"Millennium Force" roller coaster

Thrills, Spills and Chills

Living It Up At Historic Cedar Point Amusement Park

A lot of you may not know this, but Cedar Point Amusement Park, not Theme Park, is the second oldest amusement park behind Coney Island in North America. That's an amazing statistic and it's less than a seven hour drive from Chicago. We're talking 1870 when it first opened and today it features an incredible 69 rides of which 17 of them are roller coasters making it and the other amazing amusement park outside of Cincinnati, Kings Island, a dynamic duo for Ohio.

In 2005, I visited Kings Island and highlighted my article with not just an overview of the park, its history and amenities, but all of its fine roller coasters. You can't be a roller coaster junkie like me and not go to Kings Island to ride "The Beast" and "Son of Beast". Though that park boasts the two longest, fastest and highest roller coasters in the world, Cedar Point is holding its own with a couple record-breakers. Thus, the focus of my time at Cedar Point in 2007 is its grand roller coasters and thrill rides.

But, let's frame the park and give you some interesting facts, figures and brief history of not just the park, but the area, too. Though I didn't partake in the area's fine camping facilities, dining establishments, indoor waterparks, etc., I know they are there and I know for decades the Sandusky area has been a destination for family vacationers. In addition to its giant amusement park and adjoining outdoor water park, Soak City, Sandusky is located on Lake Erie and is lined with beaches, giving way to an assortment of water sports. Camping, beaching, water sports, dining and a world-class amusement park...why go anywhere else?

The unique thing about Cedar Point is its geographic location - situated on a peninsula extending into Lake Erie making it surrounded on three sides by water. What an idyllic setting. Prior to 1870, the peninsula was mainly used for fishing and hunting. A local entrepreneur, Louis Zistel, opened a small beer garden, bathhouse and dance floor in 1870 and by the 1880s, those operations had expanded and the word was getting around that Cedar Point was a great place to visit. But the history of thrill rides didn't begin until 1892, which is about the time other amusement parks like Kennywood outside of Pittsburgh were discovering...the roller coaster.

The park's first roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, opened in 1892 and was 25-feet tall and reached a top speed of 10 mph - quite high and fast for that time. The Figure-Eight Roller Toboggan opened in 1902 as the park's second roller coaster. During the late 1800s, Cedar Point opened the enormous Grand Pavilion, which featured an auditorium, a bowling alley and dining facilities. Hotels started popping up nearby and in the early 1900s, the midway of the park was constructed, which featured various rides, games, fortunetellers, skating rink, shops, a grand ballroom for dancing and other attractions.

As the park continued to expand in size extending into the lake, the modern era of roller coasters, or what I call the "second wave", was born at Cedar Point. In 1964, the Blue Streak was constructed and remains the park's oldest operating roller coaster today. Having visited Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago as a kid (at Belmont and Western avenues, just south of Lane Tech High School), I cut my teeth on the legendary "Bobs", still regarded by historians as one of the top 5 coasters of all time. But I remember riding the Fireball, Flying Turns, Comet (originally called the Blue Streak), Silver Streak/Flash and Greyhound. When Riverview was torn down in 1967, a resurgence in wooden roller coasters took shape in the 1970s.

The Blue Streak at Cedar Point was actually ahead of its time. Kings Island and its sister park Kings Dominion (Virginia) opened in 1969 and featured as their top thrill ride the Red and Blue Racer (Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion), twin tracks running side-by-side, an out-and-back, up-and-down wooden coaster in much the same way as the Blue Streak, though it only has a single track. But at 78 feet tall and 40 mph, it was an impressive ride and still provides a moderate jolt today. Of course, in recent years, 78 feet tall and 40 mph is nothing in terms of high-octane thrill rides. But the Blue Streak of any ride at Cedar Point remains an endearing reminder of days gone by and its rich history. Hopefully it will not be replaced with some new fangled attraction.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the operators of Cedar Point had it in mind to construct record-breakers. That line of thinking continued into the 1990s and new millennium, but their ambition was set into motion in 1969 with one of the first roller coasters to utilize steel tubular track, the Cedar Creek Mine Ride, which is still operating today. One of the first-ever corkscrew roller coasters was built at Cedar Point in 1976, and still operates today, and in 1978, the Gemini became the tallest and fastest scream machine on the planet. Though the Gemini still stands today, it occupies a huge parcel I think will make way for a high-speed thrill ride down the line.

Now brace yourselves because the real lore of the park jettisoned in 1989 with the world's first roller coaster to top 200 feet tall, the Magnum XL-200. In 1991, the Mean Streak opened and set a world record as the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. That record has since been eclipsed elsewhere, most notably at Kings Island by the Son of Beast. In 1994, the Raptor opened up as the tallest and fastest inverted (tracks above you) coaster in the world. And, in 1996, the Mantis opened as the tallest and fastest stand-up coaster in the world.

Things get better - and more daring. In 2000, to celebrate the new millennium, the park opened the world's first 300 foot roller coaster, the Millennium Force. This baby really cooks, at 92 mph at the bottom of the first hill, but you can't appreciate the ride's unique qualities without experiencing it for yourself. The trains seemingly contain scant padding or lap protection, though they do, of course. The backs are not excessively high, so you can see the person sitting in front of you clearly. And, get a load of this: there's no side panel to your seat...your legs are exposed for all to see. This is only the start of the park's most amazing ride.

If you thought you felt "exposed" on this high-speed ride, prepare yourself for the ascent up the first hill, 310 feet high. You can't appreciate the towering height until you see it towering over the park from a distance. There is no chain or pulley system to take you up the first hill. It's done with magnets and the angle of ascent is an astonishing 45 degrees, almost as steep as some descents. It whisks you up to the top of the hair-pin curved hill in only 28 seconds and no sooner do you speed to the top, you're heading down the first hill at an incredible 80 degree angle (almost straight down). Because of the coaster's spindly design, you never see the track or any of the support beams underneath you making you feel as though you are floating on air.

The rest of the Millennium Force is incredible: the second and third hills are 169 feet and 182 feet; there's two dark tunnels and two on-your-side high-speed banked turns. It's a long ride by today's standards with 6,595 feet of track. When the Millennium Force opened in 2000, it broke 10 world records and though steel coasters in Japan and I believe in Europe have eclipsed it, it stands as an engineering marvel and delivers the most exhilarating ride I've ever been on. The fact this ride doesn't go upside down is a plus (for me). At my age, my preference is to keep the horizon in view, right-side up.

But Cedar Point was not finished building record-breakers. It was the first park to top 200 feet, then 300 feet and in 2003, it topped 400 feet with construction of the Top Thrill Dragster. It's not a roller coaster in the traditional sense because it doesn't have hills that go up and down, etc. No, the Top Thrill Dragster is something altogether different. This one catapults you out on a tubular steel track running parallel to the ground at 120 mph where it then turns skyward, straight up at 90 degrees to a stratospheric 420 feet where it crowns momentarily, again giving the rider a brief look at the world, then plunges you straight down at 90 degrees at an amazing free-fall speed of 120 mph.

The Top Thrill Dragster may only last 28 seconds, but the anticipation of getting on the ride, watching others come back from just riding it, boarding the train, moving forward to your jettison take-off point and waiting for the hydraulic launch sequence to send you hurtling is as exciting as the ride itself. It's an out-and-back coaster that achieves 120 mph in just four seconds giving the rider an experience you can only feel in a NHRA hot rod or some super-charged sports car. No, Top Thrill Dragster is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that if you have the guts and stamina is a must ride for thrill-seekers. It, too, towers over the park as do the 300 foot Millennium Force and Power Tower.

I mentioned the other two mega-coasters earlier, the Magnum XL-200 and the Mean Streak. Though the Magnum now in its 18th year is starting to show signs of being forgotten, you must keep in mind that our nearest park in Chicago, Great America in Gurnee, features only one coaster that exceeds 200 feet, the Raging Bull (213 feet). Cedar Point has three. The great thing about the Magnum, I should add, is that it is built alongside Soak City water park and extends onto the beach overlooking Lake Erie. The 4th and 5th hills and turnaround are over the beach along waters-edge. We don't have anything as sexy as that at Great America, or at any Mid-Western park for that matter. No, the Magnum still struts its stuff and at over 70 mph, it still packs a wallop and should remain one of the staple coasters at Cedar Point for some time.

The Mean Streak is often overlooked or dismissed by wooden roller coaster buffs. I was a member of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) in the 1980s and 1990s and the quick assessment of the Mean Streak was that the operators needed to ease back on the brakes and let the ride flow with slightly increased speed. I kind of agreed with that assessment when I first rode it 15 years ago, but I've gained renewed respect for the ride in 2007. It's a gargantuan wooden coaster that twists and turns on 13 hills, some of which are banked with sudden, unforeseen drops below panel boards like the old coasters used to do. The first hill drops 161 feet and reaches 65 mph, only eclipsed by the incredible 213 foot first drop and 78 mph of the Son of Beast. I dare say that record may never be broken because wooden coasters can get pretty rough at those speeds. I think the Mean Streak is a must ride for any coaster buff.

Across the way from the Mean Streak at the back end of the park and at waters-edge of the lake is this year's new roller coaster entry at Cedar Point. It's the Maverick, a new steel coaster that features a first drop of 95 degrees, which means you are partially inverted going downward. It reaches a first-drop speed of 57 mph, features twists and banks around hair-pin turns, inversions and then an on-your-side high-banked turn into a 400 foot dark tunnel at 70 mph. The track is 4,450 feet long and takes 2 min, 30 seconds to ride. Unfortunately, I attended the park one day too early as the Maverick was being publicly unveiled the very next day.

What you need to know about Cedar Point Amusement Park is that it is accessible and offers a lot more than just the top thrill rides I described. The Mantis and Raptor are awesome rides and are both still among the highest and fastest in their respective categories. But with 69 total rides, there's plenty of other attractions for the less faint of heart...and little children, too. It's a large park and resort that covers 364 acres that includes Soak City, RV campground with lakeside cottages and cabins, four resort hotels, two large marinas, go-carts, miniature golf...and more. It's all these amenities that make Cedar Point and the Sandusky area such an attractive place for vacationers.

Voted the World's Best Amusement Park by readers of Amusement Today newspaper for nine years running, Cedar Point, in addition to all those thrill rides, features a steam-powered train, paddle wheel boats, water rides and antique carousels. Youngsters will enjoy special rides in four areas of the park and the "PEANUTS" gang appears at Camp Snoopy. Cedar Point features live entertainment, including musical shows and Snoopy's summer vacation - an ice-skating extravaganza featuring skating, lively music and, of course, Snoopy.

Soak City is an 18-acre outdoor waterpark that doesn't require separate admission - it's included in the basic fee. It features two relaxing inner-tube river rides, more than a dozen water slides, a gigantic 500,000 gallon wave pool, Splash Zone, an interactive play area with more than 100 different wet and wild water gadgets that spray and squirt guests, and two kids' areas. Soak City also features shaded and sunny lounge areas, an adults-only swim-up refreshment center and a variety of food, drink and merchandise facilities. Adjacent to but not within Cedar Point is Challenge Park, which features RipCord Skycoaster, two high-speed go-cart tracks and two 18-hole miniature golf courses. Challenge Park is open to the public and requires a separate admission fee.

Cedar Point and Sandusky are located between Toledo and Cleveland on Lake Erie. It is 288 miles from Chicago and is easily reached by taking I-80 across Indiana into Ohio. Cedar Point opened on May 12 and runs daily through Labor Day, Monday, September 3. From there, the park is open on weekends and from late September to late October, the park dresses up for "HalloWeekends". Admission varies, of course, but is $41.95 for ages 3-61, 48 inches and taller; Junior is $11.95 for ages 3-61, under 48 inches; Senior is $11.95 for ages 62 and older; and Starlight is $24.95, entry after 5 p.m. This being the height of summer, the park is open to 10 p.m.weekday nights, 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and some Saturday's until midnight.

Some of the local places to stay in Sandusky are the Hotel Breakers (650 rooms and suites); Sandcastle Suites (187 suites); Breakers Express (350 rooms); the year-round Castaway Bay indoor waterpark resort, which is expanding; Camper Village RV Campground (112 sites); Cedar Point Marina (742 slips) and Castaway Bay Marina (160 slips).

For more information about Cedar Point Amusement Park/Resort, write to One Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, OH, 44870; Phone 1-800-BEST FUN or check out their website at www.cedarpoint.com.