Looking to plan the ultimate trip to Six Flags over Texas? Take advantage of our tips below to make the most of your visit.

Trip Planning

When to Visit

No one likes waiting in lines. To avoid them, try to visit the park outside the peak operating season, which is June through August. At the same time, however, the extreme heat of Texas summers can actually make weekday crowds light (the weather drives more people toward the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park).

Holidays and concert days are often especially busy. Weekdays in April, May, September, October, November, and December are typically the least busy days. Always research for special events and concerts that may be going on that can cause abnormally large crowds (the park is especially busy during spring break).

If you do plan on going on a busy day and want to avoid the lines, consider purchasing a Flash Pass so you can schedule ride times without actually waiting in line.

Saving Money

The key to saving money on a trip to Six Flags over Texas is planning ahead. If at all possible, avoid purchasing tickets at the front gate. Buying tickets online from the official site and printing them is almost always significantly cheaper ($20 cheaper per ticket for the 2011 season). Local grocery stores and clubs like AAA also typically offer discounted tickets. Coca-Cola® or other soft drink cans often offer admission discounts as well. If you plan on visiting the park twice or more, a season pass is likely to be cheaper and offers additional perks such as admission to other Six Flags parks.

Picnic area for guests outside the park

Like most theme parks, food and beverages at Six Flags over Texas can be pricey. To avoid such costs, consider visiting one of the restaurants in the local area by getting your hand stamped at the park exit for re-entry later the same day. The cost of a meal at the park is often comparable to that of a sit-down restaurant in the area. The park also features a nice wooded picnic area near the parking lot that guests can use free of charge. Just be sure to leave your picnic baskets or ice chests in your car as they're not allowed in the park (alternatively they can be stored at the building in the parking lot that was previously a gas station).

Speaking of beverages, visiting Six Flags over Texas in the summer months can be uncomfortable due to the brutal Texas heat which typically rises to 100°F or more by midday. Staying hydrated can be a real problem that's easy to forget as some guests end up fainting in queue lines or on rides. Most permanent food stands offer free ice water on request, which is a much more economical option than buying several soft drinks throughout the day. Additionally, the park sells a hard plastic souvenir cup that not only offers the guest free refills for the rest of the day, but $.99 refills for the rest of the season — a great deal for season pass holders.

Another easy way to save money at Six Flags over Texas is using your Discover credit card. Discover cardholders save 5% on virtually everything at Six Flags parks nationwide, including tickets, season passes, parking, food, merchandise, Flash passes, and VIP tours. Discover cardholders also get to skip long entrance lines by having a dedicated park entry for the first two hours every day.

Inclement Weather

Rainy days offer both pros and cons when visiting the park. Inclement weather usually results in lighter crowds but at the cost of more rides being closed. While many rides continue to operate in light to moderate rain, lightning causes a much higher number of attractions to shut down for safety reasons.

All rides at Six Flags over Texas are assigned a code that corresponds to the severity of weather conditions that will cause them to shut down. For example, tall rides such as Titan and Mr. Freeze are the first to shut down when lightning has been detected in the area as they're obviously more likely to be stricken. As a general rule, taller rides are the first to shut down in inclement weather conditions while smaller or indoor rides are the last to shut down.

To make inclement weather conditions work to your advantage, try to visit the park on an overcast or drizzly day that doesn't have thunderstorms in the forecast.

Be Familiar with the Park Layout

If you've never been to the park, checking out the park map and familiarizing yourself with the basic layout before visiting can be a big help. The park's layout can be especially confusing to Six Flags over Texas novices, since due to the way the park expanded over the years, various dead-ends and path restrictions exist.

Smokers

Six Flags over Texas only allows smoking in special areas of the park that are designated by a blue border painted on the ground and blue benches. Additionally, there is an city ordinance that makes smoking in lines and inside buildings unlawful.

Line Jumping

Line jumping is a serious offense at Six Flags over Texas that can lead to being ejected from the park without a refund. The park defines line jumping as saving places in line or exiting the line and attempting to return for any reason. This includes going to the restroom and purchasing food/drinks, so ensure you do these activities before entering the line.

Visiting with Children

Six Flags over Texas features an entire section just for children — Looney Tunes USA. Various rides scattered throughout the park are also suitable for children, depending on their size.

When parents want to ride a ride that the kids can't or won't ride, the solution is a parent (or child) swap. After waiting in line, simply ask a ride host or hostess that you want to do a parent swap and one parent can ride while the other waits near the exit with the child. When the riding parent returns, they can swap places and let the other parent ride.

Height Requirements

Most rides at Six Flags over Texas have height requirements to ensure riders can be safely restrained in the ride. Since these requirements are for safety, it's crucial that you do not try to deceive your or your child's height in order to ride. We list the height requirement on every ride page.

If you have a child that is close to a height requirement and is likely to be re-measured throughout the day, you can save time by visiting Guest Services at the front of the park when you first arrive to have your child "officially" measured and given a wristband stating their height. Various rides may also be capable of handing out wristbands displaying the child's height.

Some rides have no minimum height restriction, with the caveat that the child must ride with an adult (using the logic that the adult will prevent the child from doing foolish things like attempting to escape the ride). Most of these rides have the additional restriction that lap children are not allowed, that is, children that can't sit upright in the seat on their own cannot sit in their parents' lap on the ride (obviously disqualifying babies).

Original content Copyright ©2010-2013 GuideToSFoT.com. All Rights Reserved. Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Guide To Six Flags over Texas is an unofficial Six Flags over Texas fan site. Visit the park's official site at SixFlags.com.

The Six Flags "Exclamation Point" logo and all related park/attraction indicia are copyrighted/trademarked Six Flags Theme Parks Inc. No claim of ownership is implied through this website.