Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor to Close Permanently After 2025 Season

The amusement park world is in shock as Six Flags has announced they will shutter two of their parks after the 2025 operating season.

What’s Happening:

Six Flags has announced in a press release that Six Flags America and its accompanying water park Hurricane Harbor will close after the 2025 summer season.
Last summer, Six Flags and Cedar Fair joined forces in a huge merger, seeing the chain become the largest amusement park operator in North America. Since then, the chain has shuttered several major attractions, including the world’s tallest roller coaster Kingda Ka.
The Bowie, MD parks are the latest casualties in the chain’s “portfolio optimization program."
Six Flags America sits on over 500 acres of land, boasting dozens of rides and nine roller coasters.
Originally opening as The Wildlife Preserve in 1974, the park began its life under the operation of ABC’s Scenic & Wildlife Attractions division. Expected to bring in around 850,000 guests per year, the drive-through wildlife park never quite lived up to its ambitions.
The park would operate through 1977 under ABC, when the company pulled out due to continuously lackluster profits. The park did not reopen for the 1978 season, and was sold to Jim Fowler who operated the park in 1979.
That would last for only a season, and the park would again remain closed for the 1980 season.
In the summer of 1980, The Wildlife Preserve was sold to a group of local businessmen who spent millions adding flat rides and waterslides and rebranding the park as Wild World.
In 1983, the park added several more rides including expanding the water slide area into a full blown water park, complete with more slides and a wave pool.
The drive-through safari closed the same year, with guided tram tours replacing the experience.
While the park had found success, it wasn’t reaching the expected profit levels.
For the 1984 season, all of the park's animals were sold and moved and all the flat rides had been placed into storage as Wild World refocused towards being solely a water park.
As attendance struggled on colder days, the rides were brought back out of storage for the 1985 season, which saw park owners look towards the future with the addition of a major wooden roller coaster.
The Wild One would open in 1986, which was purchased from the closing Massachusetts’ Paragon Park. The coaster originally opened in 1917.
Being constructed in the former animal area of the park, The Wild One opened to rave reviews, marking the beginning of Wild World’s major transformation as a large-scale amusement park.
In 1992, Tierco Group Inc, later known as Premier Parks, purchased the park, renaming it Adventure World.
The park received significant additions to both the amusement and water park areas, and officially joined the Six Flags chain when Premier Parks purchased Six Flags from Time Warner in 1998.
Becoming Six Flags America in 1999, the park would go on to open 4 roller coasters in just three years, including an Intamin Hyper Coaster called Superman - Ride of Steel and a Vekoma Flying Dutchman called Batwing.

What was once a promising park quickly went ignored in the large chain's vast portfolio of parks.
Since the addition of Batwing, the park has only received two coasters, both of which were relocated from Six Flags Great America.
Over the past decade, the park has become notorious for bad operations, poorly behaved guests, and being generally dirty and unmaintained.
The park’s final day of operation will be on November 2, 2025.
With approximately 70 full-time employees, Six Flags is offering severance and other benefits to eligible associates.
The land is set to be placed on the market for redevelopment.
At this time, there is no news surrounding whether the park’s major attractions will be relocated or scrapped.
In addition to the over 100 year old The Wild One, two of the park’s coasters will be major losses in coaster history.
Wildfire, Six Flags America’s B&M Floorless coaster, originally opened as Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America.

Originally a stand-up coaster, Iron Wolf was B&M’s first project as a roller coaster manufacturer. Some may recognize the ride from the 1994 movie Richie Rich.
In 2011, the ride would move to Six Flags America under the name Apocalypse.
In 2019, the coaster was renamed Wildfire, with the original stand-up trains being replaced with floorless sit-down trains.

Batwing is the last of only three Vekoma Flying Dutchman models ever built.

Late last year, Carowinds unceremoniously closed Nighthawk, which was the first major flying coaster in the world. Batwing was a slightly altered version of that layout. You can read more about Nighthawk and the Vekoma Flying Dutchman model here.
It’s incredibly sad to see a major amusement park close. Make sure you head to Six Flags America this summer to get your final rides in.

What They’re Saying:

Richard Zimmerman, Six Flags President & CEO: “As part of our comprehensive review of our park portfolio, we have determined that Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor are not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan. After reviewing a number of options, we believe that marketing the property for redevelopment will generate the highest value and return on investment. We anticipate strong interest in the property and will continue to strategically pursue portfolio optimization opportunities as we work to unlock the full value of our portfolio. This was a difficult decision, and we recognize the impact it will have on our Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor park associates and guests. We are grateful to our park associates who work hard to create lifelong memories for our guests, and Six Flags is committed to supporting all impacted associates through the closure process at the end of this year. Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor have been an important part of the local community, and this final season will be an opportunity to celebrate the decades of fun that guests have enjoyed at the property."

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