Yankees99

Bmax, I completely concur. VARIETY brought the people to GA in the 70s and early 80s. I live about 20 minutes from Magic Mountain. Every time I drive past it, all I see are roller coasters all over the place. Love roller coasters (all kinds), but I'm looking at more variety when paying those kind of ticket prices. When the guys put up these spotlights of some of those classic rides in GA's history, it brings a great big smile.

A round of thanks for putting up pictures of one of my all-time favorite wooden coasters. Remember getting a T-shirt after riding it the first time in 1979 with my father, who went on despite having some minor back problems at the time. Ironically, we were supposed to go to GA the day after the accident in 1981, but we waited until we knew the ride would be reopened. Thanks for all of those great pictures. I needed that!!!

Wow! What a ride. What fun. Brings back plenty of great memories watching that short video. One of my favorites. Remember riding Calypso often during that time of the day and looking into the late-afternoon sun. Please keep those old-school ride photos/videos coming our way.

THIS is how I remember the park! What great photos and memories. Love all the greenery and woodlands with the rides hidden.

I recently found some old programs/postcards (they are already on this site) and part of the mystique about the park was the woodlands. You go around almost any corner of the park and you would find a batch of more rides to hang out on. Looking for the rides in the 70s at GA was like an Easter egg hunt in the middle of the summer (look at that home video of GA from 1974-75). That is what made the park so great.

I want the old Great Adventure back. I see the photos/videos of all of those rides and I miss those days.

How about this then?

On a scale from 1-10 with 10 being the best...give it an 11. You guys captured what the place was/is all about.

I haven't been to the park since 1983, but I can assure you when looking at those pictures and the text, it was as if I had gone back in time riding those rides all over again.

That's because of you!

Harry and Tom,

Finally had the book shipped out here to Los Angeles. Got it Wednesday and finished it Friday, and I must say KUDOS to both of you with your research and background facts.

Just so many memories flowing through my mind again. The one I loved the most was that shot you took of the sky Ride (from the fort) and then you can see the Big Wheel up in the horizon. Classic stuff!!!!

I loved those other photos of Lightning Loops, the Troika and Mike Douglas on the Grand Prix. I still recall that broadcast he did from GA.

I also learned you guys have quite a sense of humor with that caption about the Enterprise (Page 71). LOL!

At any rate, a FOUR-STAR book!

Here to tell you that I've placed an order for the book out here in Los Angeles. I'm extremely anxious to sit down and read it. I'll be turning back into a little kid while recalling some of the best childhood memories ever spent at the king of all amusement parks.

The sound of the Runaway Train coming around the final drop above the lakefront and pulling into the station. Also agree with the Enterprise sound and the Monster Spin.

Both Enterprises were GREAT, though I liked the second one a little bit better because that was my favorite part of the park. Nothing better than going upside down 8-10 times, especially at night because it was so dark back there. Truly one of the best rides!

Flying Wave caught your attention when you entered the park. Maybe because you would always walk in and then see the Giant Wheel right there with Flying Wave off to the left side. They always seemed to have Flying Wave up and running before some of the other rides in the area just after the gates opened, and people would flock to it like it was a magnet. Should I ever get the chance to go back, it's going to look eerie not seeing it there where it belongs.

The Little Wheel, from what I could remember, was maybe about 100 feet. The gondola's would rock back and forth just enough that the ride operator would issue warnings when the ride stopped to let people on/off. It wasn't too dangerous, but I can still remember that "small chain" that was the security at the time.

I always thought you could get a pretty good view of most of the park, especially of Lightning Loops and Roaring Rapids. That part of the park and the Best of the West section were always my favorites.

One of these days, I'm going to head back there and visit the park, while also comparing today's version of it to my days of going there when it was brand new.

I'll be checking in periodically at the book stores out here in the Los Angeles area for the piece. Can't wait. I'll probably read the whole book within a few hours of purchasing it. Mark my words: It better be a best seller!!!!

strollers were free of charge. Went in 1976 with family friends who had a small child (now 35 years old, funny) and GA said the strollers were free of charge on first come, first serve basis. You could pick up and drop off the strollers at the main gate.

I forgot about the Fantasy Fling (I still call it the Super Roundup). Still call the rides by their original name(s).

Should I ever get back to the park, I'll have flashbacks as to where the original rides once stood and what attractions are now in their place.

Incidentally, I found a 1983 map of GA. My final one!

Gotta keep digging. Maybe some more cherished memories, souvenirs, etc.

29,

Let me see what I can do.

My scanner has been on the blinker on and off for the past few weeks.

I tried to scan some of it the other day, but to no avail. Some of the literature from the kit is crumpled quite a bit as it's 32 years old.

The question I have for you is this: How is it that I have the kit and you don't?

I thought YOU had everything.

Cheers!!

PS--Any idea if you are going to be able to get the links to all of the rides on the Rides Page up and running?

There's some pretty amazing stuff that I can't wait to see.

That's what made Great Adventure UNIQUE...you had some of the best flat rides...many of which we have mentioned on numerous occasions.

I love coasters very much, but I don't want overkill.

For a successful operation, you need a good mixture of both kinds of rides.

Back in the day, you had excellent flat rides like Fender Bender, Matterhorn, Musik Express, Swabinchin, Scrambler and the Enterprise all within earshot of Lightning Loops.

By the way, just looked at the 2009 map and I think there's only five ORIGINAL RIDES left in the Sky Ride, Big Wheel, Runaway Train, Log Flume and Carousel.

Well, I guess they can take the rides away...but they can't take our childhood memories away.

My first trip came in Aug. 1974, and can still remember it vividly 35 years later.

Got to ride a lot of the flat rides from the Calypso to the Super Roundup to the Flying Wave. Went on the Big Fury before dashing across the park to ride the Runaway Train, Log Flume and Sky Ride. Remember the kiddie rides being near the carousel and having the lake breeze blow in over the Enchanted Forest.

But, I can still recall going up to a chain-linked fence near the Big Fury and looking at them doing construction on the area that would eventually house The Little Wheel, Troika, Enterprise and some other flat rides beginning in 1975.

Great Adventure was a place my parents would take my brother and I to at least once per summer. We lived on Long Island, but it was worth the two-hour trip down the New Jersey Turnpike.

I'd see the "Exit 7A" sign and the juices would start kicking in for a day of excitement.

I went there every year from 1974 until 1983 before moving to Los Angeles. Lived and still do live near Six Flags Magic Mountain, but haven't been there in nearly 10 years.

To my recollection, Music Express never went backwards.

Yet another great "flat ride" GA had to offer. The ride operator would often play the top albums out at the time while the ride was in motion. Can vividly recall the guy once playing "Back In Black," and the people waiting on line would get fired up.

They had the ride at a cool location in the park, in between the Enterprise and Swabinchin.

If you timed it right, you could get on those three rides within 30 minutes or less.

Runaway Train and Big Fury (next to the Giant Wheel) in 1975.

Nothing better than those hair-pinned turns on the Runaway Train, including that last one going over the lake at full force.

Hats off to the person who dusted off the old home movies. Truly brought me back to a time that was a great experience and adventure.

Having been born and raised on Long Island and living about 75 miles from GA, my folks would take my brother and I to GA at least once every summer (sometimes even twice...if we got good grades in school) from 1974-83 before moving to Los Angeles in 1984. I recently found old souvenir books from 1974, 1976 and 1981 and maps of the park from 1979 and 1980. I also located a 1977 press kit of GA given to us by a family friend who worked in GA's public relations department at that time.

Thumbing through those items and combing though the maps, I could remember all of those various kinds of rides/attractions that covered all of those acres.

While most of those things are no longer around, those childhood memories can't be taken away.