Gotham City Backlot is the themed area that celebrates the Batman comics and movies. The architecture and decor of this area are very well adapted to its theme. The grit and grime of a large, impersonal city are recreated here--but in a manner that looks stylish! Shades of grey never looked so good! The big-gun attraction in Gotham City Backlot is Batman, the Ride, a roller coaster that came to the park in 1994. The ride cars--a train that looks like an assemblage of ski chairs--are suspended below the coaster's track rather than sitting above it. I'll never forget my first time tying the Batman coaster. Being on a suspended coaster seemed like such a strange sensation! I screamed my head off... then ran back around into the line again for another go at it! This ride gives the novice rider a very DEFINITE feeling of flying! (Unfortunately, though, with the passage of time and experience with this ride, the once-novel sensations grow to feel normal, and the ride experiences evolves from "wow!" to merely "pleasant.") But, let's assume that you've never flown with Batman before. After you board, what you'll do is loop upside-down, and turn corkscrews, and make hairpin turns--and all the while your feet are flying in the breeze! It's a fairly short ride. Neither is it very tall--only 105 feet. The novelty of the experience comes from the new feelings you'll get as you ride suspended, rather than sitting in a train car.

There are two other rides in Gotham City Backlot. Atom Smashers is a flat ride in which a train of cars goes around a circle faster and faster until the car's occupants feel like they're smashing into the car's outer wall. Grinder Gearworks is a ride that has one big ride "car" that you'll stand in, facing all the other riders. As the ride spins, you'll start to feel plastered to the wall behind you. Then, the whole ride lifts up to spin at a 45-degree angle. Both of these last two rides actually pre-date Gotham City Backlot. In 1994, when the Batman coaster was added, the whole area was re-themed to the Gotham City look, and the two older rides got face-lifts and new names. Also, for shopping-lovers, there's a store in Gotham City Backlot that specializes in selling Batman-related merchandise. It's fun to browse through these novelty items.

After leaving either High Sierra Territory or Bugs Bunny World, you'll come to the Colossus County Fair area next. This is the home of the Colossus dual-track wooden roller coaster. In 1978, when it was installed, they say it was the world's tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster. Of course, these days, it seems like a fairly tame antiquity compared to the other coasters at the park! In fact, it's eclipsed by other faster, taller coasters even here in its "own" namesake area! Goliath is the park's monstrously tall steel-track roller coaster that debuted in 2000. Riders descend from the 255-foot-tall first hill plunging downward at 85mph! (I once lost a camera at that spot! Thank goodness it was just a "disposable" one!) The long tow time up that first hill gives you plenty of time to wonder if you're really glad you boarded or not! As you hurl towards the ground, all you can do is scream! At least, once that drop is over, the rest of the ride seems tame by comparison!

The other fast coaster is Magic Mountain's newest coaster, Scream, which opened in 2003. This was the park's 16th coaster, which was actually a major event here. With this ride, Magic Mountain "tied" with Cedar Point (in Ohio) for the amusement park with the greatest number of roller coasters! (Up until 2003, Cedar Point had always been THE definitive park for coaster-lovers.) This coaster features floorless trains, which gives the passenger the feeling of moving in a "flying chair." It zips along at 65mph. The first drop is only 150 feet, so speed and the "feeling of flying," rather than height, are its strongest points.

Tamer things to do in Colossus County fair include catching the Hot Ice Show (an ice-skating revue) at the Magic Moments Theater, or riding several older, carnival-style rides. There's the Buccaneer swinging pirate ship, a pendulum-type ride. You can try the Swashbuckler, which is a typical "swinging chair" ride. (Chairs suspended on long chains lift into the air and circle, in unison, a central hub. It gives the rider a mild "flying" sensation.) Or, you can go on the Circus Wheel, which is a new name for that old standby, the Tilt-a-Whirl. Kids need to be at least 42 inches tall for all of these three rides.

As you walk through High Sierra Territory, you'll come to a towering fake tree--that's actually beautiful and quite realistic-looking. It happens to be the world's largest man-made tree! By passing through a tunnel at the tree's base, you'll emerge in Bugs Bunny World, the children's ride area with a Looney Tunes theme.

Let's talk about the tamer rides first. There's Elmer's Weather Balloons, where your kids will board colorful hot-air-balloon-type, ride cars, and circle around a central hub. They will go up and down, but won't be able to regulate that action independently. There's Daffy's Adventure Tours, where your children can hop aboard a "bus" that rises into the air and comes back down again in a circular motion--first several times going forwards, and then traveling backwards. Taz's Lumber Co. is a truck ride where your kids will enjoy traveling around a scenic, shady track. (See photo below.) On the Tweety's Escape ride, your tyke will enter what looks like a very large bird cage. Then, the cage will circle around a central hub, simulating a gentle "flying" feeling. Also tame are the Merrie Melodies mini carousel and the Foghorn Leghorn's Barn and Railway.

Getting a little wilder, there's Sylvester's Pounce & Bounce, a ride that takes the children up into the air on a straight tower, drops them down quickly, and bounces up and down several times. Pepe Le Pew's Tea Party is a spinning ride similar to the Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland. There are two junior roller coasters to try. The Canyon Blaster is a mini-coaster that allows parents to board, while the Goliath Jr. coaster admits children only. Yet, even wilder than the coasters is Yosemite Sam's Sierra Falls, a water slide (which you ride in your street clothes, but you DO get wet!). You and your child (42 inches and above) can ride down one of two twisting, turning, and plunging slides while riding on a two-person ride mat. You may congratulate yourself on staying fairly dry as you're sliding downwards, but at the end, you'll land in a shallow pool of water (to stop your momentum). Now, THAT'S where you'll get wet! Getting up and getting off the ride is the tricky part!

If you head out of "Six Flags Plaza," taking the path towards your right, you'll come to the woodsy themed land, "High Sierra Territory." This land is themed after California's High Sierras, of course, and so it's full of trees and natural, unpainted wood buildings. The "Log Jammer" ride---a log flume---is the major attraction in this area. Like with any flume, you'll board a "hollowed-out log" as your ride vehicle, get towed to a higher elevation, and float downwards by gravity in a trough of water. On the Log Jammer, the scenery you'll pass is quite pretty, with lots of greenery. It's not ALL tranquil floating, though. You'll get to take a couple of scream-evoking plunges before you're done! For your next ride, you might wish to try the "Sierra Twist," which is a circular ride upon which a train of cars goes round and round at a fast clip, while going up and down, up and down over small hills. A third ride in this section is the Granny Grand Prix, in which you drive "antique" cars along a shady, scenic path. (Kids must be 42 inches tall to ride and 48 inches tall to drive.) The Granny Grand Prix is a good ride for families with kids who pass the height requirements.

A good place to remember for later on when you're hungry is the Mooseburger Lodge. The name doesn't sound very appealing to me, but the restaurant is cute on the outside and even cuter on the inside. As the name implies, its theme is one of a Western lodge like you might find in one of the national parks. They have perhaps the best food in the park (although I think it's only open during the busy season.) It's a buffet featuring ribs, barbeque beef, roasted chicken, pasta, vegetables, and breads. It's a one-price buffet, and I can't remember exactly what I paid, but it was in the $12 to $15 range. On one hand, that's more than I wanted to pay in an amusement park, and I wouldn't have spent that much if I hadn't been alone and paying for only one person! On the other hand, an entrée at Denny's is getting to be almost that high nowadays!

There's a kid’s menu available as well. Past the restaurant, as you walk along farther into High Sierra Territory, you'll come to a tall, tall (fake) tree. On it will be a sign adorned with the faces of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and several other Looney Tunes characters, and there will be a large "tunnel" through the bottom of the tree. Follow that tunnel, and then you'll be in Bugs Bunny World, the children's section of the park.

To get to Six Flags Magic Mountain, you'll want to take the Magic Mountain Parkway exit off of Interstate 5. It's well marked, so the park is easy to find. You'll first enter the large one-level parking lot (which charges a hefty--but fairly standard--$10 fee.) Trams run from the parking lot to the main gate. Unlike at the Disney resorts, though, the trams don't run back to back, with one always sitting there awaiting you to board. So, many people just opt to walk instead. At the beginning of the day, it doesn't seem far--of course, by the end of the day, that same pathway seems to have tripled in length! When you get to the ticket booths, a large sign proclaims, "Six Flags California"--which is what they call the COMBINED complex of Magic Mountain and the adjacent water park, Hurricane Harbor. After the ticket booths, you'll come to a sign directing you to go left for Magic Mountain or right for Hurricane Harbor. (The current prices at Magic Mountain are $50/adults and $30/kids. Year-long passes--which end Dec. 31, 2005, and thus are not actually a YEAR long--are only $60, though. In addition, there are plenty of special offers. The online-ticket option offers a nearly half-price discount. A Coke can coupon gets you two-for-one-price entry.

Once you present your ticket and step inside the gates, you'll find yourself in the themed area called Six Flags Plaza. The Plaza's most significant attraction can't even be seen as you enter in the morning--because it's the nighttime fireworks show! In the summertime, there's a nightly parade leading from the back of the park up to this plaza. It features Looney Tunes and DC Comics characters. When the parade has reached the Plaza, the fireworks show begins.

There are, however, attractions in Six Flags Plaza that can be enjoyed during the daytime. There's the beautiful vintage 1912 Grand Carousel that will give your family a gentle ride. There are also old-fashioned-themed shops and snack bars. I love to window-shop, so the several shops gave me some good fun. Perhaps the most important attraction--the inclined railway which led to the top of the mountain--has closed. Magic Mountain is, indeed, built in partially mountainous terrain. If you head out to the attractions on your right (as you leave the Plaza), you won't notice that fact at first, since that way's relatively flat. But, if you head towards the LEFT (as you leave the plaza), you'll discover just WHY it's called Magic MOUNTAIN! A ride going up the hill, called the Oriental Express, until recently took visitors to the top of Samurai Summit, the big mountain in the middle of the park. It saved a lot of tired feet from making a big climb! But now, Samurai Summit is being torn up for a new ride that will be coming in 2006, and so the Oriental Express--as well as most foot paths to the top, too--have been closed.