Six Flags St. Louis: The Area’s Largest Amusement Park

In 1971, the Six Flags company opened its third theme park in the St. Louis area. Originally known as Six Flags Over Mid-America, the park’s six different regions were each represented by a flag that was connected to St. Louis or Midwest history in some way: Missouri, U.S.A., France, Spain, England, and Old Chicago.

Since the 1990s, the inside of park has been reworked into something less thematic, but some of the earliest attractions remain. For people living in St. Louis or those visiting, Six Flags is the biggest spot in the St. Louis metro area for theme park thrills.

Getting There

Six Flags St. Louis is located on the outskirts of West St. Louis County, right off of Interstate 44 (Google Maps link). People living or staying in St. Louis County can get there easily enough by driving down 44, while those living in St. Charles will have to decide between driving into 270 and then going to 44 or cutting through Chesterfield down to Eureka.

The park is easy to find off the interstate, as there is a Six Flags-marked exit. From the exit, it’s a short drive into a multi-laned road that runs straight to the parking lot.

Parking

As of 2025, parking at Six Flags costs $30 for general parking and $40 for preferred parking. All season passes and Six Flags memberships include free parking at either the general parking section or preferred parking section, depending on the level of the pass or membership.

The parking lot is very large and includes sections for buses and other large vehicles, so finding as spot is not usually a problem, even on busy days. The parking lot also has a limited number of electrical vehicle charging stations, although those go fast.

People who stay at the nearby Holiday Inn can take a free shuttle to the park.

Costs and Considerations

In addition to the cost of parking, entrance to Six Flags St. Louis requires the purchase of a ticket, either in the form of a day ticket, a season pass, or a membership.

Day tickets in can be purchased either online ahead of time or at the gate. A day ticket purchased ahead of time in 2025 typically costs $35-$40 each, while a gate ticket can cost up to $70, so purchasing online is going to be the better deal in most cases. Also, day tickets do not currently include Hurricane Harbor unless you purchase it as an add-on.

Season passes and memberships can both be purchased on the park’s website. Season passes are a one-time payment, while memberships are a monthly fee. Season passes and memberships both come in tiers, with different levels of benefits, so it’s good to check out the fine print before making a purchase. For example, Silver passes, the lowest level of season pass, do not include Hurricane Harbor and have blackout dates.

While membership has its fans, we like season passes best, as they are the better price. The very best time to buy season passes is shortly before Labor Day, as Six Flags historically runs promos that not only heavily discount season passes — in the fall of 2024 Gold season passes were $55 each plus taxes and fees — but those passes are good for parking and entry for the rest of the current year along with all of the next. A family of four, for instance, could get Gold passes for under $250 that had no blackout dates, came with free parking and other discounts on each pass, and were good for close to 15 months. When you compare that to paying close to $200 for one-day passes and parking for that same family, you start to see why season passes are appealing, especially if you’re going to go to the park more than once.

Also, because of the merger of Six Flags and Cedar Point, to use your season pass or membership at other parks you will need to pay for an add-on passport, which will cost well over $100 per ticket.

One more thing: you will have to go through security to get into the park, and certain items are not permitted, including weapons. As of 2025, the park is also a no-smoking park.

Things to Do

As an amusement park, Six Flags offers a lot to do, both in the main section of the park and in Hurricane Harbor. You can ride various rides, eat, shop, and, on occasion, take in shows and entertainment. The rides are the biggest part of this park’s experience, with several roller coasters and other rides that range from kid-friendly to intense. There are plenty of food destinations, too, spread throughout the park. Six Flags doesn’t do as many live shows as it used to, but you can sometimes take them in, especially during the park’s annual Fright Fest in the fall.

There is so much to do in the park that you can easily make a full day out of it, and when you include Hurricane Harbor, it will take a couple of days to do everything.

Our Thoughts

Six Flags is one of the biggest attractions in St. Louis, offering a little bit of everything, especially for those who like to ride coasters or take in funnel cake. We’ve found it to be clean and safe. It’s also a terrific value if you purchase season passes, as they’re not overly expensive and include free parking, which makes them not that much more than buying day passes along with a parking pass. It’s worth a look if you want to get your theme park fix in St. Louis.