Rides & Attractions that are Now Only Memories

The following attractions are no longer at the park. (If you remember any other rides or attractions that were removed from SFOG, please drop me a note and I'll include it here. My memory is very rusty concerning these rides.)

• Bufford the Buzzard: a circus wagon puppet show with Bufford, a very sarcastic buzzard who would yell at the people walking by "what are you looking at?" Bufford would make fun of anything and anyone nearby, current events, and sports. Especially ripe targets for humor were people from Alabama or young kids (who got an autographed photo at the end of every show).
• Bullfrog Review: an animatronic 15 minute show where a quartet of giant bullfrogs played music and sang while telling jokes and puns. During Fright Fest the storyline changed to be about ghosts and other eerie stories, but still tinged with family fun.
• Casa Magnetica: a hosted walk-through fun house with gravity-defying effects. The structure is now home to the Bullfrog Review in Bugs Bunny World. An original Casa is still in operation at Six Flags Over Texas.
• Cinema 180 / Chevy Show / Plymouth Place: a 180 degree projection theater that showed a film including footage of the Thunderbolt from Coney Island. This was replaced by Dexter's Laboratory show in 1998, then a magic show, and now "Shake, Rattle & Roll," a themed indoor scrambler ride.
• Deja'Vu: [2001, Vekoma, 196 feet tall, 177-foot lift (and drop), 1,204 feet long, 65 MPH, 8 row / 4 position train, 54" minimum height requirement, maximum height 6' 4"] Hanging underneath the track, seated 4-across in a v-wing row configuration, you're pulled backwards up one of the 177-foot tall vertical spikes via a cable, face down. At the top, get ready to be dropped at a 90-degree angle in a complete free fall - an unbelievable drop - returning through the station at 65 miles per hour. Then climb into a 110-foot high cobra roll where you'll invert twice, and scream over the station around a 102-foot high vertical loop experiencing a maximum 4.5G's to climb face up the other 90-degree spike - where you're pulled up to the top to be released and do it all over again...this time in reverse! An absolutely unbelievable ride - if you can, go for any of the four front seats, or the back row! Either way you will experience a truly great coaster drop. Spectacular! But the queue gates were confusing, something that might have been fixed with labeling or instructions. Note that because of the confusing loading the ride line and wait time was usually pretty bad. Even though in later years it became fairly reliable, it was inoperatable for long periods of time, so much so a nickname was coined: "De-LAY-Ja'Vu." During the initial testing a train was destroyed by a malfunction in the catch/release system, delaying the opening for several months.  Then, immediately after the media preview's last ride, the ride broke down for what would be an endless series of mechanical problems with the system.  Originally there were no seat belts which were added a few months later after guests complained about feeling unsafe.  Then, after the seat belts were added, loading went from slow to snail-like.  First the seat belts were checked, then the harnesses lowered and checked.  Adding that to an already confusing 1x2x1 seating system (the 2 outside seats were set back from the middle seats) and a seat assignment process at the front guests walked around the station house confused (but miraculously did not fall off either end of the raised platform that did not have a safety railing).  But the problematic ride was doomed (especially after suffering a final mechanical failure on October 15, 2007) and removed at the end of the 2007 Season from it's location near the old back gate area.
• Dolphin Show: the show that many visitors to SFOG still remember with Skippy & Dolly in a very small pool. This was later replaced by Olympic divers (human) demonstrating their skills off of tall towers. This theater was home to the Animal Action Show, and in 2001 changed back to a diving show.
• Drunken Barrels: a tilting, spinning tea cups kind of ride was replaced by Wheelie. The barrels eventually went to Six Flags St. Louis where in 1998 they were hidden behind a construction wall. Looks like the barrels may be empty for quite a while.
• Floating Locker Rentals With the opening of Superman, it was very obvious that guests needed a place to store their "stuff." When 3 trains run on Superman, you will leave one station and return to the other. So a new high-tech locker system has been installed. For a daily fee a guest is issued a wristband that contains an electronic chip. At the locker rental site the guest places their palm down on the sensor, a locker opens and locks when the user shuts the door. Then to unlock, the user returns to the central sensor, places their hand in position and the locker in use unlocks. Guests are not permitted to use more than a single locker simultaneously - but after each use the guest can move their "stuff" to another location. You buy your wristband at the Stroller Rental location, Guest Relations, and a series of shops detailed in the photo at left / below. Note that the sales location closest to the locker sign is highlighed in red (this example is from the Metropolis Park / Superman location). The locker locations are at Metropolis Park, the old ice cream stand next to Monster Plantation, near the Gotham City Gifts shop, in the USA plaza, near the Bugs Bunny World arcade, at the entrance to Splashwater Falls and also at Guest Relations offices at the Promenade.  These were removed and then were replaced with multiple expensive locker sets in 2007 (starting on Goliath).

• Flying Dutchman: a rocking pirate ship that was removed for Batman The Ride. The ship is now located in the back of the employee parking lot.
• Flying Jenny: a mule-powered low-tech carousel ride originally located next to the Animal Action stage, then moved across from the Mini-Mine Train.
•  Free Fall [42" minimum height] Installed in 1983, this was a 1st generation Intamin drop ride with 4-person cars that go up an elevator-type device.  The queue was the recycled queue from the Astrolift, hidden by the dome of the Shake, Rattle & Roll (Chevy Show) building.     You went up 10 stories in the air, where the car was pushed out and dropped without warning, falling 98 feet at up to 55 MPH, and finally ending up on your back. Put a penny on your knee at the top and watch it float down with you. I personally didn't ride this very often because I'm tall and the last jolt at the end of the run hurt my shoulders.  Removed in the Winter 2006/7 for some unknown project (a similar ride from Six Flags Great Adventure was removed, with all four listed on a used ride brokerage site "for sale."
  
• The Great Gasp® [36" minimum height / 42" without adult] 2-3 person (seated) parachutes. Originally the Gasp had 12 chute positions (including a few stand-up cages), but it ended running with 8 due to a new controller installed during the late 1980's. Usually only 4 chutes were in operation, and the location closest to the Coca-Cola Cool Zone had the best view of the downtown Atlanta skyline. This was the tallest ride in the park at 228 feet (with a 200 foot drop). For the last several years the line did not often exceed 30 minutes with a ridership of only 200-250 people per hour so while it was dissappointing to see it leave the skyline if people had been riding it I don't think it would have been removed. It was left in the shadow of other more thrilling and/or family-friendly rides at the park even though it towered over everything else.
• Great Six Flags Air Racer: [36" minimum height] 3-bench 6-passenger open cockpit bi-planes (12 total) that flew around in a circle up in the air on cables. The top of the tower was 125 feet, but the planes only achieved 100 feet of elevation. This ride was often not operating due to weather. Removed during the winter of 2000-2001 for Acrophobia.
• Haunted / Horror Cave: before Bugs Bunny World the Spanish fort had a cave. In the courtyard that now sits in front of the Carrot Club was a graveyard. If you went to the left you went over the suspension bridge that was there. But go to the right and you were in line for the cave's entrance (a huge devil's mouth). This was a walk-through attraction with limited animatronic scenes and even a few costumed humans that jumped out to try to scare you. I think everyone who explored the fort remembers the ending; a giant slide! After the Cave years this was home to Pac-Man prior to turning into Bugs Bunny World.
• Highland Swings: a Chance "Yo-Yo" swing that was located near the exit of the Georgia Cyclone. Construction of the Promenade's west ticket plaza and the restrooms at the Georgia Cyclone exit took over the site.
• Krofft: Sid & Marty Krofft Theater; a show with costumed characters and marionettes. I include this show because several people have asked about the World of Sid & Marty Krofft amusement area that was located in the Omni (now CNN Center) downtown. If you take the CNN tour you go up the escalator that was the original entrance to the World. SFOG's Krofft show was around for several years before, but the World attraction was only open a very short 6 months. Krofft characters also were found throughout the park as this was before the Time Warner Looney Tunes invasion of Bugs, Daffy and the gang.
• Lickskillet Gate: Not a ride, but until 1998 there were two gates used to enter and exit the park. The back gate was located where the Go-Karts and Deja'Vu now operate. This gate was often used during the Spring and Fall when the crowds were projected to be light. With the re-building of the front entrance the gate was closed and the Go-Karts were built.
• Jean Ribault's River Adventure: modeled after Disney's Jungle Cruise and named after an early French explorer who met his demise at the hands of Indians on the banks of a Georgian river, you rode a boat through old America and saw some very fake animals, unfriendly Indians, and were shot at by cannons at the end. The drivers didn't have the humorous spiel as with Disney and the quality of the displays were lacking. Thunder River's Observation Platform was the Adventure queue area (which is where the park recently installed rather weak pay-per-shot water guns to shoot Thunder River riders) and Thunder River replaced the Adventure.
• Jumpin' Bean: a flat circular ride with small Mexican Style "Hats" kids rode in. It carried two children per car and if you pulled back on the restraining bar, it would raise or lower independently of all the others, as the whole ride turned round and round. Lots of fun, especially if you could get it bouncing. This was similar to the Dumbo ride at Disney except at a much smaller scale. This was located where Splashwater Falls is now.
• Laser Mission: a laser-light gun shoot-em-up walk through additional charge attraction that started out where the Batman Stunt Show queue is and ended up in the USA section (now a candy shop). You were given a team name and a gun and 2 or 3 soldiers entered a series of small rooms with plastic aliens and robot life-size targets to shoot at with flashing lights and lots of sounds. At the end your team's score was posted and you got a Laser Mission button. The top scoring team of the day could claim a small prize. This is now the site of an elaborate candy store.
• Lickskillet Gate: originally there were two entrances to the park, with a back entrance that entered where the plaza in front of Deja'Vu is now. While Guest Relations was at the front of the park, all other services were available from a series of booths. And picnics were easier because it was a close walk to the river. During the slow seasons the front gate was often not used so that parking was all to the back of the regular lot, but this was also before the "premier" parking lot was paved. Why did it close? When the new ticketing scanners and systems went in the thought was to centralize everything for admissions at the new Promenade entrance, otherwise you end up with 2 of everything (ticket sales, admissions, guest relations) and since Season Pass processing was now outside the gate that would be hard to negotiate with someone who purchased a pass at the back gate.
• Log Jamboree (Flume #1): Originally there were two Log Jamboree flumes; the original one was lower down the hill, close to the entrance road, and was replaced by Ragin' Rivers which was removed in 1998 to install the Georgia Scorcher. Each of the original flumes had a tunnel with a giant character damaging the tunnel; either a lumberjack using his axe, or an evil character manning a handsaw. For a long time you could see signs still posted on the trees behind Ragin' Rivers that warned people to "not rock the boat" even though the flume (like the tunnel) was history. In 2001 the remaining Log Jamboree flume was renamed Deer Park Plunge as part of a corporate sponsorship deal with Deer Park bottled water.
• Looping Starship: [48" minimum height] like a "rocking ship" type ride but you go over the top. Big squish effect at the beginning and end of the ride; move your hip-pack to the side (you have been warned). The exit is through an arcade. Holding 50 passengers per ride this was a fairly high capacity ride so the line went fast, but it's location at the rear of the USA plaza was one of the reasons for its demise - not enough people went over the top to ride it. Retired with the Gasp on August 1, 2005.
• Mini-Mine Train: a junior steel coaster - originally named Yahoola Hooler - that was replaced by Bugs Bunny World's Convoy (trucks). The original coaster was similar in layout to Six Flags Over Texas' Mini-Mine Train, going over the bigger mine train's tunneled final drop.
• Mo-Mo The Monster: an octopus ride that was located in different locations through the years, starting out near the current Gotham City entrance, then to the location of Free Fall, with the last being in the Cotton States section (now Viper basketball).
• Okeefenokee Swamp: before Monster Plantation the ride was also through a swamp but it was full of rabbits and bears (oh, my!). The ending was a scary ride through the dark part of the swamp, watch out for those alligators! Monster Plantation also occurs in a swamp, but the differences far outweigh the similarities. Also, the Plantation is missing the Swamp's rabbit girl's southern call at the end: "Y'all come back now, y'hear." In fact, the Okefenokee ride from the first year was totally redone by the Kropff company to install bigger characters and more entertainment value - who can forget the singing carrots?!?!
• Phlying Phyrupus (Electric Flyer): a traditional Flying Scooter ride (2-person vehicles on cables with a big rudder to allow you to go up and down as you swing around). The Flyer was located at the end of the Cotton States section (now a climbing wall).
• People Mover Show: The People Mover show was orientated towards little kids. The theater was lit with UV lights to create the effect needed for the characters. The characters were basically images painted on an all black body suit worn by a show person. The show was presented in a building that latter became the Season Pass processing building (now only used on heavy processing days) next to the entrance queue and holding brake platform for the Dahlonega Mine Train. The exit of Season Pass was actually the entrance of the theater - while in the queue line waiting to have your picture taken there is an emergency exit which was the actual exit for the show. This building was also recycled into a kiddie haunted house during Fright Fest, but that activity has moved over to Bugs Bunny World.
• Petting Zoo / "Petsville": an elaborate petting zoo was on the grounds and the remaining structures housed the animals for the Animal Action Show up until 2001.The enclosures are behind the USA Cartoon Network Superstore. If you go to the bathrooms to the left behind the Cartoon Network shop and stand on the wall you can see the tops of the cages. The zoo also had a seal tank for a while, kind of between the zoo and the train track. You could walk around the top and look down into the tank. Or, you could walk down some stairs where there was a large window for you to look into the tank. If you were looking into the window your back was facing the train track. The Seal tank closed a couple of years before (around 1980) the petting zoo closed.
• Race Cars (Happy Motoring Freeway): These were modern cars, similar to Disneyland's original Autopia cars, that ran on a track where the Great Gasp is now. The Happy Motoring Freeway was removed for the parachute ride. This was during the time when the current Hanson Cars were located where the Georgia Cyclone is today. (Take a look at the occupancy sign in the Cyclone's queue, it still says "Hanson Cars."). Both the modern and Hanson cars had double tracks for increased capacity. When the Hanson cars were moved to Carousel hill the topography only allowed one track (but it gives a great 360 degree ride around the park).
• Ragin' Rivers®: [42" minimum height without adult] inflatable 2-person boat slides were similar to rides found at many water parks, your bottom could get very wet. There were 2 straight "speed" slides and 2 enclosed "tube" slides (the line split at the entrance marked with an overhead sign). The Log Jamboree originally had two circuits until this replaced the lower one and it shared the Log Jamboree queue house. The straight speed slides were often not operating due to staffing requirements (a minimum of 4 staff members per side were required). Replaced by the Georgia Scorcher which took over the queue house from both Ragin' Rivers and the Log Jamboree.
• Reality Quest / Virtual Reality Theater The popular hit presentation from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions 2001 convention, Ham on Rye cleverly blends virtual reality interaction with a live actor. Set up in the USA band pavillion, recently they have replaced the Pirate show with one set in the Wild West. Ham on Rye is the name of the company that makes this very creative use of technology - and other presentations included a spooky one for halloween, a Christmas one and one just for kids. Removed in 2004 so that a newer model could be installed (the original was actually the prototype display from IAAPA).
• Round-Up: when Mo-Mo the Monster left this traditional fair favorite took its place for only a few months at the end of the Cotton States section.
• Satellites (Trabant): a common flat spinning ride, the 2 roulette-style wheels spun and then started an undulation motion first forward and then reversed. Located near the current entrance to Gotham City.
• Ship Shape Theater: Built in the early 1980's when the Jolly Roger section was added with the opening of the Mind Bender. The structure was originally an open air theater that looked like a tent and housed different types of shows. Latter it was enclosed to become a Teen club, then an arcade, and now visible as the roof for Ultrazone, to the left of the Batmobile as you enter Gotham City. This building was re-themed in 1995, along with the building of the Axis Theater, the preview of the Gotham City you find today.
• Six Flags Speedway (VR NASCAR Racing) A virtual-reality NASCAR style racing game, with true NASCAR simulation (it looks like a real car!). Located near Free Fall's entrance.
• Steam Trains: the Six Flags Railroad originally ran two oil-fired Steam engines (rotating between the two so that only one was operating during the year). The Texas and General ran from the time the park opened in 1967 to 2003 when a diesel engine was transferred from Six Flags Fiesta Texas - an engine that originally ran at Opryland.
• Suspension Bridge: also known at the "bouncy bridge," a great connection and short cut through Bugs Bunny World and Carousel Hill that was removed over the winter of 1998/99 due to maintenance concerns. A new bridge appeared in almost the same location (the entrance from Carousel hill is the same, but the Bugs Bunny World entrance is adjusted as the Canyon Blaster coaster is in the way.
• Skyway (Sky-lift / Astrolift): a companion ride to the Skybuckets, except this course traveled from USA to the Confederate section (crossing over one another above the Crystal Pistol theater). The old station structures are in use as the Six Flags Kids shop (Confederate) and the new virtual speedway near Free Fall. In fact, Free Fall's queue house is the old Skyway queue. Because the angle of ascent/descent was so great at the Confederate station the ride was quite thrilling. Sponsored by Delta Air Lines in the later years.
• Skyhook: a very tall tower that had two large cages suspended from cables (each holding 24 people) located where Free Fall is now. The cages were lifted to the top and then the tower would slowly rotate. Probably the first big "new" attraction to open after the park opened, and the first attraction to leave.
• Spindletop: a "Rotor" spinning ride - you got in a big circular room which began to spin so fast it pinned the occupants to the sides. Then the floor dropped down! Located in Lickskillet until renovated into the Six Flags Mercantile shop. Was replaced by the relocation of the Drunken Barrels to make way for the Wheelie.
• Tag: These were extra charge games that used motorized vehicles and rubber balls to bombard both participants and guests with air guns outside the arena. Boat Tag was located where the Gotham City Circus midway is now, right under the brake run of MindBender. Tank Tag was where the entrance to Viper grew, now home to the climbing wall. Both had 2 person vehicles - one did the steering while the other shot the cannon. Outside the fenced arena other guests could bombard the competitors with air-powered cannons using tennis balls for ammunition.
• Ultrazone: Au upcharge laser tag arena located in Gotham City. It was a pretty good attraction when it first opened, using an old arcade building that had been previously used for teen dances. A couple of ramps and levels to hide behind, 2-4 teams could be deployed into the game. But time wore out the fabric roof and laser tag games had lost their popularity. The Gotham City theming was added in 1995, one year before Gotham City Circus took over with the opening of Batman the Ride. The last laser tag games were played in 2003. In 2004 a Wave Swinger, "The Gotham City Crime Wave," was installed in this location.
• Viper® The coaster that strikes twice.™ [1978, relocated to SFOG 6/6/1995, closed 9/16/2001, Anton Schwarzkopf, 142.5-foot high shuttle ends, 849 feet long, 53.7 MPH, 34.5 seconds, 7-car/4-seat train, 42" minimum height requirement] One of the last weight-driven shuttle loops in existence (you could see the pulley for the weight turn at the top of the tall tower and watch the cable as you leave the station). After 3 warning blasts on an air horn your ride had a quick start out of the station (from 0 to almost 60 MPH in under 6 seconds), then through a loop and up a 70 degree incline to a stop. You then returned backwards all the way through the station up another hill. Then it's back down to the station to end. This ride was previously at Six Flags Great America, near Chicago, where it was the The Tidal Wave (1978-1991). A second Tidal Wave , now renamed Greezed Lighning, is at Paramount's Great America in California. The ride exited through the Swampwater Jack's shop which played off the theming found in the queue of a bayou swamp. A complete creek was built, an abandoned building, a small dock with boat, and opening year a burlap bag full of moving Viper snakes. The side of the station had a bayou mural and was topped with festive cajun Christmas lights. The station buidling remained and is now a storeroom / Superman billboard holder painted with a clouds-in-the-sky theme.
• Wheel Burrow: a Chance "Tumber" located on the current Wheelie site. Imagine 2 Chance Sky Diver rides, one horizontal on top, one horizontal at loading level. The 2 were held together by a structure that looked like a giant hour glass. The whole structure then turned (similar to flipping over an hour glass) so that at half point they ran very much like a Sky Diver. It only lasted a few years (1968-70) to be replaced by the Drunken Barrels.
• Wiggle Worm A very calm ride for the very young, a semi-circular "wormy" vehicle with a lovable head undulated on a off-center tire to give a gentle, rocking motion to the vehicle as it went around and around. Located in the Spanish Fort and displaced by the Wylie Coyote Canyon Blaster coaster.
• Z-Force an Intamin "Space Diver" coaster (see discussion for Ninja which was its replacement), now located at Six Flags Magic Mountain, California, as Flashback. This ride was part of Bally Corporation's "Ride Rotation Program," instituted to give parks new rides every few years. SFOG received Z-Force and the Looping Starship as part of this program. Z-Force (the coaster) came from Six Flags Great America, Chicago (named Z-Force), and then went on to California. But the Starship just came from California where it was named Z-Force so the coaster became Flashback. Other famous rides from the Six Flags rotation program are now found at Six Flags Astroworld (Viper, Ultra Twister, and Batman the Escape), Great America (Condor - probably the most traveled of the rotated rides) and St. Louis (Collossus - a giant ferris wheel).

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