What GREAT AMERICA did you live near?

[m_force_4_ever]

I live about 30 minutes from Gurnee...and yet somehow I still managed to visit it 48 times in the 2005 season

[HoneyBunny]

I used to live in Elgin (by Gurnee) and hope to move back soon, although being in Phoenix now, I suppose I am close enough to SC to go check it out

[Glorfindel7]

Hi,

I live near Bolingbrook so I'm closer to Gurnee... Never been to the one in SC...

[Tech Services 1]

I lived near the Gurnee park. When it opened, . . . The drive was through the countryside in those days, all farms and stop signs instead of today's subdivisions, shopping centers and traffic lights! . . .

I lived in Round Lake, 11 miles from my door to the employee parking lot. Back then, there was NOTHING along Grand Avenue until you reached the park, and it was under a 20 minute drive.

One winter, we had a pretty big snowstorm, and I drove my snowmobile to work, and parked in the motorcycle area. The security guard at the gate shook his head and said "now I've seen everything".
I took the "back route" (Washington Ave.) that day. I doubt there's any way you could navigate that route on a snowmobile today!

PPG

[SFGAmfreak4life]

That's a cool way to get to work.

[RLAiello]

Gurnee. My first visit was in 1976 and we went at least twice as a family after that-- last time was probably 1981 or so. I never went again until 1986 with my freshman class in High School... and I rode my first rollercoaster-- The Z-Force. Two years later I started working there.

I've been to Santa Clara twice - 1990 and 2000. It was amazing to me how much the park changed in that 10 years... and if I went now, I'd probably be amazed all over again.

I lived in Kenosha, WI, so it took about 30 minutes to get there... always took back roads. I could make that drive in my sleep.

[thadpk]

Gurnee... About 1 1/2 hours north in Oshkosh,WI.... How I envy all of you who had the blessed opportunity to work at this wonderful place....

[dpxtreme]

Santa Clara...15 minutes by freeway.....25 minutes by expressway.

[Old Guy]

Gurnee
Our lot line was Marriott’s lot line! I used to ride horses and minibikes, fish in the pond and help out on the farm that was there before Great America. I worked there summer of 76 in the laundry which was great because we had admin name tags and didn't have to wear uniforms (can you say free admission?). Speaking of that we also had several ways to sneak into the park from fence holes to rubbing grape chapstick on the back of our hands to imitate the re-entry stamp. The down side was the noise, mostly the click clack of the coaters going up and the "please keep your hands inside the boat" announcement of the flume. Ah the good old days.

[Mr. D.T.]

Gurnee. Enough said.

I never went to the Santa Clara one. In fact, I've never been to California. Period.

[ElkGroveGroovin]

Santa Clara. I used to live 45 min away, but now it's 1 1/2-2 hours from Sac. I remember going there once a year as a kid and getting excited being on Highway 101 and seeing part of the top of the Star Tower poking out from the distance though we were still 2 miles away. I knew we were closeby!

[RLAiello]

Gurnee
Our lot line was Marriott’s lot line! I used to ride horses and minibikes, fish in the pond and help out on the farm that was there before Great America. I worked there summer of 76 in the laundry which was great because we had admin name tags and didn't have to wear uniforms (can you say free admission?). Speaking of that we also had several ways to sneak into the park from fence holes to rubbing grape chapstick on the back of our hands to imitate the re-entry stamp. The down side was the noise, mostly the click clack of the coaters going up and the "please keep your hands inside the boat" announcement of the flume. Ah the good old days.

Hey "old guy"... was the pond that you went fishing in the same pond that is next to the park now... or did they build that when they built the park?

What cool memories... Somewhere, someone once posted an overhead image of the Great America site before the park was built. I don't remember where I saw that, but it was really fascinating to see.

[redfishpaw]

Rick,

I had posted those aerial views last year I beleive

Here they are again
http://www.pbase.com/redfishpaw/great_america

Thanks

[Greezed Lightening]

30 min or less to Santa Clara Great America.

[LS202]

I lived in Sunnyvale so I was only 15-20 minutes away from Santa Clara.