Cedar Point: For the Big Kid in You!

I mentioned a few days ago the media tour of Northwest Ohio I participated in, what I hadn't gotten to yet though, was mentioning the third day of our tour - a day at Cedar Point!

Even as a Cedar Point alumni
the park never gets old. There is
something special about a perfect
summer day in the park!

As Michael and I are both Cedar Point alumni, we knew about the many great aspects of the point. Sadly though we haven't visited since we got married 10 years ago. So this was an excellent opportunity to catch up with the best of Cedar Point with it's 17 roller coasters and thrill rides!

I'll have to admit, I'll never experience a day at Cedar Point like this again, and I am now officially spoiled. When we arrived at the park, we were greeted by a marketing intern Ainsley, who spent the day walking the park with us, taking us from ride to ride. She took us to the front of the line for any ride we wanted to experience. That's right, first row baby!

I suppose some might say we began the day rather gently, warming up on Cedar Point's newest ride, Windseeker. It provided a great view of the entire park though, and made is seem as though we were flying. After a gentle warm up though, we hit the blacktop hard, walking over 5 miles hitting Blue Streak, Corkscrew,  Mantis, Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Gemini, Maverick, Mean Streak, Raptor, Magnum XL-200, Iron Dragon and Disaster Transport. Riding the rides as a 40-something is a much different experience and one that I highly recommend to any "big kid" at heart.

Cedar Point still has classic coasters and for
speed deamons, they have the tallest and
fastest out there too! (photo courtesy
of Cedar Point)

We did take a short lunch break, at Pink’s too (as in the legendary Los Angeles Pink's Hot Dogs). Cedar Point has the first Pink's franchise East of Las Vegas. It was nice allowing our dogs to stop barking for a brief moment before hitting the pavement, and most importantly it was air conditioned!  I'm just glad we rode the Top Thrill Dragster BEFORE lunch!

It was kind of odd in some ways walking the park. I found myself saying "Hey isn't that where ____ ride used to be?" And of course the theatre I performed in was torn down years ago to make way for a large water ride. Not seeing the theatre remains a bittersweet experience. I was however pleasantly surprised at the changes we were experiencing as well as the way that Cedar Point has maintained so much of the park. It's amazing at what growth they can experience in such a tight space!

The park has an amazing assortment of rides, shows and a large kids area that includes pint-size rides just for them. The kids attractions were actually more prevelant than I remembered, or maybe it was just that I had never taken kids before.. My mom actually meet us down there in the morning, bringing the kids to experience the day with us. They did enjoy the day, and my son got to ride his first big coaster (7 actually) however, (and this is the part I would like to keep quiet) I think I might have enjoyed the day more without them. I will admit though, I think I enjoyed karaoke with the Peanuts gang at the Camp Snoopy Theatre more than they did.

My daughter's wee stature of less than 46" means she was more limited by ride selection; it was pretty warm and muggy that day and there is a lot of walking for one with such short legs. We did however allow the kids full-reign of the park for their own experience after departing the media tour. An experience they fully enjoyed!

A new Cedar Point fan is born!

After walking the park with the kids, I would recommend that families with small children spend more than a single day at the park. This might cost a bit more, but would save volumes in sanity. Stay the night on property in Camper Village, at Lighthouse Point (I'd like to check THAT out for our next adventure) or in an of the resort property hotels. This would allow the children to refresh and enjoy the beach, Soak City, or Challenge Park as well as gain early entry into the park and all that Cedar Point has to offer pint size clientele.

Our day spent exploring Cedar Point was one of those perfect summer days, one we're hoping to repeat many times in seasons to come. A day that I would highly recommend for kids of all ages and sizes. Don't be ashamed if you leave the kids at home and enjoy the day at Cedar Point alone with your significant other - I'm not sure the kids wouldn't be able to read the excitement on your faces though!