最新杏吧原创

A new policy designed to prevent teenagers from visiting the park on their own contributed to the downturn, but the lower numbers were not a surprise, said James Harhi, CEO and founder of the new owner, Florida-based Enchanted Parks.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a transition year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think you have to have the right expectation. I don't think any of us expected to take over a park two weeks before opening and have record attendance, record revenue.鈥�

In an interview this week, Harhi said that attendance was down for the 316-acre amusement park this summer. It was a 鈥渟lower year than we would have preferred,鈥� he said.

Earlier this year, Six Flags Entertainment Corp., based in North Carolina, sold seven of its properties to EPR Properties, a commercial real estate investment trust based in Kansas City.

Enchanted Parks, an amusement park owner and operator, will run six of the properties, including the one in Eureka, west of 最新杏吧原创.

Last week, Enchanted Parks announced the official rebranding of the park to Mid America Adventure by Enchanted Parks, in a nod the property鈥檚 original name, Six Flags Over Mid-America.

Harhi wouldn鈥檛 share revenue or attendance numbers. But he said the park 鈥渓ost about 10% on teenagers,鈥� which he attributed to Mid America Adventure鈥檚 chaperone policy, where all guests ages 16 or younger must be accompanied by someone 21 or older.

The new policy was put in place this spring after teenagers in the Six Flags parking lot in April.

Harhi said that he hopes to replace the teenage visitors the park has lost by making the park more attractive to families.

鈥淚 want a place where moms can feel comfortable to bring their families without having (teens) decide to get in fights so they can put it on social media and try to go viral,鈥� Harhi said. 鈥淭hat's going to impact us short-term financially, but long-term, as families feel comfortable coming, that will give us a return on investment.鈥�

The park also likely lost guests when the company eliminated Six Flags鈥� legacy dining plans, Harhi said, which upset and confused people.

Enchanted Parks decided not to replicate Six Flags鈥� all-season dining pass that offered up to 20 meals for $140. Consumers who already bought plans can get full refunds, or gift cards, Harhi said.

Harhi said he wished the transition away from the plans had been more seamless and that鈥檚 where the company 鈥渟tubbed its toe鈥� this summer.

鈥淚'm very unhappy on how that rolled out, and I think it did impact some of our guests coming to the park who were weren't able to attend because of the dining plan, or were upset at me because of the changes on the dining plan,鈥� Harhi said.

Looking ahead, Harhi said the company is considering changing operating hours to accommodate the summer heat, potentially opening the waterpark earlier in the day and closing the theme park later.

Harhi and his family visited the park this summer and he said he noticed how much blacktop is at the property, which makes the area hotter than it already is.

鈥淲e saw a lot of people wanted to come later in the day, not necessarily at high noon,鈥� Harhi said. 鈥淲e can kind of play with the operating hours a little bit to offset that hotness because if it's 105 degrees, people don't want to come to the park.鈥�

The Enchanted Parks team is also working on adding new food items and continuing to improve food quality.聽

Plus, parkgoers can expect an update to the current Justice League interactive laser-shooting ride for the 2027 season. The ride will be an entirely new experience, Harhi said, with a new storyline and updated equipment.

The park will have new rides brought in within the next five years. Harhi said he didn鈥檛 have details about which rides would be added, and it largely depends on cost.

Enchanted Parks has hired a 最新杏吧原创-based design firm, PGAV Destinations, to do a market analysis of the park so the company can better understand what will work at Mid America Adventure.

Harhi said he is hoping Enchanted Parks can further prove itself to 最新杏吧原创ans next season, so families will want to spend time there instead of driving to Silver Dollar City in Branson or to some other theme park.

鈥淭hat'll be the focus in 2027,鈥� Harhi said. 鈥淭rying to reengage the market to say, 鈥楥ome give us a shot because it's not the park you've heard about in the past.鈥欌��

Though Six Flags does not publish attendance or financial figures for its individual parks, industry watchers said 最新杏吧原创鈥� park had fallen below the midline of performance in Six Flags鈥� portfolio, and attendance was down from the park's heyday in the 1980s and 鈥�90s.

Season passes for 2027 are now on sale. An 鈥淓nchanted Hero Pass鈥� starts at $75 for unlimited admission into Mid America Adventure and Worlds of Fun in Kansas City and one ticket to Fright Fest, the park鈥檚 Halloween event.

An 鈥淓nchanted Legend Pass鈥� starts at $130 for unlimited admission to all eight Enchanted Parks properties and unlimited Fright Fest tickets.

A daily ticket starts at $40 online. Kids 2 and younger are free.

In 2025, a season pass for Six Flags 最新杏吧原创 was around $79 and day passes were around $60 to $70, depending on promotions.

Harhi said they will review pass prices annually.

The park is typically open Thursday through Sunday in April and May. It鈥檚 open daily in June, July and the first half of August. The park goes back to weekends-only in September and October for Fright Fest.

And Harhi said he doesn鈥檛 care if people still call the park by its old Six Flags name 鈥� as long as they鈥檙e coming to the park.

鈥淓ven if our employees call it that, we don't care,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is going to be what it is. For certain people, I'm sure when it changed to Six Flags 最新杏吧原创, they were like, 鈥業'm still calling it in Mid America.鈥欌��