Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago is a 20-acre (8.1 ha)
water park
A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...
located in
Gurnee
Gurnee ( ) is a Village (United States), village and suburb in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, Illinois, Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, United States.
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It was formed on July 2, 2024, following a merger between longtime rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags ...
owns and operates the park, which is located within the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
. The park opened on May 28, 2005, as part of a
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
42 million expansion of the adjacent amusement park
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a amusement park, theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The theme park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built ...
, from which it has been separately gated since 2021.
In the late 1990s, interest in building a water park close to Six Flags Great America was proposed; residents of Gurnee opposed these plans. A later water-park plan succeeded in 2004, when Gurnee officials confirmed a water park would be built. In its first year of operation, the park received 1.3 million visitors.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago has 25 water slides and a themed area named Riptide Bay. The most recent addition,
Tsunami Surge, was the world's tallest
water coaster from 2021 to 2025, receiving accolades from the
World Waterpark Association and ''
Amusement Today
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
''
Golden Ticket Awards
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, List of amusement rides, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspape ...
.
Background
Discussions about a water park near
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a amusement park, theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The theme park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built ...
began in May 1996, when representatives from Six Flags met with officials of
Gurnee
Gurnee ( ) is a Village (United States), village and suburb in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, Illinois, Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within ...
to obtain permission to build a water park across from
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
. A spokesperson for Six Flags Great America later called the plans "extremely premature" and said the park may not proceed. These plans later became part of a bigger plan called
Six Flags Entertainment Village,
which was announced on October 29, 1997.
The entertainment complex would be built across Interstate 94 and construction was planned to begin in 2000. Gurnee residents opposed the plans, and a group called the Citizens United for a Residential Village of Gurnee campaigned for a referendum about the project's approval to be included in an election ballot on April 13, 1999. Six Flags Entertainment Village was later derailed after more than half of Gurnee residents opposed the project following the referendum.
History
2004–2005: Announcement and opening
On September 10, 2004, Gurnee officials confirmed plans for a water park opening on Six Flags Great America's existing site. Six Flags Great America officially announced the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
-themed water park on September 16, 2004. Plans for the water park included twenty-five water slides, an entrance plaza, and admission separate from the theme park. On January 19, 2005, it was announced admission would be included with a regular ticket. The new water park was expected to compete with others in
Wisconsin Dells and the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
, and would be the biggest expansion in Six Flags Great America history.
Construction on the
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
42 million
water park began in November of that year, and the water park opened to the public on May 28, 2005.
The park's centerpiece attraction was the Skull Island interactive playground, which was billed as the largest of its kind, and had 500 gadgets and eight water slides. Almost a month following the opening of Hurricane Harbor, a man had a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
in Hurricane Bay and died on June 22, 2005. During the water park's first year of operation, it was reported 1.3 million people had attended it, which park officials regarded as a "huge success".
2006–2011: Early incidents and expansion

Following the initial opening of Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a
funnel water slide
A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...
named Tornado was announced on January 14, 2006, at the
American Coaster Enthusiasts
American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is a non-profit organization focusing on the enjoyment, knowledge, and preservation of roller coasters as well as recognition of some as architectural and engineering landmarks. Dues-paying members receive th ...
"No Coaster Con" convention. It would open later in 2006 and be located above the Castaway Creek
lazy river
"(Up A) Lazy River" is a popular tune and song by Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin, published in 1930. The melody is by Arodin, arranged and with words modified by Carmichael. It is considered a jazz standard and pop standard, and has ...
.
The ride opened on
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.
It i ...
weekend in 2006.
A few weeks later, a girl was slightly injured and required stitches after she fell off of her tube.
On May 26, 2011, a new roller coaster was planned for the adjacent Six Flags Great America amusement park; it was announced at a zoning board of appeals meeting for the site of
Space Shuttle America
''Space Shuttle America'' (also known as ''Space Shuttle America – The Next Century'') was a motion simulator ride at the Six Flags Great America theme park in Gurnee, Illinois, that opened in 1994. The ride's main feature was a full-scale rep ...
. The planned roller coaster was
Chang, which would have been acquired from the former
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and was to be located near the park's entrance but the new ride was later canceled. Instead, the Riptide Bay area was added to the park, opening on June 3, 2011.
Riptide Bay initially included a surf simulator, five water slides, a Caribbean-inspired activity pool, and cabanas.
In July 2011, a woman suffered injuries on Wahoo Racer and sued the park for negligently operating the attraction. A court upheld an award of US$1.5 million
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
in June 2017.
2019–present: Separation from Six Flags Great America

On August 29, 2019, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor announced a new water coaster named
Tsunami Surge, which was built by
WhiteWater West
WhiteWater is a manufacturing company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1980 and manufactures a variety of products for water parks including water slides and water play areas. The company also owns FlowRider, wh ...
. Tsunami Surge was billed as the tallest water coaster in the world, and was expected to open for the 2020 season.
Ground was broken for Tsunami Surge in January 2020, but the ride did not open due to the park's closure and construction delays during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On July 20, 2020, the park re-opened with safety protocols regarding COVID-19 in place, and its name was changed to "Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago"; attractions at Six Flags Great America stayed closed throughout the season.
Beginning on March 22, 2021, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor was separated from Six Flags Great America, and was officially named Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago. A new entry gate for the water park was built in the parking lot, and a pathway between both parks was no longer accessible to the public.
The change was made to allow guests to choose which park to enter. Previously, the park had charged visitors an additional fee to enter the water park.
On May 29, 2021, Tsunami Surge officially opened to the public as the tallest water coaster in the world. Tsunami Surge was surpassed by Surreal at
Beach Park in Brazil when it opened in March 2025, dethroning it as the tallest water coaster in the world.
List of attractions
Awards
In 2006, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago's water slide Tornado was placed second for the category "Best New Water Slide", and tied with
Noah's Ark's Time Warp attraction on ''
Amusement Today
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
''’s
Golden Ticket Awards
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, List of amusement rides, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspape ...
. In August 2021, the water park, along with
WhiteWater West
WhiteWater is a manufacturing company based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1980 and manufactures a variety of products for water parks including water slides and water play areas. The company also owns FlowRider, wh ...
and architecture firm Ramaker won the 2021 Leading Edge Award from the
World Waterpark Association for their work on Tsunami Surge.
One month later, Tsunami Surge was placed third place in the category "Best New Water Slide" on ''Amusement Today'' Golden Ticket Awards.
See also
*
Incidents at Six Flags parks
This is a summary of notable incidents at the amusement parks and water parks that are operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. In some cases, these incidents occurred while the park was under different management or ownership, such as ...
*
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Rockford (formerly known as Magic Waters) is a water park owned by the Rockford Park District and operated by Six Flags. It is located in Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois, and located next to the interchange ...
, a Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park in Rockford, Illinois
References
External links
Official website*
{{Six Flags Great America
Six Flags water parks
Water parks in Illinois
Six Flags Great America
2005 establishments in Illinois
Gurnee, Illinois