How Six Flags Over Georgia Got Its Legendary Dark Ride: Monster Mansion

The Future of the Plantation Mansion

It was official: Monster Plantation was set to close at the end of the park’s 2008 operating season. The attraction as it was known for 27 years would be retired. Monster Plantation lasted twice as long as its predecessor, Tales of the Okefenokee—so long that the monsters had become local icons. Six Flags knew what this ride meant to the park’s visitors, so they decided to remodel it.

“The ride became a rite of passage for youth growing up in the area. Because it’s become so iconic, we really wanted to renovate and upgrade the existing ride, keeping the popular storyline intact. Now, individuals who experienced Monster Plantation as young children can ride Monster Mansion with their own kids.”

— Melinda Ashcraft, Former Six Flags Park President

Ashcraft was a young employee when the attraction originally opened in 1981, so her personal connection to the ride developed into a supportive approach to renovate, not replace.

Thus, Six Flags made the decision not only to revamp the historic attraction, but also bring back the creators who made Monster Plantation in the first place: Gary Goddard Entertainment.

Some of the original team, like animator Phil Mendez, returned to overhaul Monster Plantation—not only freshening up the experience, but also reimagining the troubled concepts used in the original.

“This [ride] is part of Atlanta,” said Gary Goddard, commenting on what the attraction has meant to longtime Six Flags visitors. With the chance to creatively revisit this attraction, the Goddard Entertainment team assessed Monster Plantation as a whole, seeking opportunities to update the ride while maintaining its well-known charm.

New blue sky concepts that kept the monster theme were considered—like an open house or a family reunion. Ultimately, the monster picnic plot would return in an all-new way that felt familiar. The updated attraction would simply be named Monster Mansion.

With that, the plantation was ready to be transformed into a mansion.

The ride would once again use the existing ride system that had been reliably in operation since the ‘60s. Major improvements were made to the animatronics and the ride as a whole. Nearly 100 animatronics were completely refurbished down to their bones with upgraded fabrications and pristine coats of fuzzy fur. In fact, it took 250 yards of new fur to outfit the hordes of monsters. And, the mansion got even more crowded; eight new animatronics of new characters moved into the mansion as well, joining the familiar cast of offbeat creatures.

Inside the 25,000-square-foot building, the sets were stripped and completely renovated, from the murals to the colorful shores. To some extent, Monster Mansion was being treated like a completely new ride. The refurbishment was extensive—beyond updating a few problematic references.

The mansion was also being upgraded with new effects to bring the ride into the 21^st century. This included lighting, water effects, and the sound system, just to mention a few.

Speaking of the audio, Dick Hamilton, the composer of the original soundtrack, provided a copy of the master audio tracks to give the updated attraction the same brand-new sheen it had nearly three decades prior.

Monster Mansion would soon have an opening-day polish as construction wrapped up. About 300 people worked on the ride over the park’s off-season to prep the mansion for its opening day.

A Grand Reopening

In May 2009, Monster Mansion made its debut as a choir of elementary school students with puppets sang the ride’s classic theme song. Guests were once again invited in—this time to a mansion.

The water once again flowed through the flooded grounds of the mansion, and the assemblage of animatronics, given new life, once again put smiles on guests’ faces. The mansion impressed, once again washed with color, drowned with music, and overflowed with delight.

Six Flags capitalized on the revitalization of the monsters, adding the MonStore retail shop with merchandise of the ride’s well-liked characters. The MonStore also had a small museum-like tribute that recognized the attraction’s history. Looking ahead, it was great to have a revived Monster Mansion in the park.

The Refreshed Mansion

For the everyday theme park guest, Monster Mansion provided what the ride had been decades: a silly way to get out of the heat, get off your feet, and enjoy a five-minute-or-so serenade of nonsense. For the die-hard fans, it was the return of a classic with an impressive collection of animatronics and satisfying dark ride goodness that was worth riding over and over.

Those enthusiasts may have been the only ones to notice the changes in the attraction. While it got an overall refresh, the additions were mostly subtle as the ride maintained its legacy of being a one-of-a-kind experience. Among the more obvious changes included a new animatronic, appropriately named Papa Razzi, at the beginning of the ride to take riders’ pictures. Other noticeable additions included water-spouting frogs along the flood waters and a cluster of menacing eyes wickedly glaring at riders as they entered the forbidden marsh.

However, with a new era of monsters taking over the mansion, the past was not forgotten; a portrait of a few characters from Tales of the Okefenokee hangs on the wall inside the first scene in the mansion, and nods to former Six Flags leaders are etched into the tombstones in the graveyard by the marsh. One of the monsters was slightly remodeled to take after Big Al Bertino, clumsily spraying water from his gardening hose. These tributes serve as a reminder that an attraction like Monster Mansion can transcend generations, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a dedicated group of creatives.

The ride itself has evolved over the years, but it’s the same waterway where children half a century ago made memories. Tales of the Okefenokee, even though scarcely documented, is a well-remembered dark ride that fans young and old still love to think back on—fans have even recreated it online to blissfully get a hint of what being on the long-defunct ride would have been like. Not to mention, Disney’s notorious log flume, Splash Mountain, has obvious connections to the old Okefenokee ride, but that’s a story in and of itself.

As for Monster Mansion, the ride is alive and well for now. It’s among one of the longest operating rides at Six Flags Over Georgia as multiple generations have grown to love the monster picnic shenanigans and the nightmares found in the marsh. Its impact has inspired fan art and proves to be a favorite among Six Flags guests—an unrivaled dark ride locals can call their own. Monster Mansion hasn’t been cloned across the Six Flags chain; it’s the very definition of a one-of-a-kind ride that is perfectly wedged into the Thrill Capital of the South. Enjoying a ride on Monster Mansion during your visit to Six Flags Over Georgia is just as essential as your admission to the park itself.

There’s comfort in knowing this somewhat hidden gem has stood the test of time alongside Six Flags’ extreme roller coasters people come through the turnstiles for. Monster Mansion is here waiting for you. As always, you’re invited to a picnic. But for now—bye, y’all.