1974: Safari Park and Enchanted Forest (soon changed to Great Adventure) open on July 4th. Rides included: Carousel, Sky Ride, Giant Wheel, Super Round Up (Now known as Fantasy Fling), Runaway Mine Train, Log Flume, Flying Wave, Traffic Jam (bumper cars), Swiss Bob, Calypso, Matterhorn, Woodland Express (live steam train), Grand Prix (race cars), Pretty Monster, Antique cars, and Big Fury (compact steel coaster).

 

1975: Blue Flower-Power Coaster aka Jumbo Jet, Enterprise, Hydraflume (Later Poland Spring Plunge), Lil' Thunder, Panarama Wheel (later known as Lil' Wheel), Rotor, Super Cat, Schwabinchen (Later El Sombrero), Wild Rider are added to the line up.

 

1976: Main entrance moved to current location and the Main St. is given a colonial look for the 200th birthday of The United States. Alpen Blitz and Musik Express replace Happy Feeling petting zoo. Pretty Monster moved to current site of tea cups.

 

1977: Six Flags purchases the park. Monster Spin replaces Pretty Monster. Gondola appears for one season.

 

1978: Lightnin' Loops a unique shuttle style looping coaster makes it's debut. It features interlocking loops. Also added this year are Wild Rider, Scrambler (Later Centrifuge), Haunted Castle Across the Moat, a single haunted walk-thru attraction added for then named Halloweekends.

 

1979: Rolling Thunder, a different type of racing woodencoaster opens. Rolling Thunder features two different sets of tracks running side by side but in different configurations. Spin Meister added. Second side of Haunted Castle built for regular season. Grand Prix cars removed at end of season.

 

1980: Buccaneer, Adventure Theater added. Great Adventure Railroad aka Woodland Express removed at end of season.

 

1981: Roaring Rapids now Congo Rapids added. Wild Rider removed.

 

1982: Joust-a-Bout added at the end of the Boardwalk game area.

 

1983: Freefall (later Stuntman's Freefall) and Parachuter's Perch change the skyline of Great Adventure.

 

1984: Sarajevo Bobsleds join the ride line-up. Rolling Thunder has one track that becomes Rednuht Gnillor as the trains run backwards. The Haunted Castle is destroyed by a fire on May 11th. Sadly, 8 people perished in the blaze.

 

1985: The Looping Starship later known as Space Shuttle arrives at the park.

 

1986: Ultra Twister is added next to Rolling Thunder on the spot where El Toro sits today.

 

1987: Splash Waterfall opens. It is later renamed The Movietown Water Effect.

 A management change at the end of 1987 re-emphasized family values at the park and slowly rebuilt Great Adventure's freefalling reputation.

 

1988: Condor opens on the site that is now Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train. Sarajevo Bobsleds removed to make way for something big in 1989.

 

1989: The Great American Scream Machine debuts. At the time it is the tallest, fastest looping roller coaster. GASM features 7 inversions and starts with a 173 ft. tall lift hill. Ultra Twister is removed before the season ends.

 

1990: Shockwave, a stand up roller coaster, is added to the ride line up. It took the place of The Garden Of Marvels attraction.

 

1991: Adventure Rivers opens. Described as 2 million gallons of fun this area is one of the largest expansions in park history. Roaring Rapids is renamed Congo Rapids. Condor and Swiss Bobs are removed.

 

1992: The Enchanted Forest section of the park is renamed Action Town as part of Time Warner purchasing Six Flags. The Batman Stunt Show Arena is built to anchor the newly themed area, Lightning Loops is removed around mid-season. Shockwave is removed at the end of the season.

 

1993: Batman The Ride opens to rave reviews on the site of Lightning Loops. Action Town is renamed Movie Town and given a Hollywood Backlot theme. Schwabichen is moved to Forntier Adventures and renamed El Sombrero.

 

1994: The Right Stuff Mach 1 Adventure simulator theater is added on an area partially occupied by Shockwave. The upper area of the Boardwalk is re-themed to resemble a former airforce base. Joust-A-Bout becomes Sky Pilot.

 

1995: Viper debuts on the former site of Ultra Twister. the area around Viper is themed like a ghost town.

 

1996: Skull Mountain appears on the Lakefront corner near Movie Town. Also this year brings The Enchanted Teacups (on the site of The Monster next to the Carousel) and the Lethal Weapon Stunt Show opens at the Lakefront arena.

 

1997: Daredevil Dive opens. A 155 ft. tall "Sky Coaster". Batman & Robin: The Chiller is built and opens for just a few days then closes.

 

1998: Batman & Robin: The Chiller officially opens in Movetown. Adventure Rivers and Sky Pilot aka Joust-A-Bout are removed.

 

1999: THE WAR ON LINES campaign hits Six Flags. The largest expansion to date is anchored by Medusa, the world's first floorless roller coaster. Also added this year are Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train, Houdini's Great Escape, Chaos, Spinnaker, Time Warp, Pirate's Flight, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Evolution, Pendulum, Rodeo Stampede, Twister and Jolly Roger. Also making it's debut in 1999 is Looney Tunes Seaport, a kiddie area featuring Road Runner Railway. Many of these new rides are not ready for the opening of the park and are understaffed. Most sit dormant for a few seasons running very rarely if at all. Most are removed within a few seasons.

 

2000: Hurricane Harbor, a full sized waterpark, opens across the parking lot from the theme park next to the Wild Safari. Spinnaker, after hardly operating, is removed after one season.

 

2001: Nitro explodes into operation and is an immediate success. A new Season Pass entrance is opened near Rolling Thunder. (It closes within a few seasons)

Time Warp, Centrifuge aka Scrambler and El Sombrero are removed. Viper stands but does not operate in 2001. Robin side of Chiller has shoulder harness removed and lapbar installed.

 

2002: Viper reopens. The Summer Of Festivals starts. Batman side of Chiller has shoulder harness removed and lapbar installed. Pirate's Flight leaves the park.

 

2003: Superman: Ultimate Flight opens at the upper end of the Boardwalk/Airforce Base. Evolution is removed prior to the start of the season after having a shaded history of not operating. Jumpin' Jack Flash and Pendulum are removed. ErUPtion opens.

 

2004: The Season Pass Entrance and Bugs Bunnyland are removed to make way for Kingda Ka. Viper is demolished at the end of the season.

 

2005: Kingda Ka and Balin's Jungle Kingdom open. Taz Twister aka Rotor, Chaos and Rodeo Stampede are removed.

 

2006: Spin Meister is removed. Bugs Bunny National Park opens near the Saw Mill Log Flume. El Toro opens on the former site of Viper. Red Zone wins a buy out bid of Six Flags and increases park admission, parking and food prices.

Stuntman's Freefall is closed and removed. Riptide and Koala Canyon, the last parts of Adventure Rivers, are removed. Batman & Robin: The Chiller has barrel roll elements removed from both tracks and a new "camel hump/trick-track" element installed. This does not help the rides popularity or operations and it is closed mid-season.

 

2007: Batman & Robin: The Chiller reopens but closes due to major malfuntions. The ride never reopens and it is removed near the end of the season. Wiggles World opens on part of the Looney Tunes Seaport. Looney Tunes Seaport is shrunk by nearly half it's original size. Movie Town Water Effect aka Splash Waterfall is demolished at the end of the season.

 

2008: The Dark Knight, a new indoor wildmouse roller coaster, debuts. It is a disappointment to many. Space Shuttle aka Looping Starship and Flying Wave are removed. The Old Country section of the park is closed off eliminating access to Muzik Express and The AutoBahn. These rides are expected to be either moved or removed from the park. Houdini's Great Escape is SBNO, standing but not operating. When entering a specific roller coaster ride, a narration has been added in the loudspeaker. Six Flags also refused to pay an employee for his first day of work which totals up to about $60.

The latest news is that Six Flags Great Adventure is doing a complete make-over on Medusa. The world's first floorless roller coaster will be given a new paint job and a total re-themeing. Quite possibly there will be a new name for Medusa as well prior to the opening of the 2009 season.