Roller coaster · Yukon Territory
Goliath
The 2014 Rocky Mountain hybrid — a wooden coaster that inverts twice, drops 85 degrees, and out-forces most steel loopers.
48" minLine-skip
Chicago · Gurnee, Illinois
Six Flags Great America
Raging Bull, Goliath, the original Batman invert and a pair of racing woodies from 1981 — Chicago's coaster park.
Great America is the Midwest's flagship on this site's list, and its depth is the surprise: Raging Bull's 200-foot hyper drops, Goliath's 2014 hybrid inversions, Maxx Force's record-setting launch, and the original Batman: The Ride — the 1992 invert that cloned a generation of coasters nationwide — all in one park an hour from downtown Chicago.
The park also keeps its history running. Whizzer, the 1976 suspended family coaster that survived every planning era since, and American Eagle, the 1981 racing wooden coaster whose twin tracks still dispatch side by side, give the back corners a texture newer parks lack.
Operating dates vary by season, and winter operation must be verified on the park's current calendar before you plan a trip. The crowd curve is classic regional: school-season weekdays are calmer when the park is open, summer Saturdays are busy, and autumn weekends are a peak.
Last verified July 2026
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At a glance
- Best for
- Coaster enthusiasts · Chicago families · First big-coaster trips · Woodie and hybrid fans
- Less ideal for
- Families with children under 42 inches · Visitors planning an unconfirmed winter date · Midweek shoulder-season visitors expecting full operation
- Days needed
- 1 day minimum
- Tallest requirement
- 54in (137cm)
Everything about this park
8 current attractions covered
The attractions covered by this guide, sortable and filterable
Height requirements
6 rides with a minimum height
Where to eat
2 dining records covered
Best snacks
3 tracked items; unknown prices marked unverified
Guide coverage diagram
Printable; load and test offline access first
Accessibility
Transfers, rentals, quiet spaces
First-timer guide
A plan you can actually follow
Headliners
The rides you plan the day around
If you only get a handful of long queues in you, spend them here.
Roller coaster · Southwest Territory
Raging Bull
The 208-foot hyper through the canyon — a twisted first drop, sixty seconds of floating airtime, and the park's best steel ride.
54" minLine-skip
4 area records covered
Areas covered by this guide
These are the area records covered here, with the attraction and dining records currently in our catalog. This is not a count of all official park lands.
Opened 1976
County Fair
The entrance section, where the giant wheel and the fairground theming set the park's original 1976 character.
2 attractions covered1 dining records covered
Southwest Territory
The canyon-themed back corner where Raging Bull's drop and Viper's loops anchor the park's biggest thrills.
1 attractions covered1 dining records covered
Yankee Harbor
The New England harbor section holding Batman, the original invert, and the park's classic midways.
2 attractions covered
Yukon Territory
The northwest back section where Goliath's hybrid inversions and American Eagle's racing woodies share the woods.
3 attractions covered
Food
What to eat here
Our highest-priority items in Six Flags Great America. Mark them on the tracker and they save to your device.
Hot fudge sundae
County Fair Ice Cream Parlor
A proper parlor sundae — hot fudge, whipped cream, a cherry — served at a table in the air conditioning.
Our take: The single best dessert at the park and the best heat-recovery move. Split one; do not fight over the last bite alone.
Brisket plate
JB's Smokehouse
Sliced brisket with sides on the canyon patio — the park's planned-stop meal.
Our take: Solid portions at park prices, in the best lunch location Great America has. Order the plate.
Churro
Midway churro carts
Cinnamon-sugar churro from the harbor midway carts.
Our take: The reliable walking snack. Buy two; the first one vanishes.
Things worth knowing before you go
The seasonal rhythm is everything
Late-May and early-June weekdays before summer camps, September weekdays during haunt setup, and October weekdays are the sweet spots. Each has full operation and half the crowds.
American Eagle's race is conditional
The twin tracks only duel when both dispatch — usually early or late in the day. Ask at the station; enthusiasts plan re-rides around the answer.
Goliath's queue is the park's most comfortable
Shaded and fast-moving. On a hot day it is the big coaster to queue, not the one to skip.
Winter needs a confirmed date
Check Great America's current operating calendar before planning a winter visit or promising any coaster lineup.
The Metra option
The train from Chicago to Waukegan or Grayslake plus a short rideshare beats Friday expressway traffic in the summer. It is the region's most underrated park logistics move.
Getting there
Parking
Large lots off Washington Street and the I-94 frontage; preferred rows near the gate. Trams serve the far rows seasonally.
At the entrance
Security screening sits outside County Fair. The Batman walk from the turnstiles is under ten minutes at open — spend it getting ahead of the Raging Bull crowd.
How to get here
- By car: on I-94 at the Gurnee exit, roughly 45 minutes north of downtown Chicago and 30 from O'Hare, traffic permitting.
- By train: Metra to Waukegan or Grayslake plus a short rideshare — the summer-Friday move.
- By rideshare: well-served with a dedicated drop-off loop.
Six Flags Great America questions, answered
What is the best coaster at Great America?
Raging Bull for the general crowd — a 200-foot hyper with the floating airtime B&M built its name on. Goliath for the enthusiast — the 2014 hybrid that inverts a woodie twice and pulls real force. Batman for the history. A complete day rides all three.
Can you do Great America in one day?
Yes on any weekday in season: the loop covers the park with re-rides. Summer Saturdays and haunt-season weekends are the exceptions where the line-skip product changes the day's math.
What are the height requirements at Great America?
The headliner tier: Goliath and American Eagle at 48 inches; Raging Bull, Batman, Superman and Maxx Force at 54. Whizzer at 42 inches is the family entry — a 1976 suspended coaster at a genuinely low bar.
Is Great America open in winter?
Winter operation varies by year. Check Great America's official operating calendar before planning a winter visit; do not assume December dates are available.
How do I get there from Chicago without a car?
Metra's Union Pacific North line to Waukegan, or the Milwaukee District line to Grayslake, plus a 15-minute rideshare. It is the rare big regional park with a workable transit path.
When does the fall haunt run?
Weekends from mid-September through Halloween most years. Dates shift annually — this site's Halloween section carries the current expectation with a confidence label, and the park's calendar is the record.