Six Flags AstroWorld,also known simply as AstroWorld,was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston,Texas. Owned and operated by Six Flags,the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street,directly south of I-610. The park opened on June 1,1968,and was developed originally and constructed as part of the Astrodomain,the brainchild of local philanthropist and former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz,who intended it to complement the Astrodome. The Hofheinz family sold AstroWorld to Six Flags in 1978.
Six Flags Over Georgia is a 290-acre (1.2 km2) theme park located in Mableton,Georgia. Opened in 1967,it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas,which opened in 1961.
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships,consisting of an open,seated gondola which swings back and forth,subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat.
The Cyclone,also the Coney Island Cyclone,is a wooden roller coaster at Luna Park in Coney Island,Brooklyn,New York City. Designed by Vernon Keenan,it opened to the public on June 26,1927. The roller coaster is on a plot of land at the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street. The Cyclone reaches a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and has a total track length of 2,640 feet (800 m),with a maximum height of 85 feet (26 m).
The swing ride or chair swing ride is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions,particularly on the Wave Swingers,the rotating top of the carousel also tilts for additional variations of motion.
Wild Waves Theme &Water Park is an amusement park and water park in Federal Way,Washington. Opened in 1977 as The Enchanted Village,the park is a popular summer destination in the Pacific Northwest and is one of three waterparks in Washington state. The park's name was reverted to Wild Waves Water Park and Enchanted Village Amusement Park in April 2016,and once again changed to Wild Waves Theme and Water Park in November 2016,as a result of the park's acquisition by EPR Properties.
The Rotor is an amusement ride designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949 and still appears in numerous amusement parks. The Rotor is a large,upright barrel,rotated to create an inward acting centripetal force supplied by the wall's support's force. Once at full speed,the floor is retracted,leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum.
La Ronde is an amusement park in Montreal,Quebec,Canada,built as the entertainment complex for Expo 67,the 1967 World Fair. Today,it is operated by Six Flags under an emphyteutic lease with the City of Montreal,which expires in 2065. It is the largest amusement park in Quebec and second largest in Canada.
The Riddler Mindbender,previously named Mind Bender,is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta,Georgia. Billed as "the world's first triple-loop roller coaster" when it opened on March 31,1978,Mindbender has maintained its popularity since its opening. In its 30th anniversary season in 2008,Mindbender was ranked #15 by Amusement Today magazine in its annual Golden Ticket Awards,and was one of only two roller coasters built before 1980 on the list;the other was its "fraternal twin," Shockwave,at Six Flags Over Texas.
The Monster is an amusement ride manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft Company. The ride spins while moving up and down at a slow pace. Each car spins while giant arms move up and down in a circular motion. Riders may experience the feeling of weightlessness when going in the air and coming back down to ground level.
The Enterprise is an amusement ride,manufactured primarily by HUSS Park Attractions and Anton Schwarzkopf beginning in 1972. The HUSS ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf,with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride,HUSS was issued the patent.
The Wipeout and Trabant are models of amusement rides manufactured by Chance Rides. Often seen at fairs and traveling carnivals,their design consists of a giant wheel which tilts at a steep angle,fluctuates in a wavelike manner,and spins at various speeds. There is a motor underneath the ride that makes both of these rides raise up and down.
Drop Tower,formerly known as Drop Zone:Stunt Tower,is the name of five drop tower amusement rides located at Cedar Fair amusement parks in the United States and Canada. Each installation varies in size and capacity.
Batman The Escape was a stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston,Texas,United States. Manufactured by Intamin,the ride featured one inversion and originally opened as Shockwave at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1986. After briefly operating at Six Flags Great Adventure,it was moved a second time to AstroWorld,where it reopened in 1993 as Batman The Escape. The coaster operated there until the park's permanent closure in 2005. The track was eventually moved to Six Flags Darien Lake,placed into storage,and never reassembled.
Through its history,Hanna-Barbera has operated theme park attractions,mostly as a section in Kings Island,Carowinds,California's Great America,Kings Dominion,Canada's Wonderland,and,recently,Six Flags Great America.
Toboggan is a portable roller coaster that was built by Chance Industries from 1969 to the mid-1970s. The coaster features a small vehicle,holding two people,that climbs vertically inside a hollow steel tower then spirals back down around the same tower. There is a small section of track at the base of the tower with a few small dips and two turns to bring the ride vehicle back to the station. Each vehicle has a single rubber tire with a hydraulic clutch braking system that governs the speed of the vehicle as it descends the tower. The rubber tire engages a center rail that begins halfway through the first spiral. The ride stands 45 feet tall with a track length of 450 feet. A typical ride lasts approximately 70 seconds.
Thunder River is a river rapids ride located at two American amusement parks. The first opened in 1980 at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston,Texas,which was the first of its kind in the world. The popularity led to other similar installations at various Six Flags theme parks throughout the 1980s. Only two with this name remain. One currently operates at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell,Georgia;the other operates at Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka,Missouri.
Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor is an amusement and water park owned and operated by Six Flags. It is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of Albany,in Queensbury,New York. It was one of three Six Flags parks not to be officially branded with the "Six Flags" name until 2022,with La Ronde in Montreal,Quebec,Canada,and Frontier City in Oklahoma City,Oklahoma,being the last two without the Six Flags branding.
This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2009. These various lists are not exhaustive.
AstroNeedle was a gyro tower located in Houston's Six Flags Astroworld,in the U.S. state of Texas. The ride opened in 1968 and was located in the amusement park's European Village section. The landmark closed in 1999 and was dismantled in February 2000,five years before the park closed permanently. The ride was to be relocated to Six Flags Mexico in Mexico City but never commenced. It was the tallest ride in the park when it was completed,as well as the one of the tallest rides in the world when it opened in 1968.
