Six Flags Great Adventure - Forget Disney, New Jersey Has it All

I never understand the need to go to Disney, for anyone living within driving distance of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Why waste the money on airfare and the time traveling to sweltering hot, gator filled Florida? If you live in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, or Pennsylvania and even beyond, Great Adventure is a much better deal and a much better park. Instead of the Disney characters, you have Warner Brothers to meet you at the gate and greet you through out the park. That means you meet Bugs Bunny instead of Mickey Mouse, how cool is that? Given the choice would anyone pick Mickey over Bugs? Is there any contest at all between Looney Tunes and Princesses?

Jackson, New Jersey roads were not originally built to accommodate the traffic of a major theme park, but they have done a great job easing the traffic and making the drive as smooth as possible. However, on a busy day you have to be prepared to sit in traffic. If you have a long drive, stop somewhere before you get to the Great Adventure exit on 195, to use the rest rooms and get a drink or something to eat. You don't want to be stuck in a line of traffic to get in, to park, to pay and then meet the potential bathroom lines in the park. Best to meet Bugs when you're feeling good and ready to have some fun.

Great Adventure includes three distinct parks, with separate costs. If you plan to do all three parks, you will need at least two day minimum. You'll want to devote full day to the Great Adventure Theme Park, and then another day to Hurricane Harbor Water Park. The Wild Safari is a drive through park that you can do in an about an hour, so can fit that in either day. For those of you who are major amusement park lover, you could easily spend a couple of days just in the theme park. This is a huge park. If you are a ride lover, you'll want to buy the Flash Pass, which saves your place in line and then alerts you when it's almost time for your turn, and then you race back to the ride and hop on. But even if you aren't a ride lover, there is plenty to do with shows and games and fireworks etc. Make sure you check out the website to see if there are special shown or events before you make your plans.

If you don't live in the area, New Jersey is an amazing vacation area; you can spend a few days at Great Adventure and then head to the Jersey Shore, which is only 30 minutes away. New York City and Philadelphia are each about an hour away.