Cedar Point is one of the most popular amusement parks globally and one of the first amusement parks in the United States. It is located in Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. Each year, Cedar Point is visited by over 5 million tourists from all over the world.
Cedar Point is not only an amusement park but also a popular vacation spot. There is everything to keep you entertained: a cinema, numerous restaurants and cafes, a boat station, a cable car, and even a hotel. Here are also the unique attractions in the world. So many of them have more than once set world records and taken the first places in the lists of the best amusement rides.
As every self-respecting amusement park, Cedar Point has a standard set of attractions: a tower, roller coasters, merry-go-round, and big wheels. However, the main feature of Cedar Point is its unique rides, which are found only here and nowhere else in the world. So today we would like to tell you about these ones and answer why it is worth visiting this exciting place.
Cedar Point's History
The history of Cedar Point begins in the 1870s. In those days, the Lake Erie area was trendy among anglers and hunters. In 1867, a local businessman, Louis Zistel, pitched his idea to the local authorities to use the area as a local resort. Permission was granted, and in 1870 he opened a beach, a brewery, and a dance floor.
By the way, the name of the park, Cedar Point, speaks for itself - earlier, the peninsula was covered with cedar trees.
The first rides appeared at Cedar Point in 1892. After the invention of the Switchback Railway, public interest in this kind of entertainment was unusually high. Placing such a ride in the park was guaranteed to attract a large number of visitors. The first ride was a simple wooden structure 23 ft high. It was actually a simple slide with a wooden sled that went up manually and then rolled down. The speed of the ride was unique for that time - 10 mph.
The idea turned out to be correct, and crowds of visitors streamed into the park. Since then, various rides have continued to be built. The best of the best attraction architects worked there. Today Cedar Point is a unique place to have fun for the whole family: a park, movie theater, hotels and cafes, parking, and more than 50 different types of attractions (historical and modern).
Top-5 Cedar Point's Attractions
Today, Cedar Point has more than 50 rides in different categories of extreme. So let's take a closer look at the top-5 of the best amusement rides.
Power Tower
The Power Tower is a rectangular structure 295 ft high. On each of the structure's columns, there is a platform capable of moving up and down. Two of the platforms work for rising - they are thrown upwards at 59 mph and then fall by inertia and rise again. The other two, on the contrary, go up slowly, and then at 59 mph fall rapidly.
The Raptor
Raptor was built in 1994 by the world-famous Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) in Switzerland. The Raptor was ranked as the 11th most popular ride globally in 2005 - "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World", to be exact. The Raptor's feature is that the wagons are hanged from below the rail - not above, as most rides are. As a result, the passengers' feet are hanging over the ground, and they have the feeling of free flight. In addition, there are six head-down turns and one spiral as you ride.
Top Thrill Dragster
The Top Thrill Dragster was introduced to the park in 2003 and immediately became one of the most popular rides. Today it is one of the symbols of Cedar Point. Its features are high altitude, the world's steepest angles of descent and ascent, and high speed. In 4 seconds after the start, the carriage, thanks to a unique magnetic system, reaches 118 mph. Then, it rises rapidly to a height of 410 ft vertically, making several turns at the same time. Having reached the top, it pauses for a few seconds and then descends vertically, making several more 270 degree turns.
The Wicked Twister
The Wicked Twister was introduced at Cedar Point in 2003. It is the highest and fastest ride of its kind, and it represents two towers connected. Every single building is 213 ft high. When climbing the tower, the train makes several turns, pauses, and then rushes down again, making several turns. The trip takes about 40 seconds at a maximum speed of 71 mph. During this time, the train makes five climbs and descents. In the first year after its opening, the attraction was visited by more than 5 million people.
Millennium Force
Millennium Force was launched at Cedar Point in 2000 to continue the park's tradition of setting world records for rides. Ten world records are broken this time as the fastest, highest, longest, and most extreme ride.
In 2006 Millenium Force took second place in the "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World" list. It cost $20 million to build. However, it was worth doing this. In the first season after its opening, it was visited by about 2 million people. Today, the number of visitors is a little less, but we are sure that it will be the leader for a long time.
How to Get There?
Cedar Point is located in the city of Sandusky, on a narrow peninsula. You can get there using a train or a private boat. Working hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m; from the beginning of May till the end of October. The ticket price is 42$ for adults and 15$ for kids. For babies under two years, it will be for free. By the way, with this ticket, you have access to all the types of attractions in this amusement park.
Since this amusement park is one of the most famous in the United States, people are willing to get there from all over the country. So, if you're planning a family vacation to Sandusky, Ohio, and would like to visit such a wonderful place, we can give you a piece of advice. This information will be handy for those who prefer traveling by air.
By the way, have you ever heard about the cheap parking near airports? If not, we will tell you a little bit.
Of course, if you're planning to get to the airport by car, you will need to leave your vehicle somewhere while traveling, preferably not too far from the airport you’re flying from. However, people don't want to spend a lot of money on the airport's on-site parking, as it is very expensive most of the time. So what can we do then?
There are many options to save money, even at the beginning of the trip. If you're flying from New York, you can choose, for example, JFK overnight parking or long-term parking near LaGuardia airport; if you're coming from Los Angeles, you can use long-term parking near LAX. So the thing is that this parking type is much cheaper. Also, there is a free shuttle provided by the parking facility going back and forth between the parking lot and the airport terminal.
You can learn more about the benefits of this parking type and choose the best deals for your city on our official website.
