Great America set to reopen for the spring

Come March 29, the air will be filled with gleeful screaming and the whirring of mechanical tracks. Why? Because that’s when California’s Great America reopens for the spring and summer crowd.  

The park will open at 10 a.m. and close at 6 or 8 p.m. — the schedule varies throughout the spring, so be sure to check the website before you plan your trip. Day tickets for adults are $47.99 per person and $42.99 for children and seniors (tickets don’t include food and snacks, so bring enough money for food). It’s about a 20-to-30 minute drive from Saratoga, depending on traffic. 

Great America is best known for Flight Deck, previously named Top Gun after the blockbuster movie. But when Cedar Fair bought the park from Paramount in 2006, the name was changed.

Other popular attractions include Delirium, Tiki Twirl, Vortex, Drop Tower and its newest addition, Gold Striker. Gold Striker is the tallest and the fastest wooden roller coaster in Northern California. The ride opened last June and is known for its 54 mph speeds.

The ride measures up better than the other wooden roller coaster at the park, the Grizzly, which is infamous for violently jerking its passengers. While the Gold Striker does have some uncomfortable jostling, it’s not nearly as painful.

Some other less heart pounding rides are the Rip Roaring Rapids and the 200 foot Star Observation tower.

So lace up your sneakers and head over to Great America for a place to let loose and forget about all the homework you have to do.