Great Adventure Fright Fest, celebrate the 22nd year, with family-friendly Thrills by Day and even more Fright by Night. Great fun for the whole family! #Travel

This past Saturday we were able to spend a spooky and sun day at Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Six Flags Great Adventure is a place we had gone to a few times before but haven’t been back in a few years and we were eager to see what had changed in that time and see what it was like going with our daughter, the last time we were there we were still just dating and didn't have a kid! My how things have changed….

We got an early start to our day and thanks in part to little traffic on the Jersey turnpike we were at Great Adventure in about 40 minutes, that meant we were able to get a primo parking spot and get to ride a bunch of rides before the crowds got too big to deal with. 

With fall being here you also get to partake in Fright Fest, Halloween was everywhere in the park if you didn’t notice that you are oblivious! The fountain was not pumping out water it was pumping out blood! Ok so it may not be real blood it’s was water dyed red to give it a chilling effect but our daughter totally loved it and we had to stop and look at it every time we walked past it. 

We were a little unsure how she’d react to Great Adventure, she’s timid when trying new things and scared of most rides but she totally jumped in feet first! She was dragging us from ride to ride and was willing to go on rides like Skull Mountain that I didn’t think she’d ever want to ride, she was a little scared at first but once she felt the wind in her hair she was happy.  But we were truly blown away when she wanted to ride the Buccaneer! It’s a Gravitron type ride that I thought would be too much for her but she was really brave and absolutely loved that ride like no other ride she’s ever been on. The rest of the day and in the subsequent days since we visited she keeps talking about the Buccaneer and how she can’t wait to ride it again.

We were able to enjoy the Safari experience for the first time, we so so many wonderful animals it was an amazing time. Just a tip, if you are planning to go to the Safari on your next trip to Great Adventure, make this your first stop, the lines can get very long. 

 

There is a nice mix of rides in Great Adventure, you have your thrill rides for those of you with strong constitutions, you have a nice assortment of family rides and there is a nice section for kids. 

We wandered around the park for a solid six hours and had a blast, we would have stayed longer but since it was my husband’s birthday we had to get back home to do a family party. My daughter may have been a bit afraid of the festivities that happened after 6pm.  We were warned that the really scary stuff was for kids 12 and up and those who did not scare easily.

My daughter is 8 a little too young for the really gruesome stuff, but fear not, were there many great "fright fest" fun that she could partake in, sure there was. I loved that on each of the maps there was a detailed breakdown of what was scary and what was family friendly. We did just about every family friendly haunted activity there was to offer and there were plenty of non-scary activities including:
Trick-or-Treat Trail
Professors Slithers' Creepy Critters
Six Flags Spooktacular Street Party
The Spooky, Kooky Magic Show. 
And more!

But before we left we were able to do a little trick or treating and take our pictures with some characters. Porky, Daffy Duck, and Lola the bunny were all decked out in their Halloween costumes so we stopped for candy and photos, who doesn't like candy?!

 Of course they had some themed treats, including peeps Halloween hot chocolate! It was adorable, and of course very good. 

We didn’t do any real scary things like we did in the past at Fright Fest because at that time we didn’t have a 8 year old with us! Even thought our Fright Fest didn’t have that many frightening moments in it we still had a great time at Great Adventure and we promised our daughter we will be taking her back next year. She’s already starting her countdown!

Terrifying Fright by Night Entertainment

After 6 pm, the festival transitions to “fright by night” as nearly 200 zombies are released into the park. This fall, the park will introduce a new terror trail – Total Darkness, a blackout maze.  Lakefront will be home to a new scare zone, Straw-Man Stalkers, with blood-thirsty scarecrows.  Terror Trail favorites like Voodoo Island, Asylum, Wasteland and The Manor, now indoors, will return to terrorize guests. In total, Six Flags will offer six haunted walk-through and four scare zones.

Chilling Thrills by Day Entertainment

By day, families can enjoy favorites like the Trick-or-Treat Trail, Professor Slithers’ Creepy Critters animal show and Spooky Kooky Magic Show plus the new Monster Maze, a corn maze including some of Halloween’s most famous characters.  At the Wilderness Theater, guests can enjoy the new Doc Snooker’s Halloween Time Machine, a zany show for all ages.  Guests can also challenge the park’s famous line-up of thrill rides including El Toro, Kingda Ka and Nitro, and the new Safari Off Road Adventure.

Thrills by Day—Geared to Families (included with park admission unless noted)
 • NEW! Monster Maze—Kids and kids-at-heart can find their way through this new corn maze with surprises
  from some of Halloween’s most famous characters.
• NEW! Doc Snooker’s Halloween Time Machine—Go back in time with hilarious Doc Snooker to reincarnate some of Halloween’s most notorious characters (begins Sept. 20).
• Trick-or-Treat Trail—Trick-or-treating and meet-and-greets with the Looney Tunes characters.
• Professor Slithers’ Creepy Critters—The zany professor hosts this animal show featuring snakes and reptiles.
• The Spooky Kooky Magic Show—Kids’ magic show featuring master illusionist Doc Swan.
• Six Flags Spooktacular Street Party—Street dance party featuring Halloween hits.
• Seafari Theater—Animal presentation featuring Asian small-clawed otters.
• Dawn of the Dead & Local—Live music showcase from local artists.
• Sea Lion Scary Tales—Halloween-themed sea lion show.

Theme Park Hours:

Fright Fest begins Sept. 13 and runs weekends through Oct. 27, 2013.

Operating Dates and Hours

There are plenty of Thrills by Day events that are geared to families as well as thrills by night that are geared to teens and adults. Some Halloween activities have an added charge. Please check out Six Flags Great Adventure for more Fright Fest information.

Operating Dates and Hours – Weekends September 13 through October 27^th 2013

Friday Evenings: Sept 13- 5:30 to 10pm, Sept 20, 27, Oct 4, 11, 18, 25 – 5:30 to 11pm

Saturdays: Sept 14 – 10:30am – 10pm, Sept 21, 28 Oct 5, 12, 19, 26 10:30am to 11pm

Sundays: Sept 15 – 10:30 am to 9pm, Sept 22, 29 – 10:30am to 11pm Oct 6, 13,20,27 10:30 to 11pm.

Monday: Oct 14 – 10:30 to 10:00pm

Pricing:

Online Price:                                   Varies - $20 to $5 Savings

General Admission:                          $65.99 +Tax

Junior Admission (under 54” tall)        $39.99 + Tax

Age 2 and under                              Free

Have you ever been to Great Adventure's "Fright Fest"? How would your family love this creepy place?


 




Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . I received tickets to experience Fright Fest for this review. No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .