Insider Pages Reviews for California's Great America

5 Stars: parks (by Tammy J.)

Tammy J. — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:25:00 GMT

What a fun place you take your family here. There is some thing for every one to do from the big roller coasters to the water park. It is a lot of money but if you bye a pass and go a few times it pays for it self. Try it you will like it.

5 Stars: Fun ! Fun ! Fun! (by Salma A.)

Salma A. — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:44:00 GMT

I went there when I didn't have my son and I enjoyed every second I was there. Last year, I took my son and wow ! we had the most amazing time. They don't just have those boring carousels when it comes to kids rides. They even have a mini roller coaster for your little ones :) and a whole lot of other fun kids rides. I am looking forward to go there again this summer.

4 Stars: Theme Park (by Mary E.)

Mary E. — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:43:00 GMT

I have been taking my kids and grandkids to this park for years - I love the rides - there is rides for every age group - the new water park is really great on a hot day - the food isn't so great - the show are good and the kids really enjoy them - the staff is friendly and helpful.

4 Stars: LOTS OF FUN (by monica j.)

monica j. — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 23:29:00 GMT

WOW GREAT AMERICA IS A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE TONS AND TONS OF FUN THEY ALSO HAVE A NEW WATERSLIDE AREA IT IS GREAT THE RIDES AT GREAT AMERICA ARE THE BEST LIKE I SAID FUNNNNNN

3 Stars: used to be fun (by Samantha T.)

Samantha T. — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 17:20:00 GMT

it used to be tons of fun but i got sick of it because they never get any new rides and their water park is really tiny. its kind of dirty there. most of the rides are kind of uncomfortable (the headrests kind of hurt) the only reasons i go now is because of the classic favorites like top gun and well...to scope out the guys. hehe.

5 Stars: GREAT! America (by Jocelyn C.)

Jocelyn C. — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 19:26:00 GMT

My middle school celebrated our graduation by taking the entire class to Great America. The roller coasters are absolutely unbeatable and the prices aren't too bad. The WOW cards are totally worth the money, since you'd be able to go back all season! Great America is an assured great time!!!!

4 Stars: Family fun (by tami d.)

tami d. — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 00:47:00 GMT

Great America is a great place for family fun. You can catch live shows, mingle with the park characters and enjoy the thrills of the many rides in the park. Boomerang Bay is my favorite area in the park.

5 Stars: My Favorite Place on Earth. Really. (by Rebecca H.)

Rebecca H. — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 22:03:00 GMT

This park is so much fun now that they have a water park. I love that you can buy a season pass and enjoy the park for days on end for about 50 bucks. The water park insn't huge, but it is just enough to keep you entertained.

PROS: Water park.
CONS: New survivor ride.

4 Stars: great america (by Jamie N.)

Jamie N. — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 08:37:00 GMT

We love the new water park. It is a great place to spend the day. I love the lazy river. The lines at the park can be very long but the kids always have a great time. I suggest buying a season pass.

5 Stars: Love It! (by Jessica G.)

Jessica G. — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:48:00 GMT

This is a great place to take your family and excellent for the kids they have awsome ride and plenty of things for the kids its always a blast everytime we go!

5 Stars: The best Theme park. (by Mariah/Nicole D.)

Mariah/Nicole D. — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:09:00 GMT

Great America the best theme park ever. It's a perfect place for families to enjoy.If you go with a child your child would love to go over there again.

3 Stars: Great place to spend the day with you kids (by Sam L.)

Sam L. — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:18:00 GMT

What can I say... I love Great America. Awesome rides, fun things to do. We especially live they're new water park. I can spend the whole day on the water half-pipe. I suggest getting the season pass... it's a good deal, and parking is included.

4 Stars: Top Gun is still my favorite (by Ciara-Jayne H.)

Ciara-Jayne H. — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 06:38:00 GMT

My family are roller coasters fanatic. We have gone to alot of amusement parks in California and top gun is still my favorite. GA is the best amusement park in the bay area so this place gets packed during the summer. WOW card is a must for G' Force lovers.

4 Stars: Great America (by Manuel B.)

Manuel B. — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:44:00 GMT

A fun place to take the family. Just 30-40 minutes away. Great rides and tons of things ofr kids of all ages to do. Weather is usually nice, but a sweter is needed at night.

3 Stars: Great America (by Barbara B.)

Barbara B. — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:03:00 GMT

WE only visit on days the park is slow because it gets so crowded. We love the new water park and always get season passes. Sometime the park is dirty and has too many fights if you stay later at night.

3 Stars: fun, for dirst time goer's (by Alex L.)

Alex L. — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 22:32:00 GMT

The first time I went there, it was fun, though it was mostly becuase it awas a new experience. Demon was cool and the other coasters were exciting. But the second time I went,everyythign just seemed lackluster compared to other amusement parks like sixflags. Parks without the heavy movie theme. But its a good place to take the family for some fun, I wouldn't recomend this as a park for its rides. It's more for hte over- all experience.
If your looking for a thrill park, look else where for sure.

4 Stars: Great America (by Carole H.)

Carole H. — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:49:00 GMT

I first went to Great America when I was in High School, and now I go there with my family. I really like the rides like Top Gun, Invertigo and Drop Zone. There is a very nice kid area with a lot of Spongebob kind of stuff. I don't like that they put a waterpark in there, but I guess some people do. My favorite ride is Delirium.

PROS: Fun Rides
CONS: Kind of dirty and marked with graffiti

3 Stars: Fun for teens, so-so for the rest of the family (by Debbie G.)

Debbie G. — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 22:39:00 GMT

Great America is great for teens--lots of "extreme" rides. However, it always seems really crowded and is very expensive. Maybe I'm just not a big enough amusement park person to endure all that.

PROS: lots of rides, fun for teens
CONS: expensive

3 Stars: Loved Nick area (by Debbie T.)

Debbie T. — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 16:27:00 GMT

If your kids love Nick and Nick Jr. then this is the place. The water areas are great and seemed to keep the kids happy for some time.

Food is so so and over priced and during the week it's crowded during the summer.

And lots of trash all over the place

2 Stars: Not impressed. (by Paula H.)

Paula H. — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 11:26:00 GMT

We went to Great America in June for the first time in 15 years and brought our 6 yr. old. The place looks dirty and run down. Most of the staff were unfriendly and lazy. The food choices are unhealthy and, of course, overpriced. And the lines were incredibly long for most rides. Theres nothing real special about this place. Although the water park looks fun, I wish it was not connected to the rest of the park so we could just go there and maybe pay less.

3 Stars: Great America (by julie s.)

julie s. — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:13:00 GMT

It's a good place to go especially for the older children. I find for the younger bunch, it's hot, not real clean, has too long lines, and has an uptight feel. Great America has a long way to get even close to the Disney feel. Something just seems to be missing.

4 Stars: Best Place for Teens (by Jenni E.)

Jenni E. — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:13:00 GMT

Each year we get the WOW card and it's always a great deal. The rides are the best and I love that they keep adding things, such as the new Boomerang Bay. There are 2 things that I don't like...the over-priced food and the lines. But this is a problem in all theme parks. During the day the park seems safe enough to drop off younger teens on their own, but I would not allow them to stay after dark. Still fun for families as well due to the variety of rides and some shows. We'll keep getting our annual passes!

PROS: Great Rides; New Stuff each Year
CONS: Lines; Food Prices

2 Stars: Great rides but the park is dirty (by Rita M.)

Rita M. — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 23:26:00 GMT

My kids like coming to Great America because of the fun rides, but I honestly hate coming here. The place seems tired and dirty. Also, the crowds seem to be getting more unruly. For example, on the raft ride, two kids who shared the ride with me and my kids would not stop splashing us no matter how much I told them to stop! The park employees couldn't care less if parkgoers don't follow the rules. I really don't care to visit this park again.

3 Stars: It's ok (by Brian T.)

Brian T. — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 08:24:00 GMT

The only reason we go there is for the little kids water park. Everything seems so expensive there these days. Not like when we where kids, it used to be fun there. It's not a place where I feel safe with the kids either.

2 Stars: never need to go again (by Andrea G.)

Andrea G. — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 22:48:00 GMT

I don't have the urge to walk into Great America for a very long time. The lines are long, the food choices are unhealthy and it is overpriced. They charge $10 for parking on top of it all.

PROS: some fun thrill rides for older kids
CONS: overcrowded, no healthy food choices

4 Stars: A fun place for the family (by Belle G.)

Belle G. — Thu, 11 May 2006 15:54:00 GMT

What can I say. I think we all know about theme parks but having one so close to home is excellent. Their season pass offering is great for kids in the summer time especially if the kids are older and you can drop them off for the day. The park is kept in nice condition.

3 Stars: Not bad for being in the middle of town (by Richard B.)

Richard B. — Tue, 09 May 2006 14:18:00 GMT

This amuzement park lacks the diversity and depth of Marine World and the notoriety of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, but it's still not a bad place to take the kids once a year or so. The best part of it is that you don't have to drive forever, and for younger kids it can be pretty thrilling.

PROS: Convenient and good for younger kids
CONS: Not as fun as some of the other parks in the Bay Area

3 Stars: Not like it used to be (by Diana P.)

Diana P. — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 14:42:00 GMT

I was disappointed on my last visit to this park. It looked dirty and unkept. Sure, it isn't Disneyland, but there should be a level of cleanliness and maintenance that reflects the Paramount image.

I was amazed at the spider webs and dirty buildings that could be seen while standing in line for rides. Sure, these areas aren't a focal point, but it was grimey and dirty to look at. It sure isn't the same park that I visited in my childhood.