Six Flags Over Texas opened on August 5, 1961, in Arlington, Texas, as the very first park in what would become the worldwide Six Flags chain. Developer Angus G. Wynne Jr. built the 212-acre park in just a year for about $10 million, naming it for the six nations whose flags have flown over Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States, and the Confederate States.
More than six decades later, the park sits between Fort Worth and Dallas and is celebrating its 65th anniversary season in 2026 as the oldest operating Six Flags park in the world. Its 13 roller coasters span nearly every era of coaster engineering, from a 1963 Arrow Development log flume to a next-generation giga dive coaster set to become the tallest thing in the park.
Quick Answer
Six Flags Over Texas opened August 5, 1961, in Arlington, Texas, making it the original park in the Six Flags chain. It covers 212 acres and currently has 13 roller coasters, with Titan (245 ft, 85 mph) as its tallest and fastest until the new Tormenta Rampaging Run — a 309-foot giga dive coaster — opens July 9, 2026, and takes the title.
Park History: How the First Six Flags Came to Be
After visiting the newly opened Disneyland in California, Texas real estate developer Angus G. Wynne Jr. decided his home state needed its own themed destination, one built around Texas history rather than fantasy. Construction started in August 1960, and the park opened to the public less than a year later on August 5, 1961, drawing 8,374 guests on opening day.
Six Flags Over Texas is credited with pioneering the ‘Pay One Price’ admission model, a single ticket covering all rides, which was a novelty at the time and later became the industry standard. Attendance during that first 45-day season far exceeded expectations, and what was planned as a temporary attraction became a permanent Arlington landmark and the flagship of a chain that now spans dozens of parks across North America.
What’s New for 2026: Tormenta Rampaging Run
The park’s 65th anniversary season centers on Tormenta Rampaging Run, billed as the world’s first ‘giga’ dive coaster and set to break six world records. It stands roughly 309 feet tall with a beyond-vertical 285-foot first drop, reaches about 87 mph, and runs 4,199 feet of track through a tallest-of-its-kind vertical loop and Immelmann inversion. It’s rising in a new Spanish-themed area called Rancho de la Tormenta, with its grand opening set for Thursday, July 9, 2026.
Other 65th anniversary additions include a full renovation of the Southern Palace Theatre into the park’s premier indoor performance venue, a new 65th Anniversary Museum near Smith Street showcasing park memorabilia and history, and theming and reliability upgrades to existing rides including Mr. Freeze, Batman: The Ride, and El Aserradero.
The Ride Lineup: Coasters and Attractions
Titan anchors the current coaster lineup as a 245-foot steel hypercoaster built by Giovanola and designed by Werner Stengel. It opened April 27, 2001, plunges 255 feet into a 120-foot underground tunnel, and hits 85 mph across an out-and-back and twister layout, with two intense helixes near the end of the ride.
The New Texas Giant reimagined the park’s original wooden Texas Giant using Rocky Mountain Construction’s I-Box steel-track technology, a 2011 rebuild that became one of the first hybrid wood-and-steel coasters and influenced hybrid coaster construction worldwide. Other coasters round out a lineup spanning six decades: the inverted Batman: The Ride, launched shuttle coaster Mr. Freeze, wooden classic Judge Roy Scream, spinning coaster Pandemonium, 4D coaster The Joker, indoor coaster Runaway Mountain, steel looper Shock Wave, and the historic Runaway Mine Train.
Beyond coasters, the park’s roughly 45 rides and attractions include water rides like El Aserradero and Aquaman: Power Wave, plus family and kids’ areas. Hurricane Harbor Arlington, the park’s adjacent water park, is also adding a new Splash Island feature for the 2026 season.
A Legacy of Firsts
Beyond being the first park in the Six Flags chain, Six Flags Over Texas introduced genuine amusement-industry firsts. El Aserradero, which opened June 25, 1963, is recognized as the world’s first log flume ride, built by Arrow Development. The Runaway Mine Train, opened July 23, 1966, is credited as the world’s first ‘runaway mine train’ coaster and sparked a wave of similar mine train rides at parks nationwide; its final drop through a tunnel beneath Caddo Lake is considered the first underwater coaster tunnel.
The park has stayed a proving ground for new ride technology ever since, including the I-Box hybrid track system that debuted on New Texas Giant in 2011 before spreading to parks around the world, and now the giga dive format arriving with Tormenta Rampaging Run.
Visiting Six Flags Over Texas
The park sits in Arlington, Texas, between Fort Worth and Dallas, alongside AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field. Six Flags uses dynamic, date-based pricing, so single-day ticket costs vary by day and season; buying online in advance is consistently cheaper than paying at the gate, and season passes or Fort Worth/Dallas-area membership passes offer the best value for repeat visits. Park hours also vary seasonally, so it’s worth checking the official park hours page before a visit, especially during spring and fall when hours are shorter on weekdays.
Six Flags Over Texas history and rides FAQs
When did Six Flags Over Texas open?
It opened August 5, 1961, in Arlington, Texas, as the first park in the Six Flags chain, drawing 8,374 guests on opening day.
What is the tallest roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas?
Titan is currently the tallest at 245 feet with a 255-foot drop and 85 mph top speed. That will change once Tormenta Rampaging Run, a 309-foot giga dive coaster, opens July 9, 2026.
How many roller coasters does Six Flags Over Texas have?
The park currently operates 13 roller coasters, ranging from the 1966 Runaway Mine Train to the 2011 New Texas Giant hybrid, with a 14th, Tormenta Rampaging Run, opening July 9, 2026.
How big is Six Flags Over Texas?
The park covers 212 acres and features roughly 45 attractions, including its 13 roller coasters and several water rides.
What is new at Six Flags Over Texas in 2026?
The park is marking its 65th anniversary with the new Tormenta Rampaging Run giga dive coaster (opening July 9, 2026), a renovated Southern Palace Theatre, a 65th Anniversary Museum, and a new Splash Island water park feature at Hurricane Harbor Arlington.
Why is Six Flags Over Texas called the ‘original’ Six Flags park?
It was the first park built by Angus G. Wynne Jr. in 1961 and became the template for the entire Six Flags chain, including its pioneering pay-one-price admission model.
Did Six Flags Over Texas invent the log flume ride?
Yes. El Aserradero, which opened June 25, 1963, is recognized as the world’s first log flume attraction, built by Arrow Development.
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