Arlington and San Antonio, Texas

Texas

The original Six Flags in Arlington, the hybrid Iron Rattler in San Antonio, and three hundred miles of highway between them.

  • Theme parks2
  • Attractions15
  • Height requirements8
  • Places to eat5

Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington is the park the whole chain is named after, opened in 1961, and it still feels like the company's flagship: the tower, the oil derricks, and a coaster lineup headlined by the New Texas Giant — the ride that started the modern era of wooden-steel hybrids when it reopened in 2011. Mr. Freeze's twin shuttle tracks and Titan's 245-foot drop carry the thrill load behind it.

SeaWorld San Antonio is four hours south and the least traditional park on this site: part marine park, part water park, part coaster park. The Iron Rattler, which rides the walls of a former quarry, is one of the best hybrid coasters in the country and the reason to make the drive.

Texans plan around heat the way the California parks plan around traffic: summer days at both parks are 95-plus, coasters close in the afternoons for lightning on the radar even when the sky above is blue, and the water park half of SeaWorld San Antonio is not a supplement in July — it is the main event. Spring and late October are the civilised windows.

The practical bits

Getting there
Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) for Arlington; San Antonio (SAT) or Austin (AUS) for SeaWorld San Antonio. The drive between the parks is about four hours on I-35, a road with a personality you will remember.
Getting around
A car, without question. Both parks are suburban, sprawled and effectively unreachable by transit.
How many days
One day each. Over Texas rewards an early start on weekends in season; SeaWorld San Antonio is big enough on paper but a focused coaster morning plus the afternoon shows is the shape of a good day.
When to go
March through May and late September through early November. Summer is survivable with water-park time and evening hours; winter weekdays run reduced schedules — check operating calendars before committing.

The 2 parks

Texas

Six Flags Over Texas

The 1961 original that named a whole chain — oil derricks, the Shock Wave loops, and the ride that started the hybrid-coaster era.

8 attractions5 height limits3 tracked snacks

  • Opened1961
  • Plan for8–10 hours

Texas

SeaWorld San Antonio

The Texas SeaWorld — Iron Rattler's quarry walls, three coasters, and the biggest water-park half in the chain.

7 attractions3 height limits3 tracked snacks

  • Opened1988
  • Plan for8–10 hours

The question everyone asks first

Height requirements across the resort

Every ride at Texas with a minimum height, shortest first. Sort any column.

AttractionParkHeightType
Shock WaveOver Texas42" · 107cmRoller coaster
Iron RattlerSeaWorld SA48" · 122cmRoller coaster
Steel EelSeaWorld SA48" · 122cmRoller coaster
Texas SkyScreamerOver Texas48" · 122cmSpinner
The New Texas GiantOver Texas48" · 122cmRoller coaster
TitanOver Texas48" · 122cmRoller coaster
Mr. Freeze: Reverse BlastOver Texas54" · 137cmRoller coaster
The Great WhiteSeaWorld SA54" · 137cmRoller coaster

Try the interactive height checker

line-skip passes here

THE FLASH Pass at Six Flags Over Texas and Quick Queue at SeaWorld San Antonio are separate products at separate prices — see the line-skip guide for both, as of July 2026.