Six Flags Great America
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| Location | 1 Six Flags Pkwy. Gurnee, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 42°22′11.99″N 87°56′8.86″W / 42.3699972°N 87.9357944°WCoordinates: 42°22′11.99″N 87°56′8.86″W / 42.3699972°N 87.9357944°W |
| Owner | Six Flags |
| Opened | May 29, 1976 |
| Previous names |
Marriott's Great America 1976–1984 Six Flags Great America 1984–present |
| Operating season | April – November |
| Area | 304 acres (1.23 km2) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 52 |
| Roller coasters | 14 |
| Water rides | 4 |
| Website | Six Flags Great America |
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park located at Gurnee, Illinois, in the Chicago metropolitan area. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain. As of 2016, the park has ten themed sections, a 20-acre (81,000 m2) water park, three specially themed children's areas, and various other forms of entertainment. The annual attendance of the park is estimated to be around 2.7 million.
Six Flags Great America is 5th in number of roller coasters at any theme park in the world.
Marriott Corporation began construction on the park in 1974 and opened it on May 29, 1976, as "Marriott's Great America" (a sister park, with almost identical layout and attractions, opened in northern California in Santa Clara the same year). The park was an immediate success due in part to its Americana themes and grand opening during the American Bicentennial. It originally consisted of six themed areas: Carousel Plaza, the first section beyond the main gates; small-town-themed Hometown Square; The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition at County Fair, with its early 20th century rural-fair theme; Yankee Harbor, inspired by a 19th-century New England port; Yukon Territory, resembling a Canadian/Alaskan logging camp; and the French Quarter-modeled Orleans Place. A seventh area, The Great Southwest, was planned but was not built until 1996, when it opened as Southwest Territory.
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