How can Six Flags run an amusment park in a place like Chicago. But they think they can't run a succesful theme park in Cinncinati, Or at any other location in Louisville? I would love to See a Six Flags within an hour from where I live. Kings Island has Coney Island. But it isn't really competition. Holiday World isn't Exactly wanting to compete. So,I think Kings Island needs some big competition. What do you think?

The theme park industry is pretty much mature in the United States. That means that new parks are very unlikely to be built.

It hasn't been that long ago that Premier Parks bought Six Flags and expanded like topsy. In fact, Ohio had two Six Flags parks: Six Flags Worlds of Adventure and Wyandot Lake.

Now, there are large cities with no nearby theme park. Miami, Nashville, Omaha...the list goes on and on.

Even in areas that have more than one seasonal park, the primary competition is not other parks, but rather other recreational activities...from theaters to zoos to the beach to the family pool.

That same overbuying problem led to the closing or demolishing of some beloved theme parks(Six Flags Astroworld, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Geuaga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom(Even though Wildwater Kingdom is still open))

Supposedly Kings Island and the rest of the Cedar Fair parks, compete, not only with other parks, but with other things in entertainment, such as the Xbox™.

would love to see more parks, but not at the cost of closing parks, I have to agree, saturation has happened, and not every city can hold a park.

In the past few years, we've seen two brand new parks fail quickly: Wild West World and Hard Rock Park. Have any new major parks been successful in the past few decades? Disney and Universal have done it, but they have established brands and properties nearby to build from.

I would love to see more small parks, the size of Stricker's Grove, Cincy Coney, and Denver Lakeside Park. Each with a nice selection of flats and a classic wooden coaster or 2. I have this romantic notion that back in the early 1900's these parks were all over the country, in small towns and supported mostly by the locals.

I suspect that many passionate folks have aspirations to open parks in small towns, but get discouraged by the high initial investment, high insurance, short seasonal operating seasons, limited growth potential, and slow ROI.

...and hostile local landowners and difficult regulatory environment...

Yes. What a shame that our society has become rather inhospitable to something so classic, so beloved, and in my opinion so necessary (innocent fun that can be shared across generations.

Several years ago, my 5 year old son rode Stricker's Tornado with his grandpa, a veteran of Chicago's Riverside and the Bobs. One rider reliving his youth, one launching his. The laughter and joy they shared was priceless. I wish those kinds of memories for everyone.

I wish six flags owned a large park closer to us than great america. With mr. Ouimett in control we will just be getting family rides and nothing thrilling.

I wish six flags owned a large park closer to us than great america. With mr. Ouimett in control we will just be getting family rides and nothing thrilling.

Thanks for telling us this (in some form or other) in most every thread on this site.

I wish six flags owned a large park closer to us than great america. With mr. Ouimett in control we will just be getting family rides and nothing thrilling.

Banshee is a family ride?

Wait till you ride it, it will be along the same lines as Gatekeeper only an invert.

So you tell him to wait til he rides it, but you don't have to?

My head hurts.

You speak for everyone.

He loves to think he does.