Cedar Point, OH

“Winner - Winner Chicken Dinner!”  As I walked out of the ice cream shop at Cedar Point, I looked up and saw boy #2 (age 8) with a very large stuffed wolf in his arms. He stood across from me in the “Winner Circle” of the carnival-game area. ALL smiles. THIS remains my most vivid memory from our visit to Cedar Point in May of 2019.

Cedar Point, an amusement park located on the shores of Lake Erie, opened 150 years ago near Sandusky, OH. I first heard about it from my husband shortly after we met. He grew up in Indiana and told me about their visits to Cedar Point as children. 

I heard about Cedar Point again in the 2000’s from my then boss who grew up in the Midwest too. He loved the coasters at Cedar Point. Living so close to Hersheypark, he compared the rides at Hershey and Cedar Point. Cedar Point always came out on top, of course. My husband agreed.

On our PCS from West Coast to East Coast we made sure to hit the amusement park from Tim’s childhood. An added bonus-our family lived just 90 minutes away. We made way in our RV and arrived about the time the gates opened. We parked the RV and took an easy walk over to the entry gate. The park’s location right on the lake surprised me. It reminded me of my summers going to the Jersey Shore with the boardwalk and warm smells of kettle corn and funnel cakes.

Thrill Seekers Wanted

While I generally prefer theme parks to a straight up amusement park, Cedar Point proved to be a fun experience with my family. It was definitely a thrill seeker’s park! As we walked to the gate, we all looked up and saw curvy lines on the horizon: silhouettes of the rollercoasters. 

Boy #2, who loves all things thrilling and fun, thought, “This is amazing! Can I live here?”

The sheer number of rides to choose from overwhelmed us. Fortunately, we were there early enough in the season (before Memorial Day) and during the school day that many of the rides were not yet open every day.

We checked out several coasters. Our favorite was the Iron Dragon. Hanging in a cradle of sorts, it sent us twisting, turning and corkscrewing around the park. It  was enough of a thrill for me. The ride is fun while riding it, but made me feel a little light-headed afterward.It reminded me of a favorite coaster I road as a teen at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. We did go on it a few times and then hit a few more coasters.  

It seemed like after each ride #2 was asking “Can we go back to the Iron Dragon?!”

We also rode some old reliables – the Wave Swinger (the old-fashioned swings ), the Scrambler (not to be ridden just after eating ) and the Midway Carousel. However, a new experience awaited us  - a chance to ride in a real monster truck! 

Monster Truck Madness

Grave Digger : it’s a ride with an ominous name, but a lot of fun. We needed stairs to get into the truck. Once in the monster truck, we strapped in and the driver motored us across and through a very bumpy and jarring obstacle course. Watching a monster truck show (or just a commercial for one  as I had) sets accurate expectations. We bounded over a partially buried yellow school bus as well as other ill-placed hinderances. 

After reviewing the website, I discovered this was a special event the year we were there. Hopefully, Cedar Point will return to having more special events now that the world is awakening from its 2-year Covid-19 snooze.

Bigger is Better

There was a coaster that Tim and I went on that the boys did not. They waited for us on the exit platform, which must be a regular occurrence because the employees told the boys exactly where to wait. 

The Millennium Force, known as one of the best coasters in the world, came highly recommended.  In fact, Tim’s cousin said it was a must. This coaster hauls riders 310 feet into the air and then propels them 93 mph straight down. There is no chest harness, just the seatbelt and a waist rail. I really missed having a chest harness! 

I voluntarily placed myself on this ride and it was the most terrifying two minutes of my life. The plummeting of the coaster after the first rise made me feel as if I would start tumbling with my feet over head right out of my seat. 

My husband’s arm pressed me firmly in the seat just as the coaster made an abrupt climb to another dizzying height and plunged rapidly down again. There were twists and turns and more rises and falls, but I honestly don’t remember the details. I just remember screaming. Loudly.  

I one hundred percent recommend the Millennium Force to anyone seeking a big thrill. The boys weren’t the only ones relieved when we returned. So was I!

Winner, Winner!

To close out the day we hit the carnival games. We let the boys decide how to use their little bit of spending money. Both boys tried a few games.  One game required climbing an unsteady rope ladder and another was shooting at cups. 

We warned the boys that people rarely won these games. They knew to enter the events just for the fun of participating, which they did. But boy #2 really wanted a giant stuffed animal. He got his giant stuffed animal. He shot those cups the first try. 

“That was amazing! he said. “I didn’t think I’d get it the first time.” 

But he did! And now we have Cedar the giant stuffed wolf that lives on his bed, taking up more space than him.

Closest Military Installations

MWR Locations Nearby

If You Go:

• Go to Cedar Point during off times and off seasons.  Weekdays offer shorter lines as do seasons like early spring or late fall.   Just keep in mind some activities like the water park are only open May through October. So, the best time of year to visit really depends on your interests.
  
  We saw very few lines. The longest line was for the monster truck ride which was a special/limited time event.

• The park offered several places to stay on the grounds. The RV Park was clean and close to everything. I easily walked back to the RV to check on the dog and drop off jackets. While Cedar Point is known for its 17 coasters and other thrill rides, the park provides activities for the whole family. Check out the website to  see the rides and attractions for the littles and the “calmer” folks in your traveling party.  

• We bought the refreshment ticket so we could get refillable drinks and a few snacks for a prepaid price. We bought only two of these tickets and shared.

  I was surprised how warm it got.  The sun beat down on us and that combined with the warm breeze off the nearby beach made us thirsty people. It was money well spent, especially since we had dinner waiting for us back at the RV.

• Check your ticket times. You may be able to arrive a little earlier the night before and have a “preview” night for a couple of hours. Our tickets came with this, but it didn’t fit our schedule.

• We planned for one ice cream treat in our budget. We still hadn’t budgeted enough. Be prepared for amusement park prices for sure. I waited a very long time for my my ice cream considering the number of people in line and the number of people working. I am willing to chalk it up to pretty inexperienced seasonal workers. Just be aware, waiting for food might take as long as waiting for coasters.