It's been a while since I took a trip to our local theme park/zoo but I had some free time this weekend so I figured I'd come by and check out how things were looking. Well, I originally planned on going last weekend but air quality caused the park to stay closed. Side note - I was shocked to get a phone call on the Friday before my reservation last weekend telling me that the park was going to be closed instead of just finding out via an email. It was the kind of personal, "do things that don't scale" touch that I don't expect from a major company like Six Flags. Great job with that, SFDK, keep it up!!

As far as reopening goes, Gavin Newsom is expected to release guidance this upcoming week about theme parks in California. Earlier reports had Disney wanting to reopen in late September but that timeline was under the hopes of an earlier announcement from the governor. As far as SFDK goes, if Gov. Newsom announces that parks can reopen provided they implement appropriate measures (which I'd assume that SFDK already does/is pretty close) I think it'd be reasonable to expect SFDK to reopen at least some rides within the next month. One of the major issues could be staffing but they have a head start considering that they've been running a subset of the park for a few months. But that's a totally non-informed guess from me. The only way to know is when it happens!

TL;DR not a whole lot has changed so expect an update shorter on updates but still long on photos. If you don't feel comfortable attending the park yet, I hope you'll be able to live vicariously through these images! So let's take a look around the park like we normally do!

Table of Contents

• Sidewinder Safari
• Park Updates
• Animals
  • Drenched

Sidewinder Safari

Without further ado, let's get around to the biggest update from this round: Sidewinder Safari! When we left off SS hadn't really moved as far as construction goes but there was still plenty of signage up indicating the ride would be open in 2020. My money at the time was on a 2021 open but I thought there was a tiny, tiny chance we could see a late 2020 opening to try to entice locals back into the park. Well, I don't think that's going to come to pass...

Compared to last update, the planters have filled out quite nicely and there are plenty more potted plants throughout the area

As you can see looking down the construction site

And that actually extends to the nearby Safari Grill

The barriers have stayed where they are, still consuming the poor Odin's Snack Shack

Nothing really has changed construction-wise

Let's head closer to where the banner for SS stands...

Uhhh... the banner?

Yep, the banner for SS got taken down

Further, all of the signage and teasers for SS are down all over the park.

So this removal of signage can be take two ways: 1. (and the more likely way) the coaster was delayed to 2021 and since the signage all mentioned 2020, it didn't make sense to keep it up anymore or 2. the coaster was cancelled. I went into Guest Services and asked about it and the person at the booth assured me that the coaster was still coming which is why I think 1. is more likely. But you know we'll keep checking it out and keep you updated!

Park Updates

Even though there wasn't much big happening around the park, there were plenty of little updates so let's run through those!

Continuing on the theme of last section, there was a ton more plant growth over by the gator exhibit!

Scat-a-bout continues to sit mothballed

I keep taking a picture of this old theater because every time I come I expect it to be gone. But I think it's even more likely this time with everything happening. Here's my thought process: once we're past COVID, I expect a couple of years of smaller announcements from Six Flags. A really cheap/easy one for SFDK is a new ride film going into the theater. Especially if it's a semi-relevant IP it seems like it could be an easy thing to get people into the park

The water around Monsoon Falls continues to fill the trough

Boomerang's train was not on its track

But one of Joker's was sitting in its transfer

I don't remember the Funnel Cake Corner being open last time I came

So let's take a peek at what rides have social distancing markers in their queue: Boomerang is a no

Gorilla is a yes

As are the wave swings

Can't believe I'm saying this but not having our parks makes me even miss our resident SLC: Kong

I never really noticed how WW's support extends into what was the road

I wonder if this was the same piece that used to sit in SS's site

And finally, it makes me sad to see this sign start to peel, I wonder how long since this light has been used!

Animals

So since this is the Marine World Experience, animals were really the focus of my day. And I got plenty of good pictures and updates about the animal section of our park. So let's jump right in!

Just like last time, the aquarium/shark exhibit was closed

The giraffes were out yet again! I feel like I've gotten so lucky with them lately

The tigers had some new signage out celebrating National Tiger Day

And they were also out enjoying the sun

The nursery was accessible again today

With the tortoises, bats and one other animal I couldn't make out being on display

Like last time there were plenty of keepers around to talk about the animals and let guests get up close and personal with them

The seals were funny. Whenever someone came near them, they'd all pop their heads out in hope that the person would feed them. Reminded me a lot of dogs!

And feed them people did!

The penguins were also pretty active today

This little guy came right up to the glass after I walked over!

Drenched

I decided to go see Drenched, one of the park's dolphin shows, today

Even though the air quality was better, it was still bad enough to warrant this sign in front of the stadium

But the stars of the show performed fantastically as always!

And that'll be it for the update today! We'll keep our ear out for Gavin Newsom's announcement which hopefully will let us get back on our favorite SFDK rides soon! We'll be back in mid to late October for another update from the park!