A few weeks ago, our family headed up to Agwam Massachusetts for a visit to Six Flags New England. My husband had a work outing there, so we decided to head up and spend the night in Springfield, MA (about 10 minutes from Agwam). As it usually happens, we didn’t quite get out the door as early as we had hoped. Clarke’s company had lunch scheduled from 12:30 to 2, and I think we finally arrived in the park around 1:00!
Six Flags New England
Six Flags New England is located in Agwam (Western Massachusetts), and it’s not far from Boston, Albany, Hartford, and other New England locations. The self-proclaimed Coaster Capital of New England covers 235 acres and features 11 different roller coasters, one of which is Bizarro– one of the top-rated steel coasters in the world!
The park is generally open from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weekends, with seasonal changes for spring and fall. You can purchase a Thrill Pass for the day for $61.99 (the pass provides you with unlimited visits until September 20!). There are also a variety of other memberships and packages for you to choose.
The upgraded passes allow for visiting other Six Flags parks, in addition to perks like season parking, bring a friend for free, and other in-park savings. The Hurricane Harbor Water Park is included with the cost of your pass.
Rides for Kids
I was pleasantly surprised with the number of rides available for younger kids. My 7 year-old is pretty tall for his age and can ride many things, but I was a little nervous that my 5 year-old adrenaline junkie (and coaster lover) would be left out of the loop. Fear not, there were actually many things he could go on including Catwoman’s Whip and Pandemonium (his favorite).
There are a bunch of rides for younger children located in Looney Toons Movie Town area. They were the perfect size and speed for my less than adventurous 7 year-old (the 5 year-old love them too!). All rides and attractions do pay strict attention to the height requirements, so don’t wait in a long line hoping to sneak by with your child. I love that all of the ride operators were super friendly to the kids and made them feel at ease.
We did not visit the water park on our trip; but you can easily head over and have some water fun at Hurricane Harbor, if the temperatures are high, as they often are in Western, Massachusetts in the summer! It’s not a huge water park, but it has a wave pool, adventure river, rafting action, and some seriously thrill-seeking water slides like the Bonzai Pipelines and Cannonball Falls.
If your kids are in to Super Heroes, they will absolutely love DC Superheroes Adventure. They can see all of their favorite Marvel characters and visit the Hall of Justice, where they can actually meet some superheroes! It’s such a fun area of the park if you or your little ones are into Marvel comics. 🙂
One thing I really enjoyed about Six Flags New England is that there truly are rides and attractions for every age from toddler to adult!
Rides for Adults
There is absolutely no shortage of adrenaline generating rides for grown-ups at Six Flags. There were two that looked absolutely terrifying to me: the New England SkyScreamer (it’s the tallest swing on the planet at 400 ft!) and Bizzaro and its 5,400 feet of tracks– it reaches speeds of 77 mph!
If we had been there without the kids, we definitely would have tried more of the adult rides. The Blizzard River (river rafting ride in the main park), looked like A LOT of fun. I was going to go on with my oldest son, but the line was too long– we will have to catch that one on the next trip! I also wanted to do the old school wooden roller coaster, the Thunderbolt, but I couldn’t convince my seven year-old to go on it with me!
Food Choices
There are a lot of different options for dining at Six Flags New England. You can choose from all types of cuisine from Asian to Mexican to Italian. You can view a list of all of the dining options at the park HERE. If you don’t want a meal, there are places to get snacks like Italian Ice, soft pretzels, or ice cream. If you are into healthy eating, check out the Go Fresh Café, where you can find vegetarian options like salads and different wraps.
Helpful Tips
Parking
The parking for Six Flags New England is quite a walk from the main park and costs $20.00 and Preferred Parking is $25.00. You can also purchase a season parking pass for $60.00. You can walk over from the parking lot, but there are also trams that can transport you over if you have a lot to carry or have small children (or it’s just really hot!). We contemplated taking it after we finished at the park, but in the end, we just didn’t feel like waiting in line.
What to Wear
If you are visiting in the spring or fall, I would definitely suggest layers if you plan to be there all day. Obviously if you are planning on checking out the Hurricane Harbor Water Park, you should pack a swim suit or wear one underneath your clothes (since it was pretty warm when we went, I saw quite a few people dressed this way). Keep in mind that there is a dress code at Six Flags New England. In order to keep the park family friendly, you need to abide by the following code:
In keeping with our family friendly atmosphere, and for health and safety reasons, Six Flags New England strictly enforces a dress code. Proper attire must be worn in the park at all times, including shirts and appropriate footwear. Clothing with rude, vulgar or offensive language or graphics is not permitted at any time (shirts cannot be turned inside out as a solution). Bathing suits may be worn only in Hurricane Harbor water park. Park admission may be denied if clothing is deemed by management to be inappropriate.
Wrap-up
We had a great time during our visit to Six Flags New England, and I think we will definitely return another time– perhaps when the kids are a bit older. I would also go back in the spring or fall when the temps are a bit cooler. Regardless, it’s a fun place for a day trip or overnight here in New England. We paired it with a trip to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during our trip to Springfield.
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