Might be in the Bay Area over the summer. I was wondering which of the two Bay Area parks is better SFDK or CGA. I'm leaning towards SFDK because I already have the SF pass. Also with the Joker and Medusa... its not really a contest I just wanted to know what TPI would think.
Tweet
Now I'm looking at SFDK and some of their new rides and I'd definitely choose that. I haven't paid much attention to them recently and they've got some good newer stuff.
Definitely SFDK
The only ride at California's Great America that I'd consider travel worthy is Gold Striker. Pretty much everything else has an equivalent or better attraction at either SFGAdv or Dorney Park (which I assume you visit somewhat regularly given your location). Meanwhile, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has Medusa, the best floorless coaster I've been on, as well as Joker, which will likely be a top tier coaster, plus their overall coaster collection is better (minus the SLC, but that particular installation generally isn't as bad as others). The park is a little smaller than CGA and has an inferior collection of non-coaster rides, but they do have a decent animal park and a couple good shows. Unless it is significantly more convenient for you to visit CGA, I'd definitely recommend SFDK over it, especially since your pass will get you in.
SFDK. Santa Cruz is too far from my college, so I regularly go to SFDK and it is one of the better Six Flags parks. Two of my favorite roller coasters, Vertical Velocity and Medusa are there. Also, my favorite junior coaster, Cobra, is there also.
Thanks! It's better to visit SFDK for me because I don't have a Cedar Fair pass due to my local Cedar Fair being much worst than my local Six Flags.
Depends what you like.
If you're a hardcore coaster person, then probably Six Flags.
However all members of my family (many of whom like coasters) still prefer Great America -- better atmosphere/cleaner, less rough crowd (usually), shorter lines much of the time, plus the water park area in the summer. Goldstriker and Flight Deck (formerly Top Gun) are really good coasters, and some of the shows like Aerial Ice Extreme are surprisingly fun.
Also if it matters to you: Great America food and souvenirs have bad rip-off prices, but Six Flags' are often significantly worse. I mean insanely bad.
SFDK. Not only is it free admission for you, but it has rides like The Joker, Superman, Medusa, and V2 while CGA's only good coasters are Gold Striker and Flight Deck.
Trust me SFDK is like 10X better than CGA. Not only does SFDK have superior rides, but they also have animals too. The only time that I would recommend CGA over SFDK is during Halloween because their Halloween Haunt is much better than SFDK's Fright Fest, but since your going during the summer, I'd 100% recommend SFDK.
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
I haven't been for a while but I'm from the Bay Area and have had season passes to both of these parks. Discovery Kingdom has bigger rollercoasters and the animals but Great America has some good rides and an overall happier feel. I would probably choose SFDK just because you've already paid for it.