I have had the privilege of visiting Cedar Point in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013. I would visit it again this year if I had the time to do so. I can't say enough about how awesome the park is every year I go. The shear size and amount of rides/roller coasters the park has is simply mind-blowing. It has over 70 total rides and 16 roller coasters. The setting of the park is so beautiful it would make the local botanical gardens look like a bunch of weeds growing everywhere. Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration but it's pretty amazing. It's going to be very hard to convey through writing how awesome of a setting this park has. I will start with these pictures.
The first picture you see is the iconic skyline of the park as you drive down the causeway and approach the park. The first time I got to see this in person was July 4th, 2007. Ashley and I made the trip together and when I saw this amazing setting for the first time from the road on the way in I was stunned. I had never seen an amusement park so huge with so many tall rides and incredible roller coasters. I am not going to lie, I got goosebumps. I know, kind of silly but the enthusiast in me gets very excited when he see's 400ft, 300ft, a few 200ft tall attractions from the road! Yes, their rides are tall, their rides are fast, their rides push the extreme, and their rides look amazing from every angle. That is what makes Cedar Point the best.
The picture below is of the entrance to the park and let me tell you it one of the most if not the best entrance to an amusement park you will ever see. The roller coaster GateKeeper (perfectly named) was new when this picture was taken in June, 2013. When Cedar Point designs a roller coaster they do it so that it will 'wow' you. You will see examples of this as I show you more pictures. Yes, the coaster actually sends riders soaring over the entrance of the park twice! It's quite fun to watch the ride and hear the screams as you are about to enter the greatest amusement park anywhere.
When you enter the park you will see just how enormous it really is. You have a huge main midway that extends to about the halfway point in the middle of the park before it splits off to the right and left (where you go if you want to ride the greatest coaster ever). More on this in a minute. But first here are a few pictures of some of the coasters in the front of the park.
The first major ride you will see will be Raptor, a state of the art inverted roller coaster that was built in 1994. It is still a stellar ride and packs a lot of inversions and forces throughout the course. It also has an amazing drop that kicks you out over the midway as you will see in the photo below. Again, another reason that Cedar Point 'wows' you with their coaster design. Fittingly enough the catch phrase for this ride is 'kick the sky' and you will do just that.
The other coaster you will see directly on the other side of Raptor is a wood coaster painted blue and aptly named Blue Streak. It is the oldest roller coaster in the park built in 1964 (celebrating it's 50 year anniversary this year) and yes it does pack a punch. It is very smooth for a wood coaster and it has a lot of nice air time moments. It also usually doesn't have a huge line which is nice.
There are plenty of other rides and attractions sprawled out throughout the front side of the park. In the sake of time I will only be hitting some of the major rides. After you kick the sky on Raptor and have fun on the blue streak you can head on over to the right past the Johnny Rockets and kiddie area (yes Cedar Point has lots of rides for the kiddos) and you will see two more great roller coasters. First up is GateKeeper.
If you're paying attention to these pictures you will notice that big body of water there. That's not the Atlantic Ocean but Lake Erie. It is quite impressive and adds another nice backdrop to this great park. GateKeeper was new this year I took these pictures in 2013. It replaced Disaster Transport an indoor bobsled roller coaster that just needed to go. This ride is much better and makes the park look a lot better especially around this area. The ride you see at the bottom left of the first picture is MaXair the tallest ride of its kind in the world (again, credit Cedar Point for always building the tallest and fastest rides). It is a wild ride and if you are a thrill junkie it is not to be missed. Ashley and I are excited to ride the tallest, longest, and fastest winged coaster in the world as you can see below.
Next up you will see a coaster that towers over 200ft. It's name is Wicked Twister and it is very thrilling. You start off by being launched at 60 mph forwards up a twisty spiral. You will then be launched faster backwards up the back sprial. Then on the way through the station you will get your final launch at 72 mph forcing you to the top of the 212 foot height of the coaster track! The ride is a blast and an underrated coaster. It's the largest of its kind in the world too.
Ok, keep in mind that this is just the front of the park. I have introduced you to four great roller coasters and a few thrill rides. That other tall tower is Windseeker a 300ft tall swing ride next to Lake Erie. As you make your way down the main midway you will hit an area that branches off to the right or left. Choose wisely...
If you choose to go to the right you will hit corkscrew (as seen going upside down over the midway) or the more awesome Top Thrill Dragster (as seen below). You will then pass these roller coasters Magnum XL-200, Gemini, Mean Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and Maverick on the way to the back of the park (last three at the back of the park). If you hang a left you will pass Iron Dragon, Mantis, and then the beauty of them all, Millennium Force.
Millennium Force, where have I seen you before? Well, if you have been reading my blog you would have seen it as my second blog post. You would also know that it is the best roller coaster I have ever ridden. On most days it has the longest line in the park and for a good reason. It is simply the best ride in the park and in the world, at least to me.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the rest of the coasters towards the back of the park. I know, shame on me. I'm sure I will have time later to blog about them. I will say that Maverick in the very back is an incredible roller coaster. It has a 95 degree 100 foot drop (yes that is beyond vertical), a 70 mph launch out of a tunnel, a few inversions, and a bunch of other surprises throughout the 4,450 foot course. I have Maverick as my #12 rated coaster so it is yet another great ride at Cedar Point.
Magnum XL-200 was the built in 1989 and was the first coaster to be built taller than 200 feet. It reaches speeds of 72 mph and is constant hills and speed through the over 5,000 feet of track. I have it ranked as #40. It is a classic. You also have Gemini which is a steel dual track racing coaster. When it was built in 1978 it was the tallest and faster roller coaster in the country at 125 feet and 60 mph. It is still a fun coaster and very re-ridable. You have Mean Streak in the back of the park and at the time it was built in 1991 it was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the country at 161 feet and 65 mph. It has not aged well and really needs to be either torn down and turned into firewood or be completely overhauled. There are a few coasters at Cedar Point for kiddos: Wilderness Run and Woodstock Express. They also have Iron Dragon and Cedar Creek Mine ride which are much more tame coasters.
Closing Thoughts. If you are still reading this I am impressed and I appreciate your attention. I hope I have done the best I can to describe this wonderful amusement park to you. The park has been voted "Best Amusement Park Park in the World" from Amusement Today for the past 16 years and rightfully so. The park gets an attendance of 3.3 million which ranks it #1 among seasonal park attendance in the United States. It boasts some of the best roller coasters at any park I have been to. The #1, #6, #12, #19, #28, #29, and #40 ranked coasters that I have ridden come from Cedar Point. This is a park you could easily spend a whole week at and not get bored. There is so much to do. Even if you don't like to ride rides you can just enjoy the spectacular atmosphere. They have great shows, good food, and friendly employees. I will leave you with some pictures and the charge to make sure you visit this park sometime in your lifetime. You will not regret it one bit. Thanks for visiting America's rockin' roller coast, ride on!
Very good written article. It will be supportive to anyone who utilizes it, including me. Keep doing what you are doing – can’r wait to read more posts.
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