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For other places with the same name, see Cedar Point (disambiguation).
The Magnum XL200 at Cedar Point

Cedar Point Amusement Park is a 364-acre amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio on one of the North Coast Beaches overlooking Lake Erie. It is often billed as the "Worlds Largest Amusement Park", and draws visitors from throughout Ohio and surrounding states. It was voted the best amusement park in the world in 2012 by Amusement Today [1] for the 15th year in a row.

Understand

Cedar Point is one of the oldest continuously operating amusement parks, having begun in the year 1870 as a beach resort on the shore of Lake Erie. Today it covers 364 acres and is home to some of the tallest, fastest roller coasters in the world, including Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force. All together it has more than 70 rides. Without doubt Cedar Point is the best amusement park in the world. It is a MUST for any serious thrillseeker out there, offering the second largest number of roller coasters found in a single amusement park (16 altogether, and second to Six Flags Magic Mountain with 19). Although its primary attraction is the assortment of coasters, the park has rides and other attractions, including kiddie rides, water rides, a traditional arcade, award-winning musical shows, and a PEANUTS-themed ice skating show, etc. The park also offers access to a lovely beach on Lake Erie—something which has been attracting visitors since its inception.

Two separate attractions are part of Cedar Point but not included in the general admission. Soak City is an outdoor water park; Challenge Park features four separately-gated attractions: 'Ripcord,' 'Skyscraper,' 'Challenge Racing' go kart tracks, and 'Challenge Golf', a fantasy miniature golf course.

One can easily spend a full day at Cedar Point itself. If you plan to take in all the attractions, you should buy the two-day "Ride and Slide" ticket and spread your enjoyment of Soak City and Cedar Point over two days. If you are coming on a busy day (weekends especially in the summer), make sure to plan time to wait in line, as some lines such as Millennium Force, Maverick, and Top Thrill Dragster can be up to two hours.

Get in

The park is located on a peninsula on Lake Erie at:

1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, Ohio 44870-5259,
Phone : (419) 627-2350

By car

Sandusky is between Cleveland and Toledo.

  • On the Ohio Turnpike (I-80):
    • Take Exit 118 and follow the signs north on US 250
    • Take Exit 110 and follow Route 4 north.

Once you get to Sandusky, just follow the signs to Cedar Point; the causeway is a toll road. Cedar Point can also be accessed via the Chaussee, a two-lane road which connects to Cleveland Road a few miles east of Sandusky.

By private boat

Cedar Point has two large marinas on Lake Erie. The Cedar Point Marina allows daily slip rentals for $25 per day; it and the Castaway Bay Marina also offer seasonal dockage.

By train

Not the usual way to go to Cedar Point, but Amtrak serves the city of Sandusky with daily service from points east and west.

Admission and discounts

Cedar Point's 2013 admission prices are as follows:

  • Cedar Point Regular One day for guests ages 3-61, 48" and taller in shoes. $54.99
  • Cedar Point Junior or Senior One day for guests under 48" tall in shoes OR age 62 and over. $29.99
  • Ride & Slide 2-Day Ages 3-61, 48" and taller. Ride & Slide Ticket will admit one guest to both Cedar Point and Soak City for any two regular season days. $82.99
  • Ride & Slide 2-Day Junior/Senior Guests under 48" tall OR age 62 and over. Ride & Slide Junior/Senior Ticket will admit one guest to both Cedar Point and Soak City for any two regular season days. $45.99
  • Children Age 2 and under are admitted free to Cedar Point and Soak City.
  • Cedar Point Starlight through June 15 Valid after 5PM when Cedar Point closes at 10PM or later; valid after 4PM when Cedar Point closes earlier than 10PM $24.99
  • Cedar Point Starlight after June 15 Valid after 5PM when Cedar Point closes at 10PM or later; valid after 4PM when Cedar Point closes earlier than 10PM $35.99
  • Military Valid ID required. Discount applies only to active or retired military personnel and immediate family members. Must purchase in person, not online. $39.99
  • Daily Parking Per vehicle. $15 for regularly-sized vehicles, $20 for vehicles taking up more than one space, $25 Preferred Parking
  • Season Pass Valid for unlimited admission during the 2013 season to Cedar Point only $117 or $75 for guests under 48" tall OR age 62 and over. For true amusement park fanatics, a "Platinum Pass" is available for $180, valid for unlimited admission to all Cedar Fair amusement parks and outdoor water parks for the entire season.

Discount admission

In addition to the discounts for seniors, multiple days, juniors and military mentioned above, other discounts are available.:

  • Resort Guests Reduced admission prices are available for guests of any of the hotels on the Cedar Point property, see cedarpoint.com/places-to-stay for more details.
  • AAA (American Automobile Association) Members AAA offices sell discount Cedar Point tickets for their members. These tickets must be bought through an AAA office. Showing an AAA card at the gate will not get you a discount.
  • Meijer Meijer stores sell discounted one-day tickets.
  • Online DealsDiscount tickets are available for purchase at cedarpoint.com. Special deals are also announced on Facebook and through the park's email newsletter.

Get around

Cedar Point from Sandusky

Because its size is constrained by surrounding Lake Erie and its own parking lots, Cedar Point is pretty tightly packed, so you can get around pretty easily on foot throughout the park. In addition, two of the more tranquil rides offer a means to get around the park itself.

  • The CP&LE Railroad includes four coal-fired steam trains that delivers guests between two stations towards the back of the park. Enjoy the "wild west" show during your ride.
  • The Sky Ride carries passengers over the main midway, from the entrance towards the center of the park or back.

See

New for 2013: an incredible record-breaking wing roller coaster, GateKeeper. Also: 15 more roller coasters, PEANUTS-themed children's ride areas, Dinosaurs Alive! (extra-charge attraction), nightly show Luminosity (starts in June), water park, Challenge Park, Lake Erie.

Do

  • Soak City. A separately-gated outdoor water park adjacent to Cedar Point. Like Cedar Point, owned by Cedar Fair.  

Roller Coasters

  • Blue Streak - The roller coaster when it was built in 1964; a classic "Out and Back" wooden coaster.
  • Cedar Creek Mine Ride - A "hybrid" mine train coaster: wood structure with tubular steel rails.
  • Corkscrew - The world's first coaster to take riders upsidown three times; spans the midway.
  • GateKeeper - A world record-breaking wing coaster that spans the Main Gate entrance, and flies through two keyhole towers.
  • Gemini - Two trains run side-by-side for most of the course, one inevitably beating the other. This Coaster also has a wood structure, but Steel-Tubular Track.
  • Iron Dragon - A suspended coaster.
  • Magnum XL-200 - First coaster to top 200 feet (Hyper Coaster), and still ranked highly by coaster enthusiasts. It offers a ride similar (if tamer) to the more famous Millennium Force, but with a fraction of the line.
  • Maverick - Incorporates a 95-degree first drop. Voted best new ride of 2007 by Amusement Today.
  • Mean Streak - A big "woodie" which is notorious for giving headaches.
  • Millennium Force - First "giga" coaster (tops 300 feet) and the longest in the world. Smooth, fast, and plenty of air. Currently ranked the Number One steel roller coaster in the World by Amusement Today readers. Be prepared for a very long line on busy days.
  • Raptor - Inverted B&M; six inversions.
  • Rougarou - Built in 1996 as Mantis, it premiered as the world's tallest, fastest, and steepest stand-up coaster, reaching a height of 145 feet, dropping 137 feet at a 52-degree angle, and going upside-down four times in four different ways while reaching speeds over 60 mph along 3,900 feet of red and yellow twisted tubular steel track. In 2015 it was repainted, re-themed, and converted into a floorless coaster and renamed Rougarou.
  • Top Thrill Dragster - Hydraulically launched; first coaster to top 400 feet (strata-coaster). An amazing 17 seconds of speed and height. Also has the longest line in the park.
  • Valravn - The tallest, fastest, and longest Dive Coaster in the world, set to debut in 2016.
  • Wicked Twister - The world's only double-twisting impulse coaster and the world's tallest and fastest inverted coaster. This coaster on the beach uses LIMs to launch out of the station five times (forward three times and backward twice), reaching a top speed of 72 mph and traveling up two 215-foot-tall twisting towers, each spiraling 145 degrees.
  • Wilderness Run - A "kiddie" coaster; formerly known as Jr. Gemini.
  • Woodstock Express - A "kiddie" coaster that the whole family can ride.

Thrill rides

  • Dodgem
  • Matterhorn
  • maXair
  • Monster
  • Ocean Motion
  • Power Tower
  • Scrambler
  • Skyhawk
  • SlingShot
  • Super Himalaya
  • Tiki Twirl
  • Troika
  • Wave Swinger
  • WindSeeker
  • Witches' Wheel

Water rides

  • Shoot the Rapids
  • Snake River Falls
  • Thunder Canyon

Family rides

  • Antique Cars
  • Cadillac Cars
  • Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad
  • Giant Wheel
  • Lake Erie Eagles
  • Pipe Scream
  • Sky Ride

Other attractions

  • Dinosaurs Alive!
  • Extreme Sports Stadium
  • Jack Aldrich Theatre
  • Luminosity: Ignite the Night (takes place at the Celebration Plaza Stage)
  • Palace Theatre
  • Red Garter Saloon

Children's Areas

Planet Snoopy

  • Flying Ace Balloon Race
  • Joe Cool's Dodgem School
  • Kite Eating Tree
  • Peanuts Road Rally
  • Snoopy’s Deep Sea Divers
  • Snoopy’s Express Railroad
  • Snoopy’s Space Race
  • Woodstock’s Whirlybirds

Camp Snoopy

  • Balloon Race
  • Camp Bus
  • Charlie Brown's Wind-Up
  • Peanuts 500
  • Red Baron
  • Snoopy Bounce
  • Tilt-a-Whirl
  • Woodstock's Airmail

Kiddy Kingdom

  • 4x4's
  • Dune Buggies
  • Helicopters
  • Motorcycles
  • Mustangs
  • Police Cars
  • Rock, Spin, and Turn
  • Roto Whip
  • Sky Fighters
  • Space Age

Challenge Park (Separately Gated)

  • RipCord (Skycoaster)
  • Go-Karts
  • SkyScraper
  • Challenge Golf (Mini-Golf)

Carousels

  • Midway Carousel - Built in 1912, the Midway Carousel is one of the few Daniel Muller carousels in existence today. Its long history also makes it the oldest operating ride at Cedar Point. The Midway Carousel was originally carved for John J. Hurley of Revere Beach, Mass. Later, the machine was bought by the Holzapfel family of Sandusky, who operated the carousel at Cedar Point from 1946 until the park bought it in 1963.
  • Kiddy Kingdom Carousel - Located in the center of Cedar Point’s Kiddy Kingdom, this 1925 carousel is a fine example of the craftsmanship of the William H. Dentzel firm of Philadelphia. With 52 animals (16 standing and 36 jumping) and two chariots, the Kiddy Kingdom Carousel is one of Dentzel’s personal favorites.
  • Cedar Downs - Sixty-four horses race around the track on the Cedar Downs Racing Derby, one of only two racing derby rides in the U.S. The carousel was built in 1920 by Prior and Church and was brought to Cedar Point in 1967. The machine was built for the Humphrey Company of Euclid Beach near Cleveland. Also known as the Great American Racing Derby, the ride ran at Euclid Beach for 47 years. Although a few changes have been made, the ride is still housed in its original structure. The ride features an immense turntable with a 90-foot diameter that revolves as the ride begins. The four-abreast horses move back and forth producing a racing effect. The momentum of the ride increases until it reaches a speed of approximately 15 mph.

Eat

The park has many food concessions operated by the park, including stands selling walking-around snacks and restaurants where you can sit and rest a short while. All are very fast-food oriented, with limited menus, and prices geared for a semi-captive market of visitors unwilling to endure the time-consuming hassle of driving back to the city just to get a meal. However, there are also several restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the park and fairly convenient to get to with a free park re-entry stamp... but these are also on the pricey side, for the same reason.

Drink

Beer and wine coolers are sold at various restaurants in the park, with a policy of two drinks per valid driver's license or state photo ID (to prevent friends buying for their under-21 friends). The out-of-park restaurants generally have full bars and typical alcohol-sales requirements.

Sleep

The city of Sandusky itself has numerous hotels and motels catering to Cedar Point visitors.

  • 1 Hotel Breakers, 1 Cedar Point Drive, +1 419 627-2106. Historic, family-friendly turn-of-the-century hotel located adjacent to the park. The location is ideal for visiting Cedar Point, but the rooms are somewhat lacking and in need of renovation, and aren't the greatest value for the money. Features a Perkins and a T.G.I. Fridays within the hotel and an old fashioned creamery. Renovations are planned for 2013.
  • Breakers Express, 1201 Cedar Point Drive, +1 419 627-2106. A modern, less-expensive alternative to Breakers.
  • 2 Lighthouse Point, 1 Cedar Point Drive, +1 419 627-2106. Located at the north end, there are cabins or waterfront cottages complete with kitchenette and an outdoor grill.
  • Castaway Bay, 2001 Cleveland Road, +1 419 627-2106. A resort hotel featuring an indoor water park and T.G.I. Fridays.
  • 3 SandCastle Suites, 1 Cedar Point Drive. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. This hotel is for people who have a little extra cash to spend. The property offers all suites and includes three main suites. It has an indoor pool and outdoor pool as well as a spa. 252.00.

Work

Cedar Point hires over 4000 seasonal employees from all across the US and beyond every year; about 2500 live at Cedar Point itself in employee housing. Actors and musicians in particular can find gainful work in their field (entertainment-related jobs are offered via auditions). While the wages aren't great, the park offers its workers a choice of subsidized dormitory accommodation and meals, and many opportunities for extra hours, so it is possible to save quite a bit of money over the course of the summer. With so many young people working there, as well as perks like free access to the park and other special events, Cedar Point can be a fun way to work over the summer.

Go next

  • Milan Birthplace of Thomas A. Edison, inventor.
  • The city of Sandusky has some attractions of its own, including two other water slide parks. During the summertime there is an active night life scene.
  • About 20 miles southwest of Cedar Point, the Seneca Caverns, located near the small town of Bellevue beckon those interested in caves. Bellevue itself has small town charm as well as a historic district and a railway museum.
This park travel guide to Cedar Point is a usable article. It has information about the park, for getting in, about a few attractions, and about accommodations in the park. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.

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