Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–1999), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts. Opening in the late 19th century, it is the oldest amusement park in the Six Flags chain, acquired by Premier Parks in 1996 and rebranded Six Flags New England in 2000. Superman The Ride is among the park's most notable rides, having appeared as a highly ranked roller coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today since the ride opened in 2000.
| Previously known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886) Riverside Grove (1887–1911) Riverside Park (1912–1995) Riverside: The Great Escape (1996-1999) | |
 | |
| Location | Agawam, Massachusetts, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°02′16″N 72°36′57″W / 42.0377°N 72.6157°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1870 |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| Slogan | The Thrill Capital of New England |
| Operating season | April through Early November |
| Area | 235 acres (95 ha)[1] |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 62 |
| Roller coasters | 11 |
| Water rides | 1 |
| Website | www |
History
editThroughout much of the 20th century, the park was known as Riverside Park. It began as a picnic grove in 1870 named Gallup's Grove. It was briefly changed to Riverside Grove, and then eventually Riverside Park in 1912. Prior to 1900, most of the park's patrons arrived via steamship.[2] The Springfield Street Railway extended its line to the park in 1900 and, although Riverside was at the end of the Springfield Street Railway, it was not owned by the railway and is, therefore, not considered a trolley park, contrary to published reports.[3]
In the early 1900s, a few mechanical rides and a carousel were added. The park was purchased in 1911 by Henry J. Perkins who transformed the park from a picnic grove to an amusement park. He built the park's first roller coaster, The Giant Dip, in 1912, which proved to be so popular that another coaster, The Greyhound, was added in 1915.[4] Under Perkins' ownership, the park continued to prosper and additional amusements were added, including a 300-foot-diameter pool that became known as Lake Takadip.[5] The original Giant Dip coaster was replaced in 1920 by a new, more thrilling coaster that was twice the size of the Giant and was eventually named Lightning.[6] A third coaster, Whirlwind Racer, was added in 1928.
Closure and re-opening
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The Wall Street Crash of 1929 took its toll on the park and by 1931 it had gone into foreclosure. For the 1932 season, the park operated only Wednesday through Sunday, and in 1933 it closed. Several attempts to reopen the park failed and it remained closed through 1939, although the grounds were occasionally used for company picnics.[7] A drive-in movie theater operated in the parking lot from 1937 to 1939.
Edward Carroll Sr. purchased the abandoned park in 1939 and after making improvements, reopened Riverside Park on May 29, 1940.[8] Carroll is credited with rescuing Riverside and turning it into the largest theme park in New England.[9] He purchased the plans and cars of the 1939 New York World's Fair Cyclone Roller Coaster and opened a new coaster in 1941.[10] That coaster, now known as Thunderbolt, is operating at the park and is the oldest coaster — in its original location — within the entire Six Flags chain of theme parks.[11] The park continued to add new rides and removed some older ones. The theater and bowling alley were removed in the late 1950s, making Riverside Park a seasonal attraction.
Carroll took a liking to auto racing, a sport that was gaining popularity in the Northeast after World War II, and added it to his slate of attractions at Riverside, building the Riverside Park Speedway in 1948, replacing an open-air bandstand.[12] The 1960s was a popular period for stock car racing at Riverside Park. NASCAR began to hold events at Riverside Park Speedway in 1976.[13] In 1968 the park added its first steel coaster called the Wildcat and in 1977, Riverside Park added its first looping roller coaster, The Loop Coaster, later known as Black Widow. After a new roller rink was built in 1978, the former roller rink building, opened in 1916, was demolished in 1979 to expand the park. In 1998, the rink was closed and is now the human resources building. Edward J. Carrol Sr died in 1979, but the park continued to be successful throughout the 1970s and the 1980s. In 1979 the park invested in an Arrow Development log flume known as Red River Rapids. It became the park's first water ride. It was later renamed Poland Spring Plunge. By the 1980s, the park stopped selling individual ride tickets and began charging a "pay one price" admission.
Six years after the opening of Black Widow, the Wildcat was removed and moved to the late Rocky Point Park in Rhode Island. In 1983, Riverside Park added its third roller coaster, which was also the park's second wooden coaster. The owners originally wanted a coaster exactly like the Coney Island Cyclone, but space was limited, so the coaster would need to take up less space and would have sharper twists and turns. It became known as the Riverside Cyclone.[14] In 1987, Riverside attempted to build a white-water rafting ride called the Lost River Water Ride. Plagued with problems, the attraction never opened and was subsequently abandoned. A majority of the ride was demolished in 1989 to make way for Wild River Falls, a waterslide complex consisting of three sets of slides: Riptide, Blue Lightning and Pipeline. A popular attraction, Wild River Falls remained in operation until the opening of the Island Kingdom Waterpark in 1997.
In 1994, Riverside partnered with Lady Luck Gaming in a proposal to build a hotel and dockside casino complex at the park, one of several competing casino proposals in the state.[15] The plan died after Agawam voters rejected a non-binding referendum in support of casino gambling in November.[16]
Purchase by Premier Parks
editDuring the 1996 season, the track on the Musik Express was damaged and the attraction remained closed for a portion of the year. A Chance Chaos was ordered and was scheduled to open for the 1997 season. In December of 1996, the Carroll family agreed to sell the park to Premier Parks of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In the Spring of 1997, Premier Parks renamed the park to Riverside: The Great Escape.[17]
Under Premier Parks, various changes were made to the park. For the 1997 season, the new owners invested more than $20 million on general improvements and several new attractions. Attractions included the Island Kingdom Waterpark, which featured a children's water play area, various slides and a wave pool. Other attractions included Mind Eraser (later renamed to The Riddler Revenge) and Shipwreck Falls. In the process of renovation, some older rides such as the Bayern Kurve and The Monorail were removed. Main Street U.S.A. was substantially redesigned, and the Southern Center midway was themed to a 1950s city and renamed Rockville. Other improvements included a new entrance plaza and the carousel being renovated and relocated to the front gate. In February 1997, the original entrance where guests would both drive to the parking lots and walk into the park was closed off and demolished to make way for new parking across the street. In 2001, a bridge was constructed over the public road, Main Street, to take guests to the main gates.
In 1998, the park added several attractions including a lazy river, another children's play structure called Hook's Lagoon, a speed slide tower called Cannonball, a family raft slide called Swiss Family Toboggan, and a multi-slide tower called Big Kahuna. The water park expansion was added to the south end of the park next to the park's log flume. The park also added The Hellevator, an S&S Worldwide Turbo Drop tower measuring 21 stories tall, which was originally painted red.
Six Flags
editOn April 1, 1998, Premier Parks acquired the larger Six Flags chain of parks from Time Warner. The park continued to be known as "Riverside" until the end of the 1999 season. In 1999, the Riverside Park Speedway was removed and the waterpark was doubled in size. Additions included a new slide tower named Shark Attack and a second wave pool called Hurricane Bay. The park added a Hopkins river raft ride named Blizzard River to the North End, replacing a set of dry slides and the old Bumper Cars. Blizzard River was themed to incorporate the Penguin character from the Batman franchise, but the name of the ride was never changed when the park was allowed to use characters from DC Comics on their rides. A new western area called Crack Axle Canyon was added and included four rides, three of which were new to the park. In 2000, Riverside was rebranded "Six Flags New England", reflecting similar changes made at other Six Flags properties. The main street running through the park was renamed "Carroll Drive" in honor of the family that had owned the place for much of its history. The park added a new front gate plaza. On the former site of the racetrack, a new DC Comics-themed section of the park was installed. The area featured several new rides, including Superman – Ride of Steel, a hypercoaster designed by Intamin. And the park added a third coaster called flashback which replaced the Black Widow and Rotor in the north end. Flashback was actually built on the site of the kiddie coaster rolling thunder. Rolling thunder now named great chase replaced the aging Rickie little twister coaster. In 2000. The Poland Spring Plunge log flume ride was removed in 2005 and replaced with Splashwater Falls in 2006.
In 2008, Six Flags New England was to open The Dark Knight Coaster, an indoor MACK Wild Mouse coaster based on the upcoming film of the same name. The park's other Batman-based attraction had its name briefly changed from Batman – The Dark Knight to Batman: The Ride to avoid confusion. However, due to apparent permit issues, the ride was canceled and dismantled, being sent to Six Flags Mexico, which built it in their park. The ride would have cost the park $7.5 million in exchange for bringing $280,000 in taxes for the state of Massachusetts. The cancellation angered the city of Agawam, which stated that issues with the ride were not evident.[18] The park then announced the new "Glow in the Park Parade". On November 8, 2008, the Town of Agawam allowed Six Flags the right to build roller coasters up to 200 feet (61 m) in height. This paved the way for many future roller coasters in the park.[19]
The 2010 season brought about the addition of a new children's area: Mr. Six's Splash Island located in Hurricane Harbor. This increased the number of children's areas in the park to four. In 2011, Gotham City Gauntlet: Escape From Arkham Asylum opened up in the DC Superhero Adventure section of the park. This ride replaced the football field and was placed on the same plot of land that the canceled Dark Knight Coaster was supposed to be built on. The same year, the "Mr. Six's" portion of Mr. Six's Splash Island was dropped, effectively renaming the area to Splash Island. In late August 2011, it was announced that Goliath would be coming for the 2012 season. Simultaneously, it was announced that Shipwreck Falls, a water ride located in the North End of the park, would be closing to make way for this attraction. The 2012 season saw the opening of Goliath in the CrackAxle Canyon section of the park as well as a new restaurant in the same area known as JB's Smokehouse.[20] A month before opening day in 2013, Catapult was unexpectedly removed and scrapped. In May of that same year, a new water ride opened in Hurricane Harbor known as Bonzai Pipelines. At the conclusion of the 2013 season, Taz's DareDevil Dive was closed to make room for New England SkyScreamer, and Twister, an inverting ride located in Rockville, was also removed. At the time of its opening in 2014, New England SkyScreamer was the world's largest swing ride at 408 feet in height. The SkyWay attraction closed forever at the conclusion of the 2014 season.[21]
On July 20, 2014, Cyclone closed forever.[22] Construction signs were quickly put up, and during August of the same year, it was announced that Rocky Mountain Construction would transform the ride into a steel hybrid coaster, which would include three inversions and a steeper drop. Wicked Cyclone opened in May 2015.[23] The 2016 season saw the addition of two new attractions: Fireball and Superman: The Ride. Fireball, a Larson Loop attraction, was installed in the former location of Twister.[24] Bizarro was transformed back into Superman, including a new red track color and other effects. In 2017, The Joker, a 4D FreeFly coaster, was installed on the former site of SplashWater Falls, which closed in 2016.[25] MindEraser, the park's SLC received new trains with an updated restraint style. Also during the 2017 season, Superman: The Ride had a limited run of offering Oculus Rift goggles to enhance the ride experience. Buzzsaw closed at the end of 2017. Harley Quinn Spinsanity was installed for the 2018 season, opening in May of that year.[26] To make room for it, the Tea Cups were moved to the former location of Buzzsaw and is now classified as an attraction in Rockville. The South End was transformed into Gotham City, also seeing the transformation of Mind Eraser into The Riddler Revenge (which received a new green and yellow paint job). For the 2019 season, Cyborg: Hyper Drive, a spinning flat ride, was installed inside the former Hall of Justice building in DC Superheroes Adventures area of the park. This ride is the first to include the fictional character Grid, a sentient cybernetic system and the arch-nemesis of Cyborg, in Six Flags' DC character roster.
For the 2020 season, the park announced the addition of Supergirl Sky Flyer, a Zamperla Endeavour located on the site of the former Kryptonite Kollider, which closed at the end of the 2019 season.[27] As a result of the park not opening in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Supergirl Sky Flyer opened in May 2021 in the newly rethemed DC Universe area of the park, which features newly installed superhero statues and freshly painted buildings. Additionally, Goliath was left standing but not operating for the 2021 season and was removed from the park map. In July 2021, a tree fell onto Fireball during a thunderstorm, extensively damaging the attraction and leaving it closed for the rest of the season. Goliath was dismantled and sent to a scrap yard prior to the 2022 season. Before the start of the 2024 season, Kontiki was removed from the park.
Attractions
editSix Flags New England is home to many rides and attractions, including Superman: The Ride. Superman: The Ride is 208 feet (63 m) tall and drops 221 feet (67 m) into a tunnel, reaching a top speed of 77 mph (124 km/h). It is considered one of the best steel roller coasters in the world according to the trade magazine Amusement Today, which awarded it the prestigious Golden Ticket award in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Roller coasters
edit| Ride Name | Picture | Opened | Manufacturer | Model/Type | Location | Notes | Thrill Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbolt | 
|
1941 | Joseph E. Drambour | Figure 8 wooden roller coaster | Main Street | Oldest roller coaster in the park. | Moderate |
| The Great Chase | 
|
1996 | E&F Miler Industries | Family Coaster/ 16 ft Outside Spiral CCW | Looney Tunes Movie Town | Originally named Rolling Thunder it replaced Little Rickie's Little Twister coaster. | Mild |
| The Riddler Revenge | _1.jpg)
|
1997 | Vekoma | Suspended Looping Coaster | Gotham City | A Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster. Formerly named Mind Eraser from 1997 to 2017.[28] | Aggressive |
| Superman The Ride | _01.jpg)
|
2000 | Intamin | Megacoaster | DC Universe | Formerly known as Superman – Ride of Steel (from 2000 to 2008) and Bizarro (from 2009 - 2015). This ride used Samsung virtual reality headsets during the 2016 season. | Aggressive |
| Catwoman's Whip | 
|
2000 | Zierer | Tivoli - Large | DC Universe | Originally named Poison Ivy's Tangled Train (from 2000 to 2006). | Mild |
| Flashback | .jpg)
|
2000 | Vekoma | Boomerang | North End | Originally at Star Lake Amusement Park as Boomerang, then Kentucky Kingdom as Vampire. | Aggressive |
| Batman: The Dark Knight |
|
2002 | Bolliger & Mabillard | Floorless Coaster | Gotham City | During the 2008 season, Batman: The Dark Knight was temporarily renamed Batman: The Ride to prevent confusion with The Dark Knight Coaster that was ultimately cancelled. | Aggressive |
| Pandemonium | 
|
2005 | Gerstlauer | Spinning Coaster Model 420/4 | North End | Originally named Mr. Six's Pandemonium. In 2007, Mr. Six was dropped from the title. | Moderate |
| Gotham City Gauntlet: Escape from Arkham Asylum |
|
2011 | Maurer Söhne | Wild Mouse Classic | DC Universe | Originally Road Runner Express at Kentucky Kingdom. | Moderate |
| Wicked Cyclone | .jpg)
|
2015 | Rocky Mountain Construction | I-Box | North End | Originally Cyclone, a wooden coaster designed by William Cobb and opened in 1983. It was reconstructed and re-tracked with steel by RMC in 2015. |
Aggressive |
| The Joker | _1.jpg)
|
2017 | S&S Worldwide | 4th Dimension roller coaster | Gotham City | Replaced Splashwater Falls. | Aggressive |
| Quantum Accelerator | 2025 | Intamin | Family Launch Straddle Coaster | Crack Axle Canyon | Under construction. Replacing Goliath. | Moderate |
Flat rides
edit| Ride Name | Opened | Manufacturer/Type | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 Illions Carousel | 1940 | M.C. Illions Carousel | Main Street | Among the horses, a lion, a tiger and a zebra can be seen on the carousel as the only menagerie animals on the carousel. originally the carousel was in a different location when the park was Riverside but when six flags new England bought the park in 1997 they relocated the carousel to its location to the front gate where it is today and renovated the carousel as well in 1997. |
| Scrambler | 1973 | Eli Bridge Scrambler | North End | A scrambler ride. |
| Gotham City Crime Wave | 1979 | Zierer Swings | Gotham City | Up until the end of the 2006 season, the ride was located near Scream! under the name of "Adult Wave Swinger." |
| Balloon Race | 1998 | Zamperla Balloon Race | North End | No minimum height requirement with an adult. |
| Stampede Bumper Cars | 1997 | Zamperla Bumper Cars | Crack Axle Canyon | Bumper Cars are powered from the floor, which means there is no receiver on the back of the car. |
| Scream | 1998 | S&S Worldwide 3-tower Combo Complex | Main Street | Originally a one-tower Turbo Drop called Hellavator. Two combo towers were added in 2000. Original tower is still a Turbo Drop. |
| Blizzard River | 1999 | Hopkins Rides River rafting ride | North End | Eight riders careen down a concrete channel in a raft while passing rapids, whirlpools and waterfalls. |
| Houdini – The Great Escape | 1999 | Vekoma Madhouse | Crack Axle Canyon | No minimum height requirement with an adult. |
| Tea Cups | 1999 | Zamperla Tea Cups | Rockville | A tea cup ride. The ride originally had no canopy. Relocated to the former location of Buzzsaw for the 2018 season to make room for Harley Quinn Spinsanity. |
| Tomahawk | 1999 | HUSS Frisbee | Crack Axle Canyon | Reaches heights of 78 feet. |
| New England SkyScreamer | 2014 | Funtime Star Flyer | North End | It was the tallest swing ride in the world until the Orlando Starflyer opened in spring 2018. The New England SkyScreamer stands at 408 feet in height. |
| Rock n' Rodeo | 2016 | SBF Visa Group Traffic Jam | Crack Axle Canyon | A spinning family ride located on the former Rodeo's pad. |
| Harley Quinn Spinsanity | 2018 | Zamperla Giant Discovery | Gotham City | A very large pendulum ride with outward-facing seats that swings back and forth. The pendulum reaches a top speed of 70 mph and soars 14 stories high. Nightwing and Tea Cups were relocated to make space for the ride. |
| Cyborg: Hyper Drive | 2019 | Chance Rides Freestyle | DC Universe | An indoor spinning ride with outward facing seats. Themed to Cyborg and Grid. The ride was announced as "Cyborg" in August 2018 but was changed to "Cyborg: Hyper Drive" in February 2019. Located inside the former Hall of Justice building. |
| Supergirl Sky Flyer | 2021 | Zamperla Endeavour | DC Universe | A spinning attraction that eventually lifts to a 90 degree angle inverting riders. The ride was meant to open during the 2020 season but was delayed to the 2021 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Located on the site of the former Kryptonite Kollider. |
| Dino Off Road Adventure | 2023 | Arrow Entertainment | Kidzopolis | Originally called Wild Wheelz (Route 66 from 1962 to 2014), a children antique car ride that has animatronics of dinosaurs. |
Children's rides
edit| Ride Name | Opened | Manufacturer/Type | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animation Department | 1998 | Zamperla kiddie swings ride | Looney Tunes Movie Town | Children's swing ride. |
| Daffy's Hollywood Tours | 1998 | Zamperla Crazy Bus | Looney Tunes Movie Town | Children's bus ride. |
| Taz's Prop Delivery | 1998 | Zamperla Big Foot | Looney Tunes Movie Town | Children's truck ride. |
| Tweety's Clubhouse | 1999 | Zamperla Jumpin' Star | Looney Tunes Movie Town | Children's drop ride. |
| Wacky Wheel | 2001 | Kiddie Ferris Wheel | Kidzopolis | Originally named Chuck Wagon Wheel and later Cold Spaghetti Western Wheel. |
| Whirlybirdz | 2001 | SBF kiddie ride | Kidzopolis | Originally named Timber Town Sky Patrol and later Wags' Doggie Copters. |
| Krazy Kups | 2001 | Zamperla Mini Tea Cups | Kidzopolis | Originally named Tiny's Tea Party and later Dorothy's Rosy Tea Cups. |
| Zinger Swings | 2001 | SBF kiddie ride | Kidzopolis | Originally named Flight of the Bumble Bees and later Henry's Underwater Swing Band. |
| Krazy Kars | 2007 | Zamperla Sports car ride | Kidzopolis | Originally named Big Red Cars. |
| New England Express | 2007 | Miniature train ride | Main Street | Originally named Thomas the Tank Engine from 2007 to 2010. (Closed from 2011 to 2012). Remnants of Whistlestop Park are used for theme of the train ride. |
| Ship's Ahoy! | 2007 | Zamperla Rockin' Tug | Kidzopolis | Originally named Captain Feathersword's Rockin' Pirate Ship. |
| Splish Splash Zone | 2007 | Playground and water play area | Kidzopolis | Originally named Henry's Splish Splash. |
| Wile E. Coyote's Speed Trap | 1998 | Looney Tunes Movie Town | The ride was moved to the former location of the Looney Tunes Movie Town stage for the 2018 season to make way for an expanded bathroom in the area. | |
| ZoomJets | 2007 | Zamperla Telecombat | Kidzopolis | Originally Big Red Planes. |
Former attractions
edit| Ride | Year Opened | Year Closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roller Coasters | |||
| Giant Dip | 1912 | 1919 | Wooden roller coaster. |
| Greyhound | 1915 | 1933 | John A. Miller-built wooden roller coaster. |
| Lightning | 1920 | 1933 | John A. Miller-built wooden roller coaster. |
| Whirlwind Racer | 1928 | 1933 | Harry G. Traver-built wooden roller coaster. |
| Wild Mouse | 1957 | Unknown | B. A. Schiff & Associates Wild Mouse roller coaster. |
| Wildcat | 1968 | 1983 | Schwarzkopf Wildcat (65m.) roller coaster it got relocated to Rocky Point Park in Rhode island. |
| Black Widow | 1977 | 1999 | Arrow Dynamics Launched Loop roller coaster. Replaced with Flashback. Coaster was relocated to the Old Indiana Fun Park in 2000, where it sat unbuilt until it was scrapped by mid 2006.[29] |
| Little Rickie's Little Twister | 1949 | 1999 | Little Dipper kiddie roller coaster. Coaster was relocated to the Old Indiana Fun Park in 2000, where it sat unbuilt until it was scrapped by mid 2006.[30] Got Replaced by the Great Chase. |
| The Dark Knight Coaster | 2008 | 2008 | Mack Rides Indoor Wild Mouse. Planned for 2008, partially installed and then cancelled. It was relocated to Six Flags México and opened in 2009. |
| Cyclone | 1983 | 2014 | William Cobb Wooden Coaster. Originally Named Riverside Cyclone. Rebuilt as Wicked Cyclone, which opened in 2015. |
| Goliath | 2012 | 2019 | Giant inverted boomerang. Formerly Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain from 2001-2011. After the entire park remained closed for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ride was not shown on the 2021 park map and left standing but not operating. The ride was removed before the 2022 season. |
| Other Rides | |||
| Monorail[31] | 1959 | 1996 | Monorail attraction. |
| Wild Wheelz | 1962 | 2022 | Children's antique car ride. Known as Route 66 from 1962 to 2014. The attraction formerly utilized Arrow cars but was replaced by Gould cars in 2015. Upgraded to Dino Off Road Adventure in 2023. |
| Rotor | 1973 | 1999 | Rotor attraction Replaced with Flashback. |
| Noah's Ark | 1937 | 2019 | Funhouse. |
| Poland Spring Plunge | 1979 | 2005 | Log flume ride. Originally named Red River Rapids. Replaced by Splashwater Falls. |
| Colossus | 1987 | 2005 | 150 ft. ferris wheel. Replaced by Crime Wave. |
| Chaos | 1997 | 2005 | Chance Chaos. Replaced by a large bathroom building. |
| Spider | 1968 | 2006 | Octopus-style ride. The former ride pad has sat vacant since the ride's closure. |
| Bumper Buggies | 1990 or earlier | 2007 | Children's bumper cars. The old ride building has yet to be replaced. |
| Rodeo | 1998 | 2007 | HUSS Breakdance. Replaced by Rockin' Rodeo in 2016. |
| Double Trouble | 1999 | 2007 | Chance Double Inverter. Replaced by a basketball game. |
| Time Warp | 1997 | 2008 | Vekoma Air Jumper. Located near Pandemonium. The former rad pad has sat vacant since the ride's closure. |
| Nightwing | 2000 | 2008 | HUSS Fly Away. Replaced by Joker's Wildcard. |
| Bertie The Bus | 2007 | 2010 | Children's ride located in Thomas Town. The former rad pad has sat vacant since the ride's closure. |
| Harold The Helicopter | 2007 | 2010 | Children's ride located in Thomas Town. The former rad pad has sat vacant since the ride's closure. |
| Foghorn Leghorn Tinsel Town Train | Unknown | 2011 | Children's ride located in Looney Tunes Movie Town. The former ride area was replaced by a seating area. |
| Shipwreck Falls | 1997 | 2011 | Replaced with Goliath, a Giant Inverted Boomerang. |
| Marvin the Martian Earthbound Journey | 2000 | 2011 | Children's ride located in Looney Tunes Movie Town. Relocated to Six Flags Over Texas. |
| Catapult | 2006 | 2012 | S&S Sky Swat. Located in what is now the queue of New England SkyScreamer. Removed in March 2013. Formerly known as SWAT at Six Flags Astroworld from 2003 to 2005. |
| Taz's Daredevil Dive | 1992 | 2013 | Skycoaster. Replaced with New England SkyScreamer. Originally named the Riverside Skycoaster. |
| Twister | 1997 | 2013 | HUSS Top Spin. Replaced by Fireball in 2015. |
| New England Sky Way | 1973 | 2014 | Von Roll Sky-Ride. Transported riders between an elevated station adjacent to Thunderbolt and a station adjacent to Scrambler. In 1998, the ride had received new trams from the defunct Skyride formerly located at Opryland USA. The supports for the ride remained in the park's North End through the end of the 2023 season. The station adjacent to Thunderbolt has sat vacant since the ride's closure. The station adjacent to Scrambler was used as locker storage for Wicked Cyclone from 2015-2016. |
| Flying Aces | 2001 | 2015 | Whistlestop Park biplane ride. Originally located in Tiny Timber Town from 2001-2006, the ride was put in storage when Wiggles World was added. The ride was added back to the park in 2013 in the former location of Harold The Helicopter in Whistlestop Park. The ride was removed again after the 2015 season. |
| Splashwater Falls | 2006 | 2016 | Formerly located in the South End. It was replaced by The Joker. |
| Buzzsaw | 1983 | 2017 | Zierer Flying Carpet ride located in the South End section of the park. Originally named The Screamer and later the Slingshot. Removed at the end of 2017 season and replaced by Tea Cups. |
| Kryptonite Kollider | 2000 | 2019 | A Chance Rides Wipeout. Originally located in the Justice League building with the name "The Joker's Wildcard." It closed in 2004 and was put into storage. It returned for the 2009 season at the former location of Nightwing. The ride was rethemed to "Kryptonite" and then changed to "Kryptonite Kollider" for the 2017 season.[32] The attraction was retired at the end of the 2019 season to make way for Supergirl Sky Flyer, which occupies the same plot of land. |
| Fireball | 2016 | 2021 | A Larson International 22M Giant Loop. The ride was located in Rockville in the former location of Twister. The attraction was extensively destroyed by a fallen tree in a rain storm during the 2021 season. The ride was SBNO for the remainder of the 2021 season and was removed before the start of the 2022 season. |
| Nightwing | 2009 | 2022 | A Slingshot ride. Formerly named The Blitz and Slingshot. An upcharge attraction. After being relocated to the park from Six Flags St. Louis, the ride was located in the DC Superhero Adventures section before being moved to the South End in 2011. Relocated in front of The Riddler Revenge for the 2018 season to make room for Harley Quinn Spinsanity and renamed Nightwing until its closure in 2022. |
| Kontiki | 1999 | 2024 | A Flying Bobs attraction. The ride was removed prior to the 2024 season. |
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
edit| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Six Flags |
Hurricane Harbor is a water park located within Six Flags New England. The waterpark opened in 1997 as Island Kingdom and was rebranded Hurricane Harbor in 2003. It features a number of family-oriented rides as well as thrill rides. The most recent addition is Bonzai Pipelines added in 2013. For the 2020 season, Bonzai Beach is being expanded and renamed to Buccaneer Beach. This area is to include a larger bathhouse facility and a new pool.
| Ride Name | Opened | Manufacturer/Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss Family Toboggan | 1998 | Proslide Technology Inc. "Mammoth" family raft ride | |
| Adventure River | 1998 | Lazy river | |
| Big Kahuna | 1998 | Proslide Technology Inc. "Pipeline" | 4 enclosed tube slides. |
| Cannonball Falls | 1998 | Proslide Technology Inc. "Speed Zone" | 3 speed slides. |
| Hook's Lagoon | 1998 | SCS Interactive "Discovery Treehouse" with Proslide Technology Inc. "Twisters’ Zone" slides | |
| Octopus Toddler Slide | 1998 | Climbing structure for children. | |
| Kiddie Pirate Ship | 1998 | Fake pirate ship designed for kids to climb on. | |
| Commotion Ocean | 1999 | A large wave pool. | |
| Shark Attack | 1999 | Proslide Technology Inc. "Atomic Coasters" | 4 half enclosed, half open tube slides. |
| Tornado | 2003 | Proslide Technology Inc. Tornado "Rattler" | Funnel-shaped tube slide that uses four-person "cloverleaf" or two-person "whirly wheel" tubes. |
| Hurricane Bay | 2003 | Wave pool with family activity area. | |
| Monsoon Lagoon | 2003 | Family wave pool along with slides and interactive water play area. | |
| Hurricane Falls | 2003 | 6 slide Proslide Technology Inc. Twisters complex | |
| Geronimo Falls and Zooma Falls | 2003 | 2 Proslide Technology Inc. Mammoths | |
| Splash Island | 2010 | Kids area including a wave pool and lazy river. Originally named "Mr. Six's Splash Island" but the prefix was removed after one season. | |
| Rip Tide Cove | 2013 | Water play area. | |
| Typhoon | 2005 | a water slide ride |
Park entertainment
edit
During the park's branding as a Six Flags in 2000, the Looney Tunes characters were added to the park. The line-up of Looney Tunes characters includes: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Petunia Pig, Pepé Le Pew, Roadrunner, Wile E. Coyote, Marvin the Martian, Taz, Granny, Lola Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam and Gossamer.
In 2006, the park underwent a massive expansion in the entertainment department when Mark Shapiro took control of Six Flags. With this expansion, Six Flags New England has added Justice League characters, along with the Hall of Justice. In 2007, enemies of the Justice League known as the Legion of Doom came to Six Flags. This addition brought the following characters to the park: Batman, Robin, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, The Flash, The Joker, The Riddler, Sinestro, Cheetah, Lex Luthor and Captain Cold. The Hall of Justice is located in the building where the Jokers Wild Card flat ride used to be, transforming it into a secret lair. Times are posted outside indicating when guests will be able to meet the characters and pose for pictures. However, the Hall of Justice building has recently become the home of Cyborg: Hyper Drive.
The park also has some of the characters from Mystery Inc including Scooby-Doo, his best friend Shaggy Rogers and his nephew Scrappy-Doo.
In the 2008 season, the Glow in the Park Parade was introduced. It was the unique brainchild of world-renowned creative director Gary Goddard and featured five custom-designed floats, 65 performers, and more than 35 support staff members and technicians. Each float was adorned with vibrant-multicolor lights that illuminate the park and surrounded the streets with custom-composed cirque-inspired music. The parade featured drummers, puppeteers, singers, dancers, and kinetic stilt walkers to create an unparalleled nighttime spectacular. The parade did not return in the 2009 season, but it did return in 2010. The parade never got to complete its full-season run in 2010. It was canceled in July after new management took over the Six Flags Corporate office.
From 2001 to 2014, Six Flags New England hosted a series of outdoor summer concerts. Additionally, from 2006 to 2013, WKSS hosted their annual Kiss 95.7 Summer Kickoff Concert at the park, and from 2010 to 2013, WKCI-FM hosted KC 101's Ticket to Ride concert.
Fright Fest
editDuring the month of October, the park gets transformed for its annual Halloween festival, Fright Fest. This transformation include the addition of Halloween decorations to several of its midway areas (making them Haunt Zones with roaming characters monsters), several shows and five premium haunted attractions: Nightmares, Terror Tales, The Aftermath: Zombies Revenge, Slasher Circus 3D and Midnight Mansion. In early 2009, Six Flags New England received an award within the chain for the best Fright Fest of 2008.[33]
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Six Flags New England Opens Doors to New Era of Excitement". Six Flags New England. May 5, 2000. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Marks, Paul. "A PLACE FOR FAMILY FUN SINCE PICNICS RULED IN THE 1800S". courant.com. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Cecchi, David. "Images of America Riverside Park". Arcadia Publishing, 2011, pg.7
- ^ Cecchi, pp. 22–24.
- ^ Cecchi, pp. 51–54.
- ^ Cecchi, p. 25.
- ^ Cecchi, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Cecchi, p. 9
- ^ Cecchi, p. 70
- ^ Cecchi, David. "Images of America Riverside Park". Arcadia Publishing, 2011, p. 81
- ^ Commemorative plaque at the park from American Coaster Enthusiasts
- ^ "IN FOCUS Riverside Park Speedway: Gone But Not Forgotten". shorttracknation.tv. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Courchesne, Shaun (July 18, 1999). "THE RIDE FINALLY ENDS AT RIVERSIDE PARK". courant.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ Quigley, Tom. "This Six Flags coaster comes with a summer storm warning: WICKED CYCLONE". eagletribune.com. The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ Turner, Ford (August 24, 1994). "Weld approves WMass casino". The Union-News. Springfield, MA: via NewsBank. Retrieved June 24, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ Turner, Ford (November 10, 1994). "Casinos vote final, Weld says". The Union-News. Springfield, MA: via NewsBank. Retrieved June 24, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ "Six Flags New England".
- ^ "Six Flags' Dark Knight Coaster Goes Dark". Themeparks.about.com. April 18, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The Republican (November 7, 2008). "Agawam OKs new highs for Six Flags roller coasters". masslive.com. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ "Six Flags New England Introduces GOLIATH: World's Tallest Inverted Boomerang Coaster". investors.sixflags.com. Six Flags. May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Six Flags: Oops We did it again". parkjourney.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "The Cyclone closes at Six Flags New England; Instagram users document famed coaster's final days". masslive.com. July 20, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Hybrid roller coaster "Wicked Cyclone" opens at Six Flags New England". wwlp.com. May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "FIREBALL OPENS MAY 20!". sixflags.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Kristen (May 31, 2017). "The JOKER Roller Coaster Opens at Six Flags New England". nbcconnecticut.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ Darren, Ryan, Ayotte, Trowbridge (May 31, 2018). "'Harley Quinn Spinsanity' to open this weekend at Six Flags New England". westernmassnews.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "SUPERGIRL Soars to New Heights!". sixflags.com. Six Flags. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Six Flags New England Opens with World Class Thrills". Six Flags New England. April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "Roller Coaster DateBase: Black Widow at the Old Indiana Fun Park". rcdb.com.
- ^ "Roller Coaster DateBase: Little Rickie's Little Twister at the Old Indiana Fun Park". rcbd.com.
- ^ Stacom, Don. "A Promising Rebirth for Riverside Park". Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ https://www.sixflags.com/newengland/attractions/kryptonite [dead link]
- ^ "Get spooked at Six Flags New England's Fright Fest". Boston.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
External links
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