Water Rides at SFOG

WATER ATTRACTIONS:

Skull Island

Opening in 2005, this is a family water play area with slides, a volcano that erupts vast quantities of water, and plenty of other ways to cool off during a hot summer day. The new area spans over 50,000 square feet occupying a space between the Great American Scream Machine and the Southern Star Amphitheater. Towering over the Cotton States area of the park is a 66-foot high, signature pirate skull that towers over the entire play structure, drenching guests below with thousands of gallons of water every few minutes. Guests will find it impossible to stay dry as a shipwrecked boat periodically spills hundreds of gallons of water and a 50-foot high volcano occasionally erupts with a geyser of water soaking everyone. Hundreds of fountains, sprayers, water wheels and other interactive water elements are also scattered throughout the enormous water play area. You might want to bring your beach towel and swim suit (new changing rooms are being built as well). The entrance is where the old climbing wall used to be (near Superman's exit) and the area was carved out of unused space between the park's access road and the Southern Star amphitheater. Could this be testing the waters for buillding a full-fledged water park sometime in the future? Only time will tell since dead men tell no tales. You will need to wear a bathing suit to enjoy most of the attractions' slides.

THUNDER RIVER®

[36" minimum height / 42" without adult] an Intamin river rapids ride with 12-passenger circular boats, you may get soaked. 2 tunnels and a waterfall finale highlight the ride. The observation deck near the Rabun Gap railroad station provides a good view of the ride, or the Kodak picture spot to the right of the Entrance/Exit overhead sign shows the wettest portion (under a waterfall). Because of the random nature you can come out completely wet or perfectly dry. This was one of the first river rapids rides built and has been re-worked several times to give a wetter ride. There's a very natural-looking wide river course with waves, currents and slow sections surrounded by fake rocks and boulders. It's not a concrete spillway like newer rapids rides, in fact it's the largest water ride at any Six Flags park. On colder days in spring and fall the waterfall finale may be turned off but other sections can get a rider quite wet. SFOG just recently installed water cannons (25¢ per shot) on the observation platform near the Rabun Gap railroad station, but they are some of the weakest I've ever seen - SuperSoakers would be better. But they are a big improvement over the awful ones first used in 2000.

SPLASHWATER FALLS®

[36" minimum height / 42" without adult] a shoot-the-chutes flume ride with 5-row 20-passenger boats, you might get soaked. There is no splash protection on the bridge crossover so watch out as you exit the boat and cross the bridge. The lift hill was replaced in 1997 (now chain driven rather than a wooden conveyor) along with new station transport systems (watch out for the big jolting lift as you re-enter the station). In 2003 a "splash restrictor" was attached to the front of the boats, now on a really cold day the splash can be adjusted so it does not really engulf the bridge - just a light spritzing instead. On hot Summer days it can be adjusted to be wide open, drenching everyone around. (The new splash pattern is in the bottom photo at right.) Sadly it appears that the park has decided to leave the pattern to the lowest possible setting so the bridge no longer gets drenched. My guess is insurance matters and accident possibilities are to blame. If you want to get wet you will need to take a ride.

LOG JAMBOREE

[42" minimum height without adult] a standard log flume ride with two drops, riders emerge slightly damp. This is a single bench boat that can hold up to 5-6 adults comfortably but you can ride with as many that fit or as few people as you want. Now the ride has the added benefit of twisting in and around the Georgia Scorcher roller coaster. The ride was renamed in 2001 to take advantage of a bottled water sponsorship with Deer Park bottled water - a Six Flags, Inc. agreement. The name was changed back in 2006. If you need to ask directions, ask for the "log flume" since that's what everyone calls it. Photo is taken on the final drop but this location often goes unmanned.

Skull Island Opening in 2005, this is a family water play area with slides, a volcano that erupts vast quantities of water, and plenty of other ways to cool off during a hot summer day. The new area spans over 50,000 square feet occupying a space between the Great American Scream Machine and the Southern Star Amphitheater. Towering over the Cotton States area of the park is a 66-foot high, signature pirate skull that towers over the entire play structure, drenching guests below with thousands of gallons of water every few minutes. Guests will find it impossible to stay dry as a shipwrecked boat periodically spills hundreds of gallons of water and a 50-foot high volcano occasionally erupts with a geyser of water soaking everyone. Hundreds of fountains, sprayers, water wheels and other interactive water elements are also scattered throughout the enormous water play area. You might want to bring your beach towel and swim suit (new changing rooms are being built as well). The entrance is where the old climbing wall used to be (near Superman's exit) and the area was carved out of unused space between the park's access road and the Southern Star amphitheater. Could this be testing the waters for buillding a full-fledged water park sometime in the future? Only time will tell since dead men tell no tales. You will need to wear a bathing suit to enjoy most of the attractions' slides.
THUNDER RIVER® [36" minimum height / 42" without adult] an Intamin river rapids ride with 12-passenger circular boats, you may get soaked. 2 tunnels and a waterfall finale highlight the ride. The observation deck near the Rabun Gap railroad station provides a good view of the ride, or the Kodak picture spot to the right of the Entrance/Exit overhead sign shows the wettest portion (under a waterfall). Because of the random nature you can come out completely wet or perfectly dry. This was one of the first river rapids rides built and has been re-worked several times to give a wetter ride. There's a very natural-looking wide river course with waves, currents and slow sections surrounded by fake rocks and boulders. It's not a concrete spillway like newer rapids rides, in fact it's the largest water ride at any Six Flags park. On colder days in spring and fall the waterfall finale may be turned off but other sections can get a rider quite wet. SFOG just recently installed water cannons (25¢ per shot) on the observation platform near the Rabun Gap railroad station, but they are some of the weakest I've ever seen - SuperSoakers would be better. But they are a big improvement over the awful ones first used in 2000.
SPLASHWATER FALLS® [36" minimum height / 42" without adult] a shoot-the-chutes flume ride with 5-row 20-passenger boats, you might get soaked. There is no splash protection on the bridge crossover so watch out as you exit the boat and cross the bridge. The lift hill was replaced in 1997 (now chain driven rather than a wooden conveyor) along with new station transport systems (watch out for the big jolting lift as you re-enter the station). In 2003 a "splash restrictor" was attached to the front of the boats, now on a really cold day the splash can be adjusted so it does not really engulf the bridge - just a light spritzing instead. On hot Summer days it can be adjusted to be wide open, drenching everyone around. (The new splash pattern is in the bottom photo at right.) Sadly it appears that the park has decided to leave the pattern to the lowest possible setting so the bridge no longer gets drenched. My guess is insurance matters and accident possibilities are to blame. If you want to get wet you will need to take a ride.
LOG JAMBOREE [42" minimum height without adult] a standard log flume ride with two drops, riders emerge slightly damp. This is a single bench boat that can hold up to 5-6 adults comfortably but you can ride with as many that fit or as few people as you want. Now the ride has the added benefit of twisting in and around the Georgia Scorcher roller coaster. The ride was renamed in 2001 to take advantage of a bottled water sponsorship with Deer Park bottled water - a Six Flags, Inc. agreement. The name was changed back in 2006. If you need to ask directions, ask for the "log flume" since that's what everyone calls it. Photo is taken on the final drop but this location often goes unmanned.