Six Flags Discovery Kingdom safely reopens rides to guests after pandemic forced closure

VALLEJO, Calif. - Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo opened this morning to folks, families and especially children who were champing at the bit to get inside an amusement park for the better part of the year, if not more than a year.

"We are, along with our sister park in Southern California, the first theme parks in California to open its gates to guests to ride rides," said Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Marketing Director Kirk Smith. 

It's a godsend for parents, and especiallly kids.

"They haven't gotten to do anything for a year, so this is really exciting for them to want to come out and want to do something," said visitor Ranada Mendez. "We haven't been able to socialize our little one for a year, so that was a big thing too."

"Our parents got us got us some of the season tickets, and we're expecting to have a great time," said Joshua Goodwin, another visitor to the park Thursday.

Since there are restrictions on the number of people who can enter, not every ride or attraction or food place was open.

"We will be socially distancing, not only in our queue lines, but on the rides themselves," Smith said.

"It's spaced out, and when it's spaced out it kind of feels like a lot of space around, and so we don't have to be scrunched up and all that stuff," said Miranda, another visitor to the park.

Safety through sanitation, masking and separation are the hallmarks of the park today. People who come will have to abide by these reasonable rules.

"We all just miss the experience, you know. We're ready to go fast, so I think hopping on rollercoasters, enjoying the food, I mean that's why we're all here," said Goodwin.

This vast, 135-acre park is really three parks in one. There are, of course, the rides ranging from the simple through the gut wrenching.

But the park also has many aquarium features. Some of those features eat during the day courtsey of the guests who can get food for them.

It's also a zoological park with many different animals, including everything from small critters to the big cats of the jungle, as well as many other creatures you can see right up close.

And for people, the other thing: jobs, jobs, jobs.

"We're bringing our team members back to work, and some folks, the significance of that has been over a year," Smith said.

For more information on planning your next trip, visit the park's website.