Six Flags America: Why It Closed, Rides’ Fate & What’s Next

Six Flags America opened its gates in 1974 as a wildlife park east of Washington, D.C., and by the time it closed 51 years later it had grown into one of the mid-Atlantic’s larger theme parks, home to a 108-year-old wooden coaster and seven other thrill rides. On November 2, 2025, Six Flags America shut down for good, and in April 2026 the 515-acre property was sold to a development group backed by NBA star Kevin Durant for a decade-long mixed-use redevelopment.

This guide covers the park’s full history and name changes, why Six Flags pulled the plug, what happened to fan-favorite rides like The Wild One and Firebird, what the closure meant for the people who worked there, what’s coming next for the Bowie, Maryland site, and where Maryland families are heading for their theme-park fix now that it’s gone.

Quick Answer

Six Flags America, at 13710 Central Ave in Bowie, Maryland, permanently closed on November 2, 2025, after 51 years, when Six Flags — restructuring debt after its 2024 merger with Cedar Fair — decided the park no longer fit its long-term growth plans. In April 2026 the 515-acre site was sold to Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and the TPA Group for a phased, mixed-use redevelopment; none of the park’s rides, including the historic Wild One coaster, has a publicly confirmed new home as of this writing.

A Park Built on Decades of History

Few American theme parks carried as much layered history as Six Flags America. The property first opened on July 15, 1974, as The Wildlife Preserve, a drive-through animal park east of Washington, D.C. It was renamed Wild World in 1982 after adding rides and water attractions, became Adventure World in 1993 following a change in ownership, and finally took the Six Flags America name in 1999. Through every rebrand, the park kept the same address at 13710 Central Ave — sometimes listed under the nearby Woodmore, Largo, or Upper Marlboro place names, all within Prince George’s County.

Its oldest ride, The Wild One, predated the park itself by 57 years. The coaster opened on May 26, 1917, as The Giant Coaster at Paragon Park in Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, designed by John A. Miller and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company; at 98 feet tall, it was briefly the tallest coaster in the world. When Paragon Park closed in 1984, Wild World bought the ride at auction for $28,000, rebuilt roughly 75 percent of its structure, and reopened it as The Wild One in 1986. American Coaster Enthusiasts gave it the organization’s Coaster Landmark award in 2018, recognizing it as one of the oldest wooden coasters still operating in the United States.

The park’s other headline attractions included Superman: Ride of Steel, an Intamin hypercoaster that opened in 2000 and reached 208 feet and 73 mph; Roar, a wooden coaster from Great Coasters International; and Firebird, a Bolliger & Mabillard coaster with its own relocation story. Firebird began life in 1990 as Iron Wolf, B&M’s very first coaster, at Six Flags Great America in Illinois. It moved to Maryland in 2012 as the stand-up coaster Apocalypse, then was converted to floorless trains and renamed Firebird for the 2019 season — giving it, like The Wild One, a history longer than its years in Maryland suggest.

Key Dates: A Six Flags America Timeline

July 15, 1974 — opens as The Wildlife Preserve. 1982 — renamed Wild World. 1986 — The Wild One relocates from Massachusetts and opens. 1993 — renamed Adventure World. 1999 — renamed Six Flags America. 2000 — Superman: Ride of Steel opens. 2012 — Iron Wolf arrives from Illinois as Apocalypse. 2019 — Apocalypse converted and renamed Firebird. May 1, 2025 — Six Flags announces the park will close. September 6, 2025 — Hurricane Harbor Maryland closes. November 2, 2025 — Six Flags America closes permanently. April 2026 — the 515-acre site is sold to Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and the TPA Group.

Why Six Flags America Really Closed

Six Flags announced the closure on May 1, 2025, saying the Bowie park no longer fit the company’s long-term growth plans. The decision followed the 2024 merger of Six Flags and Cedar Fair, which created a combined company operating more than two dozen parks and triggered a systemwide portfolio review aimed at cutting underperforming or capital-intensive locations and paying down merger debt. Six Flags America and its companion water park, Hurricane Harbor Maryland, were both included in that review.

Local and national coverage pointed to a mix of factors beyond the merger itself: rising operating costs and ticket prices squeezing attendance at a mid-sized regional park, direct competition from larger parks within driving distance such as Hersheypark and Kings Dominion, and the underlying real-estate value of a 515-acre property just 15 miles from Washington, D.C. — land that was ultimately worth more to Six Flags redeveloped than operated as a theme park. Hurricane Harbor Maryland closed first, on September 6, 2025, and the main park followed on November 2, 2025.

What Happened to The Wild One, Firebird & the Other Rides

Six Flags said at closure that individual rides could be relocated to other company parks or sold to outside operators, but it did not announce specific plans for any Six Flags America attraction. Superman: Ride of Steel ran its final cycle on closing day; within about a week, its trains had reportedly been moved to the parking lot, though the fate of the track and support structure was never disclosed.

The Wild One’s future drew the most attention from coaster enthusiasts. Its Coaster Landmark status and 108-year lineage prompted a Change.org petition — “Save the Wild One” — along with preservation write-ups from American Coaster Enthusiasts’ own preservation team, urging Six Flags to relocate or museum-preserve the ride’s original 1917 trains and structure rather than scrap it. Enthusiast speculation has floated other Six Flags or Cedar Fair parks, including Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags New England, and Carowinds, as possible new homes, but none of that is confirmed — it’s community guesswork, not an announced plan. As of this writing, no relocation, sale, or demolition has been publicly confirmed for The Wild One, Roar, or Firebird — all three remain in limbo on the sold-but-not-yet-redeveloped property.

Impact on Employees and the Community

Six Flags America’s closure cost the region a major source of seasonal work; the park had long been one of the larger part-time employers of teens and young adults in the DC suburbs, and that seasonal hiring ended with the 2025 season. Separately, earlier in 2025 Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced a company-wide restructuring that cut more than 100 corporate jobs across its combined portfolio as it worked to reduce costs after the Cedar Fair merger — a broader belt-tightening that formed the backdrop for the Maryland park’s closure, though Six Flags did not publish a park-specific breakdown of affected Bowie staff.

Redevelopment: What’s Next for the 515-Acre Site

In April 2026, Six Flags sold the roughly 515-acre property to Thirty Five Ventures — the firm co-founded by NBA star and Maryland native Kevin Durant, with his mother Wanda Durant also involved in the investment — and the Atlanta-based TPA Group, with proceeds going toward paying down debt from the Cedar Fair merger. The buyers have described the site as a blank slate for mixed-use development rather than a future theme park.

TPA Group has outlined five guiding pillars for the project: entertainment, education, health and wellness, housing, and innovation. Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and project officials have said to expect a phased buildout over roughly the next decade, with early ideas including retail and dining, sports facilities, trails, and green space, though no formal site plan or construction timeline has been finalized.

Where Maryland Families Are Going Instead

With Six Flags America gone, Maryland families looking for a theme-park day are turning to a handful of regional options. Adventure Park USA in Frederick calls itself Maryland’s largest family entertainment center, with a steel roller coaster, go-karts, a ropes course, and mini golf. Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City pairs coasters and flat rides with an oceanfront water park. Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville offers a large indoor water park and resort for families who want a rainy-day or off-season option. For a full-scale theme park experience closer to what Six Flags America offered, many families are making the roughly two-hour drive to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania, which has dozens of rides, multiple coasters, and its own water park.

Six Flags America closure FAQs

When did Six Flags America close for good?

Six Flags America closed permanently on November 2, 2025, after 51 years of operation in Bowie, Maryland. Its water park, Hurricane Harbor Maryland, had already closed on September 6, 2025.

Why did Six Flags America close?

Six Flags said the park no longer fit its long-term growth plans as part of a portfolio review that followed its 2024 merger with Cedar Fair. Rising operating costs, competition from larger regional parks, and the high real-estate value of the 515-acre Bowie site all factored into the decision.

Is Six Flags America going to reopen?

No. The property was sold in April 2026 to a Kevin Durant-backed development group for a mixed-use redevelopment — housing, entertainment, education, and wellness uses — not a new theme park.

What happened to The Wild One roller coaster?

As of this writing, The Wild One’s fate hasn’t been publicly confirmed. Coaster enthusiasts have petitioned for its relocation or preservation given its Coaster Landmark status, and other Six Flags/Cedar Fair parks have been floated as possible destinations, but no deal, sale, or demolition has been announced.

What is being built on the old Six Flags America site?

Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and the TPA Group plan a phased, mixed-use project over roughly the next decade, organized around five pillars: entertainment, education, health and wellness, housing, and innovation. No formal site plan has been finalized.

Where can I take my family for theme-park fun near Bowie, Maryland now?

Nearby options include Adventure Park USA in Frederick, Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville for indoor water park trips, and Hersheypark in Pennsylvania for a full-scale theme park day.

Did Six Flags America employees lose their jobs?

Yes. The park’s closure ended seasonal employment for hundreds of part-time workers who staffed it each summer, and it came alongside a broader 2025 Six Flags restructuring that cut more than 100 corporate jobs company-wide as the company reduced costs after the Cedar Fair merger.

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