Six Flags Over Texas


Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre theme park located in Arlington, Texas, east of Fort Worth and west of Dallas. It is the first amusement park in the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961, following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate developer Angus G. Wynne, Jr.
The park is managed by the Six Flags Entertainment Corp., which also owns 53.1% interest of the Texas Limited Partnership that owns the park. A similar arrangement exists with the partnership that owns Six Flags Over Georgia. Six Flags Over Texas Fund, Ltd, a private-equity and asset management firm headed by Dallas businessman Jack Knox, purchased the park in 1969. Over the years the various companies that managed the park, exercised options to purchase interest in the fund. Six Flags Entertainment has an option to purchase the remaining 46.9% in 2028. Starting in 1991, the park was managed by Time Warner Entertainment. In 1998, Time Warner sold its interests in the Six Flags parks to Premier Parks of Oklahoma City, which later changed its name to Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc.

History

Following a visit to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, shortly after its opening, wealthy real estate developer Angus G. Wynne, Jr. decided that his home state of Texas should have a local park for entertainment. Planning for such a place began in 1959, under the leadership of Wynne and the Great Southwest Corporation, along with the backing of various New York City investors. Construction on the park began in August 1960.
The name "Six Flags Over Texas" refers to the flags of the six different nations that have governed Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. Wynne originally intended to name the park "Texas Under Six Flags." Various legends have attributed the name change to his wife Joann; a group called "The Daughters of The Texas Republic" — of which his wife may, or may not, have been a member; or his entertainment director, Charles Meeker, stating that, "Texas isn’t 'under' anything." The original park was divided into six separate themed areas for each of the six governing entities that have ruled over Texas. Although additional themed areas have been added, the original six can still be found within the park.
Six Flags Over Texas opened its gates from July 29 to August 4, 1961, to several local corporations that Wynne had invited as part of a "soft-test opening." The park held its grand opening ceremonies on Saturday, August 5, 1961. Dignitaries included the mayors of Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and Irving. Park attendance reached 8,374. Admission was $2.75 for adults and $2.25 for children; parking was 50 cents ; hamburgers were 35 cents, and soft drinks were 10 cents. On opening day, guests could visit the six original themed sections: Mexico, Spain, France, The Confederacy, Texas and Modern. According to the 1961 Park Map there were 46 "major attractions" listed. The park's first season, lasting only 45 days and ending on November 25, 1961, was a success with over 550,000 visitors.
The 1960s were a decade of growth for Six Flags Over Texas. The park added numerous attractions, including two new sections: Boomtown, named after the boomtowns that sprang up rather quickly during Texas' oil boom era and the "Tower Section", named after the Oil Derrick observation tower built in 1969. The park also witnessed the birth of two classic theme park attractions: El Aserradero in 1963 and the Runaway Mine Train roller coaster in 1966. Attendance reached close to 2 million visitors a year by the end of the decade.
For the 50th anniversary, Six Flags Over Texas introduced the first I-Box roller coaster track with a transformation of Texas Giant. The reception from the conversion, led the manufacture to bring the new technology all over the world. During this time, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming company wide across its theme parks from attractions that the park had built in previous years. Six Flags Over Texas had to rename and retheme Tony Hawks Big Spin to Pandemonium.
In 2020, the park begin, operating at a year-round schedule. Before 2020, Six Flags Over Texas ran seasons from March to the end of that specific year. Within three months into the longer season, Six Flags suspended all operations across all their properties due to concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the time of closure, the park has donated food and supplies to a local charities. On June 4, Six Flags announced the park would reopen on June 19 to members and season pass holders, and to the general public on June 22.

Attractions

Firsts and ones of a kind

Six Flags Over Texas hosts a number of events for different holidays all throughout the operating season that often draws thousands of visitors to the park.
The Confederacy section was a name of a theme area until the mid-1990's, which showcased Confederate Battle Flags and a Civil War re-enactment. The area was rethemed to "Old South" and all Confederate Battle Flags were removed. The land drew little attention as there wasn't any high-profile rides in the themed land. Yet the flag continued to wave at the park entrance. In August 2017, in response to the controversial Unite the Right rally that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, the park replaced its six flags with six American flags. A representative of the park told KXAS-TV, "We always choose to focus on celebrating the things that unite us versus those that divide us. As such, we have changed the flag displays in our park to feature American flags."