Theme Park Insider - Park Review

Location: Six Flags St. Louis is located 30 miles southwest of downtown St. Louis, off I-44 (exit 261).

Six Flags St. Louis
4900 Six Flags Road
Eureka, MO 63025

History: Six Flags St. Louis opened in 1971 as the third amusement park in the Six Flags chain. It was originally called Six Flags Over Mid-America.

A water park called Hurricane Harbor opened in 1999 adjacent to Six Flags. Hurricane Harbor is free with admission to the amusement park.

Hours: http//www.sixflags.com/stLouis/. Six Flags St. Louis is open from late March through Halloween.

Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save time when you get to the park.

Reservations: Six Flags St. Louis sells Flash Passes, which offer priority boarding opportunities. For much more, you can buy a VIP tour, which allows you and your group to skip all the lines.

Strategy: As with any amusement park, arrive early (at least :30 minutes before opening) and hit the headliner attractions first (coasters).

Traverse the park in a clockwise fashion twice, riding in the following order: Mr. Freeze, The Boss, Screamin' Eagle, and Batman (front row), then American Thunder (previously named Evel Knievel), Xcalibur, Big Spin, River King Mine Train, and Ninja. If you move quickly, you can beat most of the crowds. If not, plan on getting a Flash Pass. By the time you complete this double circuit, you will have experienced the best the park has to offer. Once complete, you can back track hitting any of the midway attractions or water rides you like most. Also, plan on re-riding your favorite coasters again after dark as several of them (The Boss and Screamin' Eagle, in particular) offer excellent night rides.

There is a section of the park set aside for families with very young children (Bugs Bunny National Park), but the rides contained therein are very similar to those found at a touring carnival or county fair. Like most iron ride parks, Six Flags St. Louis does not offer a lot of thrills for those under 48" tall.

Park admission also includes access to Hurricane Harbor, a 12-acre water park.

News: For 2013, SFSTL will be adding a used Vekoma Boomerang to the park, the coaster formerly known as Flashback from Six Flags over Texas.