Search Results for: blog six flags minus the scares

Gas Tank Getaway: Six Flags Great America

Don’t let high gas prices keep you home this summer.  There’s no need to sweat it out in your backyard when extreme family fun is less than a tank of gas away. If you live in Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan or Illinois, a mecca of mind-blowing adventure awaits at Six Flags Great America.  The popular theme park is located in Gurnee, Illinois; less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, Milwaukee, and a host of other major Midwestern cities. Great America’s convenient location is a major timesaver, but the savings don’t stop there.  In addition to banking gas money, you can continue … Continue reading →

Ways to Save on a Six Flags Staycation

It’s never a good day when travelers are actually excited to see gas prices hovering near $4. Three dollars and 89 cents for a gallon of unleaded–SCORE!! While the cost of gas has fallen slightly in the last couple weeks, from its highest levels since July 2008, Americans are still paying nearly a dollar more per gallon than a year ago. As a result, families from coast-to-coast continue to restructure their summer vacation plans in order to preserve their household budgets, and still have fun in the sun. That goes double for clans living in and around Chicago. According to … Continue reading →

Six Flags Minus the Scares

Bloody appendages, stabbed rats, decapitated creatures, knife-wielding, pig-faced butchers and intestine-covered caskets don’t make for sweet dreams, especially if you’re a six-year-old looking to meet Bugs Bunny for the first time. Thankfully, the folks at Six Flags Great America realize this. Hence the decision to keep certain portions of the theme park scare-free for its youngest guests during its annual Fright Fest extravaganza, which runs weekends throughout October. If the popular Gurnee, Illinois, attraction didn’t offer thrills without chills, then there would be no way that I could have spent last Saturday making magical memories with my daughter at Six … Continue reading →

When Lady Luck is Not On Your Side

During a recent trip to Six Flags Great America my 7-year-old was inundated by gamers calling out for players to press their luck at various activities. The teen workers enthusiastically described the thrills of the ring toss, basketball throw and balloon pop, and then waved humongous stuffed prizes in the faces of kids who stopped and sized up their chances. After unsuccessfully trying her hand at an array of games, my daughter begged me for more money to fund her pursuit of a large stuffed Scooby-Doo. When I told her that I didn’t have any more money she frowned and … Continue reading →

Serious Summer Screams

With the price of gas draining the wallets of drivers from coast-to-coast, travel experts are predicting that many families will be sticking close to home this summer. This comes as good news to theme parks that are located near several major cities. For example, Six Flags Great America practically straddles the states of Wisconsin and Illinois. Located in Gurnee, Illinois, its close proximity to Milwaukee and Chicago make it an easy and affordable day trip for tens of thousands of summer travelers, including my own family. However, Great America is not the only amusement park situated in a convenient locale. … Continue reading →

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

It’s been a year of firsts for my first-born: First year of full-day school, first bus ride, first spin on a roller coaster, first time riding a two-wheeler, and the first time reading a chapter book from start to finish without a single bit of help. Continuing my week-long series of super summer reads, today I am sharing a title that will forever hold a special place in my 6-year-old’s heart: The Trouble with Chickens: A J.J. Tully Mystery. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that a book about a retired search-and-rescue dog named Jonathon Joseph Tully … Continue reading →

Halloween Family Travel: Fun and Freaky

Halloween is a family-friendly holiday. However, if you have a number of kids spanning a wide age range, it can be challenging to find a Halloween-themed event that can be enjoyed by the entire clan. Fortunately, there are quite a few travel attractions that feature thrills and chills appropriate for kids of all ages, including: LOWRY PARK ZOO BOO The “family-friendly fright zone” at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo features Halloween fun for young and old alike. Older kids will love navigating haunted houses, spooky trails, and a creepy Egyptian tomb, while younger trick-or-treaters can satiate their sweet tooth by collecting … Continue reading →

Halloween Travel: Diabolical Destinations

Tis the season for theme parks to transform into haunted horror shows that come alive with strobe lights, ultraviolet rays that dilate your eyes, and a cacophony of wicked wails and high-pitched screams. Halloween is a huge moneymaker for amusement parks across the country, so you can bet that places like Six Flags, Universal Studios, and Knott’s Berry Farm are pulling out all of their walking corpses to terrify guests. Maze-like corridors, mock graveyards and trick mirrors that make it appear as though you are about to be devoured by flesh-eating zombies are just some of the tricks that are … Continue reading →

Spooky Halloween Adventures

These are no kiddie Zoo Boos. The following Halloween travel attractions are not for the faint of heart. Literally. Many theme parks post large signs warning guests that suffer from heart conditions NOT to partake in the gory Halloween hauntings that are a dime a dozen this time of year, for fear it may cause serious medical emergencies. If you are cool as a cucumber and creepy mazes, disorienting strobe lights, fog and fake blood don’t make your heart skip a beat or trigger panic attacks, then you might consider traveling to the following Halloween events: Busch Gardens Williamsburg in … Continue reading →

Halloween Travel: Something for Everyone

This week is prime scaring time for Halloween lovers the world over. The second week in October is traditionally when most venues open their haunted houses and other spooktacular attractions to shrieking guests. While some major theme parks kicked off their fright fests and horror nights at the beginning of the month, the vast majority of smaller organizations waited until this week to debuted their ghoulish thrills and chills. If you are looking to feel the tingle of terror this month or you simply want your kids to make the most of their expensive costumes, then consider these varied Halloween … Continue reading →