California's Great America

We had a fantastic day at California’s Great America! The park has a great mix of rides, entertainment, and water fun. My daughter especially loved the water slides—she couldn’t get enough of them. The South Bay Shores water park was clean, well-organized, and perfect for cooling off. Plenty of shaded spots for parents to relax too. Overall, a fun family outing with something for everyone. Highly recommend, especially if you have kids who enjoy water play!

California’s Great America in Santa Clara is a fun and well-rounded theme park that offers something for just about everyone. Whether you’re into high-speed thrills or laid-back family rides, the park’s lineup delivers — especially with coasters like Gold Striker, RailBlazer, and Flight Deck. If you visit on a weekday or arrive early, you’ll beat the crowds and get more ride time without long waits. The layout is easy to navigate, and there’s plenty of shaded seating to take breaks between attractions. Food options are surprisingly diverse for a theme park. You’ll find everything from funnel cakes and burgers to sushi rolls and boba tea, with most meals priced between $10 and $20. Seasonal food festivals like Taste of Orleans add extra flavor with Cajun-inspired dishes and live music. Dining plans are available and can be a good value if you’re planning to stay all day — just keep in mind that some locations may have limited menus or longer lines during peak hours. Overall, the park is clean, well-staffed, and packed with entertainment throughout the year. Events like WinterFest and Red, White & Brews bring extra charm, and Planet Snoopy keeps younger guests happy with gentle rides and character meet-and-greets. While occasional ride closures and crowding can be a downside, the overall experience is memorable and worth the visit.

It was a marvelous experience, Loved all the rides and the atmosphere. Enjoyed very bit of it. A hidden gem I would say. Hoping staff could smile more but regardless, A never forgotten moment. Couldn’t go on all the rides so will have to come back for water park. But make sure your whole day is reserved for California’s Great America.

This was my first time entering and experiencing the park. I’ve passed by several times in the past few years and I always wanted to experience the rides especially after I hear news on closure. Luckily my friend had a seasonal pass and we got discounts on daily tickets. A good place to bring kids and spend a day here. We went in all the big rides as we were adults. It was thrilling and our adrenaline was pumped. Parking was a bit expensive and I suggest you to take light rail or park in Santa Clara convention center as you might get free parking. Avoid going here on days when Levi’s stadium has events as it will be packed. Overall we had a great one day experience which rejuvenated the kid inside me.

We got the annual pass, and it has been totally worth it! It pays for itself in just a few visits and gives us the freedom to come and go without feeling rushed — especially helpful during busy summer days or holidays when lines can get really long (sometimes over an hour for popular rides). California’s Great America is great for all ages — there are thrilling coasters for teens and adults, gentle rides and splash areas for younger kids, and a full water park (South Bay Shores) that everyone can enjoy. If you’re planning to visit the water park, it’s best to arrive early — lounge chairs fill up quickly, especially on hot or crowded days. Going early also means shorter lines for the water slides and more time to relax. The park is clean, the staff are friendly, and there are plenty of food options. Parking is easy, and the annual pass comes with great perks like discounts and early entry on select days. Overall, it’s a fantastic spot for families and anyone looking for a full day (or season!) of fun. Highly recommended!

California’s Great America has a special kind of charm you don’t find often anymore. Right in the heart of Silicon Valley next to Levi’s Stadium, this park blends nostalgic vibes with legit thrills. RailBlazer is a wild, fast, one-of-a-kind coaster that twists and dives like nothing else. And GoldStriker? One of the best wooden coasters anywhere—fast, loud, and an absolute blast from start to finish. It’s heartbreaking that this park is closing for good. There’s so much soul here, and I truly hope some of these iconic rides, especially RailBlazer and Gold Striker, get saved and relocated. If you’ve never been—or haven’t been in a while—go while you still can. You’ll walk out smiling, guaranteed.

We had a great time at Great America. The park was very clean, lots of fresh paint on the rides and buildings. Restrooms were nice and clean. I would recommend this park to others. Not much has changed over the years, which makes this place very nostalgic in my opinion. Plenty of shade, grass, and places to sit. The landscaping was very well groomed and beautiful. Parking is close, no need for a long trolley ride, like other parks. Pizza and bread sticks were good. soda fountains were placed throughout the park. Fun for all ages, that's for sure.

I haven't been there in over 20 years Joe. It was still a really good time. I was a little run down. They need to update some things and put a fresh coat of paint on it. But we had a wonderful day. So it's worth going. Especially if you think it's going to close, which the talk is, it's going to close by 2027!!! That will be a really sad day because I've been going there since 1975!!! In my opinion if six flags California Great America once more people to come to the park maybe they should build a new roller coaster or put in a really cool ride. Do something to entice the people to come!!!

I have been coming to Great America for 25 years when it used to be Paramount's Great America. Over the years the name has changed a few times. This place will always be a core memory of my first upside down rollercoaster the Demon. The ride that is rough and makes your head throb but as a kid you didn't care. The thrill and excitement of an amusement park. Now that I'm a mom I purchase season passes every year to take my kids. They love it and I'm glad I get to tell them the history of what the rides used to be called. We always have a good time and the employees are always nice and friendly. The food can improve but once in awhile during special events they have decent food items to try. Overall a clean amusement park and close to home. Enjoying it till the day it closes for good and we say good bye.

limited rides during Christmas time :( I was not impressed with the only five rides available to go on, but the gold rush ride was the best one. I loved that the staff let us go on that ride five times in a row in the same seats because we wanted to see if we could get ourselves to throw up after a ride lolol Decorations were cute, but the reason for the low rating was the staff who were in charge of ticketing. Our tickets would not scan even though we bought them online. We offered physical proof of the receipt and charge on the card, but we had to sit in their office for over an hour to dispute. we already had a lot of time bitten off over a poor start to the amusement park day, so we felt rushed to enjoy everything, too . ah, just not as fun of a day as hoped, but we were able to still have a good because we were together

Came here with a friend and her little on a Sunday. it's been years since I last visited this park. I've been coming here since the mid-80's and wanted to have one possibly last visit before they close for good. It was a great day! Park was incredibly clean. Employees were very kind and engaging. Rides were all operating and in good repair. Entrance was easy. I was able to bring an empty water bottle and some snacks in my backpack without any problems. It should be no surprise that food and drinks are costly and mediocre, as is the case with most amusement parks (not including Disneyland). I knew this going in. So it isn't reasonable for me to deduct for a $7 bottle of 20oz water or $15 for bad pizza. I could have packed a cooler and eaten lunch in the parking lot. But instead I embraced the experience and enjoyed the crappy pizza and expensive water. Guests were all polite and well-behaved, even the teenagers. Arriving at 10am and leaving at 4pm, I was able to go on every ride with very minimal wait. I'm sure at peak summertime it's a different story. Walking through the park really brought back so many childhood memories and I can't believe such a great place will be closing down. Huge loss for South Bay kids and families. I highly recommend going at least once more before this gem is gone forever.

If you haven't noticed already, we are theme park lovers! So we were up North and decided to squeeze in a quick trip to CGA before it closes for the season (and eventually forever!) The park is a reasonable size, not too big, not too small. It's pretty easy to maneuver around with full mobility. There's also a gondola that takes you from one part of the park to the other. But you can only ride it one way, and you have to get off and get back in line to go back. Theming is almost non existent. It's not clear when you go from one section to the other except for the kids area. But that's not a huge deal. My favorite attraction was the 3D immersive ride/show. Normally I don't wear 3D glasses as they just feel weird. But this experience was with it and good. It includes scents, moving seats, a great actor hosting us, and a neat little story. I liked that many of the big rides/rollercoasters have a 48 inch minimum height. If you have adventurous little little ones, it gives them more to do! Operations were slow on some of the rides which resulted in long waits. It was a somewhat busy day. So I'd love to go back during a more chill time to see how it is. We only had about 5 hours to explore. So we couldn't get too much in. But we at least got to see the whole park. We hope to will be open next year for us to go back and try more!

It's always fun to go to Great America growing up in the Bay Area this amusement park was a must visit . As a child I remember coming here and as I got older for company picnic's to now even my kids get to experience this park . Fun fact they share a parking space with the 49er stadium also . Sadly they are permanently closing in 2027-2033 sad news to hear . I know now they don't do any festivals or events in the park any more . Some rides are closed. I can see all the changes going on already . The vibe just feels a bit different now . They even have a full blown water park called South Bay Shores which is pretty big . The food at the park is very pricy and not good at all . I try to eat outside the park before or after entering. The food is definitely not worth the money . I guess I wish they would put more effort on the food but they are closing so im assuming they don't care so do so anymore . Overall , it's sad they are closing so many memories were made here . So many summer nights here as a kid and young adult . I would definitely recommend coming here before they close the park for good .

As a Bay Area native I've been to Great America many times over the years, but I had not gone in roughly 20 odd years. Yesterday we went there as a gift for my daughter's birthday. I felt like I had the time of my life! It was so incredibly fun and enjoyable!! From the rides, to the food, to the amazing fireworks show at the end of the night! The candy we got at the big candy shop in New Orleans square was so delightful, and I was very impressed they gave out fudge samples! That's the kind of service people remember! The Rocky Road candy apple I got was possibly one of the best I've ever had. We ate sushi for lunch (delicious) and BBQ brisket for dinner (so good!!) we had the commemorate bottle for unlimited drinks with our ticket, so I was able to just get water and stay hydrated all day in the hot blazing sun. We even found some nice clothes to buy as souvenirs. As far as the workers went, it was hit or miss. Some of the people were very nice, friendly, and just top notch workers who you could see cared about customer services. And a couple were dreadful jerks who seemed lazy and uncaring and looked liked they hated the sight of you. Seems like the upper management needs to do better training and or get rid of the bad apples as they really are a reflection of the park, and this should be a happy place. Despite the couple nasties, I still had a hell of a great day with my family. I'm very sad they will be closing down!!

Ok after a very bad experience here I chose to go to Six Flags last year. I decided to renew passes and go take the kids . I drove 2 1/2 hours because of traffic to get here. I have a disability. I was in a car accident 20 years ago and it's hard for me to stand for long periods. I already accessibility card valid until 2026. I have Used this cards for six flags and Great America and Disneyland never had no problems . Have used this pass countless times here. The girl started Asking Me questions about my accident over 20 years . Then they said I can't go on rides. They came over with a pass that X out all the rides basically, every single rollercoaster . And the guy started laughing and rolling his eyes on me . If I fall I will be suing GA . They ruined our entire day. It is not legal to harass me the way they are and ask me questions. I've never had this happen before and I've been coming for over 20 years. I've never had any park treat me this way. I now have to sit on a bench while my family goes on rides because they won't give me a pass when I have a legal accessibility pass in California. I'm pissed

I had to use Guest Services today. First, I experienced some very helpful assistance at the entrance gate from a heavy set gentleman working around 11:30 am. He was friendly, he listened to me, and he directed me to guest services. The woman who helped me at Guest services also went above and beyond to ensure my issue was handled. She met me at the gate to make sure my party didn't experience any more difficulty entering the park with Friends and Family passes. GOOD JOB HIRING folks who patiently resolve what can be irritating hiccups. And lastly, every ride I rode the attendees were helpful assisting me buckle myself in (because after not going to an amusement park for nearly 10 years, I'd lost the ability to do this myself). And they waved and smiled at each guest. I'm sure they are trained to do it, but my inner child waved and smiled right back at them. It was an incredible day at Great America. THANK YOU!

This was our first trip to Great America and we loved it! We got there around 11 AM and stayed until 7:30 PM. We went on a Thursday, and the park was not busy at all - most of the waits in lines were under 15 minutes! We normally go to Six Flags, and found the wait time muchhhh faster! Some of the rides were closed which was a little disappointing, but most of them were open. Some of the food stands were closed as well, but they had a decent amount open. We stopped at one of the Dippin Dots stands, and as we were checking out I noticed some ants crawling on the stand which was not my favorite. Additionally, at the end of the night we grabbed an Icee and were offered a free pretzel which was super nice! All of the rides we went on were great! Fun, thrilling, and low wait times! The longest we waited was for Psycho Mouse which was around 30 mins - which is our usual wait time at Six Flags. I felt very safe and secure in each ride we rode and the staff was great at checking safety features. South Bay Shores was so fun as well - I honestly needed two days to do everything in the park! South Bay Shores wasn't too deep anywhere so it is friendly to those who don't know how to swim. It had a good mix of relax water activities and thrill ones! We will definitely be coming back before they shut down the park!

Been coming here for many years since I was a kid, I'm gonna miss it here when it's gone. I started coming here in middle school, and on my high school senior night, our school closed down the entire park just for my graduating class, complete with a shuttle bus that took us to and from the school (I remember going home at 5am in the morning, my dog greeting me when I returned, and falling asleep for 12 hours). As an adult, I've had a gold membership both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, and have enjoyed the waterpark during the summer, the New Orleans foodie event, Halloween, Winterfest, and Memorial Day fireworks. The rides are always fun, and I love seeing Snoopy whenever I am here and getting pictures with the iconic beloved beagle. On my most recent visit, I had an injury on the Celebration Swings when an empty chair in front of me crashed into my shin. They had to shut down the ride and wheelchair me to the first-aid center, got me and my boyfriend free chicken tenders, and they drove me and my boyfriend to our car in the parking lot (one of the medics even asked if he was my husband). It's not Disneyland, but many memorable memories have been made here.

Where to even start. I've been going here since I was knee high to a grasshopper, back when it was PARAMOUNT. Those were much better times with the Nickelodeon slime zone and all the other cool stuff from "back in my day." What I will say is this place is dirty, a bit sketchy, and the food is trash. BUT, when the rides are actually up, they just bring me child like happiness and I've truly had fun taking my family here along the years as well, it's crazy that now I'm bringing my own kids to somewhere I used to go on my weekends during elementary school. I'm gonna be sad when it's gone for sure, but it really has become an artifact of a different era and no longer fits in down here. Just do yourself a favor and go take some of it in before it's too late, one of our favorite times to go was during Halloween, the theming is no Disneyland... but it's still fun.

I've purchased multiple Great America season passes throughout the years- from high school in 2017 to throughout college and post-grad! You only need to visit twice for it to pay off, and you get free parking and discounts on food on top of that. It also becomes easier to convince your friends to go to GA with you when they find out that their tickets are also discounted when they go with you using their Bring a Friend pass. I'd say that their biggest pitfall is that less success becomes a cycle- when less people attend, they can't afford to staff every ride, which means that GA becomes less attractive as an amusement park, so less people attend. Rinse and repeat. My favorite ride is the Tiki Twirl and it's been closed since last year!! They even hired an employee to stand outside- ostensibly to make sure that no one tries to sneak inside, or in case anyone has questions or needs directions I assume? I love when GA has events- their October Halloween decorations and Winterfest are my favorites, because you're no longer in blazing hot weather but it's still socially acceptable to ride rollercoasters and they're still open! But I also love Sundays early on in the summer in June, the lines are so so short and it's so easy to ride each ride and only have to wait approximately 5 minutes. I would not suggest a Fast Pass for these days. I went on my birthday last year and I was not aware that it was the last day GA would be open for the entire summer, so it was packed! I'd say definitely visit first and see if it's worth it. The food options are as expected, Panda Express is probably the healthiest option that they offer and they don't offer the option to make your own plate- they come with pre-decided choices. I'll miss GA when it closes and most likely becomes another TMT corporate headquarter Silicon Valley hub, I've made a lot of memories here and love that there's something family friendly that the South Bay has to offer among the grind and hustle.

I haven't been to Great America since my own childhood days but thought the season pass deal was a great value (30% off and comes with two free pre-K passes). Brought my kiddos here and the entire family had a good time. There are rides/attractions for the entire family here but we spent the majority of our time in the Peanuts Village. There are a bunch of toddler friendly rides here, all right next to each other so you don't have to walk far to maximize your experience. Even though it was a Saturday, the rides were not long at all and we only had to wait at most, a few minutes, for each ride. The food available was surprisingly decent for theme parked food. I got a cheeseburger and the bun was nicely toasted and the patty was juicy and tender. We were going to end our day with a Gondola ride but it ended up breaking down as we were in line. The staff could've done a better job in informing the people waiting sooner.

Wow! What a fun theme park. I never knew the Bay Area had a theme park. It's like Disneyland, but less people! The parking lot is a easy short walk to the inside of the park. Once inside, there are not long lines. There are tons of rides, games, and food options inside. It's too bad this place will close in a few years. Prices are very fair too.

Still can't believe my childhood theme park is closing. Past view visits has been solid. I will say, rightfully so, the foodcourt has gone down hill and the line management. Line time could get really bad, I'm talking hour+ wait times. But none the fact still a great time.

The park was clean and not overly crowded for a Sunday. The employees were nice and we w ere able to ride most of the rides we wanted to. I realize this park is closing..but have a few things to say.. I live with a service dog. They have 1 service dog relief area for the whole park and its completely inadequate. Its like a 6x6ft muddy stinky cesspool. Nasty. The whole park is hard to navigate. We were trying to make a route to see everything, but its just not that easy. They dont offer paper maps and the app just sucks the joy out of your visit. They app also doesn't offer any prices or menus online. Mobile ordering means you go to the restaurant and scan a qr code then the menu pops up. And you can only scan the codes at that restaurant. The prices here are off the charts! An entree is gonna cost you about $18. Now, allllll the signage we saw said no outside drinks or food allowed. This is apparently a lie. I saw kids with Capri suns and snacks all day. If you do decide you need to leave and come back there is a process including photos and ids..it was just way more hassle than it was worth.

Fun rides, slightly overpriced food and tickets on the weekend. Otherwise, definitely worth the trip. We used to come here about once a year as kids, I used to perform as a part of the Diwali event they used to have every year, and it was great being back!

A smaller amusement park that has just enough for everyone. From the simple but beautiful double decker carousel to the extreme roller coaster rides. For the warmers months the water park is a fun place to cool off. This is included with the price of the park ticket. Since the parking is shared with the stadium it is best to go during off season of football.

Almost two years since I been back to Great America and didn't realize how small the place is. Been coming here since I was a kid and it's man it's not as busy these days. The gold striker still hurts my sides lol, but still fun. The Demon is a good oldie, but not as scary and fun as it used to be to be maybe because I'm older. The Grizzly is one of the originals, but not as I remember. The Drop Tower(Drop Zone) is one the best rides and the Trail Blazer are the best ones. Overall still a great place to bring friends and families especially since it's closing in the near future.

Heard this place was closing and never been so my sister and I went to see what the vibes were. Vibes were definitely dead. The meal pass is value city.

I really like this place and all it has to offer. It is close and fun to visit. I wish the food was better especially for its price. 22$ for 3 tendies! Really?! Anyway fun place, water park is fun aswell

I haven't been to Great America in around a decade and after hearing its days are numbered and it's closing in a few years, I figured I'd go back for nostalgia sake. The good: the roller coasters are still solid (Goldstriker, the newish Railblazer, Flight Deck), the newer 4D Star Tours knock off is fun (why did the spit legit smell stinky? lol) the fast lane pass was expensive but worth it if you want to shave off 30-60 minutes from the flagship ride queues. The bad: the food court was awful. I asked for a black bean burger and didn't realize it was a beef burger until I bit into it, the cashier lines were so slow, and the 10 soda machines all had flat soda, or syrups were out, just overall mid experience for the $25 they charge. I didn't even want to bother asking for the originally ordered black bean burger because lines were insane and chaotic. I upgraded to a season pass for the additional $14 - as it included parking which is $35 (!), which is highway robbery. I'll go again but eat prior to, and pretty much only ride the three flagship rides.

I see now why they are practically giving season passes away. We figured for $75, even if we only came a few times it was a good value. I hadn't been since I was a kid. It's worse than I remember. We've been waiting over an hour for the car ride. And when we got in line I thought 20 minutes tops. But they have hardly any cars at all, so it takes forever. I think every line we've been in has been at least a 45 min wait, even the little kiddie rides our son went on. At least when I was a kid you could get on rides in a decent amount of time. We've been here for hours now and have made it onto 3 rides. What an absolute waste of a day.

Had a fantastic visit here on the Sunday of a long weekend. Download the app, sort by wait time, and ride whatever has the shortest wait! It worked beautifully, even tipping me off to the fact that a popular ride which was down for service had just reopened and there was no wait! The 3pm pass was also a great deal and worked out so well. The park is a tad run down in spots but you can't beat this place for the price -- a third of what you pay for Disneyland. We thought it was a great value. Snoopy is a bonus! Extra points added for the incredibly awesome app, efficient lines, and the value of the 3pm pass! Go before they go out of business!

It had been over 20 years since I came back to Great America for their Winterfest. I couldn't even tell you the last time I was here compared to Six Flags in Vallejo, so I felt like a first timer all over again. My friend got a Groupon for $100 for four people ($25 each) which was a good deal. We entered right at 16:00 and there were a lot of people here for the festive lights and rides. While it wasn't super busy, each ride did have a 20-40 min wait so we did need to prioritize which ones to go on. The best one for me was RailBlazer. Loved the 360 turn and high drop on this one for sure. The Patriot was also a nice one to warm the body up for the adrenaline rush. Ride staff were fine - they all looked to be high school or early college-aged kids with some being more into it than others. The PA system on some rides were awful though and some could've used one or two more staff to do safety checks and reduce wait times. Parking costs $30 and there was plenty of it. While finding a spot wasn't hard, leaving was challenging because of how dark it was and the lack of wayfinding. We must've circled around 3-4 times before finally finding the proper exit. Cool visit but I probably wouldn't come back unless there was another good deal online.

Nice park but plenty of parking and food which is ok but it's better to bring your own water and food instead since it's very pricey and they do not accept any cash at all. Intraday you have to use Apple Pay or credit card for everything. So do not bring any cash because they would not accept it. The wait time is quite long for all the good rides. I think this is their last year and the park is sold to developers and they are not upgrading anything so you will lot of things being outdated.

Maybe I've got too high of standards, having gone to Cedar Point every summer growing up, but California's Great America didn't really blow me away. It made for a fun little weekend thing to do with my girlfriend, but it definitely has its flaws. The price of the ticket isn't bad, but it really feels like they are scamming you with the $30 parking at the gate. Plus, no discount for buying ahead of time online, like they offer for the entry tickets. Not only that, but there aren't really that many serious rides here. We had set aside the entire day to be at the park, but found ourselves kind of bored after hitting every rollercoaster by like... 2 PM. And the rides were kind of filthy... Doesn't seem like they have taken that great of care of this place. The food prices in the park were also exorbitant, but that's kind of normal for places like this. The big pluses for me was the patriotic/America theming, and the couple rollercoasters that were pretty good. If you go here during the hotter months, and are more into the rides AND water park, you might enjoy it a bit more, but I can't say it really did it for me.

We all are aware the great America is closing but it didn't become evident until this trip. Not being a local I've been excited to finally have the opportunity to visit Great America and the experience was eh. Many of the rides were shit down, the rides we did go on broke down whilst waiting in line (this happened multiple times not just once). The park itself is beautiful and hopefully the spirit can withstand the next few years. The water park area was so much fun. Prices are affordable For what you would expect for a theme park. I wouldn't rush back but the different seasonal events would definitely entice me.

Every time I take my kid to Great America we have an excellent time. It's not that the people complaining are wrong exactly, it's that you have to flex to how the park works to maximize your fun. First, this is not Disneyland. Operations are inefficient when it comes to filling up the rides, so lines quickly grow...possibly on purpose to encourage more purchases of their fast pass line hoppers. Second, know who rides which rides. Parents with little kids show up in the morning, teenagers in the afternoon. That means an hour or two of minimal lines for thrill rides if you show up when the park opens at 10. Once the teenagers arrive how long you have to wait is mostly determined by how many people can fit on the ride per run. Want to ride the Psycho Mouse that only takes four (and is "kid friendly" so littler kids are in line too)? By mid day you could wait 2-3 hours. On the other end, the flight deck seats something like 32 so even a decently long line might take only 20 or 30 minutes to get through. In our opinion the best rides in the park are, in order, the railblazer (seats 8, so long lines in the afternoon), tower drop (16, but also people are freaked out by it so lines are manageable all day), flight deck, mass effect 3D experience (seats lots but also is looooong, only go early), delerium (seats a bunch but also a longer rider so can develop a line), the orbit (no one seems to know about it and it seats 16. Have rarely waited more than one cycle even mid-afternoon), psycho mouse, and the tiki twirl (seats...many, but a longer ride so can develop a line. Also the seating is super uncomfortable). Also go on the weekend. Even though it's busier they sometimes don't run all the rides mid-week to save on staff. On to the food...which is very expensive and not very good. Probably the best is the chicken tenders from The Market (the place with a whole bunch of different little stations), and probably the worst is the burgers from the same area, which appear to have been pre cooked hours before and are rock hard. But even tho they say no outside food I've never had my bag checked for that so I'd just bring my lunch if I were you. Or, if you can be patient and are going to be there all day, get one all day meal plan to split for each two people. Lets you get a meal every 90 minutes, so if you split them you just end up eating 4 or 5 smaller meals instead of 2 regular sized ones and pricewise it works out to ~$18 per person for lunch and dinner combined. Also, hot tip: check to see if the date you are going to go allows add on tickets for season pass holders. If it does, the cheapest approach is buy one gold season pass (which includes free parking, otherwise that would be $35) and then buy add on tickets for everyone else. Even with just two people that will be cheaper than buying two single day passes and parking.

Last weekday entry before the Fall season, we went to Great America by purchasing online to save on entrance and food. The orange Trail Blazer roller coaster with its 90 degree drop looks insane and is a fueled adrenaline rush to experience! The wait was long and sleepy, but the ride shook me wide awake! It's a 'must ride' to get the fear of heights out of you. Food is palatable mass cooked type. The burgers are better than the pizzas imho. The water park is included in the ticket, but we didn't go, as the kids wanted the metal thrills. Restrooms were very clean on this day. Enjoy the rides!

There's something nostalgic about going to amusement parks that I remember for my childhood. While I feel like amusement parts don't get as much love as they used to, it's still fun to check out and fun for the family. We decided to do a family outing to great America and it was absolutely everything it could be. The weather was perfect and maybe that played the factor but definitely contributed to our fun day. We ended up just getting the season pass. Now for those interested, it just makes sense to get the season pass if you are a family of four or more and plan on going here at least two times or even checking out Gilroy Gardens, because you get free entrance to Gilroy Gardens with membership to California great America . You could also opt to upgrade and get access to all six flags theme parks, which really depends on how often you think you're gonna go. If you're gonna go at least three times, it's definitely worth it I found that the season pass was worth it for a parking alone. Parking was $35 when we went in appears to fluctuate depending on demand. So does the ticket cost. If you purchase a ticket the day before or earlier, you're gonna pay a lower price than the day of. Which is another reason we opted to just get the season passes. I should mention that there are usually deals to get season passes, where you usually get another perk added them. We were able to get unlimited drinks added then so whenever we go there, we get unlimited Coca-Cola drinks and we don't have to pay for it, which is pretty nice. We don't really drink soda but they did have some Agua Fresca's and lemonade and iced tea options. The park wasn't extremely crowded when we went, which I actually really enjoyed. It's no fun to be at an amusement park and the bumper-to-bumper with people so I appreciate it being able to stroll and have room to do so. The ride were not a long wait, maybe 10 minutes at most, and that it was super manageable, especially with young children. I found that the rides were fun for children and I liked the variety of options that were available. I wasn't really going there as a thrill seeker, so I didn't check out any of those rides, but it still appears that there is a nice variety of thrill seeking opportunities for those who are interested in that. We ended up eating here and I do like the variety of food options that are available. I opted to check out the sushi spot and ordered the chicken teriyaki. I love the care and attention they put into that dish but the chicken was just a wee bit bland. It tasted more like broiled chicken with some teriyaki sauce on it. It wasn't terrible, but not my first go to choice. My recommendation is for any of these places, asked for the food fresh. So if there's pizza sitting out, ask for a fresh slice of pizza that just came out of oven. It will make a huge difference. Same with the fries. When the food starts sitting for a while, I feel like it's not as good. Food was just OK for the most part. I could take it or leave it. There is a panda express there, and so you may feel better going there and there is also a Starbucks on site. I will say that I was super impressed with the cleanliness of the bathroom. I am big on clean bathrooms especially in theme parks and public spaces. I don't think it takes much to keep bathrooms clean or at least have an attendant in their ensuring they remain clean, so I was really happy to see that and it really made a difference for our visit. We didn't check out the waterpark because it didn't feel warm enough to go, but we did walk by and it looked like a lot of fun. Definitely some words to check out on a warm day and it's great that you have the option to do the waterpark the first part of the day and then go to the theme park for the remainder of the day. I just wanna emphasize how many activities they have for Littles. Particularly toddlers and those under 40 inches. This is a great place to take your kids! Lots for them to do and you don't get bored. The one thing that I'm just not a fan of are the arcade games. They are always so overpriced and you pay cash for them on top of the ticket price you pay to get into the theme park. They are fun to see but take it for what it's worth. I feel like I couldn't leave this park without getting a churro, and they're not bad but again you need to get everything piping hot if you wanted to taste good. All in all this is a great way to spend a nice day with your family or friends, or if you have folks that are in town. It's also great for date night, since they're open late.

Been coming here ever since it first opened. Northern CA has been lucky to have it, without it we would have to drive to Southern CA to experience anything like it. Yes, it has been declining recently. The current owners probably want to get people to stop coming so they can build more overpriced housing on the property. Great America should be protected from this and remain there forever, and bring in people to give it a much needed makeover! Would Disneyland ever be torn down to make way for more office buildings and overpriced apartments? SAVE GREAT AMERICA!

As a local activity for families, Great America is worth the Gold Pass, which includes free parking. With other amusement parks being so expensive these days, this park isn't outrageous. There are rides for almost every age group, from thrilling rollercoasters to itty bitty ones for young kids. The lines can be long because the cars don't hold a lot of riders, but the attendants are as quick as they can be. I've been to parks where the rides hold more guests but the attendants are so slow that the wait ends up being a lot longer. The staff also does a decent job upkeeping the park to the point where I don't feel like they are running with my money and not putting any back into the park, which is how I feel about some other local parks, where the decor is dusty, faded, and decades old. The food is very expensive, $17.99 for an entree and fries, but it does taste pretty good and is on the hearty side. The kids enjoy it enough to ask for seconds. The chicken strips are large, the burgers have double patties, and the bread sticks are dense. The annual food pass provides a meal every 4 hours, which is a decent deal if it's used for about 10 meals (5 trips). They have cute Snoopy merchandise, too, like Charlie Brown shirts and sweatshirts and Snoopy beanies with ears that move. The park announced that they would no longer be hosting seasonal events, but if they ever change their mind, they did a good job this past year. The Octoberfest, Halloween, and Christmas decorations were very festive, and Christmas was pretty. They even had lots fun activities and photo ops for guests between rides. The kids loved running through the fog machines and Christmas Tree Lot aka maze. In Snoopy land, there are cute photo op backgrounds, and characters walk around regularly. During Winterfest, they had cast members dress up in festive wonderland costumes. During Halloween, they had scary zombies dancing around.

I am very upset to see this park close since there is really nothing fun to do in San Jose. There will be absolutely nothing to do in San Jose if this park closes. It is a bit difficult to buy tickets online... The park tickets are only available on weekends (if you are buying tickets online).

I made a promise to my self that I am not going to great America ever again . I am from Oakland I'd rather drive Al the way to sant cruz broad walk. Staff so damn rude. I and my family had a very bad experience in multiple areas. Great America is not grate anymore.

They let my son stand in line for over an hour for a water ride, just to tell him that he cant get on because he just got his ears pierced. He has studs in that cant be removed or the holes will close up. Such a waste of time and money. Not to mention half of the food stands were closed with nobody operating them. I'm glad their closing, it's not the experience I got as a child.

Thank you Great America for another wonderful Winterfest! We all loved the festive atmosphere with the gorgeous light displays, ice rink, fun live holiday shows, and bold decorations everywhere. The whole park is done up! Everyone rode on the roller coasters -- more thrilling at night -- and all the other rides were fun, too. We are one happy family, especially since the park is *so* clean throughout. I wish I had better pictures to capture the experience. [I was not compensated in any way for this review. This is my honest opinion.]

If you have a child that is under 44 inches, definitely not worth it. Can't ride most rides. If you have a kid 54 inches and above, they are solid.

Dear Californias Great America communication department, I hope this message finds you well. I've been visiting Californias Great America for the last 15 years , and I've always had a pleasant experience until recently. I'am writing to formally express my concerns about an unpleasant experience I had while visiting your park on Saturday 10-4-25. While my day at Great America great , an incident occurred in one of your gift shops left me feeling disrespected and uncomfortable.  I was at the park with my niece and nephew , and we had a wonderful time enjoying the rides and attractions . During our visit, I purchased 2 stuffed animals from your shop California Trails, and the kids were happily carrying around the stuffed animals through the day.  At the end of our visit we decided to stop at the first shop near the entrance of the park (Inside Californias Great America gift shop)  to purchase a shirt. As we were about to leave , a worker , an older lady in a wheelchair asked us if the children payed for the stuffed animals already. I informed her that we purchased those stuffed animals early in the day at a different shop. However she continued to asked for the receipt to which I showed it to her on my phone , and she replied "I wouldn't know" . This experience made me feel like I was singled out , because she didn't asked this same questions to others that walked in the store with purchased merchandise.

Went sat aug 16,2025 & have the gold season pass with 3 add ons. More than half of the day is standing in line to get food. Then you have to stand in another line to get your season pass QR code scanned to "pay" for your food. There are not enough workers so it takes FOREVER!! A lot of the food vendors were closed also. Great America can improve on having a bigger variety of food. Like 95% of all the food places sell exactly the same food! Another frustrating situation is the line hopping! This literally happened to me & my family in EVERY line!! These line hoppers need to be told they have to wait like everyone else & go to the end of the line. All in all, the day was ruined because we barely got to go on a lot of rides due to the non- moving lines at several food places and all the line hopping from others. Very, very disappointing!!!!

Used to come a lot as a kid/teenager and used to have so much fun staying there all day on the rides. As an adult on a Saturday in the summer, the park somehow seems smaller but still fun. However, it seemed there were less staff as lines for the rides were longer and either one coaster at a time or every other ride going by empty on White Water Rapids. The site says no outside food or drinks, but everywhere I looked, people had their Stanley mugs and other items. Will note if I go back the next time. The carnival games were empty and a bit pricey, but glad they accept credit cards.

Employees treating people like dirt Prices are way out of line Rides breaking down Parking at 35 bucks seems a bit too Much

$35 to park, really? Employees rather RUDE! A very rude ride operator. Costly items for sale One of you employees trued to steal my wallet it was in his back pocket; strangely Our first time returning in Years; glad to see the lines were not to long.

Overall a great park. Just unhappy that all long slides at the water structure are always closed.

Several rides got stuck and were stuck at least two 10 minutes during this post and not moving. There were other rides that had issues. Several rides are non-operable, which makes the lines longer and take more time. Glad our daughter first time and she is laid back. The Market to get food at several locations had one person taking orders and cooking. The burger and hot dog servers were nice and patient. Hope they can get it together but with tariffs and other financial worries people may limit and with the current issues, people may just not go.

Can be fun but lots of issues really add up. It's nice that Great America is an amusement park with rides, arcade games including claw machines, carnival games, and a water park. But the amount of problems present can really ruin an experience. Buying the fast pass is extremely worth it if you're a roller coaster fanatic. Your time is worth more than waiting in 90 minute lines for a 3 minute experience. If you have a big group though, it's not as bad because there's lots of conversation and then the roller coaster isn't the main purpose of your visit. So gauge your priorities. However, the fact that you pay an entry fee and then have to pay separately for arcade games or carnival games is quite annoying. I mean it doesn't have to come with, but there should be some discount or way to add it onto the entry fee because it is part of the park. You can buy rides and dining together which are part of the park, obviously, but the others are still very present in the park. Also lots of rides just aren't operating. Website claims that "the food and drinks at California's Great America will satisfy all tastes" because they have classics and "Bay Area favorites like boba tea and sushi rolls" but pretty sure that's a bait. The latter (boba and sushi) aren't open or available. Though I will say food is actually not bad. The Premium All Day Dining is valuable and I highly recommend it. Roughly three visits will make back the money as some entrees and sides can be close to $20. Though the variance between places is weird, like Panda Express only offers a bowl which is a rough $10 value versus a $16 entree at other places. Also the drink system doesn't include Icees and even though it says Coca Cola products, Fairlife that they display isn't included either. So a tad misleading. On the gondola ride, the Eagle's Flight, we were paused at the top for 20 minutes and later it was explained that some of the employees just left in the middle? I noticed everyone else had a smooth ride and was confused why we were stuck, almost worrying that the ride broke. After we got off we got an apology and note that "some of us," referring to employees, just left. Whitewater Falls is a fun experience because you get wet and suffer together and the ride itself isn't as frightening as others. Highly recommend doing it early on so that you have tons of time to dry off from the heat. We opted to do it at the end on a whim and well, we spent extra time at the carnival games in order to dry. Some carnival games accept the Great America game card whereas others do not so it's a poor experience that you have to either be selective with your choices or rely on a regular credit card. The latter is fine, but don't even give us the option of getting a game card if it's not compatible. The purpose of getting a game card is for the extra credits when you buy large amounts but if they're not usable, it's worthless.

We came on a beautiful sunny 78 degree day, mid week with literally no crowds, so it's a 4 star day. I can see how my rating may be lowered on a busy day with long lines as the rides are short and I wasn't really "WoWed" That said, today we didn't have to wait over 15 min for any ride. There were several though that my kids and I made comments that we would be peeved if we had waited an hour "for that". The only ride that had a 60 min wait was the Psycho Mouse. We got lucky that it broke down and was closed for some time and we just happened to be right next to it when they reopened and got right on.. but I don't understand the wait for this one. I think it's just because you can only get 4 people in a car and only a few are running at once. Even 30 min is too long for this ride. Yes, the rides at Six Flags are better, in the opinion of my family, but we did not renew our passes this year. Too many issues there for us to return. The plus side of this park was it was SO clean! Lots of garbage cans and the staff seemed friendly enough. Looking forward to coming back to try the water park, the rides look fun, but fear the crowds will be brutal. Downside, more than half the rides closed as it's not full on summer yet. If your phone dies, good luck ordering food. So annoying you can't just order from a human anymore. We ordered from the burger/shake place and our food came out quickly but there was a long hair in my son's chocolate dessert. He ate it anyhow (I wouldn't have) and I never got my margarita. Twenty minutes after we got our food I finally went to the building across the courtyard as I was told that's where the drinks come from, and the guy was just standing at the bar staring into space, never heard the order trying to come through the printer and the chit was stuck in the printer when I inquired. Had to show him my receipt and finally got my drink but was then done with lunch. Set it down by my purse in a cubby to go on a ride and it got tossed out while on the ride.. oh well, there went $19. Expect to pay around $20 for anything to eat. A pretzel is $10. Food was ok. They offer Gluten Free, but usually means getting something without a bun, or just removing something, not GF bread. Only a few food places were open today too.. we wanted the mexican place, but it was closed like many others.. I get it, not profitable to open everything when the attendance is low, but on the other hand, you make money when it's busy, so why not give all guests the same experience no matter what day it is or crowds expected as we all pay the same fee. Offer discounts if you are going to only be half open. My 2 cents. I'm not sure I'd be as happy on a busy day with long waits, but today was a nice relaxing day and we were able to see and do the rides we wanted. Would be nice to have some entertainment happening too.. maybe next time when we come back for the water rides.

Fireworks were nice. I do not know why, with all of the patriotic songs, you would pay fireworks. That was a bummer. I know you are closing, but we bought the season pass with the idea that we could use it on Halloween and Christmas. I feel we should get a refund because they stopped doing this. They did not tell us until after we bought them and they change in 2025.

We purchased Gold Passes last winter 2022. With this season pass, we were able to visit GA in the summer, fall (Halloween), and again this winter! If you buy season passes and go several times throughout the year, it's a good value. We were also able to get the free pre-k pass for our daughter so we only had to pay for 2 adult season passes. I feel like GA has done a great job of making the park feel safe and family friendly. We never go/stay very late, but when we visited during the day or early evening (around 5-7pm), it has consistently felt safe. They have security at the front and just in general, the crowds feel different than when I was in high school. There are a lot of young families, especially during the Halloween trick-or-treating and Winterfest. We watched the Winterfest ice skating show last year and this year. Both shows were excellent! The show is 30 minutes and entertaining for the whole family. I was impressed with the quality of the performances, and it was a completely different production last year versus this year. Winterfest has ice skating, singing reindeers, Santa, and tons of lights everywhere. There's "snow" and a beautiful Christmas tree lighting near the carousel. Lots of fun and we are likely to renew our season passes for next year!