Six Flags over Texas celebrated its 60th anniversary August 5th and to celebrate, held a special anniversary event in the weeks leading up to the special day. If you missed it (like we almost did), you can see what all the event had to offer during our visit on its final day.
Signs of a Busy Day
Whether it was procrastination-in-action with guests trying to visit the anniversary event before it concluded (like us), or a sign of new norms, lines to get through security were long. They were long enough to make many guests wonder what was going on and if they were in the right line, leading to a bit of confusion.
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Lines a half-hour into park opening
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Security was the bottleneck at opening
Thankfully, once you got past security there weren’t significant lines for entry.
New Sign
We spotted this new sign along the entryway. One of many improvements spotted so far this year.
New entry sign
Flume 1 Lives
For years El Aserradero has operated with only Flume 2 open, but Flume 1 has made its glorious return. Not only is Flume 1 the original log flume (not just at the park, but in the world), but it’s arguably the better flume. It has more decoration, goes through denser foliage, and maybe it’s just the placebo effect of riding the OG flume, but the drop seems better.
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Guests waiting to once again ride Flume 1
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A log arrives back to the diverter in the station
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Flume 1 is well-hidden by ample foliage
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Guests splashing down on the original Log Flume finale
Interestingly, they limit guests to 3 per log on Flume 1 vs. the 5 on Flume 2. A ride op cited the reason as essentially being due to the older flume being able to take less weight.
60th Anniversary Historical Display
Crazy Horse Saloon was turned into a park museum, showcasing props, ride parts, photos, and more over the park’s 60 years of operation.
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Yosemite Sam boat advertising the return of Speelunkers in '22
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Six Flags oar, Runaway Mountain sign, and old advertising posters
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Costumes and wardrobe
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Yosemite Sam prop and New Texas Giant car
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Impressive scale model of original Texas Giant
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Wide shot of museum
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Texas Chute Out model
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The Right Stuff concept art and the front of an original Texas Giant train car
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Partial scale model of Mine Train
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SFoT merchandise of years past
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Mugs through the years
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Old Roaring Rapids entrance sign and controls for La Salle's River Adventure
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Even the Pink Thing gets its own merch now
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Fun themed libations available for purchase at the Crazy Horse Saloon
What a shame these (and many other) fascinating items sit in storage for years, only to be dragged out for a small display every 5-10 years. It would be fitting for a park as historically significant as Six Flags over Texas to create a permanent display of these relics. The long-unused buildings that previously housed the massive arcade in the Texas section (and once as shopfronts for vendors during Best in Texas festivals) could be a perfect place for such a display…
Showing Runaway Mountain Some Love
The massive new sign at Runaway Mountain emphasizes the mining theme of the ride, and the waterfall is back in action (though oddly only the lower sections were working on this visit).
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The waterfall is (partially) back to working
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View of the queue beneath the sign
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Runaway Mountain's new sign lends heavily to the mining theme
We still didn’t see the long-inoperable mine car shooting out the waterfall tracks. Rumors have it they’re working on it (if not, we’re starting the rumor).
Return of Return of the Pink Thing
The Pink Thing has once again returned in a bar form, probably the version closest to the decades-long fan favorite prior to its removal in 2011. It’s the same flavor as the Pink Thing ice cream from Blue Bell, but the bar form definitely makes it more authentic than the scoops.
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The version of the Pink Thing you can find in 2022
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Pink Thing bars can be found in various retail shops
New Historical Display
The historical photos from the France section seems to have been superseded by a new display between Mine Train and Superman Tower of Power. It’s now in a much brighter, busier-traffic place that will probably get more attention vs. the old display smattered throughout the smoker’s area.
Located on the deck between Mine Train and Superman
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The Cave, Big Bend, Texas Chute-Out, and Spinnaker
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Texas Cliffhanger and Splashdown
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Titan, New Texas Giant, Skyscreamer
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Aquaman, Special Events, Return of Casa Magnetica
Other Observations
Pandemonium was sporting a section of bright pink track as the park tests new color schemes. Perhaps a re-naming to Pink Thingium is also in store?
Testing out a vivid pink color for a future re-painting
Gotham City felt particularly dead with both Harley Quinn and Joker being down. Whether due to staffing or technical difficulties, we’ll never know.
Joker and Harley Quinn were both down
With all the fantastic improvements going into the park, now would be a fantastic time to get rid of these third party promotional booths once and for all. Not being mildly harassed to sign up for contests every time you traverse through Boomtown and Tower areas would really be nice…
Who doesn’t like being solicited for “giveaways” while they visit a theme park?
The final thing we noticed on our way out was the serious barbed wire added around the fence. It’s an interesting look; makes you wonder what happened to force its addition.
Newly-installed barb wire at the top of the entry walkway fence
In keeping with the theme of 2021 and its new leadership, Six Flags over Texas’ 60th Anniversary celebration was executed very well. The park offered the right balance between paying homage to its legacy and its improving future.
With the next big event being Fright Fest, we’re eagerly waiting to see how the park further improves with its potentially most popular event.
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