Six Flags New England has reopened its gates to guests for the first time during the 2021 season. While the rides are not yet allowed to open due to Massachusetts state regulations related to the COVID19 pandemic, the park has prepared an elaborate Dinosaur-themed walk-through experience to enjoy.
In order to visit the park during the event, you need to reserve a time and purchase your ticket in advance. A 2021 season ticket will also give you admission to this event.
When you arrive you must park in the preferred parking lot. There is no additional charge beyond the normal parking fee for parking here as the normal parking lot is currently closed due to the park's capacity limit. You must show your reservation to be able to park.
From there you can walk to the main entrance of the park where you must go through a temperature check tent as well as a security inspection.
Both of these are touchless experiences, although additional screening may be required if the reading is incomplete.
Every walkway in the park is marked with one-way markers, and this is largely being enforced, so don't try to walk the wrong way. In streets with two-way traffic, which is really just the entrance street, there are ropes in the center of the pathway to mark which way you are allowed to walk on.
There are not a lot of opportunities to backtrack in the park, so don't assume you will be able to come back to any location after you pass it.
While most of the dining and shopping spots on the main street are open, options throughout the rest of the park are a lot more limited.
The dinosaur animatronics are found almost everywhere in the park, and all have their own dedicated display area, with a barrier to keep you from getting too close.
Each animatronic also has a dedicated queue line with social distancing markers, although during my visit most of them were empty and you only had to wait for the group that was taking pictures before you.
The dinos appear in all different locations and sizes, and most make fun dino noises.
These are all great photo opportunities and give different areas of the park some fun added life.
In addition to the animatronics, there are also a few live characters found in the park as well, all presented in social distanced meet and greets.
The characters all appear either behind a rope or on a stage that is six feet or more away from guests, and there is a handler who will ensure you do not get closer than six feet to the character.
One of the best characters is a special puppet of a baby dinosaur, accompanied by a trainer. The performer was wonderfully in character and drew a large (but still socially distanced) crowd while they performed.
There is also live music being performed by a drum band near the Looney Tunes section of the park, which is great to stop and watch.
Six Flags is doing a great job at enforcing social distancing throughout this event. Most of the park has ground markers for social distancing and the one-way pathways make maintaining distance in the park much easier than in other parks with no controlled traffic.
All doors are also left permanently propped open to keep air flowing in any indoor space.
The park does even ask that you sit down to eat, and there is an ample number of benches and tables scattered through the park to stop at.
The event is a lot of fun and a great way to get into the park when the rides are still not allowed to open. All of the dinosaur displays are impressive and many tie the park into them as well, with the dinos surrounded by destroyed relics from the park.
There are also many offerings from the park that are also open alongside the dinosaurs, including games and shops that allow you to feel some of the fun of a day at Six Flags in a modified way.
Hopefully, as the reopening of rides approaches, more of the park will gradually open up.
As an added benefit to a season ticket, this is a great value. The park wouldn't be open without the dinos right now, so it is great to be able to get some kind of a Six Flags experience. I don't know if it is worth a single-day ticket though.
The price is fairly low, but there really was not a lot open on the first day of this event. Maybe if throughout the event they end up opening more shops and restaurants it will be more worth the value.
Really what this event does is remind any amusement park fan how much they miss the park. Passing by the amazing roller coasters of Six Flags New England just makes you long for the day that you can visit the park and get on the attractions once again.
If you are looking for a way to get a glimpse at one of the best amusement parks in the northeast, this event is for you.
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