Six Flags Over Georgia parking tips and a culinary trick

The current rage in our area for kids aged 14 and up is to go on roller coasters. I feel as if I’m 85 years old when I write that statement. Roller coasters and thrill rides are a constant and when I was 14 years old, much to the bewilderment of my parents, I wanted to go on them too. The bewilderment is still a constant, but this time it’s our 14-year-old who was slightly bemused (or secretly pleased), that I wanted to go on the rides now. Parents of thrill ride kids have it coming when they have to the chaperone and when it was my turn to visit Six Flags Over Georgia I did my homework.

In a way, it’s come full circle, because when I was a kid, visiting Six Flags Over Georgia was the thing we’d always do while visiting our cousins. Four decades later our family lives relatively close to the park. However, in planning the recent chaperone visit I realized that the research that I did for that trip would easily transfer over so that people visiting from hours away can make the most of their time.     

Parking at Six Flags Over Georgia

As of December 27, 2023 parking at Six Flags Over Georgia is $35. Yeah, we were shocked at that price too. However, after thinking about similar theme parks, their parking fees, and the overall amount of cash that you’ll spend, it’s not that bad, but there are ways around it.

For Six Flags Over Georgia, the way around the parking fee is to purchase the Platinum Pass instead of the daily ticket. This sounds counterintuitive and we had to write down a flow chart of pros and cons breaking down why it made sense before we purchased it.

In our case, we had to purchase three tickets into the park, in addition to parking the car. The tickets were $51 a piece and parking would’ve been $35. $51 times three, plus $35 is $188. When you purchase online you’ll be asked if want The Flash Pass, any dining deals, and then if you want Daily Preferred Speedy Parking for $40 or Daily General Speedy Parking for $35. The difference in those parking options is that one of them has a lot that is closer to the main gate. If you choose not to purchase parking online then it’ll cost you $45 at the gates.

Regardless of how you choose to pay for parking, you’ll have taxes and fees attached to the total price, which cost us $19.77. Recap, that’s three tickets at $51 a piece, plus parking $35, and $19.77 in taxes for a total of $207.77.

However, let’s presume that you purchase a Platinum Pass for $95. This pass includes the parking fee, as well as, unlimited entrance to Hurricane Harbor Atlanta, Six Flags Whitewater, and Six Flags Over Georgia.

Now, let’s revisit the math with two tickets at $51, the Platinum Pass at $95, and our taxes at $19.77. You don’t need a parking pass because it’s included in the Platinum Pass. Our new grand total is $216.77. Yes, I realize that’s $11 more than the first equation, but here’s why it makes sense for anyone, regardless of where you’re visiting from use this option, rather than the first one.

If you’re visiting Six Flags Over Georgia from far away then it’s more likely that you’ll buy souvenirs or food inside the park. With the Platinum Pass, you’ll save 15% on food and merchandise, which will offset the $11 once you spend $75 inside the park. Yeah, the cost of food inside a theme park is shocking, but it’s the cost of doing business and in this case, that discount, presuming you opt for that more expensive ticket, will pay off.

If you’re visiting Six Flags Over Georgia from someplace more local, say within a couple of hours, the odds on you visiting it again, or wanting to visit Hurricane Harbor or Six Flags White Water are high. That is assuming that you’ve got a child who is into thrill rides. In our case, the 14-year-old has been twice in the past four months and has already said that they want to visit one of the water parks. With the Platinum Pass it’s low-hanging fruit fun when you factor out the cost of entering the park.

It’s a cliché and some ad hoc advertising copy to say that it pays for itself after one visit, but it pays for itself after one visit. The worst case is that you overpay for something by $11, but we all know that you’ll end up visiting the park again or getting something to eat, which will offset that cost.

The other money-saving tip is harder to do, but very efficient, if you have the willpower. Don’t buy any food. I told my kids to pack some granola bars and bring a water bottle, which they did and they were able to exist on that during their time in the park. Were they tempted by the smell of cheeseburgers? Yes, we all were, but the cost of them quickly beat that smell into submission and allowed us to get on with the business of riding rides.

Some of the other kids that were in our chaperone group did purchase drinks and food. Their parents gave them extra cash for them to get food. In our case I told the kids that anything they purchased was 100% their responsibility. In true form, our youngest got sucked into the carnival games and was convinced that he could beat the system. $20, and ten minutes later he bemoaned the fact that he didn’t win the oversized doll that he’s too young for. I reminded him of the Mark Rober video that we had seen and that demonstrated how he was able to win at the games…..and that he’s no Mark Rober…yet.

Do the kids enjoy their time at Six Flags Over Georgia? They sure did and in addition to the parking lesson learned and the non-food stance we take it was win/win. Also, because we went in winter the lines were very short and they could get their thrill ride fix with little to no wait time. They certainly enjoyed their previous trip to the park in the summer too, but left with a grander appreciation of the thrills that they experienced on the roller coasters.

The prices mentioned in this post are as of December 27, 2023; please check their website for current pricing.