Aerial Antics: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

I've been to Southern California a few times, but never Northern California. If I had, I'd probably have visited this week's Aerial Antics park, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. So many trips to plan! So many lotteries to win!

I think it's pretty awesome to have a coaster shoot right over the entrance plaza of a park - but Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has a really weird main gate area. It's surrounded by park on, well, really four sides because part of Medusa sticks out oddly. Wouldn't it have made sense to move it out further at some point and use that area for more park? Just sayin'.

The coaster shown here is half of Vertical Velocity, the uniquely modified Intamin Impulse ride. When it was built it was taller than allowed by the city, and eventually had to be modified. That meant taking a vertical tower and making it at a 45 degree angle, which makes the ride a true one-of-a-kind.

Part of the 'new era' of Six Flags parks includes Thomas Town, which was added to Discovery Kingdom a few years ago. All aboard!

Here is a great example of 'old' Six Flags - a huge, custom and expensive ride sitting in the middle of a former parking lot where the paving wasn't even removed. Medusa is a B&M floorless ride, the only one to feature a "sea serpent" double inversion. It's a very impressive looking ride, it's always just looked awkward in its location at the park.

The majority of the park is covered in beautiful trees and foliage, and features a wide variety of other coasters and flat rides. The park's Boomerang wasn't always those colors, though I must admit I think they suit it well.

It wouldn't be fair to cover this park and ignore its history as a marine life park, I mean heck it was originally known as Marine World! Not only can you go on fast rides here, you can relax and take in some of the numerous animal exhibits the park offers. Above we see two of the sea life theaters, just a couple of many such facilities around the park.

We'll wrap up our tour with this shot of the park's only wooden coaster, Roar, and the park's latest scream machine, Tony Hawk's Big Spin.

No wait there's more! Can you guys name what two coasters can be seen here in the park's lot? Leave a comment!

If you are interested in seeing Bing's aerials of the park, click here.