The intense flood of nostalgia I felt watching this was amazing. I was 10 in 1991 and Great America was my entire world at that age. I loved every last little thing about it.
I worked there in 1990. I was doing costumed characters, primarily Bugs Bunny. Mostly I would sit for pictures in the gazebo in the main square in front of the train station. When I was done with a shift, I would often go right back into the park and ride Shockwave a few times. Employees would walk into the park under Iron Wolf, and the character building was behind the theater, under Tidal Wave. Your recreation is astonishing. What I wouldn't give to ride those coasters, or Sky Whirl, one more time.
The shots of Shockwave from a distance brought back all the feelings I had seeing it as a kid. It was so intimidating to me. One year, my best friend and I pumped ourselves up to ride it as our last right of the night, and we were so proud. I believe that was the last year it operated before it was torn down, so I'm really thankful for that memory.
Went for the first time in 1988 when my class graduated from Junior High. Got myself an "I Survived The Grizzly" hat; I figured I earned it with how bad I was shaking when I exited the ride. The Whizzer and Loggers run were my favorites. Demon was my first inverted coaster and when we were dating, my husband took my picture up on the Sky Twirl for photo class. The Edge scared me too much to go on it. (I believed the rumors about the brake failure, lol!) I've been watching Channel 5's planet coaster videos, and the idea that you can recreate the same park's iterations over the years is fascinating to me: Watch the rides and the booths change over the years. I remember seeing a recording studio location in the park the first time I went, and thinking what a crazy, silly thing that was to put in a roller coaster park. Thank you so much for making this, and sharing.
some friends and i are going tomorrow, seeing this brings back so many childhood memories, i have no words!!!! Seeing rolling thunder, i have vivid memories of my mom taking me on this ride, i was 3 in 91 but i remember this, i feel like i time traveled and it makes me so happy to see all the old rides again in a better time period! Thank you so much!!
1988 I was a Ride Operator, I ran the Powerdive, Shockwave, Roaring rapids, and even the Train. I actually was certified to run about half the rides at six flags, by the end of that season.
Oh man, what a treat. When I moved to California from Wisconsin back in 98 or so I went to the Santa Clarita version and it was so weird that it was more like the Gurnee park of my youth than today (even back then). Thanks for making this.
I have saved this video to my favorites so I can come back to this park, back in 1991 and experience it all over again. Your attention to detail is amazing, down to the employee areas you catch a glimpse of on the train ride, to the picnic area that was almost never used, but you would see it on the two flume rides, to some of the long lost flat rides, like the Haybaler and such. One small thing was the Big Top ride by the Eagle didn't invert. It is the same as the Richocet now in Southwest Territory, a Huss Ride Around. Other than that, most of the ride replacements were pretty darned close. It's sad that the sky whirl had to be a static build :( One more ride on the tweetie bird cages as my wife called them would have been great. You picked an interesting year for this, too. This was the year before the gradual decline of the park as Six Flags began to transform the park. It started the very next year with the removal of Tidal Wave and Batman: The Ride going in. It was the first of many DC rides and attractions to make it's way into the park. It was when the theme of each area of the park started to break down and the park started losing it's character. I remember this year well because it was my first year at the park for essentially five years, as I had gone of to serve in the military and did not return to that summer from Desert Storm. I went plenty of times that summer, taking advantage of the Twicket deal often (nice catch at the entrance of the park, such detail!). Thank you so much for this time capsule. It is absolutely amazing. Such memories.
This is very impressive! I like how now Great America has a better lineup of rides but It’s a shame the park doesn’t have the same level of detail and theming that it once had.
I Worked here in 1986 and 1987 and your recreation for 1991 here is virtually PERFECT with some minor cosmetic changes due to non available ride types! I felt like I spent a day in the park! JOB WELL DONE!!!
I think I have this downloaded to my pc to take that walk down memory lane of old rides that are no longer there. Was during the late 80s for me but some rides were there. Like the triple Ferris wheel, damn I wish they coulda kept that thing.
I'm late to the party, but... holy shit! I was 21 in 1991, and I would go to Great America 4 to 5 times a year from the late '80s through the late 90's. This is amazing. Man, I miss Shockwave! Thanks for the memories!
Wow. I visited Great America for the first time in 1991. Some of the memories are as fresh as if it was yesterday. Then, I must have gone over that guide book a million times between that day and our next visit, a year later. And just… WOW!
WOW that was fantastic. I went to Great America for the first time in '92. I was in 2nd grade and Batman was brand new. Great job recreating this park.
HO! LY! F**KING! S**T! THIS IS AMAZING! The detail is un paralleled! I legitimately lost myself, I thought I was watching home videos! THIS IS A MASTERPIECE! There are a few places things could be fixed loggers ans yankee but i realize you were going for authenticity and you surpassed my wildest dreams!
This is so cool! The park in Gurnee, IL outside Chicago was a sister park to this park. Most of the same rides, all the same names etc…I was born and grew up in Chi, so as a teen, I was there all the time from April - Oct. we had season passes. I remember Shockwave coaster, and Z Force, The Edge, Batman The ride
God theyve really wrecked this place as of late. They need to brung back the higher quality entrance gates, that unique ferris wheel, the lighthouse, and fix the square in the new orleans section as well as county fair in front of eagle. Really just bring in a good landscape architect. Really bothersome how haphazzard everything is placed these days
@@marcocampos2332 Demon is definitely the better ride in this case. Shockwave did have a better layout but was so rough that it was demolished only a decade after it was built. While demon has stood the test of time.
the fact that parking was "only" $16 and the season pass was less than $60 is definitely proof that this was 1991 lmfao man...i miss the Sky Whirl so much
Masterful recreation from when Great America still had its soul.
Very nice.
Well said
The intense flood of nostalgia I felt watching this was amazing. I was 10 in 1991 and Great America was my entire world at that age. I loved every last little thing about it.
I worked there in 1990. I was doing costumed characters, primarily Bugs Bunny. Mostly I would sit for pictures in the gazebo in the main square in front of the train station. When I was done with a shift, I would often go right back into the park and ride Shockwave a few times. Employees would walk into the park under Iron Wolf, and the character building was behind the theater, under Tidal Wave. Your recreation is astonishing. What I wouldn't give to ride those coasters, or Sky Whirl, one more time.
I worked there at the same time in one of the food stands, I remember people being stuck upside down on Iron Wolf.
I worked there as well at the same time in the food kiosks, I remember passing under Iron Wolf the the riders were stuck upside down.
The shots of Shockwave from a distance brought back all the feelings I had seeing it as a kid. It was so intimidating to me. One year, my best friend and I pumped ourselves up to ride it as our last right of the night, and we were so proud. I believe that was the last year it operated before it was torn down, so I'm really thankful for that memory.
Went for the first time in 1988 when my class graduated from Junior High. Got myself an "I Survived The Grizzly" hat; I figured I earned it with how bad I was shaking when I exited the ride. The Whizzer and Loggers run were my favorites. Demon was my first inverted coaster and when we were dating, my husband took my picture up on the Sky Twirl for photo class. The Edge scared me too much to go on it. (I believed the rumors about the brake failure, lol!)
I've been watching Channel 5's planet coaster videos, and the idea that you can recreate the same park's iterations over the years is fascinating to me: Watch the rides and the booths change over the years. I remember seeing a recording studio location in the park the first time I went, and thinking what a crazy, silly thing that was to put in a roller coaster park. Thank you so much for making this, and sharing.
some friends and i are going tomorrow, seeing this brings back so many childhood memories, i have no words!!!! Seeing rolling thunder, i have vivid memories of my mom taking me on this ride, i was 3 in 91 but i remember this, i feel like i time traveled and it makes me so happy to see all the old rides again in a better time period! Thank you so much!!
1988 I was a Ride Operator, I ran the Powerdive, Shockwave, Roaring rapids, and even the Train. I actually was certified to run about half the rides at six flags, by the end of that season.
Oh man, what a treat. When I moved to California from Wisconsin back in 98 or so I went to the Santa Clarita version and it was so weird that it was more like the Gurnee park of my youth than today (even back then). Thanks for making this.
this just brings back so many memories!
I have saved this video to my favorites so I can come back to this park, back in 1991 and experience it all over again. Your attention to detail is amazing, down to the employee areas you catch a glimpse of on the train ride, to the picnic area that was almost never used, but you would see it on the two flume rides, to some of the long lost flat rides, like the Haybaler and such. One small thing was the Big Top ride by the Eagle didn't invert. It is the same as the Richocet now in Southwest Territory, a Huss Ride Around. Other than that, most of the ride replacements were pretty darned close. It's sad that the sky whirl had to be a static build :( One more ride on the tweetie bird cages as my wife called them would have been great.
You picked an interesting year for this, too. This was the year before the gradual decline of the park as Six Flags began to transform the park. It started the very next year with the removal of Tidal Wave and Batman: The Ride going in. It was the first of many DC rides and attractions to make it's way into the park. It was when the theme of each area of the park started to break down and the park started losing it's character. I remember this year well because it was my first year at the park for essentially five years, as I had gone of to serve in the military and did not return to that summer from Desert Storm. I went plenty of times that summer, taking advantage of the Twicket deal often (nice catch at the entrance of the park, such detail!).
Thank you so much for this time capsule. It is absolutely amazing. Such memories.
Thanks! Good job on this.👍 I seen every change in that park. Been going there since 1976. I miss the Marriott era. Good job on this.👍
Splashwater falls, Raceway, SkyWhirl, Tripleplay, Rapids, PowerDive..etc I worked the all from 89 -94 at Gurnee park. Fun times
This is very impressive! I like how now Great America has a better lineup of rides but It’s a shame the park doesn’t have the same level of detail and theming that it once had.
I Worked here in 1986 and 1987 and your recreation for 1991 here is virtually PERFECT with some minor cosmetic changes due to non available ride types! I felt like I spent a day in the park! JOB WELL DONE!!!
This was an awesome tribute/recreation!
Omg..this is INSANE! Underrated, great job!
I think I have this downloaded to my pc to take that walk down memory lane of old rides that are no longer there.
Was during the late 80s for me but some rides were there. Like the triple Ferris wheel, damn I wish they coulda kept that thing.
This is incredible
Absolutely gorgeous I was just here on the 23rd I had a great time
Well done freaking amazing! I tried making one there and it didn’t turn out that great but this is like spot on
I'm late to the party, but... holy shit! I was 21 in 1991, and I would go to Great America 4 to 5 times a year from the late '80s through the late 90's. This is amazing. Man, I miss Shockwave! Thanks for the memories!
Wow. I visited Great America for the first time in 1991. Some of the memories are as fresh as if it was yesterday. Then, I must have gone over that guide book a million times between that day and our next visit, a year later. And just… WOW!
I have never been there as I am far too young and don’t even live in the US. However I kinda recognize this park from Beverly Hills Cop 3 😂
WOW that was fantastic. I went to Great America for the first time in '92. I was in 2nd grade and Batman was brand new. Great job recreating this park.
HO! LY! F**KING! S**T! THIS IS AMAZING! The detail is un paralleled! I legitimately lost myself, I thought I was watching home videos! THIS IS A MASTERPIECE! There are a few places things could be fixed loggers ans yankee but i realize you were going for authenticity and you surpassed my wildest dreams!
This is unbelievable
Nice Whizzer layout given the inability for the passenger car design. It’s pretty much exact.
Bro - I was there and YOU NAILED IT!!!
Phenomenal details. Well done!
I like that.
wow this is spot on. great job
I was working there from 1990-1992.
Damn, what a trip down memory lane. Six Flags was my jam as a teen. Tidal Wave would get ripped out and make way for Batman the next year.
This is so cool! The park in Gurnee, IL outside Chicago was a sister park to this park. Most of the same rides, all the same names etc…I was born and grew up in Chi, so as a teen, I was there all the time from April - Oct. we had season passes. I remember Shockwave coaster, and Z Force, The Edge, Batman The ride
This video is the Gurnee park.
@@ScottTeresi ohhhhh nice
The old fiat ride collection was the best in the world
God theyve really wrecked this place as of late. They need to brung back the higher quality entrance gates, that unique ferris wheel, the lighthouse, and fix the square in the new orleans section as well as county fair in front of eagle. Really just bring in a good landscape architect. Really bothersome how haphazzard everything is placed these days
I had such a great childhood here
Love to see one for Magic Mountain
I love it. You should do a modern day one!!
If i could live inside a youtube video itd be this
Why is there two arrow loopers at the park?
Great America used to have another arrow looper called shockwave where superman currently is.
@@CaboSan1demon vs shockwave who wins?
@@marcocampos2332 Demon is definitely the better ride in this case. Shockwave did have a better layout but was so rough that it was demolished only a decade after it was built. While demon has stood the test of time.
@@CaboSan1 demon it is :D
Iron wolf was a rough ride as well.
Great work :)
How did you do the double carousel?
Howww am i just finding this video
I wish I was good at this game!😢
the fact that parking was "only" $16 and the season pass was less than $60 is definitely proof that this was 1991 lmfao
man...i miss the Sky Whirl so much
This should be called Marriotts great america
Ah back to a time when six flags great america was amazing... Now its just trash...