The Looney Tunes-themed sign that has long been stationed at the exit of Six Flags America will hit differently as fans stream out for the final time Sunday evening.
“That’s all folks!”
The amusement park, which first opened in the 1970s and has operated as a Six Flags since 1998, shuts down after it closes at 6 p.m. What’s next for the massive tract in Bowie remains unclear.
Six Flags announced in May that it was closing the park and putting the land up for sale, but it has not yet identified a buyer. Spokesperson Kristin Fitzgerald declined to speculate on a timeline for the sale.
“Interest from buyers and developers has been high and we anticipate eventually bringing forward a buyer whose plan will provide a positive impact on Prince George’s County,” she said in a statement.
Six Flags contracted CBRE, a commercial real estate firm, to market the property, but Fitzgerald did not say whether CBRE was still marketing it. CBRE spokesperson Aaron Richardson declined to comment.
The land, located about 15 miles east of Washington, was first a drive-through safari and then a water park before pivoting to its current amusement park makeup, with both water rides and roller coasters. Its season ran daily each summer and on weekends in the fall through Halloween.
Beginning in 1999, the park added four coasters in three years — an atypical bounty of new attractions. That generated excitement, but also prompted growing pains as officials struggled to maintain the guest experience.
Since then, Six Flags has invested relatively little in the facility. It regularly ranked among the company’s lowest performers in revenue and attendance.
The park’s footprint makes up only a fraction of the 523-acre parcel that it sits on. To generate some revenue out of the remaining land, Six Flags leased a portion to a paintball company, which has since closed.
Officials considered other options — like a campground or a solar panel farm — which never came to fruition. A developer wanted to build 300 apartments and a mixed retail zone with a grocery store in 2021, but neighborhood pushback stalled efforts.
Six Flags America includes a roller coaster and water park. (Tim Pruss/Getty Images)
When Six Flags merged with rival Cedar Fair last year — prompting the elimination of some jobs — the new company assessed its portfolio and opted to shed Six Flags America and its adjoining water park.
Industry observers weren’t surprised. Mergers lead to cuts, and other parks owned by the new company, such as King’s Dominion in Virginia, are within driving distance.
Six Flags America’s low revenue, plus its excess land, made it an attractive candidate for sale. Company leadership expects to sell the Bowie property, plus some land at King’s Dominion, for at least $200 million.
Overall, the company is struggling. Attendance is suffering, its CEO is stepping down and its stock has halved since the start of the year.
Last month, an activist investor — who partnered with Travis Kelce, the football star and fiancé of Taylor Swift — bought up 9% of Six Flags shares in an effort to “enhance shareholder value and improve the guest experience.”
Visitors swing through the air on the Harley Quinn Spinsanity ride. (Wesley Lapointe for The Banner/The Baltimore Banner)
Visitors walk through Steamtown, a old-town ranch area of the park. (Wesley Lapointe for The Banner)
The Wild One roller coaster was built in 1917 and spans over a mile from start to finish. (Wesley Lapointe for The Banner/The Baltimore Banner)
But that means little to Six Flags America as it shutters. The company has said it might relocate or sell rides to other parks, but that will be challenging for most of its aging coasters.
The park’s first coaster, Wild One, was originally built in Massachusetts in 1917 and remains one of the oldest in the world. When it was moved to Maryland in 1986, a park official said: “We saved this coaster from destruction. It would have been toothpicks by now.”
It might now face a similar fate. Parts of other coasters, such as the cars, could be repurposed, but many of them will likely be scrapped.
For one final hurrah, though, coaster fanatics planned to descend on the park for a reunion this weekend.
Elizabeth Ringas, president of American Coaster Enthusiasts, will be there Sunday on what she anticipates will be an emotional day.
Brichette Reid of Washington has been to at least 40 amusement parks, but nearby Six Flags America will always feel like home to her.
She plans to soak it in Sunday — until she needs to make her way to the Looney Tunes sign at the exit.
