29yrswithaGApass Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Thanks to the generosity of several of our GreatAdventureHistory.com readers we have recently received over a thousand vintage photos of Great Adventure during its early years! Check out some of the samples below. When we add these to the tens of thousands of photos that we have waiting to share in our library and to the endless number of photos we have already featured in our Spotlights, we are well on our way to assembling one of if not THE most detailed and extensive historical retrospectives of any theme park on the internet! So stay tuned to GreatAdventureHistory.com in 2012 for a ton of surprises as we look back at the '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s and look ahead to the park's exciting future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 cant wait to see more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasmspiritblue Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 Some pics i looked at i am like WOW that was great adventure so many shows back then i wish there were more today but great photos!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanrobinchiller Posted January 14, 2012 Report Share Posted January 14, 2012 Love seeing old pics of the park! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I must say, the Spotlight that I am researching now is probably the most interesting one to date for me. It's a Great Adventure original and there are so many things I never realized until I started compiling all the photos and data. I have wanted to include this one since we started the site. I was never satisfied with how to do the layout but I am happy to say it is coming together nicely. I am having a lot of fun with this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daved Thomson Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 This sampling of photos is fantastic and displays the pure magic of Great Adventure! I really hope and pray that Six Flags could somehow bring back more of this fantastic, unique, atmosphere that really wasn't found in any other theme park. It is the magic and uniqueness of the Disney parks that set them apart from all others (most of which are now nothing more than amusement parks). Great Adventure really needs to get back to marketing (and providing) the entire park experience rather than a new ride each season who's appeal quickly dissipates and detracts from the park as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csogi Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Great pics (not just because I am in some of them). I especially like the clowns in the hot air balloon basket from 1975 (I am the Toy Soldier saluting). The clown in the bottom left was a great story teller and one of the funniest people I've ever met. And, the musketeers really fit the part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Justin Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 What is the schedule for the Update? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 What is the schedule for the Update? We release new Spotlights on the 1st and 15th of each month (at minimum). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasmspiritblue Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 We release new Spotlights on the 1st and 15th of each month (at minimum). Cool because I got confused I thought you guys were still doing the 6,16,26 thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up_Up_and_Away Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Cool because I got confused I thought you guys were still doing the 6,16,26 thing That was just for 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted June 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 Hey, I know of a park that will be celebrating its 38th Anniversary on July 1st and an historical based website which will be celebrating its 5th Anniversary on that same day! Sounds like a good reason to celebrate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batmanrobinchiller Posted June 14, 2012 Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 Let's celebrate! WOOHOO!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Justin Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Sounds like another "Season tour of the park" thing you guys did for the 74 season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Sounds like another "Season tour of the park" thing you guys did for the 74 season. We really do need to update that tour. We have assembled a ton of materials since putting that together way back in 2007. As for now that is not on our schedule so we will have to settle for that being a little piece of GAH nostalgia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted June 19, 2012 Report Share Posted June 19, 2012 It looks like even Great Adventure History has a history... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ol'FormerRideOp Posted July 5, 2012 Report Share Posted July 5, 2012 This sampling of photos is fantastic and displays the pure magic of Great Adventure! I really hope and pray that Six Flags could somehow bring back more of this fantastic, unique, atmosphere that really wasn't found in any other theme park. It is the magic and uniqueness of the Disney parks that set them apart from all others (most of which are now nothing more than amusement parks). Great Adventure really needs to get back to marketing (and providing) the entire park experience rather than a new ride each season who's appeal quickly dissipates and detracts from the park as a whole. Daved, you are 100% on the money here! I have many old time friends still working at the park (some of them have been there since the beginning) and we've all agreed that the "magic" that existed (created by Warner Le Roy) diminished significantly over time since Six Flags and subsequent owners veered away from the original vision of the park. What made a trip to GA special, was your total immersion into a world of fantasy where everything was unique! Time Warner really made a huge impact on destroying everything unique. I personally watched as Bob Pittman walked through the park with a can of spray paint, marking every tree that wasn't "perfectly straight" to have it removed from the park. Changing the looks of all of the parks to that which can only be described as "concrete and steel" really destroyed the natural beauty and unique charm of Great Adventure (and I'm sure many other parks across the country.) Every park sort of resembled the same look and feel... So why bother going to any other SF park if they all have the same rides, looks and feel? During initial construction, a road was re-routed to avoid cutting down a 300 year old tree... that's the extreme level of care that was taken to preserve the natural setting. You could walk around the park on the hottest day of the summer, and it was STILL comfortable in the shade of the trees. There are so many trees gone now, they've had to install misting fans, cooling stations, canopies and solar shades in most areas. Queue lines are no longer shaded which makes wait times even more unbearable. The Time Warner era also began the marketing of the park to teens - instead of families. In reality, teens don't have money - FAMILIES do! In place of unique food restaurants, we've seen McDonalds, Papa John's and many others come and go... As a guest, I ask myself "why would I want to eat fast food that I can get anywhere outside the park, and pay double the amount it's worth?!?" The plans I would implement within a five year plan to turn the park around and make it extremely profitable once again... <sigh...> if only I could leave my current job and run the park for the next 10 years... five to turn it around, and another five to layout future plans!... if only.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shah Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) This park that will be celebrating its 38th Anniversary on July 1st and an historical based website which will be celebrating its 5th Anniversary on that same day!The clown in the bottom left was a great story teller and one of the funniest people I've ever met. And, the musketeers really fit the part. Great Adventure really needs to get back to marketing (and providing) the entire park experience rather than a new ride each season who's appeal quickly dissipates and detracts from the park as a whole. Edited October 23, 2012 by shah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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