BOWIE, Md. (WDCW) — There are only memories left after Six Flags America in Bowie, Md., closed for good Sunday night.
“Definitely sad. I’m going to miss this place,” young Maxwell Lynch told Nexstar’s WDCW.
He and his mother were among those who turned out for the final day of operation at the amusement park, which first opened in 1974 as the Wildlife Preserve.
“[It was] a place to come with my friends, family events for organizations,” Lynch said as he recalled what made the park special to him.
His mother shared the same sentiment.
“A little somber, so sad,” Ayanna Lynch said.
Earlier this year, Six Flags Entertainment announced it would be closing its Bowie location after the 2025 season. President and CEO Richard A. Zimmerman said at the time that the park is “not a strategic fit with the company’s long-term growth plan.”
The Lynch family is among the many who hate to see the park close its gates for good.
Former season ticket holders Jeron and Sabrina Hamm would come every year for Jeron’s birthday.
“[It’s] the family of it that I’m going to miss,” Sabrina said. “And just the fact that it’s going to be closed, that we can’t come back anymore.”
The amusement park featured more than 100 attractions, including eight roller coasters, such as Harley Quinn, Superman: Ride of Steel, and the Batwing.
Those are not what Ayanna Lynch remembers most.
“The one time I bungee jumped, I did it here,” Ayanna Lynch said. “I don’t know what I was thinking and what convinced me to do it that day, but this is where I’ll always remember. This is where I bungee jumped.”
The property also housed Hurricane Harbor Water Park, which shut down for good on Sept. 6. The 131-acre amusement park will now go up for sale for redevelopment.
Meanwhile, a group of investors that includes Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce recently acquired one of the largest ownership stakes in Six Flags Entertainment and intends to press the company’s leadership on ways to improve the struggling amusement park operator’s business.
“The chance to help make Six Flags special for the next generation is one I couldn’t pass up,” Kelce said after the mid-October announcement.
Six Flags reported a loss of $319.4 million for the first half of the year. The company said attendance fell 9% in the three months ending on June 29, due partly to bad weather and a “challenged consumer” in most of the markets it operates in.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
