Easter Sunday our family visited California’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara, CA. It was a great day, not too hot, not too cool, and the park was pretty vacant for both the holiday and it being early in the park season. I’ve been to the park numerous times since I was young and I’ve seen it grow and change over the years. I remember visiting with my 8th grade class, a tradition that still holds in our local school system as my oldest daughter will be heading there next month!
Now having a family with kids of varied ages, we’re looking for a park to frequent that is close and that will appease the whole group. After our recent visit, here are our top 5 reasons to buy Season Tickets to California’s Great America:
1. The Roller Coasters There are 6 roller coasters for the big kids and adults and 2 that the whole family can ride, you really can’t beat that. Mild to aggressive thrills are found in just about each area of the park and even the two my 6 year old could ride got her heart pumping and begging for more! The Demon has two fantastic loop-di-loops and a few side-ways loops that will spark your inner daredevil. For a standing/straddle ride, the Vortex will have 45-mile an hours winds blowing through your hair!
2. Planet Snoopy and Kidzville
While my husband took the 11 and 13-year olds around to the big kid rides, my youngest (age 6) and I strolled about in Planet Snoopy and Kidzville. Perfect for her age she rode two coasters, the carousel, a smaller version of the bumper cars, and with her brother and sister, the high flying swings! 
With season passes we could spend the day in these two adjacent sections of the park, see numerous characters for photo opps., and indulge in reasonably priced meals! The Kidzville Theater hosted The Magic Hat show the day we were there and the magician used tricks, illusions, and audience participation to entertain the crowd. The show was fun and just about 25 minutes long so great for short attention spans! There’s even Snoopy’s Splash Dance, a mini version of a water adventure with no bathing suit required, great for those hot California summers!
3. Top Flight This ride alone will have me going back! The big kids and my husband are the thrill seekers, I tend to stay back with the little one. I was encouraged to try it out and I was pleasantly surprised how cool it was!
Time to take off on Flight Deck (formerly Top Gun), the incredible suspended “jet coaster.” Soar through a 360-degree vertical loop, two 270-degree afterburn turns, a full-circle wingover, and a zero gravity roll. If that’s not enough, you take this 50-mile-per-hour flight in a floorless coach, suspended below the coaster’s steel track.
The speed itself and the g-forces that push you leave you almost unable to scream, I even had a hard time keeping my eyes open to witness the trip. It’s fast, it’s exciting, the track is uber-smooth riding, and it’s my favorite coaster I’ve ridden ever!
4. Boomerang Bay My oldest has ventured to Boomerang Bay before and it’s basically a second theme park within a theme park, 2 for the price of one! You can spend one full day here, and with season tickets many full days here alone. Bask in the sun, who needs the beach (okay well I still need the beach)? This addition to the park has creeks, lagoons, reefs, falls, and you can tube alone, with a friend, with the family, there’s the lazy river, poolside cabanas, and so much more!
5. Fast Lane Now in addition to your season pass, on occasion you have the option to purchase the Fast Lane pass. This gives you a wristband that allows you to bypass the regular line on 13 of the park’s popular rides and attractions as many times as you want all day long! Ride like a VIP and ride and ride again. On those packed days during the summer, this bonus will be a blessing!
The park offers 3 levels of season passes and they can now be purchased on a payment plan to help out your pocket book. The basic season pass pays for itself in one trip plus offers you a variety of discounts! The Gold pass pays for itself in less than two visits and gives you FREE preferred parking all year ($12/visit savings) plus many FREE goodies and discounts throughout the year. The Platinum pass also includes FREE parking all year plus FREE unlimited admission to Gilroy Gardens, and all Cedar Fair properties, including Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City!
California’s Great America is located just 45 minutes South of San Francisco and just minutes from San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley. The park is open on select days through May 26 when it opens daily for the season!
Passes were provided to our family. All opinions are 100% our own.
