Join us as we take a look at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
After our stop at SeaWorld San Antonio, the next day we headed to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The festive event, Holiday in the Park was on during our Tuesday 26th November visit with park hours 2 pm until 9 pm.
Apologies for the trip report coming a little later than I’d like. With Thanksgiving and the opening of Rise of The Resistance at Hollywood Studios, it’s been a busy couple of weeks.
As with our other trip reports, before we dive in let’s look at some of the history behind the park that is located just outside of San Antonio in La Cantera, Texas.
Fiesta Texas
Before Six Flags owned the park, it was simply called Fiesta Texas. The park sits in a former Limestone Quarry that operated from 1934 until 1988. When the limestone had been depleted and the location put up for sale, planning began for a new park. The quarry gives the park its unique look with tall rock walls surrounding it.
The development team consisted of real estate developer, USAA Real Estate Company and the Gaylord Entertainment Company who at the time owned Opryland in Nashville. San Antonio was selected as a location due to it already being an established regional leisure destination. There was however some competition from nearby theme parks that had a foothold in the market. Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington near Dallas & (the now closed) Six Flags Astroworld located in Houston. SeaWorld had just opened its third location nearby also in San Antonio which was deemed a success without any rides. The consistent growth of the theme park industry yearly was a major factor as to why they thought another theme park would work here.
The parks initial concept was that it would be a “musical & show” park. The parks’ concept was created by Toronto based company FORREC. Some of their other notable works was designing Universal Studios in Orlando, Canada’s Wonderland and Dollywood. The construction was handed over to local San Antonio companies, with the construction starting in early 1990 and lasting until the park opened in March 1992.
Opening day Fiesta Texas
The park opened with four themed areas. Crackaxle Canyon themed to 1920’s Texan boom town and also where the parks major roller coaster would be located, The Rattler. Los Festivales the Spanish themed entrance area. Spassburg themed after a German village. The last one would be Rockville themed after a 1950’s fictional town. The four lands would all feature shows themed after their locations. The park would also feature a water park called Ol’ Watering Hole.
The Rattler
The Rattler on opening day was the tallest, fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster in the world. Outdoing its rival Mean Streak at Cedar Point in Ohio. Constructed by the Roller Coaster Corporation of America (this was their first major ride) the ride was 179 feet high and reached speeds of 73 miles per hour. The designer John Park stated that the plans kept changing as the co-owners insisted it being the tallest wooden coaster in the world. It held the title until 1994 when the first drop was reduced to 164 feet resulting in the speed dropping to 65 mph. The reduction was to help smooth out the ride as it became increasingly rough.
Other notable opening day attractions were The Hustler; a billiard themed tea cup ride, Gully Washer; an Intamin river rapid ride that still operates today, a kids steel Vekoma coaster called Pied Piper and Power Surge; the shoot the chute Intamin water ride that featured a 50 foot drop. Power Surge and others use the quarry walls to add to the dramatic look of the rides. This ride closed in the 2017 season to make way for Wonder Woman Golden Lasso but some of its remains can still be seen when riding the new coaster.
The park would operate seasonally with its first season ending on October 31st 1992.
Check out the trailer for its opening year below.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBeQ0AlG_A[/embedyt]
Pre Time-Warner
Following the success of its opening year, the park continued to expand by adding the Fiesta Bay Boardwalk that would open in 1994. This area would feature a Ferris Wheel, swinging ship and a roller-skating pavilion. This area was the last fully themed area added until 2019, when DC Universe took over parts of Spassburg and Rockville.
The 1994 season was expanded through December with the addition of its ‘Lone Star Christmas’ event.
After continuing success and the additions of further rides, the next major change would come during the 1996 season.
In 1996 Time Warner took over management and operations of the park. Immediately changing the name to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. USAA remained as the sole owner of the park until 1998. Premier Parks who purchased Six Flags from Time Warner, immediately bought Fiesta Texas from USAA in October of that same year. Jokers Revenge, a Vekoma hurricane coaster, was also added to the Fiesta Boardwalk area during 1998.
New Owners. New Rides
The new owners led to the single biggest expansion in the parks’ history. With 10 rides added to the park in 1999 and additional slides in the water park, which was subsequently renamed to Armadillo Beach.
The notable additions below led to an annual attendance increase by over a million visitors.
In the main entrance Los Festivales area, The Boomerang was added, which was the aptly named Vekoma Boomerang coaster.
Crackaxle Canyon added three more children rides themed after Looney Tunes characters.
The Spassburg area added a Zamperla mini tea-cups attraction and a Huss Top Spin called Der Twister, whose name was changed to The Twister in 2009.
The Rockville area adds the some of the most notable rides. Scream, which was the first S&S combo tower, combining both the actions of a turbo drop and a space shot in one ride cycle. Two towers were added while a third opened later in the year. This icon is nearly 20 stories high and can be seen from outside of the quarry walls.
Poltergeist, a Premier rides LIM coaster with a 60 mph launch in 3.5 seconds and 4 inversions. The track itself was fabricated by Dynamic structures. This ride would originally open with over the shoulder restraints before changing to a lap bar system in 2002. There were 5 of these rides constructed by Premier with very similar characteristics. One similar at Six Flags America called Joker’s Jinx and two others that are indoor at called Flight of Fear at Kings Island and Kings Dominion that opened in 1996.
The 1999 season also saw Six Flags Fiesta Texas win the Golden Ticket award for Best Theme Park Shows. It would retain this title every year until 2008.
The New Millennium…
The year 2000 saw the addition of the famous B & M floor-less Superman Krypton Coaster. This iconic ride would open in the Spassburg section of the park.
Throughout the next 10 years new rides are added, old ones are removed or moved to other parks. (most notably Joker’s Revenge moving to Six Flags New Orleans in 2003 where it still stands abandoned after Hurricane Katrina.)
2006 saw the water park Armadillo beach renamed to White Water Bay. This change brought with it some more slides and a revamped springs.
2008 saw the inverted B & M coaster Goliath open. The ride originally operated at Thrill Valley in Japan before being moved to Six Flags New Orleans where it was called Batman: The Ride. The ride sat dormant for two years in the aftermath of Katrina before being moved to Fiesta Texas.
2010’s
2011 saw Six Flags Inc end licensing arrangements with Tony Hawk and The Wiggles which led to 7 kids rides being renamed and Tony Hawk’s Big Spin renamed as Pandemonium.
After the success of the New Texas Giant re-imaging as a hybrid coaster thanks to RMC, the parks’ opening wooden coaster The Rattler was next to be reconstructed for a new era. Closing in 2012 for the renovation, the ride would reopen in 2013 as the Iron Rattler, featuring a zero-g barrel roll. This would be the first hybrid wood and steel coaster to feature an inversion. The rides lift hill would be increased as well as the angle of the first drop. This increase would raise the rides max speed to 70 mph. The rides track length would also be reduced. Two Gerstlauer trains would be in operation on it and the Iron Rattler would become the RMC company’s second ride conversion.
The ride opened to rave reviews. RMC had another hit on their hands. It would not be long before RMC is involved again at the park. Wonder Women Golden Lasso opened in May 2018. This single rail Raptor coaster is the first of its kind in the world. Featuring a 100 ft drop, 3 inversions and speeds of 52 mph this coaster also has an innovative continuously moving loading platform. The ride replaces the opening day water ride Power Surge.
One final change for the park was that during the 2019 season the park would begin to operate all year round without having extended closures.
I think that covers many of the major points in Six Flags Fiesta Texas history so let’s get on with our thoughts on the park in our trip report.
Trip Report
We arrived at Six Flags Fiesta Texas at 1 pm thinking the park hours were 1 pm until 9 pm like the website said. However, this wasn’t the case and the park opened at 2 pm. We thought the car park was a little sparse. They opened the gates at around 1.40 pm though so we didn’t have to wait too long before being let in. The park has its Holiday in the Park seasonal event running through January 5th, so the entrance way was dressed festively.
Our plan here was the opposite to SeaWorld San Antonio in that we would hit the all the rides we could first before trying to see whatever shows were on. The park had an abundance of theaters in each themed area though we did not see many shows scheduled for most of them.
RMC to start the day…
First up was to beeline for the 2018 ride Wonder Women Golden Lasso due to its limited capacity. The park was empty at this point so below are a few snaps of our walk from the front to back of the park through Spassburg and Rockville.
Bugs’ White Water Rapids the log flume ride was down for maintenance. Though we managed to see it testing. The ride has a really nice castle facade which is a nice touch complete with a Bugs Bunny theme.
Bugs’ White Water Rapids Testing
No Queue Wahoo
As it turns out we did not have to rush to the back of the park in fear of queues. There was nobody in line for Wonder Woman Golden Lasso and we were the only ones on the ride. A good omen for the day.
As we were the only ones on the train and nobody was behind us in the queue, the ride ops stopped the train on the moving belt just for us. We picked the final two rows of seats and began our first ride of the day.
Wow. What a fun, intense and unique ride. The single rail gives quite a personal experience on the ride that I haven’t had before. The ride is surprisingly smooth and gives a great look out over the water. One of my favorites from the entire trip.
There is no better way to start the day than with a unique RMC coaster with no queue.
They’re Here…
The plan was to head on over to Iron Rattler and keep the RMC love going but with the park still so empty we decided to jump on whatever we could on the way over.
Up next. Poltergeist.
This 1999 Premier Rides LIM launched coaster had no queue and we were expecting a slightly rough ride considering its 20-year age.
It was nice to see a themed station for the coaster which was consistent with most of the rides at Fiesta Texas.
As the train before us only had two riders on, (also in the front row) as soon we pulled our lap bars down and after a quick check from the attendant we launched without warning. We were mid conversation during the launch which was a brilliant but unexpected way to start the ride. The ride was smoother than I thought it would be and going through its four inversions with just a lap bar added a certain amount of fun to the ride (and less headbanging).
DC Universe
From here we headed in to the new DC Universe land which took up parts of Rockville and Spassburg areas. One of my favorite aspects of Fiesta Texas was the quarry walls surrounding the park.
We actually ended up walking right past the entrance to Superman Krypton Coaster and if it wasn’t for the Man of Steel statue below, we would have kept going.
Superman Krypton Coaster
The coaster continued the trend of having absolutely no queue, so we jumped right on the front row. The B & M coaster is still one of the tallest floor-less coasters in the world and features the one of the tallest vertical loops at 145 feet. With 6 inversions to boot the ride is still a classic. It briefly dabbled in virtual reality back in the summer of 2016 but i’m glad to say it has not been seen since.
It’s worth noting the ride does not have anywhere to store belongings with many riders leaving phones and other items on the floor or the railing for the exit (not the safest place to leave things when two trains are in operation and items could be easily grabbed).
The ride climbs 168 feet, heading over the quarry wall before offering a brilliant look at the park and its surrounding areas. The ride sweeps down back into the vertical loop and it literally took my breath away. The rest of the ride is a very similar B & M affair with some inversions. The ride is also surprisingly smooth, at least it was on the front row. That front row experience is something else with the 70-mph wind hitting you in the face during the first drop.
After three coasters full of inversions it was time for a pit stop.
How much?!
We stopped to grab a soda at the Johnny Rockets nearby to Superman. Six Flags parks push the use of the refillable cups where you can buy the season long free refills or the day refills. With no hand luggage to spare we thought we would grab a soda without the cup. Two large drinks came to $14.50! They did not have any large cups either so we both had 2 medium cups for our troubles to help soften the blow.
With two Mr Pibbs in either hand it was off to check out the new addition for 2019. The Joker Carnival of Chaos.
The Joker Carnival of Chaos has you enter through a fun house style queue line where only a limited number of guests enter at a time. Inside the fun house you come face to face with some DC Comic villains like Poison Ivy, Mr Freeze and the Joker before heading back outside before the ride.
With one drink down and another in hand we didn’t actually get to ride The Joker. It was probably for the best considering our experience on SeaWorld San Antonio’s mini Zamperla swinging Discovery.
After chickening out of Joker it was time to head over to the Iron Rattler.
Crackaxle Canyon
Along the way in Crackaxle Canyon were signs for the new 2020 ride Dare Devil Dive Flying Machines. This Zamperla created ride will be the tallest of its kind in the world. The ride will have guests board 6 retro styled aircraft units and experience zero-g rolls, weightlessness, loops, dives and aerial banks. It does not sound like a ride for me after my experience on Harley Quinn: Spinsanity at Over Texas.
Gully Washer the opening day river rapids attraction that is still operating was down for refurbishment.
Iron Rattler
The Iron Rattler looms over the park and can be seen from near enough anywhere. This was my most anticipated ride of the entire trip.
With no wait time signs outside of any of the rides, this was the first one that could have used them. We waited about an hour for the ride as it was running a single train and operated by only two workers. Restraint checks took a rather long time before the ride got going. With a very narrow queue line zigzagging up the station it was quite a long wait. This is one ride that really needs two trains in operation.
However, this was my only complaint. This ride was worth the wait. The ride is non-stop speed and intensity. Offering a staggering view up over the quarry side the 171-foot, 81-degree drop is smooth and fierce. The ride does not feel short even at 70 mph speeds and a 3100 ft track length. The ride ends with a short dark tunnel back to the station. Wow.
This was my favorite ride of the trip. If Iron Gwazi is anything like Iron Rattler, I’ll be a happy Orlando based coaster fan.
I felt the trip was complete at this point and everything else was a bonus.
Road Runner Express
Located next to Iron Rattler is the Road Runner Express. This Arrow Dynamics steel mine train coaster opened back in 1997 and was designed by Alan Schilke. Schilke has worked for companies such as S&S, Arrow and RMC. He designed Batman: The Ride and Wonder Woman Golden Lasso. This ride climbs to 73 feet in height and has over 2400 ft of track reaching speeds of 35 mph. This version of a mine train is a family coaster and was the last Arrow Mine train ever constructed.
The ride is themed after Wile E. Coyote attempting and failing to catch the Road Runner. The ride had a really long queue when we attempted to go on so we skipped it and headed over to the Boardwalk.
Journey to the Boardwalk
Along the way we would try hit The Boomerang, Batman the Ride and Scream.
The Boomerang was closed although there were visible operations going on, so hopefully it would be open by the time we left.
Batman: The ride
Batman’s queue was emptying as we went past but luckily enough, we had done the Joker at Six Flags Over Texas just a few days before, so we weren’t too bothered about missing this one. Even if it is the original version.
The queues had finally caught up with us. With only 1 tower on Scream running, it resulted in a longer queue than we would have waited for. We decided to head over to The Boardwalk to check out the new for 2019 attraction Pirates of the Deep Sea.
Fiesta Bay Boardwalk
Here the area is covered in boardwalk-style wood with an amusement fair by the ocean vibe. First up for us was the interactive Dark Ride created by the Sally corporation Pirates of the Deep Sea. Since 2002 the Scooby-Doo Ghostbusters had occupied the building, but the ride closed in 2017 when Six Flags terminated the licensing agreement.
This shooting dark ride requires guests to rack up scores by shooting pirates.
I actually enjoyed this dark ride a lot. It was nice to see a dark ride with an original(ish) theme and it reminded me of Men in Black at Universal or Duel at Alton Towers. I may have enjoyed it more as I got the highest rank with my score. The queue was themed well and even some children were a little scared. My favorite kind of dark ride.
Around the Boardwalk some remnants of a previous licensing agreement can still be seen on the side of Pandemonium. The spinning coaster used to be called Tony Hawk’s Big Spin and remains of this can still be viewed on the side of the maintenance bay.
Just in front of the go-karts, The Texas Gunslinger the parks sling shot ride is finishing up being moved from Crackaxle Canyon. It was moved to make room for the new Dare Devil Dive ride opening next year.
Christmas Train Time
With a lap of the park complete it was time to relax on the Whistle Stop Christmas Train that does a lap of the park from the Crackaxle Station. The train plays Christmas Carols over the speakers while offering a great view of areas of the park.
From the train I was able to grab the behind photo of Batman, a complete shot of the Superman vertical loop and some great views of the Iron Rattler. (I even saw a peak at some Fright Fest props backstage)
With the train journey doing one full loop we decided it was time to head out. With both of us tired from our travels, we had done all that we wanted and needed some non-theme park food.
As we were heading out, we checked to see if Boomerang was running and luckily for us it was.
The steel Vekoma Boomerang coaster is 1 of 52 in the world with the exact layout. Opening in 1999 the ride features 6 total inversions (forward and back) and is what guests see after they first enter the park.
The ride must have just opened up for us as it had no queue and we jumped on at the back row.
I’ve ridden a couple of these Boomerang coasters before and this one is just as rough as the rest of them. Still a fun ride to end the day. (My head did not think so though)
Exiting
On the way out of the park was of course Goliath. The B & M moved from Six Flags New Orleans, looms at the front of the park with a sort of side path leading down to it. If I had not have ridden two of the exact same ride in the last week I would have jumped on it for a final ride but my headache said no. Next time Goliath.
We did not get to experience the Holidays in the Park event like we set out to do but that was not what this trip was about. We saw no shows and mainly did the coasters here at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, but I think this was my favorite park of the trip. Some beautiful scenery, theming and great coasters, what more could you want from a Six Flags park?!
All in all, it was a great road trip and we even managed to head back to Six Flags over Texas the following week. (We managed to get on Judge Roy Scream which was a tonne of fun and Justice League which started well but the screens were atrocious)
To finish up, below is my top rides of the trip:
- Iron Rattler – Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Wonder Woman Golden Lasso – Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Titan – Six Flags Over Texas
- New Texas Giant – Six Flags Over Texas
- Superman Krypton Coaster – Six Flags Fiesta Texas
There you have it, our trip report on Six Flags Fiesta Texas is complete. We hope to bring you some more of these next year.
See you next time.
