One-Tank Trip / Ohio
Enjoy the thrills in kid-friendly Sandusky
Cedar Point, waterparks are a blast
SANDUSKY, Ohio— “There it is!” cried several boys from the back of the bus as the loops from numerous roller coasters appeared on the horizon. These kids have been anticipating this moment for months and had volunteered to work at a spaghetti dinner, a Lenten fish fry and other fundraisers to raise money for their class trip to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
At the end of May, I had the opportunity to accompany 70 eighth-grade students, along with their teachers and several other parents, to this amusement park, located on the shores of Lake Erie about a 4zhour drive from Buffalo.
Cedar Point first opened as a bathing beach in 1870 and introduced its first roller coaster in 1892. It has been voted the “Best Amusement Park in the World” for 11 years in a row in Amusement Today magazine’s annual Golden Ticket award. Roller coaster aficionados will concur with that: its 17 roller coasters are the most in any amusement park in the world.
The 364-acre park, the second oldest amusement park in North America, is located on a peninsula on Lake Erie, about an hour west of Cleveland. It is not merely an amusement park, but a vacation destination. It has 80 rides—about three dozen of them geared to young children; Soak City, an outdoor water park; and several live shows such as Got Country at the Red Garter Saloon in the Frontier Town section and Signed, Sealed, Delivered in the Centennial Theater. Four resort hotel properties are also associated with the park.
While I really enjoyed wild rides when I was a bit younger, in recent years I found that I have to stick to the tamer rides to keep from getting dizzy. I joined the girls I was chaperoning on the old-fashioned cars and on Cedar Downs, a carousellike ride that featured race horses instead of the traditional carousel horses.
Popular with my charges was the Tower of Power, which raised you up 240 feet in the air, before quickly dropping you back down at 50 mph. Even the kids who normally don’t like rides said it was “very cool.” The girls also loved the Gemini roller coaster, which they rode twice in a row. I almost considered going on this ride, but hey, someone had to watch the purses and backpacks! Since I’m planning a trip back to Cedar Point with my family later this summer, I might actually give it a try when I return.
One ride that looked really scary was the Dragster, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. This ride is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It goes from zero to 120 mph in four seconds; then propels itself along a track 420 feet into the air, loops back down to earth, and returns back to the station, all in the span of 17 seconds! A couple of the girls were actually brave enough to go on it. They waited almost two hours for their 17-second ride, but said it was really worth it.
More my speed was the Sky Rider, a relaxing ride which glided gently along a cable above the ground, offering a great view of the entire park. It lasted way longer than 17 seconds and the wait for it was less than five minutes.
You can even meet some of your favorite Peanuts characters, like Snoopy and Charlie Brown, throughout the park. Little ones can explore the Great Pumpkin Patch and there is a Snoopy store with a nice selection of “Peanuts” merchandise. There are also almost 20 other retail shops, as well as more than two dozen restaurants in the park.
The park is almost too big to see in one day. We had to leave before dinner, so we didn’t have the opportunity to see the park after dark. New this summer is the Starlight Experience along the Frontier Trail section of the park. The trees and buildings of this area are decorated with thousands of colorful lights, which at twilight transform the area into a magical wonderland. Also, at 10 each night, weather permitting, is Hot Summer Nights, a combination show of music, sound, light, video and pyrotechnics.
More fun in Sandusky
Sandusky also has a number of hotels with indoor waterparks, which are open year-round, so if you visit during bad weather or in the off-season, there is still plenty to do. Our group stayed at the Kalahari Resort, which was really amazing. It features America’s largest indoor waterpark. At 173,000 square feet, it is larger than 3z 1/4 ootb 1/2 ll fields.
The waterpark has a 12,000- square-foot wave pool, five waterslides, a 3,000-square-foot activity pool where kids can play water basketball, a really cute kiddie area, lazy river tubing and FlowRider, which pumps 50,000 gallons of water per minute, offering an indoor surfing experience. The kids in our group really had a blast trying this, as we really don’t have much of an opportunity to surf in Buffalo.
The resort also features a full-service spa, specialty shops, a large video game arcade complete with a miniature golf course and special guest activities every day. There are also four restaurants in the resort, along with five places to get refreshments and food in the waterpark.
Other indoor waterparks in Sandusky include Castaway Bay, a 237-room Cedar Point property, which has a 38,000- square-foot waterpark; the Northwoods-themed Great Wolf Lodge resort, which has a 41,000-square-foot entertainment area with a waterpark, outdoor pool and game arcade; and Rain, a much smaller waterpark located in the Quality Inn&Suites.
If you go
Cedar Point, One Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky, Ohio; (419) 627-2106; www.cedarpoint.com . Kalahari Resort, 700 Kalahari Drive, Sandusky, Ohio; (419) 433-7200, (877) 525-2427; www.kalahariresorts.com . Castaway Bay, 2001 Cleveland Road (U. S. Route 6), Sandusky, Ohio; (419) 627-2500; www.castawaybay.com . Great Wolf Lodge, 4600 Milan Road (U. S. Route 250), Sandusky, Ohio; (419) 609-6000; www.greatwolf.com . Rain, Quality Inn& Suites, 1935 Cleveland Road, Sandusky, Ohio; (419) 627-6761, (800) 654-3364; www.qualityinn.com . Directions
Take the New York State Thruway (I-90) south from Buffalo. Continue on this route through Pennsylvania and Ohio, until you reach Route 6 west. Follow the Cedar Point signs.
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