6 Flags should be higher in the ranking of Things to Do in Arlington. This is a major amusement park with some awesome rides. Yeah...I think 6 Flags used to be better, but I'm also in my 30s now! It's still fun for me to go once a year. I can't wait till my child is old enough to go and enjoy herself. I'm sure seeing it through her eyes will bring back lots of my earlier memories!

I grew up in Texas and visited Six Flags several times as a child but haven't been there for probably 25 years. This year we were vacationing in Dallas and so I took my kids (ages 11,12,14 and 23) for a visit. What a disappointment. I don't think the place has been updated since the last time I was there in 1983. The parking lot was terrible. They don't believe in paying attendants to guide everyone into spaces in an orderly manner--it is every man for himself. We paid for premium parking, I think $20. Don't waste your money. Our spot was hardly premium and was quite a hike from the gate. The true "premium" spaces were reserved for the valet parking. I don't know how much the valet parking is. Although some of us had season passes, we had to go through the main ticket lines because we were using coupons for additional guests. The lines were long and unorganized, basically a mass of people trying to fight their way to the front with, again, no guidance from employees. Food was expensive, but probably not more than any other park. For five people at Johnny Rockets I spent $70. They refunded $12 when one meal was inedible. There are hardly any water fountains, a real annoyance on a 100 degree day. The bathrooms seem to be original to the park--one entrance, so people are struggling to get in and out the same door, and smelly. These definitely need updating. This place seemed to be understaffed, particularly regarding food/drink establishments. Navigation was tricky and it was hard to find a map of the place. Probably would not do this location again (Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio was nice, though).

We really enjoyed our trip to Six Flags. We ordered everything (from parking to flash passes) online. This really expedited entrance into the park. We arrived at 10:00 when the park opened. There were already long lines to get in. However, we walked right in with the printed tickets. If you are planning a trip… make sure you order and print the tickets ahead of time. Also make sure you get the better parking. It could be quite a long walk if you don’t. The Flash Pass Gold is a necessity. The lines for the rides were about 2 hours long. However, with the Gold Flash Pass, we never waited more than 5 minutes. Not all rides are part of the Flash Pass program (the good ones are). You receive a little gadget that you can hook on a belt loop. You simply highlight the ride and reserve your time (usually within 5-10 minutes of pushing the button). When you get to the ride, you follow signs to the front of the line. Without the Flash Pass, we would not have been able to ride all we wanted to. The rides were great and well maintained. It was very hot (101 degrees) so keep that in mind. Make sure and bring sunscreen.

Every time we go to a non-Disney park, no matter how much I lower my expectations, I still seem to be very dissapointed. This park is in huge need for new management. Here is what I experienced on July 5:
1. We got there right at park opening and headed to Texas Giant and the other coaster right next to it. Both were closed until about 10:45 because they were still doing their testing and safety checks? Can't somebody get thier butts out of bed at 7 a.m. and do it BEFORE the park opens??? Waisted the first 45 minutes of prime riding time before the park gets busy.
2. My friends chose to go straight to the raft ride to start their day off on a cool note. Walked all the way through the park to find out it doesn't open til noon!!!! That couldn't be posted somewhere near the entrance???
3. Went to Panda Express at 11:45...they didn't have any food ready yet because they said they were too busy the day before!! It is lunch time and they don't have food??
4. Went to a hot dog stand after the Panda Express experience. There were only 2 people working and it was noon!!!! The line was huge and the one girl (who was one of the only friendly ones in the whole park) said it was her first day on the register! And the other girl in there was pretty much sitting around. Would they not have someone else in there, at least helping the girls whose first day it was on the register?? I think I waited 20 minutes, and there were only about 3 people ahead of me in line.
5. We waited over 1.5 hours for Mr. Freeze (longer than the signs said...another non-Disney thing to do), and could see there was only one train running!!! Why wouldn't they have both when the line is that long?? Then we were finally getting close and they shut the ride down!! I understand there is going to be mechanical problems from time to time, but don't you think they would offer all the people that have been waiting over an hour an exit pass to come up the exit later on without having to wait??? I practically had to get into a fight with a couple of the workers before they finally offered that! Isn't that just common sense courtesy??? At Disney, you wouldn't even have to ask for that and they would be handing over a fast pass. And on the fast pass subject, or Flash Pass as you call it here...you have to buy it and it would have cost us almost more than our ticket to get in the park! What a rip off!
Yes, some of the rides were fun, but the way this park is run was ridiculous! I've seen county fairs run better than this place. Save your money and head for Disney!!!!!!