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.