Six Flags Over Texas

Description:

• Now 40 years old, Six Flags is the place I used to dream about going as a kid. The 200-acre amusement park, one of the biggest and best in the country, is the top draw in Texas (and it can be a little crowded on summer weekends). It has Texas-size roller coasters, including the Texas Giant (the world's tallest wooden coaster that hits speeds of more than 60 mph), Batman the Ride (a suspended looping coaster with six inversions and corkscrew spirals), and Mr. Freeze (the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the Southwest). There are also tons of shows, eateries, and nostalgic rides such as the Parachute Drop and the Log Ride, with its peculiar green water that thrilled my little girlfriends and me back in the '70s.

• © Frommer's 2012