Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

About Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a theme park with a large animal collection in Vallejo, California, off Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento. Wikipedia describes it as a zoological theme park on 135 acres, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, and says it operates year-round. The park's own website describes it as offering wildlife, marine life and thrill ride attractions, with more than 60 rides, educational presentations and animal experiences. It states a commitment to providing a safe and healthy home for the animals in its care.

The park is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In 2023, the park's cheetah cubs arrived through a partnership with the Zoological Association of America's Animal Management Program, according to NBC Bay Area.

History

According to Wikipedia, the park opened in 1968 as Marine World in Redwood City, California. In the mid-1970s it merged with a neighboring attraction called Africa USA and became Marine World Africa USA. It relocated to Vallejo in 1986.

Ownership and names changed several times afterward. In 1996 the City of Vallejo took over ownership after the park defaulted on debt. The park was renamed The New Marine World Theme Park in 1998, and the city hired Premier Parks, the company now known as Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, to manage the property; it became Six Flags Marine World in 1999. It took its current name, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, in 2007. Wikipedia says the park also spent on modifications that year, including animal enclosure improvements and shows.

Wikipedia records a few other episodes. In 1987 the actor William Shatner rode an orca to raise funds for the California Rare and Endangered Species Preservation Fund. In 2004 a power outage following an accident on Interstate 80 left riders stranded on several roller coasters; no injuries were reported. In 2019 a solar canopy of 7.5 megawatts was installed at the park, which Wikipedia says supplies about 80 percent of its energy needs.

The park's elephants left in stages. A news report from February 24, 2015 said two elephants, Liz and Valerie, were relocated to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, after about two decades in Vallejo, in order to give them a more social environment than a herd of two could provide. The park had moved a third elephant, Tava, to the same facility two years earlier.

Exhibits and habitats

Wikipedia lists animal areas and experiences that include a shark experience with an underwater tunnel walkway, Stingray Bay, Seal Cove, a Giraffe Encounter, and a walrus experience. Its list of exhibit zones includes Tiger Island, Lion's Den and Penguin Passage. Named animals and species in the same article include a walrus called Jocko, which it says appeared in the film 50 First Dates, along with bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, harbor seals, penguins, stingrays, sandbar, zebra and nurse sharks, Bengal and Amur tigers, lions, giraffes, cougars and alligators. The park's own site mentions cheetahs and bottlenose dolphins.

The park has offered live shows, including a white tiger presentation called Odin's Temple of the Tiger, sea lion performances at a stadium, and dolphin presentations. Wikipedia notes that one dolphin show ran from 2011 to 2022.

Rides are a large part of the park. Wikipedia counts about 40 attractions, including 10 roller coasters and two water rides, and lists coasters such as Medusa, Batman: The Ride, The Joker, The Flash: Vertical Velocity, Cobra, Kong, Boomerang: Coast to Coaster, Roadrunner Express, Sidewinder Safari and Superman: Ultimate Flight. Wikipedia describes Medusa as having a 150-foot drop, a 128-foot vertical loop and multiple inversions, and The Joker as having the world's first step-up under flip inverted roll. Other attractions include the SkyScreamer swing ride, Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth, Monsoon Falls, White Water Safari and Tsunami Soaker. The park's website, which counts more than 60 rides, presentations and experiences, groups its offerings into thrill rides, family rides, animals and educational presentations, dining and live entertainment.

Children's areas named on Wikipedia include Looney Tunes Seaport, Tava's Jungleland and Seaside Junction.

Conservation and programs

In April 2023 the park welcomed six cheetah cubs, five female and one male, housed in an exhibit called Cheetah Creek, according to NBC Bay Area. The cubs arrived through a partnership with the Zoological Association of America's Animal Management Program and the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia, and the park said it was collaborating with the Cheetah Conservation Fund to raise awareness of cheetah conservation.

The park's website lists Conservation Days events for 2026, including International African Penguin Awareness Day on October 10 and Wolf Awareness Day on October 17. The park says all proceeds from its Conservation Day events benefit the partner organization, and that Wolf Awareness Day proceeds go to the California Wolf Foundation. The events feature educational activities, animal appearances, animal care specialist talks, animal art and prize drawings, according to the park.

The park also runs seasonal events. Wikipedia names Fright Fest in the fall and Holiday in the Park, which debuted in 2007, and the park's website lists Oktoberfest and Tricks and Treats weekend events running from September into early November 2026.

Planning your visit

Ticket prices at the park vary by date, and details are on the park's website. The website also has a calendar of hours, a park map and directions, accessibility information, ride safety guidelines, a chaperone policy and a code of conduct. Wikipedia notes that an expedited queuing system called Fast Lane, introduced in 2026 and offered on 17 attractions, replaced the earlier Flash Pass program. Operating hours vary by date and are listed on the park's calendar.