Six Flags Ohio: New Kid on an Old Block

WOW! Six Flags Ohio is one big surprise!

This surprisingly small park packs an unexpected wallop in the BIG FUN category! I came away extremely impressed with just about everything at this newly designated Six Flags property, but what surprised me most was the obviously traditional atmosphere found amidst the theming of this charming lakeside establishment. The park is situated just north of the town of Aurora and brother, does it cry out for road development. Getting there entails traversing a two lane road at 35 mph past the tiny tourist towns of Streetsboro and Aurora for a good twenty minutes....that is, if traffic cooperates. Thank goodness Sea World was closed - I would HATE being caught in a traffic jam on this road! Getting to the parking lot is also a bit confusing. A huge sign saying "Six Flags PARKING" has the unintended effect of misdirecting first time visitors down the street directly in front of the parking lot, where you will find no parking entrance and instead encounter a rather lengthy delay from pedestrian traffic. The actual parking lot entrance is located further down the road past the sign. But who can pay attention to signs when you're staring face to face with the most freakish looking coaster on the planet? Superman: Ultimate Escape runs along the edge of the park, right next to the street, and what a sight this thing is. Oh my God, I nearly plowed right into the fence the first time I came upon it. The ride itself is a freak show. There's not a bad seat to be found anywhere, and thankfully both the front and back offer completely different experiences. The front seat gives riders a frightening but fun scare as you travel up the front spiral spike. You also get a nice floaty sensation as you near the top of the spike and then head back down. It is SUCH an odd feeling, visually and physically, going up that spiral spike! The back spike has it's moment, too, even from the front seat. On the final pass, you travel up the back spike and are HELD there for a *good long moment*, long enough to make you cry mommy! If you're sitting in the front seat you are literally frozen face down with nothing between you and the ground! The backseat lacks the visual excitement of the front, but the ride is more physical. Travelling up the back spike is, in a word, INTENSE! The lims seem to kick you back with a lot more force than going forward (I'm sure this is just an illusion), and the distance you travel backward up that spike is just amazing, all the while facing down! Imagine riding Superman at SFMM turned around! The backseat also allows for more, um, *unique* rides. One time I rode with Jon Smith and as we approached the back spike freeze frame, he told me to put my feet against the seat in front of me. The lims reversed, the ride came to a stop and I found myself standing on top of that seat! Another time Jon sat in front of me and held onto my foot through the final pass! I really loved this ride. It's one of the most addicting coasters I've ever ridden. One time we rode six or seven times in a row without even getting off. And I wanted MORE! I spent the day with a great group of RRCers! Tim Melago and Shawn Mamros showed up, as did Philip Reuss, Jon Smith, Joe Campanella and several of his friends, Chris Trotter and Bill Berkey. Poor Bill. We were walking through the S:UE queue when I noted the large concrete, wooden and metal protrusions at eye level and within easy striking distance along the path of the queue. Not more than ten seconds after I asked Jon "I wonder how long before somebody clocks themselves on one of those things," Bill Berkey came walking up the station steps holding his head. He wasn't faking. He ran smack dab into one of the wooden posts, and he was rubbing his head for a good thirty minutes afterward. The park is definitely going to need to erect some kind of protective barrier against these protrusions before someone gets seriously hurt! We also ran into lots of other RRCers. Ted Ansley was there with David Rager (boy do I miss his coaster program updates), Brian Peters was there with Tim Baldwin, Scott Schafer and Andrew Hartman, and surprise! Steven Wilson and David Escalante came all the way from California! We all took several rides on the Big Dipper. This was a coaster I've been dying to ride for a long time now. It did *not* disappoint! The trains (ah, the trains) are heaven sent. Single lap bars, no seat dividers, no high seat backs, and padding. Plenty of padding. In fact, maybe a little too much padding! There's so much padding that leg room almost became an issue. I rode comfortably though, albeit with my knees pressed against the padding in front. I also rode by myself a few times and boy, what fun! I loved the ride. For some reason in many ways it reminded me of the Arnolds Park Legend. That particular coaster has a curving first drop, but otherwise they both offer a surprisingly punchy ride, with nice changes of direction and wonderful sets of hills! It also doesn't suffer from your typical theme park mentality - the open seating is great and if there was any braking I sure didn't feel it! We walked along the lakefront toward the back of the park. The park's lakeside setting really is beautiful, with Sea World surprisingly in view just across the lake. The park's small size was surprising to me, in a good way, and there exists an unmistakable traditional charm and feel to the place, even among the new Six Flags theming. The mature trees and shade automatically create a much older, classic look, and the landscaping was very detailed, lush and really lovely, even with all of the construction. I also liked all the different pockets within the park- each time you turned a corner it felt like a completely different place, and surprisingly theming had nothing to do with it. I got the distinct impression Premier Parks is taking their time with this park, giving it tender loving care with an unusual amount of attention being paid to details. It's obvious they've invested a lot in this park, and the marriage between traditional and theme park seems to be working very well here. One thing I especially loved about this place was how easy it was to navigate. You could walk back and forth all day long and not get tired! And so we did. The park was not at all crowded, so walkons were the norm. It was nice because I really wanted to like this park the moment I walked in, and the low attendance allowed us to experience everything the park had to offer without having to endure the typical Six Flags hassles, i.e. long waits, rowdy crowds, line jumping, etc. Batman Knight Flight was a one train wait. The station for this coaster is incredible - a lot of thought and cash went into it's design. For some reason this was the coaster that many in our group kept wanting to return to! I wonder if it's because it is AWESOME! This ride is so much fun - it offers some nice strong forces, particularly around some of the curves, no doubt a result of its compact layout. And it's location!!!! I cannot believe the designers approved it's location - not on the lake but IN IT! The footers for this coaster must be seen to be believed. As for the ride itself, I love it, particularly from the front. The pacing is wonderful and the elements are not spread out as much as they are on Medusa at SFMW. Still, I miss the "Kumba thing" terribly, and I prefer Medusa West's straight first drop. Overall, though, Batman Knight Flight, while having one of the most ridiculous names for a coaster I've ever heard (but not as bad as Superman Krypton Coaster), is a tremendous, standout ride! Poor Bill Berkey. Not only did he bang his noodle on Superman: Ultimate Escape, he lost his keys on Batman Knight Flight. He filed a report with guest services but unless they have crack underwater divers, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to return. We got in line for The Villain. It was at this time that Chris Trotter, Jon Smith and Shawn Mamros began to debate college bands (who knew MIT was such a force to be reckoned with in the world of college marching bands?). It also became apparent that Chris has some unresolved issues concerning his beloved Ohio University and the treatment their band received whenever they visited Ohio State. Okay, back to The Villain. First of all, the station. It looked great, with a wonderful western design and lots of attention to detail! Except those darn kids have already had their way with it - part of the plaster's been torn off revealing exposed brick! And WHAT is up with that music!? Every five minutes or so, a short burst of three notes, played over and over four times in a row, would sound. Imagine the Twilight Zone - now say "I can name that tune in three notes!" and do it. Then repeat those three notes in rapid succession, four times a row. THAT'S the Villain music! It's the wierdest thing I've ever heard! No wait. The animals accompanying the music would have to be included. Yes, you heard right, animals. Apparently, in addition to this bizarre little Twilight Zone ditty, strange animal noises were piped in as well. The animal sounds stopped that morning, but Jon Smith and several others felt compelled to add their own interpretations whenever the "music" would start up. "Mmmooooooooo!" "Bu-kaw!" "Baaaa, baaaa!" So whenever we'd ride the Villain, all I'd hear is that little three note Twilight Zone ditty played four times in a row real fast, and Jon Smith going "Mmmooooooo!" What a freak show! Okay, the ride. One of my most anticipated coasters of the year. And ultimately, one of the most unsettling! First of all, I *LOVE* the Gerstlauer trains on this ride! Since there aren't a lot of lateral forces the ride is actually comfortable! And of course the Gerstlauer lap bars stay in place, which makes airtime effortless - just put your hands up and enjoy the ride! As for the ride, I loved it! I was expecting a clone of GhostRider though, and in that respect Villain fell a bit short. It lacked the balls out intensity of GhostRider, matching neither the violence nor the speed. And it's hills were rather rampy, making the airtime less than extreme. I also found "the drop" and all of the other comparable elements no match for GhostRider. So why did I love it? Because, judged on its own merits, this is a purely fun, extremely thrilling ride! It is such a smooth, comfortable ride, yet by no means is it unchallenging. There are several exceptionally thrilling moments, with a great first drop (which I liked better than GR), a surprising lateral throw following the first turnaround, and of course, "the drop." There is also airtime in abundance on this ride - the second hill is outstanding as is the drop on the final turnaround! And while the final return run is rampy, it does give nice little pops of airtime all the way home. So, why was it unsettling? Well, I was expecting one ride and got another. I was expecting a little uneasiness, like I usually feel just before I board coasters like GhostRider, the Georgia Cyclone and now Holiday World's Legend. Instead, The Villain is one of the most flat out fun coasters I've ever ridden. I put it right up there with two other coasters I consider tops in the pure fun category, the Phoenix and Great Escape Comet. The Villain is extremely rerideable, challenging and very thrilling, and most of all, FUN!!! And so was my day at Six Flags Ohio. The crowd was light and well behaved, and all the employees I encountered were very gracious. The ride ops at SUE let us stay on or even change seats without walking around, and Villain's ride ops thankfully pulled up on the lap bars, unlike a certain notorious former-blonde-now-auburn-but-still-evil-no-matter-how-hard-she-tries-to-disguise-herself ride op at Knotts Berry Farm's GhostRider. We rode the Top Spin and after we were seated the ride op announced that she was giving us three rides in a row unless anyone wanted off, and she ran three different programs, including one that was just insane! My ride on Top Spin got me separated from Tim and Shawn, and after one more night ride on Batman Knight Flight, I headed back to The Villain only to find a longer line and Tim and Shawn way ahead of me. Not being one to line jump, I waited patiently in line and took one last wonderful ride on this enormously fun coaster which, by the way, kicks up the speed and intensity factor big time once the sun goes down! Then I decided to call it a night and bid this wonderful place adieu. I went back the next day in search of Spatch, who was supposed to hang out with me but was instead mired in bad melodrama in Cleveland (what an awful place to be caught in melodrama). Fortunately I hung out with Scott Short until early afternoon, when the typical Six Flags crowd showed up, reminding me yet again never to visit ANY Six Flags on a Saturday, and to head for Kennywood instead. But I'll be back! In fact, I plan to return to this park at least two more times this summer! So I guess you can tell I loved Six Flags Ohio. It's only a two drive from the Pittsburgh airport, and I plan to make this an annual pilgrimage. I think it's a real gem. The park just oozes atmosphere, and the coasters are unusual and unusually fun! In fact, that pretty much sums up my feelings about Six Flags Ohio. FUN!!! Mark