Six Flags America
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| Location | Woodmore, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 38°54′22″N 76°46′21″W / 38.90620°N 76.77257°WCoordinates: 38°54′22″N 76°46′21″W / 38.90620°N 76.77257°W |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| Opened | 1974 |
| Previous names |
Largo Wildlife Preserve - 1974 to 1978 Wild Country - 1978 to 1981 Wild World - 1982 to 1993 Adventure World - 1994 to 1998 |
| Operating season | March through January |
| Area | 523 acres (2.12 km2)s (131 acres currently used for park operations) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 54 |
| Roller coasters | 9 |
| Website | www |
| Six Flags Hurricane Harbor | |
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| Owner | Six Flags |
Six Flags America is a theme park located in Woodmore CDP, Prince George's County, Maryland, near Upper Marlboro, and in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Founded as a wildlife center in 1973 by Ross Perot, ABC television operated the park as a drive-through safari called The Largo Wildlife Preserve beginning in 1974 until its closure in 1978. The property was bought by Jim Fowler's Wild Kingdom; thereafter the site was converted from a wildlife preserve into a theme park named Wild World gradually over the years. In 1992, the park was renamed Adventure World after being acquired by Premier Parks, and ultimately was branded as the 10th Six Flags park when Premier Parks acquired Six Flags Inc. and adopted its name in 1999. The "America" in the park's name was chosen regarding the close proximity to the United States' capital.
The park's history dates to 1973, when Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot and a pair of Irish animal trainers first proposed a wildlife preserve on more than 400 acres (1.6 km2) of corn and tobacco fields. ABC television later bought out Perot and his partners and opened the park as a drive-through safari called The Largo Wildlife Preserve in July 1974, projecting 850,000 visitors a year.
The initial projections that were expected never materialized. In 1975, the park added narrated tours through four-car 150-person trains. However, the park failed to generate a profit. In 1976, ABC bowed out, citing massive losses. The park stayed open with a decreased staff in 1977 and was closed altogether for the 1978 season.
Then at the end of 1978, the park was sold to Jim Fowler, the host of Wild Kingdom. In the 1979 season, the park reopened with the train tour through a safari and a small park with a children's playground, animal shows, and a petting zoo. The park continued to not be profitable but stayed open summers through the 1979 season when Fowler's company bowed out as well. The park again was closed for the 1980 season.
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Wikipedia