In the 1970s, the Marriot Corporation made the decision to build two parks, one in Santa Clara California, and another in Gurnee Illinois. These two parks would be nearly identical in design, featuring rides such as Columbia Carousel, Turn of the Century, and Willard's Whizzer.
While Santa Clara was sold to Kings Entertainment, and Gurnee to Six Flags in the 1980s, these parks took on two different paths over the years. Both parks would eventually be reunited by Six Flags in 2024, with one being known as California's Great America, and the other Six Flags Great America.
For the 50th anniversary, I would get the opprotunity to visit both Six Flags Great America, and CGA during their 50th anniversary. While California didn't do too much to celebrate given the impending closure, Gurnee did a full celebration, with shows, decorations, and special food offerings. Both parks are distinctly Great America, while having their own indentities. If I had to pick one, I think I prefer CGA over SFGAm.