Cedar Point

There are a lot of events that lead me to the lifestyle I’ve chosen. But as far as my need for adventure, there is one happening that clearly started it all. It was a trip I took to Cedar Point junior year of high school that put the wheels in motion for what I must honestly say has been an almost spiritual experience.

Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio on a little peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. But saying Cedar Point is merely an amusement park does not do it justice. It holds the record for most roller coasters (17) and as of 2008 has 75 rides which is more than anywhere else in the world. The area also consists of a mile long beach, an outdoor and indoor waterpark (Soak City and Castaway Bay respectively), two marinas, and Challenge Park; a fun center which contains activities like go-kart racing and miniature golf.

Did you know?- Cedar Point has been voted “Best Amusement Park in the World” by Amusement Today for the past eleven years!

Opened in 1870, the park is the second oldest in North America. During the 1860s the peninsula’s indigenous landscape was replaced with housings for four artillery pieces to guard access to the Confederate POW camp on nearby Johnson’s Island. After the Civil War, the area returned to use as a public picnic area until Louis Zistel, a German immigrant, bought the land.

While I could fill an entire book describing every turn on every ride, I’ve selected the three most popular rides to wet your whistle.

#3- Raptor

Opened in 1994, the Raptor was the first steel inverted roller coaster to incorporate a “cobra role” in its design. While the Golden Ticket Awards rewarded it at 22nd place for best steel coaster in the world for 2009, this ride is too nostalgic to pass up.

SPECS:

• 137 feet high
• 57 mph max speed
• 119 foot drop
• 100 foot loop
• 2 cobra rolls
• Zero-g roll
• 2 corkscrews

#2- Millenium Force

Longest steel coaster in the United States coming in at 6,595 feet. The Millenium Force has been ranked number one in Amuesment Today five times since 2001, and has never been lower than 2nd since opening in 2000.

Did you know?- After 2007, the Millenium Force had given out more than 12 million rides!

SPECS:

• 310 feet high
• 300 foot drop
• 93 mph max speed

#1- Top Thrill Dragster

Opened in 2003, Top Thrill Dragster is a steel, hydraulically-launched roller coaster coming in at 420 feet tall. The tallest in the world, it has only been surpassed in speed by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Resort. This ride accelerates you to 120 mph in only 3.8 seconds!