A honky-tonk show, top-name performers, a new roller coaster, even a Nickelodeon adventure — Georgians in search of a fresh experience won't have to head to Florida theme parks this year. They may find what they're looking for closer to home.

Six Flags Over Georgia (ENLARGE)

Skull Island, scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, will feature hundreds of interactive water elements.

(ENLARGE)

The adventurous can go head-over-heels six times on Top Gun: The Jet Coaster at Carowinds in Charlotte.

THEME PARKS Orlando parks pack plenty of new attractions  Tips for saving money at amusement parks  Disney on a dime: Yes, Mouseketeers, you can do it  Theme parks across the country roll out new attractions  Around the Southeast, more amusement awaits  New Cypress Gardens keeps old Florida feel  Fireworks, concerts on track for Tweetsie Railroad  Waxing nostalgic on Lake Winnie  Georgia's Lake Winnie: 80 years of fun  Southern belles, killer whales and a golden time in Florida  More specialty destinations

GEORGIA

• Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell

Six Flags Over Georgia's new show is "Honky Tonk Saturday Night" in the Crystal Pistol music hall. It will include traditional and modern country music, with singing and dancing for audience members.

Skull Island, featuring two giant, water-dumping towers and a third that shoots water up like a volcano and six water slides, also will be new this summer at the 101-acre theme park. Publicists describe it as the "world's largest interactive water play structure in a theme park."

And the park will bring back Kid's Fest in August. The festival has not been produced since the 1980s.

Admission: Tickets purchased online, $34.99; tickets at the park, $43.99; kids (48 inches and under) and senior citizens (age 55 and older), $26.99; age 2 and under, free. Season Pass with unlimited visits bought by May 31, $54.99; add on a White Water pass for $29.99. Discount tickets are available at Publix supermarkets in Georgia, $25.99 for adults or children. (Prices do not include tax.)

770-948-9290, http://www.sixflags.com/parks/overgeorgia.

• White Water, Marietta

This water park features a wave pool and a lazy river, along with slides and thrill rides. The park's Cliffhanger is one of the world's tallest freefalls, with riders dropping 90 feet straight down. And Tornado is the park's newest ride, in which groups of riders fly down a 132-foot-long tunnel on 5,000 gallons of swirling water.

Admission: $31.99; children 48 inches and under, admission after 4 p.m., and senior citizens (55 and older), $21.99; age 2 and under free. Season pass through May 31, $54.99, after May 31, $59.99. Discount tickets are available at Publix supermarkets in Georgia, $25.99 for adults or children. (Prices do not include taxes.) 770-948-9290, http://www.sixflags.com/parks/whitewater.

• American Adventures, Marietta

This small amusement park, adjacent to White Water, is aimed toward younger kids, up to age 12. It has a smaller roller coaster, bumper cars, a Tilt-a-Whirl, a Scrambler and the Foam Factory.

Admission: Fun Pass good for unlimited use at the Foam Factory, Fun Forest and Mini-Golf, $15; kids under 36 inches, $5; parents accompanying child, $5. Season passes purchased by May 31: children 36 inches and up, $39.99; toddlers under 36 inches and adults, $20. (Prices do not include tax.) 770-948-9290, http://www.sixflags.com/parks/aadventures.

• Wild Adventures, Valdosta

This theme park has some top-name performers lined up for its summer concert series, including David Lee Roth on June 4, Loretta Lynn on June 11, Vince Gill on July 3 and even Clay Aiken formerly of "American Idol" on Aug. 6.

Best of all, the concerts are free with admission to the park (reserved seats are $10-$20 extra).

Wild Adventures dares guests to try the Gauntlet this year, a 60-foot swing ride over a lagoon that reaches speeds of 40 mph. The park also is offering "This Joint is Jumpin'," a 40s-style musical review, and a revamped "Honky Tonk Jamboree." The 3-D laser/fireworks show, "Night Magic," also has a new look. And, of course, the park still has more than 500 animals, some in new habitats this year, and Splash Island water park.

The Valdosta park's founder, Georgia businessman Kent Buescher, also operates Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Fla.

Admission: $38.95 adults, $31.95 seniors (55 and older), $31.95 ages 3-9 and free for age 2 and younger; get a second day's admission free, to be used within six days, when you contact guest services inside the park. Passport 2005 allows unlimited admission for $64.95 per person, which includes unlimited visits to Splash Island and to Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, Fla. (Prices do not include taxes.) 229-219-7080, http://www.wildadventures.net.

ALABAMA

• Visionland, Bessemer

Visionland has a new log flume ride and a new steel roller coaster, the Zoomerang, a triple-loop thrill ride. Of course, it still has the Rampage, one of the largest wooden coasters in the country.

Admission: Combo Magic Adventure and Splash Beach, $29.95 for 48 inches tall and over; $19.95 for senior citizens older than 62 and children under 48 inches tall; $15.95 after 4 p.m. Individual park pass to Magic Adventure or Splash Beach, $25.95 for 48 inches tall and over; $16.95 for senior citizens older than 62 and children under 48 inches tall; and $12.95 after 4 p.m. Season passes, Silver $79.95; Gold $124.95; and Platinum $134.95. (Prices do not include taxes.) 205-481-4750, http://www.visionland.com.

NORTH CAROLINA

• Paramount's Carowinds, Charlotte

An expanded Nickelodeon-themed area at Carowinds is the largest of its kind, with four new rides and one new show — Phantom Flyers (interactive phantom vehicles that glide through the air with ghost-fighting superhero Danny Phantom; the Flying Dutchman's Revenge (rotating mini-pirate ships that twist and turn 180 degrees); Little Bill's Cruisers (mini-speedboats, each with its own anchor bell); Dora the Explorer's Azul Adventure (a train ride) and "Nick Live" show (an interactive family game show featuring pies and slime).

SonFest '05 musical performances scheduled for June 23-25 feature Dove Award winners and nominees including the Newsboys, Third Day, MercyMe, and Relient K.

Admission: Online offer only, three-day advance purchase, $31.99 (ages 7-54); $25.99 (ages 3-6 and age 55 and over); online purchases (less than three days), $34.99 (ages 7-54) and $26.99 (ages 3-6 and age 55 and over); price at the park, $44.99. Individual season pass (ages 3 and over), $84.99; friends and family pass (minimum purchase of four, ages 3 and over), $63.75. (Prices do not include taxes.) 1-800-888-4386, http://www.carowinds.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA

• Family Kingdom, Myrtle Beach

The park's newest attraction is the Slingshot Drop Zone — guests freefall 110 feet. The park also has an all-wood roller coaster, the Swamp Fox, and the largest Ferris wheel in South Carolina.

In addition to thrill rides, there's a water park, with water flumes, two fast speed slides, two intermediate speed slides, and a 400-square-foot lazy river with waterfalls.

Admission: Combo ticket to amusement and water parks, $25.50 per person (excludes go-carts and pony rides). Amusement park all-rides wrist band (excludes pony rides, go-carts and water park), $19.95 per person. Water park (excludes pony rides, go-carts and amusement park rides), $15.95 adults, $14.75 children 48 inches and under. (Prices do not include taxes.) Discounts with military ID; the park's Web site has coupons good for $2-$3 off admission.

843-626-3447 (amusement park), 843-916-0400 (water park); http://www.family-kingdom.com.

TENNESSEE

• Dollywood, Pigeon Forge

The park turns 20 this year, and it has just completed a $6 million, 4-acre expansion that adds 10 new family rides.

Rides include the 70-foot-high Sky Rider that allows passengers to control the movement of their vehicle.

Also, the park has four festivals each year, the just-ended Festival of Nations; Kids Fest, June 17-Aug. 7; Music and Harvest Celebration, Sept. 23-Oct. 29; and Smoky Mountain Christmas, Nov. 5-Dec. 30.

This summer, Clifford the Big Red Dog and SpongeBob SquarePants will make appearances.

Admission: Dollywood, $43.50 (ages12-59), $40.15 senior citizens (age 60 and older), $32.35 (ages 4-11). Season passes $72 (adults), $59 (ages 4-11); Gold Pass $99. Combo ticket to Dollywood Splash Country, $69.15 (ages 12-59 and 60 and older), $53.50 (ages 4-11); Super Pass to both, $107 adults and $94 children; Gold Pass, $134. (Prices do not include taxes.) 865-428-9488, http://www.dollywood.com.