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Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago
Water park in Gurnee, Illinois From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park located in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. It is located near Interstate 94 between Chicago and Milwaukee. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the water park opened on May 28, 2005. It was built as part of a US$42 million expansion of its adjacent amusement park Six Flags Great America, and originally opened as just Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. Since 2021, it has been gated separately from Six Flags Great America.
The water park has 25 water slides, and one themed area named Riptide Bay. Its most recent addition, Tsunami Surge, was added in 2021, and is North America's tallest water coaster as of 2025. It was formerly the tallest water coaster in the world. The park has received accolades from the World Waterpark Association and Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.
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Background
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Discussions about a water park near Six Flags Great America began in May 1996, when representatives from Six Flags met with officials of Gurnee, Illinois, to obtain permission to build a water park. It would be located on a plot of land owned by Six Flags, located west of Six Flags Great America and across of Interstate 94. The water park was planned to open by 1998.[1] A spokesperson for Six Flags Great America later called the plans "extremely premature" and said the park might not proceed. Additionally, the land was zoned for office use, and would require a permit to build a water park.[2]
Plans to build a water park later became part of a larger plan called Six Flags Entertainment Village, which was announced on October 29, 1997.[3][4] The entertainment complex would be built west of Six Flags Great America and across Interstate 94. Construction was planned to begin in 2000, following village approval in December 1998.[5]
A citizens group called the Citizens United for a Residential Village of Gurnee (CURV) was formed, which opposed the park due to concerns of overdevelopment, congestion, and rising property values.[6] A referendum about the project's approval was included in an election ballot on April 13, 1999. It concluded that more than half of Gurnee residents had voted against the project on the referendum, derailing the project.[7][8][9]
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History
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2004–2005: Announcement and opening
On September 10, 2004, Gurnee officials confirmed plans that a water park would be built on Six Flags Great America's existing plot.[10][11] Six Flags Great America officially announced a 15-acre (6.1 ha) Caribbean-themed water park on September 16, 2004, named Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, to open for the 2005 season.[12][13] It was expected to compete with other water parks in Wisconsin Dells and the Chicago metropolitan area, and would be considered the largest expansion in Six Flags Great America history.[14][15][16] The water park would be built on the former far west side of the parking lot.[17]
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The water park was planned to open with 25 water slides and include an interactive water structure named Skull Island, which would feature 500 gadgets and eight water slides, and a 500,000 gallon wave pool. Admission would be included with a regular ticket for the theme park.[18][19][20] The water park was expected to generate 700 new jobs.[13]
Construction on the US$42 million[21] water park began in November 2004, lasting seven months. The water park opened to the public on May 28, 2005.[17][22] Almost a month following the opening of Hurricane Harbor, a man had a heart attack in the Hurricane Bay wave pool and died on June 22, 2005.[23] During the water park's first year of operation, it was reported 1.3 million people had visited, which park officials regarded as a "huge success".[21]
2006–2011: Further expansion
Following the initial opening of Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a funnel water slide named Tornado was announced on January 14, 2006, at the American Coaster Enthusiasts "No Coaster Con" convention. It would open later in 2006 and be located above the Castaway Creek lazy river.[21] The ride opened on Memorial Day weekend in 2006.[24]
For the 2011 season, a new Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster was planned for the adjacent Six Flags Great America amusement park, speculated to be a relocation of the roller coaster Chang from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. It would stand on the former site of Space Shuttle America. After receiving a recommendation of approval from the Gurnee zoning board, the park backed out of the expansion.[25][26] Instead, the park opted to build the four-acre (1.6 ha) Riptide Bay area, opening on June 3, 2011.[27][28] Riptide Bay initially included a surf simulator, five water slides, a Caribbean-inspired activity pool, and cabanas.[29][30]
In July 2011, a woman suffered injuries on the Wahoo Racer racing water slide and sued the park for negligently operating the attraction. A court upheld an award of US$1.5 million USD in June 2017.[31]
2019–present: Operations as a separate park
On August 29, 2019, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor announced a new water coaster named Tsunami Surge manufactured by WhiteWater West. It would be the tallest water coaster in the world at 86 feet (26 m) tall, and was expected to open for the 2020 season.[32] Groundbreaking for the ride began in January 2020,[33] but the ride did not open due to the water park's closure and construction delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[34][35]
On July 20, 2020, the park re-opened with safety protocols regarding COVID-19 in place and the water park was referred to as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago;[36][37] attractions at Six Flags Great America remained closed for the entire season.[38]
Beginning on March 22, 2021, the water park was separated from Six Flags Great America, and was officially named Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago, making it the 27th park in the Six Flags chain.[39] As a result, the entrance to the water park via the theme park was no longer accessible, and a separate entry gate would be built.[38][40] Park officials say the change was made to allow guests to choose to enter the theme park or the water park.[41]
On May 29, 2021, Tsunami Surge officially opened to the public as the tallest water coaster in the world.[42] It would later be surpassed by Surreal at Beach Park in Brazil when it opened in March 2025. Surreal stands 28 metres (92 ft) tall; Tsunami Surge still remains the tallest water coaster in North America. [43][44]
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List of attractions
Former attractions
Awards
In 2006, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago's water slide Tornado was placed second for the category "Best New Water Slide", and tied with Noah's Ark's Time Warp attraction on Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards.[62]
In August 2021, the water park, along with WhiteWater West and architecture firm Ramaker won the 2021 Leading Edge Award from the World Waterpark Association for their work on Tsunami Surge.[63][64] Tsunami Surge placed third place in the category "Best New Water Slide" on Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.[65]
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See also
- Incidents at Six Flags parks
- Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford, a Six Flags water park in Rockford, Illinois
- Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a chain of water parks operated by Six Flags
References
External links
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