I call this a pallet cleanser ride. After riding a bunch of rides, you come here and you think of…read morewhat you should do next especially when you can see nearly everything in the park. This ride is historic because 4 generations of my family have been on this and it's actually the only thrilling ride an 89 year old grandma can possibly do. It's awesome. The rides been taking a beating over the many years I've been away from it. I did scare my girlfriend thinking this ride was a giant drop. Time to teach this old ride some new tricks.

I SEE HOME This is…read morenot a thrill ride nor should you be scared. This ride is perfect for seniors and babies. On a clear day you can actually see downtown Chicago, so if you need to make sure it's still there, then this is the perfect ride for you. It is a nice view up here with a great perspective of the park. If you want to see how massive Six Flags is, then I recommend you go up here for a whirl. The Sky Trek Tower opened in 1977. It was manufactured by Intamin and rises above Six Flags to 330 ft or 100 m, if you're into the metric thing. The official name of this ride is called a Gyro tower 1200. This ride is basically an observation tower that has a vertical moving platform but the platform not only rises here it also rotates. This does offer spectacular views of Gurnee. Gurnee? Who doesn't want to see the mall, Key Lime Cove or even the traffic trying to park in the lot. Is this my favorite ride now? Nope! Did I love it when I was a little kid? Sure did! This ride serves its purpose here for so many people. My family likes it but I usually find some excuse to not go. Hey I can sit out a ride or two because of dullness. Ha! So if you're really looking for a smooth ride above the park with some panoramic views then this is the ride for you. Make sure to give me a wave when you're at the top because I will be sitting down on the ground waiting for you.

CANNON FODDER This…read moreinitial launch on this roller coaster packs a mighty punch, but the rest of the ride is a snoozefest. Unveiled to a massive amount of hype, Maxx Force is the newest addition to a coaster lineup at Great America that already contains a few blockbusters (X-Flight, Goliath). Scheduled to start at the beginning of the 2019 season, it was delayed by several months and finally opened on Independence Day. The line reuses some of the old Pictorium paving, though the majority of the queue is a series of switchbacks atop a massive concrete slab. There's NO shade here, so during the summer it can get scorching hot. The ride has a quasi-racing thing going on, most notably the front of the trains that have a Formula 1 motif. The station, sadly, is uninspired. At a mere 800 riders/hour, you can be assured a longer wait for Maxx Force than Batman (1,400 riders/hour), Raging Bull (1,560 riders/hour!), or nearly any other ride in the park except for Giant Drop. Trains are comfy and seat 8 rows of 2 across, with a seatbelt + lap bar combo. Seating is assigned (you're told where sit), so those wishing to get a front row spot will likely be disappointed. Once locked in, the trains slowly roll onto a straightaway where they engage the launch mechanism. After a minute of waiting, you're catapulted to 78mph from a standstill in under 2 seconds. The compressed air launch is thrilling but not prolonged; it's got the ability to take your breath away. Immediately following the launch is what RCDB.com dubs a 'dog tongue', essentially a twisted Immelman that segues into a twisted dive loop. Personally, I think it's dumb they're calling this a "double inversion", as it really only feels like one. whatever. Inversion #3 (or #2, if I'm the one keeping score) is a heartline roll that's navigated at roughly 60mph, which gives them a dubious title in "world's fastest inversion". The best inversions are ones taken slowly -- like the 'Jojo roll' on Hydra @ Dorney Park -- so blitzing through this did nothing for me. The final element is something they're calling a 'Maxx Dive Loop', a lame attempt to capitalize on an otherwise standard dive loop by giving it a unique name. Naturally, Six Flags claims this is also a double inversion, bringing their count to 5 (I'm a purist, so I say it's only 3). This ride uses compressed air as its method of acceleration, so that means you inevitably wind up with exhaust gas. Seconds after a train launches you can hear what sounds like cannon fire echoing throughout the entire park! The resulting loud noise is "action vs. reaction" at work, when the compressed air is released in a deafening BOOM. Full Throttle @ Magic Mountain in California is the closest match to Maxx Force: both are launch coasters, both are unique to their park, and both are rather short (FT at 2200ft in length, MF at 1800ft). I imagine Full Throttle delivers a better, more well-rounded ride experience. Plus, it offers two launches compared to Maxx Force's single launch. What I take the most exception with, is the fact that brakes on Maxx Force start HALFWAY UP the final inversion. The designers incorporated no space for a level brake run, so instead they castrated the ride's 2nd significant 'drop'. One circuit lasts a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 23 seconds. I'm all for roller coasters that have a nice aesthetic, and Maxx Force, well.......looks ugly. The heart-shaped dual inversion is okay I suppose, but the support structure sticks out like a sore thumb. It definitely affects the skyline of the park, and not in a good way. * TL;DR * I enjoy launch coasters of all shapes and sizes, from the massive Top Thrill Dragster to the lazy Backlot Stunt Coaster. Some have a hydraulic winch from energy stored in flywheels, others benefit from a series of Linear Induction Motors, and a few even use a tire-propelled launch. That said, Maxx Force is one of the least-satisfying launch coasters I've ridden. It's vastly inferior to Flight of Fear @ Kings Island, and nowhere near the same intensity as Xcelerator @ Knotts Berry Farm. Hell, Vertical Velocity on the other side of the park is better (and offers a ride that's 3x as long). Although station ops were doing their best to dispatch trains in a timely fashion, Maxx Force just doesn't have the same throughput as most roller coasters and that hurts its re-ridability. It gets the point across, just don't go expecting groundbreaking things from this one and bank on a LONG wait. Per usual, Six Flags felt the need to lay claim to a whole bunch of questionable records for a ride that's a lousy 1,800ft long. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be marathoning rides on American Eagle's blue side while the rest of the world gets suckered into waiting for this gimmicky eyesore.

Came with my dad, and at the start of the line, we expected some sort of practice seat, since he's…read morea little taller and bigger. We asked the teen at the beginning of the line if he thought he could fit, and he just shrugged and looked away. We decided to suck it up and wait in line for 75 minutes, make it to the front, only to fail clicking him in. Besides that, I'll just rate the ride. You spend over an hour in line (expected though, I understand how amusement parks work) and then you get to the coaster, spend 2 minutes strapping in... for a 14 second ride. It jolts to start out of nowhere, which probably scared me a bit, but after that, the inversions and speed are pretty lackluster. tl;dr- tall/husky people stay away, and be ready to be slightly disappointed if you were super excited about the speed and turns.

The American Eagle is my all time favorite rollercoaster…read more I am so happy that Great America chose to keep it classic and original when every other park was converting wooden coasters. Big, old wooden coasters are getting rarer and rarer, and this is a truly great one, and is in pretty great shape over all. As a kid, I remember the excitement we felt when we saw that big, white helix alongside the highway and we knew that we were almost there. Even now, it's the most visually striking feature of the park that can be seen from the highway. I do love a thrill ride, but American Eagle fills an essential place in the park. It's thrilling enough, but it's also not super rough and forceful like many of the other rides. I can go on it 10 times in a row without taking a break, and my body doesn't hate me for it later. I think the absolute best thing about The American Eagle is that wood is such a dynamic material, and the ride will feel completely different on a hot, sunny day versus a cooler day. My personal favorite American Eagle experience is in a light rain, or right after it has rained. As I get older, and my bones ache and I start to experience headaches from coasters, I take comfort in knowing that this is one I will always be able to ride. Not every coaster needs to be a super intense, forceful experience. Not every wood coaster needs to be snappy like Viper (honestly, that one hurts my neck). Sometimes just the thrill of tearing down a track at absurd speeds, and long drops is enough. Also, shoutout to that little dip on the red side right after the helix where you feel like the ground just got pulled out from under you.

American Eagle is an old classic in the park and it's imposing white painted superstructure has…read moreloomed large over I-94 for a long time. And it's not officially Halloween in Chicagoland until the giant spider goes up. But this ride is starting to show it's age with peeling paint and a rather rough track. Racing coasters are always fun (Go Team Red!) but it seems like Six Flags often has just one train running. Maybe it's because ridership seems to have declined over the years, which is a shame because it means people are missing out on a great first drop into a tunnel, lots of airtime, and one of the best and biggest banked helix turns anywhere. Maybe it's time for RMC to work their magic on smoothing out this old girl's wrinkles. But if they do, I hope they keep this a dueling racer and keep it true to it's original spirit. Maybe just a simple retracking instead of giving it the full Goliath treatment like they did with Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

The original Batman Clone this is the one that started it all as this exact coaster exists at many…read moreof the Six Flags parks across the country! This one however has some details that are different which if you've ridden all of them like I have then you will notice that the Bat Cave station is a bit more detailed than the others which is cool because it totally feels like it fits the part. The layout of this coaster is perfect and it's just a fun ride from start to finish every time I ride one of these I always say how fun it as at its just a super cool compact layout that provides a great ride for all ages every single time! Overall it's the OG Batman Clone and it's definitely one of the best ones out there still it's for that reason of how fun it is I will look forward to my next ride on this one or one of the many other ones that exist at some other parks in the chain!

Have you ever wanted to feel what it feels like to fly?! You need to ride Batman! It will give you…read morethe sensation of gliding through the air, feet fancy free! Batman the Ride goes up to 55mph and growing up, it was my favorite ride at Six Flags Great America opening in 1992. I way way too young to ride when it opened, but once I got to junior high I was all about it! I could ride over and over when there with no lines with ease. It's kind of crazy to think that this ride is 25 years old! It surely does not seem like it. I suppose that's just how innovative the roller-coaster was for the time! Batman goes fast, does twists & turns, loops, all while you're sitting with your feet dangling below. Do not wear sandals on this thing! They will surely fly off, never to be seen again. Doing the loops while your feet fling above is really a cool feeling! I love it! Thrills are always had while riding Batman at Great America!!!

Demon is one of my absolute favorites…read more The theming revamp in recent years has been absolutely amazing and phenomenal. I absolutely love that it's getting some love again, and that Great America is finally paying attention to theming again. However, there are a few issues. First of all, as much as I like the airbrushed fronts of the cars, they should really re-adopt the 3D logo like the one in California. It's so much more retro and more fitting of the ride. Please fully embrace the history and the retro nature of this ride. Secondly, the theme song is not always playing in the queue and that is just criminal. I want to hear the full 30 minute loop of the Demon song. "While you're waiting here in line, better take a little time..." to find something to entertain yourself with, because you won't be graced with the beautiful sound of pig-calls mid-wait, and that is just sad. You have it. Someone in 1980 took the time to write and record this 30-minute cheesy masterpiece, and you might as well use it. Third, there is absolutely no reason to raise the height requirement on a ride that has been around for this long. 42 inch riders have been riding The Demon (and Turn of the Century) safely since 1976. That's 50 years without any incidents. Why, suddenly, after 50 years of operation, is it allegedly unsafe for 42 inch riders to face The Demon? It's not. Let the kids get their first inversions in on The Demon. It's a time-honored tradition in Chicagoland. Forth, The Demon is worthy of a far more epic sign. I would personally be ecstatic if we could recreate the Demon sign from the 80s, with the drain pipe and the glowing eyes. It would really fit the theme, especially with Rakshasa's curiosity show theming. Embrace that old-fashioned theme park vibe, and make it look appropriately vintage. Fifth, WHERE ARE THE ROCKS? I know they were removed because they were structurally unsound... but why have they not been replaced? The rocks around the loops were so iconic. Bring them back! We were promised that the rocks would come back.

Life is like a quesadilla, filled with cheese. This ride hurt my balls. Great ride but it's filled…read morewith cheese 10/10 life is like a quesadilla

literally had such an amazing time at sky Midwest, Travis and Steve were amazing, Travis was my…read moretandem partner, made me feel comfortable, made me laugh, he was cool, didn't scare me, it just overall it was a great experience seriously the process was seamless. Steve was taking video/filming and he was super funny awesome and cool.The staff was friendly. My dad brother and I got to play pool while we waited super simple class, and then they got us right up right away, and we had a great time. We were in and out in two hours. There were no problems no issues they got amazing photo and video seriously awesome atmosphere great staff cool place.

What an experience! My friend and I had a fantastic experience and had a great day jumping out of a…read moreplane! We had a beautiful day to go, mid-august. The staff was all super friendly and made sure we understood everything that was going on and kept us feeling safe. Great location, on a clear day you can see milwaukee and Chicago from the air! We did the photo and video package, we'll worth it to have pictures of these amazing memories. There is plenty of time to do a variety of poses and faces in the air, even with the wind against you. Even you're even thinking about going, do it!!

Drinks were good and quick, even though they were busy. Great to be able to stop in, warm up and…read morehead back out for a little more skiing.

Hot Dog Mountain is back baby!! Grand Geneva's terrain park is making a serious comeback. The jumps…read moreare insane and the rails are ridiculous. They might have the most rails in Southern WI. They've been making a ton of snow and creating some fantastic features every week. The black diamond is really a black diamond. I'd love to see some of the features become permanent like the giant jump on "A". Thanks for all your hard work! Let's shred the gnar!!!!

Excellent thing to go see during the summer. FREE entertainment for all the people in my family,…read moreyoung and old. Pretty daring acts and great comedy that is integrated into the show script. I recommend this to everyone!!!

Although their shows may be above average their attitudes towards other people trying to enjoy…read moretheir time on Brown's Lake is much less humble. Anywhere from rudely speeding past fishers to aggressively cutting in line to load their boats and then crowding the waiting area when there are other vehicles waiting for them to clear out to load their boats as well. After just a couple of encounters with the Brown's Lake Aquaducks I will NEVER go back to Brown's Lake in hopes of never having to deal with them ever again.