie wodny plac zabaw i wiele innych mniejszych atrakcji. Ostatnio dodano wodną ślizgawkę o nazwie "Tornado", dostarczającą bardzo dużo adrenaliny.

*Atrakcje w Six Flags Hurricane Harbor:
TORNADO: Nowe w 2006 (zobacz zdjęcie). Wodna rodzinna ślizgawka zbudowana przez ProSlide. Pasażerowie siedzą w pontonie w  kształcie kwiatka, 4 osoby na ponton.

{{Infobox Amusement park
| name = Six Flags Great America
| image = 250px|
| caption = Sign at the entrance of Six Flags Great America
| location =  USA
| address = 542 N. Route 21 <span style="white-space: nowrap">Gurnee, IL 60031-9916<br/>

| phone_numbers = 1-847-249-1776 <span style="white-space: nowrap">1-847-249-2390 fax
| homepage = [http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/ SixFlags.com]
| owner = Six Flags, Inc.
| opened = 1976
| previous_names = '''''Marriott's Great America''''' <span style="white-space: nowrap">- 1976 to 1984</span><br/>'''''Six Flags Great America''''' <span style="white-space: nowrap">- 1985 to Present </span><br>
| season = Park closes November 2
| area =  <span style="white-space: nowrap"></span>
| rides = 50
| coasters = 12
| water_rides = 3
}}

'''Six Flags Great America''' is the Chicago metropolitan area's Six Flags theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois.  It first opened in 1976 as '''Marriott's Great America'''.  Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984 making it the seventh park in the chain. Today, the park boasts eight themed sections, a 13 acre water park, three specially themed children's areas, and various other forms of entertainment. 

==Marriott era==
sister park, with almost identical layout and attractions, opened in Northern California around the same time). The park was an immediate success due in part to its Turn of the Century rural-fair theme; Yankee Harbor, inspired by a 19th century Canadian/Alaskan logging camp; and the French Quarter-modeled Orleans Place.  A seventh area, The Great Southwest, was planned but was not built until 1996, when it opened as Southwest Territory.

Each themed area had its own staff costumes, and the design of buildings, shops, and restaurants were also all unique to each theme. For example, the Klondike Cafe in Yukon Territory served beef dishes in large pans like those used for panning for gold.

Customers were referred to as "guests."  Staff members had a strict code for personal appearance and upkeep of the required costume, as well as a trademark send-off of all ride operators: "Thank you for riding, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your day here at Marriott's Great America."

===Chronology of the Rides and Attractions===
left|thumb|[[Columbia Carousel is Great America's signature ride.]]
Originally the park included three Turn of the Century, and the Tidal Wave being added two years later.  The Gulf Coaster lasted only one season, due to a small fire and its unpopularity.  (Willard's Whizzer, named for Marriott executive J. Willard Marriott, was later renamed "The Whizzer.") The park's other signature attractions were the elaborate double-decker Columbia Carousel; the Sky Whirl, a unique, -tall "triple Ferris wheel" custom designed for Marriott and visible from the adjacent Tri-State Tollway as well as from miles away; and the two one-way gondola sky car rides, Delta Flyer and Eagle's Flight. Eagle's Flight was a very commercially successful ride and was considered a top 10 ride by ''Roller Coaster Weekly'' magazine.. Since the removal of the Sky Whirl in 2001, Great America is one of the few amusement parks in the United States to operate without a Ferris wheel.

An original 1976 Marriott's Great America ride, the Orleans Orbit, still spins today at the park. While resembling a Ferris wheel, it delivers a far different ride experience. The entire wheel rests flat, just above ground level, to allow simultaneous loading and unloading of all passenger cabins. Once riders are locked in, the wheel begins to rotate. The spinning wheel picks up speed and is lifted on an arm to a nearly vertical position, sending riders upside-down as they go over the highest point. "Enterprise" is the common industry name for such a ride.

Originally installed in Orleans Place, the ride has since been relocated to Hometown Square, occupying the former home of the Bottoms Up ride.  It made way for White Water Rampage, now known as Roaring Rapids.  The Orleans Orbit is now known simply as The Orbit.

Another original 1976 Marriott's Great America ride, '''Rue Le Dodge''' is known as the World's Largest bumper car floor. An exact copy of the ride under the same name stands at California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. In 2005, however, the bumper car floor became a one way traffic ride (as most bumper car floors have started doing). To determine the flow of traffic a concrete island was added to the center of the floor, removing floor space. This left Rue Le Dodge at Six Flags Great America as the largest in the world. The floor currently sits at 51’9” X 124’9” or .

1977 saw the installation of several new rides. The -tall Sky Trek Tower--one of the few rides to survive today with its original name--opened in Carousel Plaza, while a few new spinning rides were added such as Big Top, Davy Jones' Dinghies, and Hay Bailer. The Southern Cross, a third gondola skyride--much taller and round-trip--also made its debut in 1977, with its station located where the Gulf Coaster stood. The park's first kids section, dubbed Fort Fun, opened in Yukon Territory, which caused the Saskatchewan Scrambler to be relocated to Hometown Square and renamed Hometown Fun Machine.

The Tidal Wave, Great America's first new roller coaster, was added in 1978. It consisted of a single vertical loop and was located in Yankee Harbor, where Batman: The Ride now stands.

The Pictorium, an IMAX theatre, opened in 1979 and claimed to have the world's largest screen, at 64.5 x 88.25 feet (19.6 x 26.9 meters).

The Turn of the Century roller coaster closed and took on a new look in 1980. Two loops were added, along with three tunnels, and the "new" ride was re-themed and renamed the Demon.

right|frame|[[The American Eagle's lift hill and helix.]]

In the summer of 1980, the park broke ground for a massive new wooden roller coaster that would come to be known as The American Eagle. Today this twin-track "racing" roller coaster stands at 127 feet (38&nbsp;m) tall and reaches speeds of 66&nbsp;mph (105&nbsp;km/h). The bottom of the first drop is built  below ground level, bringing the height of the first drop to just over . The Eagle debuted in 1981 as the world's tallest and fastest racing wooden roller coaster. For a few years, beginning in 2002, the Blue side of the American Eagle was run backwards. However after a few years it was switched back due to unfortunate side effects on the structure.[http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/records/wood_records.shtml].

The Southern Cross Skyride was removed in 1980. 

No new rides were added in 1982. In fact, several were removed. In 1983, The Edge, an Intamin AG first-generation freefall ride, was added to much fanfare. However, after an accident in 1984 which resulted in the hospitalization of four teenage riders, the ride was shut down while safety mechanisms were installed. The Edge never regained popularity, however, and it was removed in 1986, and eventually sent to the Six Flags Worlds of Adventure Park, aka Geauga Lake. Bottoms Up and Traffique Jam were removed at the end of the season in 1983.

Marriott's final ride added to the park was White Water Rampage, an Intamin-built rapids ride. This ride took over the spot occupied by several rides, including the Davy Jones' Dinghies, Le Bump (a children's bumper car ride), Traffique Jam, and the original Orleans Orbit (although it would re-open the next season in the Hometown Square area simply as The Orbit).  Later renamed Roaring Rapids, it remains the park's most popular water ride.

==Bally's Six Flags era==
Marriott sold the park to Bally Manufacturing, in 1984.  Thus the "Bally's Six Flags Great America" era began.  It started darkly when a software failure caused the car for the Edge to be stalled at the top of the lift shaft before moving forward into its drop position.  The car was stuck in this position for a short period of time before the car dropped back down the lift shaft, causing serious injuries to all three occupants.  Despite many attempts to reopen the Edge with installation of anti-rollback devices by Intamin, the ride was never able to escape the stigma of its 1984 accident.  The ride was removed in 1986 and sold to Rocky Point Amusement Park before reaching its current location at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (now under new ownership and known as Geauga Lake) as Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall.  The ride was dismantled and scrapped over the off season in 2005.

In 1985, Six Flags added Z Force, a one-of-a-kind Intamin space diver roller coaster followed by Splash Water Falls in 1986 in the County Fair area.

The Power Dive was added in 1987 to take over the spot where the Edge stood. Power Dive was an Intamin Looping Starship ride; it swung back and forth before eventually rotating a complete 360 degrees a few times. Z Force was relocated to Six Flags Over Georgia as part of Six Flags' (now discontinued) Ride Rotation Program.  At the end of 1991, the ride went to Six Flags Magic Mountain where it operated as Flashback before being dismantled in 2007.

==Wesray Six Flags era==
Many programs and quick acquisitions attempted in the mid-80s were a failure and Bally looked to sell the company. In 1987 the company was purchased by Wesray Capital and a group of Six Flags managers.  Several acquisitions were re-sold or closed while a focus was returned to attractions.  This ushered in an era of new major attractions at the park and a transformation of focus from the park's themes to its roller coasters. 

Most of the original themed staff costumes began to be retired at this point in favor of more modern unisex garments more akin to uniforms -- basic short sleeve shirts with slacks or walking shorts during the warmer months.  Some of the costumes survived longer than others with the ''Yankee Harbor'' striped crew shirts and clamdiggers pants being retired last.  Also the restaurants became more aligned and offered basic fast food cuisine and lost the dishes that were unique to individual themed areas.  While a few specialty restaurants survived, almost all were abandoned in favor of cheaper mass-produced food items.  Similarly, merchandise throughout the park became homogenized at this point as well.

1988 saw the first of the new coasters with the addition of the massive roller coaster Shock Wave, an Arrow Dynamics mega-looper, added to the Orleans Place section of the park on June 3, 1988. Shockwave was the park's tallest roller coaster and featured seven inversions.  White Water Rampage was renamed Roaring Rapids.

Rolling Thunder, an Intamin bobsled coaster, was added for 1989 after having been relocated from Whizzer. Rolling Thunder was taken down prior to building Southwest Territory. The ride was stored in the back parking lot (between The Great Escape in New York now operating at the Alpine Bobsled.

Iron Wolf opened April 28, 1990, and was Bolliger & Mabillard's first-ever roller coaster. The company has since gone on to become the premier in roller coaster manufacturing, creating three other rides for Great America, as well as such well-known rides as The Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure, Sheikra at Busch Gardens, and more. Iron Wolf was a very compact steel stand-up roller coaster that took over Z-Force's spot in County Fair.

The Condor took to the skies in 1991 in Orleans Place next to Shockwave.  The IMAX screen in the Pictorium was upgraded to allow 650 people to view 3D movies.  People said goodbye to their beloved Tidal Wave at the end of the season.  Tidal Wave currently operates as Greezed Lightnin' at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky.

==Time-Warner Six Flags era==
The major attractions did not come without their cost, and by 1991 Six Flags was close to bankruptcy.  Time-Warner, a major influence at Great America since the beginning with the featuring of Looney Tunes characters, and a minority owner in the company, purchased an additional share of the company for a controlling interest of 50 percent.  With the purchase came additional prominence of Time-Warner properties.

The first of these was the historic ride built in 1992 -- Batman the Ride, a first-of-its-kind B&M inverted roller coaster to replace Tidal Wave. Batman was unlike any other roller coaster. It was a very tightly squeezed ride but was so popular that lines stretched past East River Crawler (formerly The Lobster, the new name in accordance with a re-theming of the area around Batman), through the bridge to Yankee Harbor and all the way to the bridge near Power Dive (across from Shockwave).

On June 20, 2005, Batman was awarded landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) at their annual convention, Coaster Con XXVIII.

The Batman Stunt Show opened in 1993 in a brand new theater located past the Demon, the amphitheatre currently houses the Sunday Night Concert series.

right|thumb|[[Space Shuttle America opened in 1994 and was removed after the 2007 season.]]
Space Shuttle America, a motion simulator ride was built in 1994 near the Sky Trek Tower. "Shuttle" re-created the inter-planetary escapade provided via "Space Shuttle America". Since its introduction, Space Shuttle America has been home to four different films: "Space Shuttle America", "Escape from Dino Island 2- 3:D", "Stargate- SG:3000", and "Superstition", during the yearly Fright Fest Event. The original Space Shuttle America film returned for the 2006 season.

In 1995, Viper, a wooden roller coaster based on the Coney Island Cyclone, was built next to Rolling Thunder, which was removed later that year.  Although significantly smaller in stature than the American Eagle, this ride features many more instances of negative gravity or "airtime" moments during the ride.

In September 1995, Rolling Thunder was removed to make way for the new theme area "Southwest Territory"  which opened in 1996.  The new western-themed area was originally proposed in 1976 but took nearly twenty years to resurface.  Ironically the sky ride, "Southern Cross" which was specifically designed to transport guests to this area had long since been removed by the time this section of the park was developed.  Three new rides were added (River Rocker, Chubasco, and TrailBlazer) while Big Top was moved in from County Fair and renamed Ricochet.  It opened for 1996.  The Rolling Thunder Roller Coaster currently operates at Great Escape in New York as Alpine Bobsled. Viper's entrance was moved from Hometown Square to Southwest Territory. Also in this year, the Batman Stunt Show was replaced with a stunt show following the Southwest theme.

The Giant Drop, an Intamin second-generation drop tower, and Dare Devil Dive, a skycoaster, were added in 1997. The Giant Drop is located on the Southwest side of Southwest Territory and Dare Devil was added in the Big Top's former location in County Fair.  In August 1997, a hitch bar connecting the third and fourth cars on the blue side of the American Eagle rollercoaster separated as the ride was braking, causing the rear two cars to slam into the front three cars.  Several people were injured and sent to local area hospitals.  The ride re-opened in time for Fright Fest.

==Premier Parks Six Flags era (1998-2005)==
Time-Warner sold its stake in Six Flags in 1995, and in 1998 IPO and became the parent company of Six Flags.  Premier Parks opted to follow the trend set by Bally's and began acquiring more properties.

1998 was a big year for children's attractions. Yukon Territory welcomed Camp Cartoon Network, with five new rides, including Spacely's Sprocket Rockets (Vekoma Roller Skater), Yogi's Yahoo River, Rocky Road's Rescue Service, and Bedrock Boulder Roller. accident occurred on the Demon, stranding 23 passengers upside-down on the black train for nearly three hours.

right|thumb|Raging Bull was added in 1999

1999 saw the rise of the Raging Bull, a B&M hyper-twister roller coaster. This -high, , and -long monster immediately changed the Great America skyline forever, quickly becoming the most popular attraction at the park.

Great America celebrated its Silver Season (25th Anniversary) in 2000. This was the last year for the much-loved Sky Whirl as well as the Hay Bailer ride.  An accident involving a guest occurred on the Cajun Cliffhanger ride, which caused its eventual removal. 

In 2001, Great America added two new roller coasters. First was an Intamin impulse coaster named Vertical Velocity. Riders are launched at speeds over 55&nbsp;mph (88&nbsp;km/h) up a twisted vertical tower, then fall backwards and climb up another straight tower. The ride repeats, but on the second time up the back tower, riders are held facing straight down for a moment before being released. The park's second ride for 2001 was Déjà Vu, a Georgia parks were going to be removed for the 2008 season.

2002 was a quiet year for the park. The highlight was the announcement that the American Eagle would once again run the blue side backwards. (The configuration of Forwards Red and Backwards Blue would stay put until the end of the 2005 season.) The park's original Shock Wave was removed in October for a new attraction. 

Superman: Ultimate Flight took to the skies in 2003 in Shock Wave's place and was the Midwest's first flying roller coaster. While the layout of the ride was not original, the unique flying position continues to be a hit amongst guests. The parking lot on which Shock Wave had stood was replaced with a more lush, landscaped look for Superman's grounds. The historic Ameri-Go-Round was removed at the end of the season.

The area where the HUSS Top-Spin named King Chaos; Zamperla Rockin' Tug named Jester's Wild Ride; and a Zamperla Balloon Race named Big Easy Balloons. Also, a HUSS ''Frisbee'' named ''Revolution'' was taken from Six Flags Great Adventure and opened in County Fair, replacing Ameri-Go-Round. 