You may not have heard of Six Flags in the UK, but they are one of the most popular theme parks in the United States and are best known for their extreme roller coasters and adrenaline packed rides.
During our trip to Texas we visited Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio to see what the park has to offer families.
If our children Chloe 10 and Holly 8 weren’t excited enough about visiting Six Flags, their excitement levels went even higher when they first caught a glimpse of the park as we drove past on the way to our hotel.
The beautiful La Cantera Resort (you can read our review here) was in the perfect location for visiting Six Flags, in less than a 5-minute drive you were at the park which meant that when we visited we arrived just after park opening and basically had the park to ourselves, so it’s well worth arriving early.
Your Six Flags experience starts as soon as you set foot in the park at Los Festivales, I was taken aback like everything in Texas just how big the park was.
Six Flags is built in a former limestone quarry which provides a stunning backdrop and we were really impressed by the landscaping and authentic theming of the specific areas in the park.
I was a little concerned that this park would be better suited to teenagers and adults but I shouldn’t have worried. What we loved about Six Flags Fiesta Texas was the variety of attractions on offer for all the family.
Tip – At the start of your day pick up a map at the entrance or download the Six Flags app onto your phone, as well as park maps and ride times there will also be information of shows schedules for the upcoming day.
We started our day at Spassburg, a German themed area of the park which celebrates the German heritage found in Texas. We headed straight for the Kiddee Koaster which was the perfect way to gain confidence which we would need later in the day for some of the more extreme rides.
For younger children and families there were classic rides such as Krazy Cars, Kinderstein (a teacup style ride), Buckarooz, Zoom Jets and the Grand Carousel, all of which are perfect for younger children.
None of us had the stomach for Batman the world’s first 4D free-fly coaster where you soar literally like a superhero but one of our favourite coasters was Road Runner Express at the western themed Crackaxle Canyon nearby. It looked scarier than it was and we were all soon hooked on the adrenaline rushes from riding, we lost count how many times the girls went on this.
To gain a perspective of the 200 acre park which is divided into five themed areas Ian and Chloe were brave enough to take a ride on Sky Screamer. From the top of this 205ft drop tower you had the perfect birds eye view for a split second. A more pleasant way is to take a ride on the Fiesta Texas railroad which travels around the park.
Tip – If you are planning on visiting Six Flags Fiesta Texas on weekends or holiday periods and want to make the most of your visit check out their Flash Pass and VIP packages which allow you to spend more time enjoying the attractions rather than waiting in line.
What’s great about this park is that there is something for all ages and all levels of thrill seekers such as the Iron Rattler and Superman which are more for older children and adults who want high octane thrills.
One of the newest coasters at the park the Wonder Woman Golden Lasso plunges you down a 100ft, 90-degree drop at 52 mph, one of nine world class rollercoasters at the park.
Before lunch and after thousands of steps already we took a seat to watch the Summer Nights show at the Sundance Theatre and was the perfect way to rest tired legs.
There was a wide variety of dining options and cuisines to choose from and with a day packed with adrenaline packed rides a large meal didn’t appeal to us, so we opted for a lighter lunch to keep our energy levels up for the rest of the day.
One of my favourite areas was the Fiesta Bay Boardwalk, it was like being at a traditional US seaside funfair and some of our favourite rides of the day were found here. The brand new Pirates of the Deep Sea which took us on a pirate adventure before getting into a spin on both Spinsanity and we all especially enjoyed the thrilling Hurricane Force 5.
The appeal of Six Flags Fiesta Texas is the amount of rides on offer for all the family and if your children are like ours they will love the Warner Brothers rides and character meet and greets.
Not all rides were open on the day we visited and we tried to cover as much as we possibly could even with the VIP Pass including Taz’s Tornados Daffy’s Scholl Bus Express, Foghorn Leghorn’s Barnyard Railway and the Hustler was like being inside a giant spinning pool ball which the kids thought was really cool.
The lure of the gift shops were too much for the girls to resist, and we left with new lanyards and collector pin badges to remind them of their first time at a Six Flags park and a Road Runner toy to add to Holly’s ever growing collection of soft toys.
We missed out on the water park which wasn’t open when we visited but looked a great way to cool down in the Texan heat. With large pools, lazy rivers and lots of water slides. However, if you are planning on visiting the water park you would really need two full days here to experience all that the park has to offer.
Overall
We loved our first ever visit to a Six Flags park and should be a definite must do when in San Antonio.
With so much to see and do you could easily fill two days here especially if you plan on visiting the water park, it really is an excellent place for families to visit as there is something here for all ages.
How to get here
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is located just 15 minutes from downtown San Antonio. If you are visiting the area I would recommend looking at La Cantera Resort, it’s one of the closest hotels to the park and they offer a private shuttle service from the hotel.
More Info
Day tickets bought online in advance cost from $54.99pp. Children aged two and under get in free.
If you want to make the most of your visit and spend more time enjoying the attractions rather than waiting in queues especially on weekends and during holiday periods, I would recommend looking at getting a Flash Pass.
If you have a flash pass you skip the regular line at 14 of the most popular rides at the park by entering through a separate line.
There are three different levels of Flash Pass ranging from The Flash Pass regular $45.00 where you skip the line when its time to ride based on current wait time, The Flash Pass Gold $75.00 which reduces your ride time wait by 50%. To save even more time the Flash Pass Platinum $120.00 reduces your ride wait by 90%.
However for the ultimate way to experience Six Flags you need to take a look at their VIP Tours, and the VIP Lite Tour $199.99 which is what we had when we visited the park. This includes park admission, parking, souvenir bottle with refillable soft drinks and front of line access.
If your budget is endless or you really fancy treating yourself take a look at the VIP Experience $249.99 pp which is a private guided tour and includes all the above plus reserved show seating, unlimited snacks, lunch and dinner with reserved seating, souvenir ride or character photo.
We were guests of Six Flags Fiesta Texas for the purpose of this review