Earlier this year, Six Flags Great America announced plans to retheme its Yankee Harbor area, transforming it into DC Universe, a land injected with the DC superheroes and villains that are now almost synonymous with the Six Flags brand. As the Yankee Harbor area was already home to two DC-inspired coasters, Batman: The Ride and Joker, the transition made sense.
Editor’s note: the park’s Justice League: Battle for Metropolis dark ride is located in its own mini area, Metropolis Plaza, on the other side of the park.
The main portal into DC Universe (when entering from the Mardi Gras area of the park) is much more imposing than the concept art (pictured below) suggested.
It’s one of the most impressive entrances to an area inside a Six Flags park that I’ve seen in person.
It’s even more eye-catching at night, shining like a beacon, summoning guests from other areas of the park.
I was shocked by how open and spacious the new area was. I wasn’t sure where the park found the room for such a large plaza.
After checking Google Street View, I remembered this building, which contained a shop and an antique photo studio. The removal of this structure freed up some much-needed space to accommodate the influx of crowds during busier times of the year.
Now let’s dig into the new experiences and updates inside DC Universe.
Six Flags Great America DC Universe Rides
Six Flags Great America’s DC Universe is home to five rides: Batman: The Ride, Joker, The Flash – Vertical Velocity, Aquaman Splashdown and DC Super-Villain Swing.
While none of these five rides are new, three of them have received DC-inspired makeovers and new names.
That includes the former Vertical Velocity (commonly known as V2), which first opened in 2001. It’s been repainted and renamed “The Flash – Vertical Velocity.”
I like that the park kept the “Vertical Velocity” name and even the original sign over the entrance.
I would have preferred red track with yellow supports (as The Flash’s primary color is red), but I welcome the much-needed fresh coat of paint regardless.
Yankee Clipper is now known as Aquaman Splashdown, an Arrow log flume that opened with the park in 1976.
It hasn’t opened yet, and by the state of the station and flume (as seen below), I’m not sure if it will open anytime soon.
In fact, all of the park’s water rides were closed during my visit (Logger’s Run, Roaring Rapids and Buccaneer Battle). Hopefully the park can open at least one in the near future. The dog days of summer are upon us.
The former Whirligig swings ride has been renamed “DC Super-Villains Swing” and covered with DC’s legendary supervillains.
I commend the individual(s) responsible for this redesign. They managed to retain the ornamental accents of the ride while balancing the necessary DC influence.
The end result is a ride that looks as if it’s been at the park in this form since it opened. It’s a beautiful attraction.
After riding all five of these rides, naturally you may have worked up an appetite. Luckily the area features a wide variety of options.
Six Flags Great America DC Universe Dining, Shopping and More
Six Flags Great America’s DC Universe offers four dining establishments; Steelworks Pub, Gotham City Snacks, Central City Snacks and Captain Cold Ice Cream.
The culinary highlight of the area is the new Steelworks Pub, formerly known as Capone’s Kitchen.
The restaurant features pizza, pasta, a beer garden and bar.
The straightforward, Italian-inspired menu features cheese and pepperoni pizza by the slice, spaghetti, garlic knots and salad.
The food is served cafeteria-style just as before.
Like its predecessor, Steelworks Pub features ample indoor and outdoor seating (the back patio area offers spectacular views of Aquaman Splashdown and The Flash – Vertical Velocity).
The interior bar area is still under construction.
This will be the place to be when looking for a heartier meal and/or a reprieve from the outside.
Both Central City Snacks (pictured above) and Gotham City Snacks (closer to Batman: The Ride) feature typical park snacks such as pretzels and popcorn.
Captain Cold Ice Cream features more than just ice cream.
There you’ll find Dole pineapple soft serve. That’s right, just like Dole Whip at Disney parks.
Also new is the relatively small DC Universe Store.
I noticed the gift shop at the exit of Justice League: Battle for Metropolis on the other side of the park had been emptied, so I assume at least some of that merchandise has been relocated to the DC Universe Store.
As far as I can tell, the building was previously unoccupied.
It doesn’t offer a huge variety of products, but it gets the job done if you need basics like a shirt, bag or a random nicknack.
Gotham City Arcade existed in Yankee Harbor, but I’m fairly certain it received a fresh coat of paint.
It has an impressive assortment of games that extend well beyond the ones that are DC-inspired. And even if you aren’t playing, the air conditioning is an attraction of its own on a hot day.
The other entrance that connects to Yukon Territory isn’t as impressive, but it’s still attention-grabbing, especially when illuminated at night.
While I’m generally not a fan of drenching parks with intellectual properties (IPs) such as DC Comics, this is a huge upgrade and improvement over an area of the park that had not seen much attention since the opening of Joker in 2017. I appreciate that the park retained most of the area’s buildings so that it still has a “coastal New England” influence.
Learn more about DC Universe at the Six Flags Great America website.
Have you visited DC Universe at Six Flags Great America? Let us know what you think of the area in the comments section below.
Recent Discussion