California's Great America

California's Great America

Location	Santa Clara, California, United States
Coordinates	37°23′45.4″N 121°58′20.1″W / 37.395944°N 121.972250°W / 37.395944; -121.972250Coordinates: 37°23′45.4″N 121°58′20.1″W / 37.395944°N 121.972250°W / 37.395944; -121.972250
Slogan	It's Amazing in Here
Owner	Cedar Fair
General manager	Barbara-Lea Granter
Opened	March 20, 1976 (1976-03-20)
Previous names	Marriott's Great America  (1976‑84) Great America  (1985‑92, 2007) Paramount's Great America  (1993‑2006)
Operating season	Late March–December
Area	100 acres (40 ha)
Attractions
Total	52
Roller coasters	9
Water rides	2
Website	Official website
Status	Operating

California's Great America (formerly known as Marriott's Great America and Paramount's Great America) is a 112-acre (45 ha) amusement park^[1] located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. California's Great America features over 40 rides and attractions, and one of its most notable is Gold Striker, which has been featured as a top-ranked wooden roller coaster in Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards publication. Other notable rides include RailBlazer, a single-rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction, and Flight Deck, an inverted coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. The park appeared in Beverly Hills Cop III and Getting Even with Dad, two films that were released in 1994.

History[]

Marriott & KECO Era (1976–1992)[]

Marriott's Great America, built by hotel and restaurant operator Marriott Corporation, opened to the public on March 20, 1976.^[2] Admission was US$7.95 (equivalent to $36 in 2020) for adults (12 and up) and US$6.95 (equivalent to $32 in 2020) for children (4-11).^[3] Less than two months later on May 29, the company opened a second Marriott's Great America – later known as Six Flags Great America – north of Chicago in Gurnee, Illinois.^[4][5] A third park was initially planned for the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area,^[4] but the idea was later abandoned after several failed attempts to sway local opposition.^[6]

The park, though profitable, was still an earnings disappointment for Marriott, leading the company in 1983 to explore options to sell. An interested party, Caz Development Co., appraised the land value at US$800,000 to $1 million per acre. Marriott also involved the city of Santa Clara in negotiations, which was already leasing 55 acres (22 ha) of parking space for the amusement park. Fearing homebuilding on the land by Caz Development would lower home values of existing homeowners, the city council approved a $101 million purchasing agreement on January 31, 1984, by a 4–3 vote that also had to be approved by city residents. The citywide vote passed, approving the sale by a margin of 3 to 1. Caz Development then sued the city and Marriott in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County to block the transaction. The court nullified the sale, forcing the city to attempt to salvage the deal through negotiations with the other parties. Unable to broker a timely agreement, the city council voted 6–1 to scuttle the sale on February 5, 1985, though the city was still interested in owning the park. After Marriott refunded a $20 million down payment back to the city, negotiations were restarted. All parties were able to agree on a compromise, which was signed in marathon sessions taking place in early June 1985. The city acquired the park for $93.5 million from Marriott, which retained 20 acres (8.1 ha) from the sale for development. Caz Development settled and was allowed to build a hotel and office near the park, which the city renamed Great America.

Kings Entertainment Company, who owned and operated other amusement parks, was hired in 1985 to manage Great America for the city.^[7] In 1989, the city decided to return the park to the private sector and sold it to Kings Entertainment.^[8] In the agreement, the city would earn 5% of all revenue that exceeds $56 million.^[9]

Paramount Parks Era (1992–2006)[]

Three years later Paramount Communications (formerly Gulf+Western), the owners of Paramount Pictures, sought to join other entertainment companies as a theme park owner. The company acquired Kings Entertainment for $400 million on July 31, 1992 and created Paramount Parks. As part of the acquisition, Paramount purchased the parks owned by Kings: Great America, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and a 20% stake in Canada's Wonderland; in addition, Paramount would acquire Kings Island, which was operated by Kings for its owner, American Financial Corporation.^[10] Viacom, the parent of MTV Networks (including Nickelodeon), then assumed control of Paramount in 1994 by purchasing a controlling interest,^[11] allowing Nickelodeon theming and merchandise into the park as well. During the Paramount era, attractions from the Action FX Theatre, Nickelodeon Splat City (later Nickelodeon Central), Drop Zone Stunt Tower, Invertigo, and many more modern thrill ride attractions were added in. Because the park is constrained from further expansion by its location in the center of Silicon Valley, several rides including the classic train ride and the Sky Whirl, a Marriott's Great America signature attraction, were removed to make way for newer attractions.

Viacom went on to acquire CBS in 1999,^[12] which made the combined Viacom/CBS the parent company of Great America and several broadcasting affiliates in the Bay Area, including KPIX-TV (CBS) and KBCW (UPN). Viacom/CBS split in 2005, with the re-formed CBS Corporation assuming control of Paramount Parks, until CBS sold that unit to Cedar Fair in 2006.^[13]

Cedar Fair Era (2006–present)[]

After Viacom and CBS Corporation split, Paramount Parks became part of CBS. The merger did not last long, as CBS announced plans to sell the theme park division.

Cedar Fair announced in May 2006 that they were acquiring the amusement park division from CBS.^[14] The transaction included licensing agreements with Nickelodeon and Paramount, providing the park the option to retain its Nickelodeon and Paramount theming for several years.^[15]

On October 25, 2007, Cedar Fair renamed the park California's Great America. For the 2008 season, the park saw the addition of a Huss Rides top spin ride called FireFall, a new ice show in the "Great America Theatre" (formerly The Paramount Theatre), and the addition of the Halloween Haunt event to the park.^[16]

In the summer of 2009, Cedar Fair announced that all the Nickelodeon themed areas would be replaced with Peanuts themed areas. In 2010, the newly rethemed Planet Snoopy opened in the park.

On January 27, 2011, the park announced Invertigo would be removed and relocated to Dorney Park, another Cedar Fair property.^[17]

On September 19, 2011, Cedar Fair confirmed reports that California's Great America would be sold to JMA Ventures, LLC for $70 million in cash. The sale required approval by the City of Santa Clara, and its city council was scheduled to vote on the matter on December 6, 2011. Cedar Fair, which purchased the park in 2006, expected to use the cash proceeds from the sale to reduce its senior secured debt.^[18] However, on December 6, 2011, JMA Ventures cancelled its plans to purchase the amusement park.^[19] In the same announcement, Cedar Fair also verified that a long-term agreement was reached with the San Francisco 49ers regarding parking and construction of a new stadium adjacent to Great America.^[20][21]

In 2013, the park opened Gold Striker, a wooden twister model coaster manufactured by Great Coasters International.

In 2018, the park opened RailBlazer, the first single-rail coaster in the US west of Texas.^[22] Cedar Fair purchased the Great America land from the city of Santa Clara in March 2019;^[1] the city retained the main parking lot.^[23]

California's Great America did not open for the 2020 season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in California.^[24][25]

On May 22, 2021, the park reopened after being closed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, COVID safety protocols such as limited capacity, face masks, and social distancing were put into place upon reopening. ^[26]

Also that year, the waterpark formerly known as Boomerang Bay reopened as "South Bay Shores" with the addition of a new slide complex and new kiddy slides in the lagoon.

Attractions by type[]

Intensity rating[27][28] (out of 5)
1 (low)   2 (mild)   3 (moderate)   4 (high)   5 (aggressive)

Note: Number ratings assigned per California's Great America, while the colors are unique to Wikipedia. For more details, refer to the California's Great America Guest Assistance Guide.^[28]

Roller coasters[]

Name	Location	Manufacturer	Model Name	Opened	Rating[27][28]
Demon	County Fair	Arrow Dynamics	Custom Looping Coaster	1976	5
Flight Deck	Orleans Place	Bolliger & Mabillard	Inverted Coaster	1993	5
Gold Striker	Celebration Plaza	Great Coasters International	Wooden Twister Model	2013	4
The Grizzly	Action Zone	Curtis D. Summers	Wooden Double Out and Back Model	1986	4
Lucy's Crabbie Cabbies	Planet Snoopy	E&F Miler		1999	2
Psycho Mouse	Action Zone	Arrow Dynamics	Wild mouse	2001	4
RailBlazer	County Fair	Rocky Mountain Construction	Raptor Track	2018	5
Patriot	Hometown Square	Bolliger & Mabillard	Stand-up Coaster (1991-2017) Floorless Coaster	1991 (2017)	5
Woodstock Express	Planet Snoopy	Intamin	Children's Roller Coaster	1987	3

Thrill Rides[]

Name	Location	Manufacturer	Model Name	Opened	Rating[27][28]
Berserker	County Fair	Schwarzkopf	Bayern Kurve	1976	3
Celebration Swings	Celebration Plaza	Zierer	Wave Swinger	2001	3
Centrifuge	Action Zone	Schwarzkopf	Calypso	1976	3
Delirium	All American Corners	Chance Rides	Revolution 32	2002	5
Drop Tower: Scream Zone	Action Zone	Intamin	Giant Drop	1996	4
Orbit	All American Corners	Schwarzkopf	Enterprise	1976	4
Tiki Twirl	Action Zone	Zamperla	Disk'O Coaster	2006	4

Park areas[]

The park is divided into several themed areas, laid out along an oval pathway nicknamed the "Duell Loop", which the park's designer, Randall Duell, had incorporated into several theme parks, including the Six Flags Great America sister park in Gurnee. This allows all areas of the park to be serviced from a central corridor, while visitors can experience the entire park by completing a single lap around it.^[29] In aerial photographs, the central service corridor in the Santa Clara park is visible as a straight road running almost directly north-south, terminating under the Patriot roller coaster. At the park's opening in 1976, there were five themed areas.^[4]

From the main entrance, visitors enter Celebration Plaza (originally Carousel Plaza); proceeding clockwise (turning left after passing Carousel Columbia), the themed areas are:^[30]

• Orleans Place (restoring the original name;^[4] an interim name was Pavilion Plaza)^[31]
• All American Corners (originally Yankee Harbor^[4] and Yukon Territory;^[3][32] later All American Plaza)^[33]
• Planet Snoopy (originally Fort Fun; formerly Kids Kingdom, Smurf Woods, KidZville, and Nickelodeon Central)
• Action Zone (originally The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition and County Fair,^[3] later abbreviated to simply County Fair)
• County Fair (restoring the original name;^[4] a portion had been split off and designated Festival Plaza)
• Hometown Square (restoring the original name;^[32][3] it had been incorporated into Celebration Plaza)

The entrance to the South Bay Shores water park is in All American Corners, near the bridge to Planet Snoopy.^[30] Typical visitor guide maps show the main entrance, which is in the northwest corner of the park, at the bottom of the map.^[31][33][30]

Action Zone[]

Ride	Opened	Manufacturer, type	Notes	Rating[27][28]
Centrifuge	1976	Schwarzkopf Calypso	Originally known as Fiddler's Fling. Its Six Flags counterpart retains that name as of today.	3
Drop Tower: Scream Zone	1996	Intamin Giant Drop	227 foot tall tower where riders descend at speeds up to 62 mph (100 km/h) while free falling in cars that hold up to four passengers. Originally known as Drop Zone: Stunt Tower from 1996 to 2007.	4
Eagle's Flight	1976	Von Roll Gondola lift	Eagle's Flight is the name for the Action Zone gondola station	2
The Grizzly	1986	Wooden roller coaster	Modeled after the original Coney Island Wildcat.	4
	2001	Arrow Dynamics Wild mouse roller coaster	The last Mad Mouse to be produced by Arrow Dynamics.	4
Thunder Raceway	2001	Go-kart track	Pay-per ride attraction.	4
Tiki Twirl	2006	Zamperla Disk'O	Originally known as Survivor: The Ride! from 2006 to 2011.	4

All American Corners[]

Ride	Opened	Manufacturer, type	Notes	Rating[27][28]
Mass Effect: New Earth	2016	4-D Theater	Originally 'Action Theater' with several shows.	3
Delirium	2002	Chance Rides Revolution 32	Designed by KMG of the Netherlands.	5
Flying Eagles	2002	Larson International Flying Scooters	Cars can reach an overall height of 28 feet during ride operation.	3
Orbit	1976	Schwarzkopf Enterprise	Originally the Orleans Orbit.	4
Rip Roaring Rapids	1988	Intamin river rafting ride	Riders careen through the concrete channels in 6-person rafts while facing rapids, whirlpools, and waterfalls.	5

Celebration Plaza[]

Ride	Opened	Manufacturer, type	Notes	Rating[27][28]
Carousel Columbia	1976	Chance Rides Double Decker Carousel	A double-Decker carousel that has over 100 horses and stands an overall height of 101 feet tall.	1
Celebration Swings	2001	Zierer Wave swinger	Originally operated at Carowinds as Whirling Dervish from 1979 to 2000.	3
Gold Striker	2013	Great Coasters International Wooden roller coaster	Featured as a top 50 wooden roller coaster in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards[34]	4
Star Tower	1979	Intamin Gyro Tower	Passengers ride in a rotating cabin where it reaches a height of 200 feet tall while taking in the surrounding views.	2
Patriot	1991	B&M Floorless coaster	A floorless coaster where passengers descend down a 91-foot drop at speeds of up to 40 mph (64 km/h) while navigating through one loop and a corkscrew along the 1,920 foot track. Formerly known as Vortex from 1991 to 2016.	5
Whitewater Falls	1990	Intamin Spillwater	A shoot-the-chutes water ride where 20 passengers sit in a large boat that eventually descends down a 45-foot drop creating a 20 foot tall wave.	4
Xtreme Skyflyer	1997	Skycoaster	Pay-per-ride attraction.	5

County Fair[]

Ride	Opened	Manufacturer, Type	Notes	Rating[27][28]
Barney Oldfield Speedway	1976	Arrow Dynamics	Passengers ride in old-styled cars on a track around the Grizzly.	3
Berserker	1976	Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve	Originally known as Yukon Yahoo.	3
Demon	1976	Arrow Dynamics	Originally opened as "Turn of the Century" in 1976. Reconfigured and renamed "Demon" in 1980.	5
RailBlazer	2018	Rocky Mountain Construction	Replaced Invertigo, a roller coaster which closed on January 27, 2011	5

Orleans Place[]

Ride	Opened	Manufacturer, type	Notes	Rating[27][28]
Delta Flyer	1976	Von Roll Gondola line	Delta Flyer is the name for the Orleans Place station.	2
Flight Deck	1993	Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted roller coaster	Formerly known as Top Gun.	5
Rue Le Dodge	1976	Soli Bumper Cars	A classic bumper car ride.	4

Planet Snoopy[]

Planet Snoopy is California's Great America's kids area, which opened in 2010.

Ride	Opened	Type	Notes	Rating[27][28]
Character Carousel	N/A	Carousel	Previously included Hanna-Barbera characters	1
Flying Ace	1999		Originally known as KidzAir	2
GR8 SK8	2015		Originally at Knott's Berry Farm as Joe Cool's GR8 SK8.	3
Joe Cool's Dodgem School	1999	Kiddie bumper cars	Originally known as Fender Bender 500.	2
Kite-Eating Tree	1999		Originally known as Junior Jump Club.	2
Lucy's Crabbie Cabbie	1999	Kiddie roller coaster	Originally known as Taxi Jam.	2
Peanuts 500	2015		Originally operated at Knott's Berry Farm as Charlie Brown's Speedway.	2
PEANUTS Pirates	2003	Breakdance 4	Originally known as SpongeBob's Boat Mobiles.	2
Planet Snoopy Construction Zone	2014	Playground	Originally known as KidZ Construction Co.	1
The Pumpkin Patch	2003		Originally known as Wild Thornberry's Treetop Lookout	2
Sally's Love Buggies	2003		Originally known as Dora's Dune Buggies	2
Sally's Swing Set		Family Wave Swinger	Originally known as Swing Swing Swing	2
Snoopy's Space Buggies	2015			2
Snoopy's Space Race	1976		Originally known as Buzzy Bee and later Ghost Chasers.	1
Woodstock Express	1987	Steel roller coaster	Originally known as Blue Streak, Rugrats Runaway Reptar	3

Time Capsule[]

A time capsule was buried at then Paramount's Great America in the former KidZville area of the park on March 29, 2002. The time capsule is set to open on March 29, 2152. The time capsule reads, "At this site is buried a time capsule with essays by students in second through twelfth grades in the Santa Clara Unified School District and other local schools. What will the next 150 years in Santa Clara be like? In honor of the City of Santa Clara's sesquicentennial 1852-2002."

South Bay Shores[]

South Bay Shores is a water park located within California's Great America that opened in 2004 as Crocodile Dundee's Boomerang Bay. The name was later shortened to just Boomerang Bay in 2007. In August 2019, it was announced that Boomerang Bay would be expanded and renamed South Bay Shores. Access to the water park is included with the price of admission to California's Great America.

Defunct attractions[]

Past rides and attractions include:

Ride	Opened	Manufacturer, type	Location	Closed	Notes	Rating[27][28][35]
H.M.B. Endeavor	1987	Intamin Looping Starship	All American Plaza (or All American Corners)	2017	Removed after the 2017 season due to an expansion of South Bay Shores. Renamed from The Revolution.	4
Snoopy's Splash Dance		Kiddie splash walk-through		2017	Removed after the 2017 season due to an expansion of South Bay Shores	N/A
Logger's Run		log flume	All American Plaza (or All American Corners)	2017	Removed after the 2017 season due to an expansion of South Bay Shores	4
Firefall	2008	HUSS Park Attractions Top Spin	All American Plaza (or All American Corners)	2016	Relocated from Geauga Lake, where it had been named Texas Twister; unexpectedly closed following the 2016 season	5
Vortex	1991	Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up roller coaster	Celebration Plaza	2016	Converted into a Floorless Coaster called Patriot for 2017	5
Invertigo	1998	Vekoma inverted shuttle coaster	Festival Plaza (later County Fair)	2011	The first of its kind in North America; relocated to Dorney Park	5
Stealth	2000	Vekoma flying roller coaster	All American Plaza	2003	Tested in 1999; relocated to Carowinds and renamed Nighthawk to make way for Boomerang Bay
Great America Scenic Railway		Custom 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad		2000	Traversed the perimeter of the park
Yankee Clipper		Arrow Dynamics log flume		1998	Interlocked with Logger's Run and was removed to make room for Stealth
Greased Lightnin'	1977	Anton Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop roller coaster		2002	Originally called The Tidal Wave; renamed in 1999
IMAX Pictorium Theater	1978	IMAX movie theater		2001	First IMAX theater in California; premiered .[36] Now used for Halloween Haunt mazes.
The Edge	1983	Intamin Freefall		1995	A first-generation Freefall ride
Skyhawk	1989	Intamin flight trainer simulator		2000
Sky Whirl		Intamin Triple Tree Wheel (Ferris wheel)		1997	Several sister rides were custom manufactured for various Marriott Corporation amusement parks
Lobster		Octopus ride		1993	Removed to make room for Action Theater
Bottoms Up		Trabant flat ride		1988
Triple Play	1976	Huss Troika	Celebration Plaza	2004	Formerly situated next to Vortex
Nickelodeon Central		Kids-themed area	Now Planet Snoopy	2010	Based on shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. that was converted into Planet Snoopy for the 2010 season
Whizzer	1976	Anton Schwarzkopf steel family roller coaster		1988	Originally named Willard's Whizzer; removed to make space for Gold Striker
Trolley Cars		Trolley	Hometown Square (primarily)		Traveled to other locations within Great America
Dolphin and Seal Show		Daily shows featuring dolphins and seals		1989	During the Marriott era; as with other parks in the chain, the show was removed after Paramount Parks began managing park operations. The remaining structure was later converted to Peanuts Playhouse Theater
Smurf Woods	1987	Kids area		2010	Themed to The Smurfs; later became a part of Planet Snoopy
Cajun Carpet		Huss Rainbow flat ride		1989	Formerly located near Orbit and Rip Roaring Rapids.[37]
Gulf Coaster	1976	steel kiddie coaster		1980
Ameri-Go-Round	1976	Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel		1995	Replaced by Drop Tower.[38] Originally built in 1918 for the Cincinnati Zoo; after closing at Great America, donated to Woodland Park Zoo and reopened in 2006.
Hilltopper		Himalaya flat ride		1984
Saskatchewan Scrambler		Scrambler flat ride	Yukon Territory / County Fair	1991	Renamed Industrial Revolution after move

Fast Lane[]

Fast Lane, first introduced at a Cedar Fair park in July 2011, is a secondary queue system that offers shorter wait times on the park's most popular rides.^[39] FastLane is a system where in addition to a standard admission charge, visitors can purchase a wrist band. The band grants access to the Fast Lane queue. In theory, a limited number of wrist bands are available each day.^[40]

Halloween Haunt[]

Halloween Haunt is a seasonal event at Cedar Fair parks, including California's Great America, that begins in the fall after the park has transitioned to weekend-only operation. It first debuted in 2008 and is typically held annually from mid-September through late October to coincide with Halloween, featuring haunted houses, mazes, live shows, and scare actors roaming throughout the park.^[41][42] Most rides and attractions remain in operation during this time, and the park's hours of operation are often extended on Fridays and Saturdays.^[41][43]

Haunt attractions[]

For 2019, Halloween Haunt featured six haunted mazes, two haunted houses, two scare zones, and three live shows.^[44]

Attraction	Type	Location	Ref
Backwoods	Maze	Celebration Plaza	[45]
Blood Drums	Live show	All American Corners	[46]
Chaos House	Maze	Rue Le Dodge	[47]
CornStalkers	Maze	County Fair	[48]
Dia de los Muertos	Live show		[49]
Killer Clown Town	Scare zone	Planet Snoopy	[50]
Madame Marie's Massacre Manor	Haunted house	Hometown Square	[51]
Opening Scares	Live show	Celebration Plaza	[52]
Ripper's Revenge	Scare zone	County Fair	[53]
Roadkill Roadhouse	Haunted house	Celebration Plaza	[54]
Tooth Fairy	Maze	Action Zone	[55]
Wax Museum Blackout	Maze	All American Corners	[56]
Zombie High	Maze	Action Zone	[57]

California's Great America's timeline[]

• 2021: The park reopened on May 22 after being closed for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, COVID safety protocols are put into place when reopening.
• 2020: Boomerang Bay expanded and renamed South Bay Shores. Closed for the entire season due to COVID-19 pandemic
• 2019: Drop Tower gets a new paint scheme to represent a Redwood Tree. Pre-K pass is introduced for the 2019 season.
• 2018: RailBlazer, one of the world's first Raptor Track Coasters by Rocky Mountain Construction. Halloween Haunt and WinterFest expansions.
• 2017: Patriot, a floorless conversion, repaint and re-theme of the park's stand-up coaster, Vortex. Halloween Haunt and Winterfest expansions. Sweet Tooth, funnel cake shop, FireFall, Logger's Run, H.M.B Endeavour and Snoopy's Splash Dance are removed.
• 2016: A 4D holographic attraction themed to BioWare's Mass Effect video game in newly renovated Action Theater. Winterfest debuts. Halloween Haunt expansion.^[58][59]
• 2015: Planet Snoopy takes over the former KidZville section of the park. Halloween Haunt expansion.
• 2014: Flight Deck re-painted red and white, Grizzly Loading Dock painted red and white, Fun TV added to most rides, Grizzly re-tracked and new flooring in Carousel Columbia. Halloween Haunt expansion. Picnic Pavilion make-over and new entrance from the parking lot. All 6 Drop Tower cabins operating, and KidzVille Shooting Range removed for birthday party area. All Day Dining Pass and new food options added. Halloween Haunt expansion with more monsters, two new Haunted Mazes for 2014, and one new Haunted Attraction. Werewolf Canyon and Slaughterhouse: Annihilation mazes removed. The Overlord is removed as Haunt icon. Skeleton Key is added, giving 5 mazes a new interactive room.^[60]
• 2013: New Great Coasters International wooden coaster, "Gold Striker" added; Happy Feet: Mumble's Wild Ride in the Action Theater; Subway added, Halloween Haunt expansion.
• 2012: Several park improvements such as a repaint of Carousel Columbia, Demon and Flight Deck. ADA improvements including an elevator lift entrance for Loggers Run and Vortex. Also, The Grizzly is retracked, Fast Lane. Construction commenced on Levi's Stadium, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers, in the former Great America overflow parking lot. Halloween Haunt expansion,^[61] Construction of 2013 attraction, Gold Striker (wooden coaster), in former Whizzer site.
• 2011: Invertigo is removed to be sent to Dorney Park; Three new live shows. Halloween Haunt Expansion.
• 2010: Planet Snoopy (Retheme of Nickelodeon Central); Hanna Barbera references removed in KidZville; Panda Express
• 2009: All Wheels Extreme Stunt show; Chipper Lowell Experience show; expanded Halloween Haunt
• 2008: Park is renamed to California's Great America; FireFall; Dora's Sing-Along Adventure; Endless Summer On Ice show; Halloween Haunt debuts
• 2007: Park is renamed to Great America; Great Barrier Reef Wavepool added to Boomerang Bay; Ed Alonzo Misfit of Magic; Twistin' to the '60s Show
• 2006: Tiki Twirl (Formerly Survivor: The Ride); Park is sold to Cedar Fair
• 2005: Boomerang Bay expansion to include lazy river, two other waterslides and a large swimming pool.
• 2004: Boomerang Bay is added including a complex of children's water slides/play area, a 4-person adult raft/tube ride, a two-person inner-tube water slide and a fully enclosed two-person inner-tube water slide. Triple Play is removed
• 2003: SpongeBob SquarePants 3-D in the Action Theater; Nickelodeon Central (expansion of Splat City); Stealth (flying steel coaster) is removed and sent to Carowinds as Nighthawk
• 2002: Delirium; Flying Eagles; Greased Lightning (shuttle loop coaster) is removed; Time Capsule buried
• 2001: Psycho Mouse; Celebration Swings; Thunder Raceway; Stan Lee's 7th Portal 3D/ Smash Factory in Action Theater
• 2000: Stealth (flying steel coaster) opens to the public; Scenic Railroad and Skyhawk are removed
• 1999: KidZVille; Tidal Wave renamed Greased Lightnin'; Stealth is constructed and tested all season; Logger's Run modified to allow construction of Stealth
• 1998: Invertigo; James Bond: License to Thrill;^[37] in the Paramount Action F/X Theater Yankee Clipper is removed
• 1997: Xtreme Skyflyer; Triple Wheel (originally Sky Whirl) is removed
• 1996: Drop Tower Scream Zone (Formerly Drop Zone Stunt Tower)
• 1995: Nickelodeon Splat City; The Edge and Ameri- Go Round are removed.
• 1994: Action Theater featuring Days of Thunder
• 1993: Park is renamed Paramount's Great America; Flight Deck (Formerly Top Gun); Lobster is removed
• 1992: KECO is acquired by Paramount, and renamed Paramount Parks; IMAX Pictorium Theater received a $1.5 million upgrade allowing it to screen 3-D films.
• 1991: Vortex; Saskatchewan Scrambler is removed.
• 1990: Whitewater Falls
• 1989: Skyhawk; Park is acquired by KECO from the City of Santa Clara; Dolphin and Seal show and Cajun Carpet are removed.
• 1988: Rip Roaring Rapids. Whizzer and Bottom's Up are removed
• 1987: Woodstock Express (Formerly Blue Streak/ Green Slime Mine Car Coaster/ Runaway Reptar); Smurf Woods; Fort Fun; HMB Endeavor (Formerly known as The Revolution)
• 1986: The Grizzly; Redwood Amphitheater with the Miami Sound Machine
• 1985: Park is renamed Great America.
• 1984: Park is sold by Marriott corporation to the City of Santa Clara; management transfers to Kings Entertainment Company (KECO); Hilltopper is removed.
• 1983: The Edge; Red Baron and Ladybugs are removed.
• 1982: Atari Video Adventure
• 1980: The Demon (remodeled from Turn of the Century); Gulf coaster is removed
• 1979: Star Tower (formerly Sky Tower)
• 1978: IMAX Pictorium Theater, with film Man Belongs to the Earth
• 1977: Tidal Wave
• 1976: Marriott's Great America opens

In film and television[]

Beverly Hills Cop III[]

Though appearing under the name "Wonder World", Paramount's Great America was used for exterior scenes of the theme park in the 1994 film Beverly Hills Cop III (itself released by Paramount Pictures) after Knott's Berry Farm declined filming rights.^[62][63]

Writer Steven E. de Souza originally wrote the story as more "Die Hard in a theme park". He was told that each of the rides he had designed would cost about $10 million to build and the whole film would cost about $70 million. When box office results for The Distinguished Gentleman came in, Paramount ordered the budget to be cut to $55 million.

Some modifications were made to the Columbia Carousel and Vortex roller coaster. Most of the Sky Whirl/Triple Wheel stunts (renamed "The Spider" for the film) were filmed in a studio. To film the exterior scenes, the motors of the Triple Wheel were left unpowered; instead, to ensure the ride did not move too quickly, some cages were loaded with sandbags to unbalance the mechanism.^[64] In this scene, George Lucas has a small part as the man Axel cuts in front of to get on the ride, also known as 'disappointed man' (this can be seen in the credits). John Singleton and Martha Coolidge also made cameo appearances in the film.^[65]

Many rides that were seen in the movie including Triple Play/Sky Whirl have since been removed. Also, the carousel at the back of the park (the Ameri-Go-Round, not the Columbia Carousel) was altered. The Ameri-Go-Round carousel has since been removed and Drop Zone is now in its place. The tunnels that supposedly ran under the park are a myth as well. No tunnels run under the park, as many thought after this was released.

The Alien Attack ride featured in the Wonder World theme park was in fact the "Earthquake: The Big One attraction" from the Universal Studios Florida theme park in Orlando, Florida. The "aliens" featured in the ride are suited actors (and not animatronic as suggested in the film) that closely resembled the Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica.^[66]

Other film and television[]

• Paramount's Great America was also used as the theme park Macaulay Culkin visits in the 1994 film Getting Even with Dad (not released by Paramount Pictures but rather Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).^[67]
• The park's inverted steel coaster "Top Gun" (later renamed to "Flight Deck") was featured in a 2007 Excedrin commercial with music from .^[68]
• Marriott's Great America was used in the 1983 George Lucas and John Korty animated feature Twice Upon A Time.^[69] It was used both as a background for animated scenes and for a short live-action shot at the end of the film.

Incidents[]

• In 1980, a 13-year-old boy was killed and several others injured on the Willard's Whizzer roller coaster.^[70]
• In 1989, two boys intentionally jumped out of the Loggers' Run ride. One was killed and the other fell onto a platform and was injured.^[71]
• In 1998, after riding Flight Deck, a 24-year-old Spanish-speaking man, who could not read the English-language warning signs, entered a locked, gated area underneath the ride to retrieve his hat. He was hit by the foot of a passenger on the Flight Deck train and later died. The passenger suffered a broken leg.^[72]
• In 1999, a 12-year-old boy fell to his death on Drop Tower after slipping from the ride's restraints, which were still locked at the end of the ride.^[73][74]
• On July 12, 2007, a 4-year-old boy drowned in the Boomerang Bay's Great Barrier Reef wave pool.^[71][75]
• On June 12, 2015, a maintenance worker was critically injured after being struck in the head by a moving train on Flight Deck. A passenger sustained serious hand and leg injuries in the incident.^[76]
• On July 4, 2019, The Santa Clara PD were called near the entrance of the park where a woman was shot during the evening of the fireworks show. The victim was struck on the arm by a handgun. She did not suffer any serious injuries and was also treated at the scene. It was ruled as an altercation between two family groups.^[77]
• On October 26, 2019, A group of teenagers sparked some firecrackers in the front gate causing guests to scramble, thinking it was a shooting. It was later determined to be due to a robbery. Concession stands within the park were also robbed by fleeing guests.^[78]

References[]

Notes[]

• Michelson, Herb. (June 7, 1984). "City will purchase Marriott's". The Sacramento Bee, p. A.
• "Santa Clara drops Great America pact". (February 7, 1985). San Francisco Chronicle, p. 4.
• Ewell, Miranda. (June 6, 1985). "Santa Clara assumes ownership of Great America". San Jose Mercury News (CA), p. 8B.
• Kava, Brad. (March 15, 1989). "Great America reopens". San Jose Mercury News, p. 1.
• Eng, Sherri. (August 1, 1992). "Paramount to buy Great America owner". San Jose Mercury News, p. 1E.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to California's Great America.

• Official website
• Great America parks – History of Marriott's Great America
• California's Great America at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• Satellite view of the site
• Photographs by Jeremy Thompson on flickr: