Sandi

Calling all Roller Coaster Enthusiasts. Haven't seen any threads about this topic yet. Where are the wildest, biggest, tallest, or just your personal favorites? I've heard that Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio is the place to go, and I would like to go there for a weekend in October for their Halloweekend. Anyone done this lately?

Just wondering. Thanks!

Sandi

kam

THere's an old wooden one that holds some kind of record, but don't know what, on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA. That would be a nice place for a weekend--you could also learn to surf.

NadeneCros

Bush Gardens in Tampa is my favorite place for roller coasters. It has two steel roller coasters Montu and Kumba
and the new twin wooden roller coaster Kwasi. Montu flies you thru the air and twists you upside down with your feet flying thru the air with incredible g-forces, when you sit in the front, you feel like you are in free fall. Kumba and Kwasi are cool too.

Then theres the yankee cannonball at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, NH. A nice wooden rollercoaster thats only 10 minutes from my house!

Christine

Cedar Point is THE place for coasters in the U.S. They just opened the new millenium coaster last month, over 300 feet tall, reports say awesome. They have the largest collection of coasters around, but their season may be over by Halloween weekend. Check their website cedarpoint.com

suzy

Cedar Point IS the roller coaster capitol of the world. HOWEVER, it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooo busy this summer that you'll want to wait until next year. THe line for Millenium Force is four hours. The line for the Magnum is 2 hours. The Gemini,Mean Streak, Blue Streak and others are also 1.5 hours each. Great park, but not this summer.

BTW, it is open Halloween weekend.

Joann

You could always try Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA - just beware of low flying geese!!!

Betsy

My brother was here last week and we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. They opened (just recently - it was on top for a brief moment for the height record but the Cedar Point one topped it's height slightly) Golliath 280 ft tall, 85 mph, it was pretty neat, Also they have Batman which your feet dangle, loops etc... and Riddler's Revenge which is a standing, corkscrew, looping rollercoaster (I liked both of these, very smooth lots of turns). The Viper is older but still good, has a wild first drop. since the park is in Southern CA they are open year round.

Gerard

World`s #1 ranked wooden coaster is the Thunderbolt at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh.They have 2 other classic woody`s and The Steel Phantom,an 80 mph steel coaster, but for quantity you gotta go with Cedar Point.

Bill Irving

Just this past Monday, I sent in an application for the American Coaster Enthusiasts club for my 8 yo & 12 yo boys. The 8 yo has been riding since he was 5 yrs old. We live near 6 Flags Great America so naturally that is the one we go to. It has some very enjoyable & thrilling coasters in both the wooden & steel variety - standup, overhead, sitdown, etc. Not as good as the ones at Cedar Point or Kennywood, but sufficient to do the trick, especially the Viper for wooden & the Raging Bull - the new steel coaster last year which as a 210 foot drop, also the Shock Wave, Batman & Iron Wolf. But we are also going to LA are this July & plan to go to Knott's Berry Farm, which has added some new rides & coasters in the past few years. In fact, one of them, the Ghostrider(wooden) was picked as the 2nd most scariest coaster by the A & E channel.

Maxine

Sandi-Cedar Point will slow down considerably after Labor Day and that is the best time to go. The only drawback to Halloween Weekend is the weather. It can be nice and warm or rainy and cold. I think the best times to go would be the 2 weekends right after Labor Day.

Ann

For the purests: The Blue Streak coaster at Conneaut Lake Park in Conneaut Lake, PA, is one of the oldest wooden roller coasters around. It's a real retro experience. C.L. Park is a little park, but you can't beat riding the Blue Streak 68 times in a row, especially at night.

Cedar Point is the park for roller coasters. Haven't been there in more than 15 years, but it's a great park. Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va., has some killer coasters, too.

Sandi

Wow! Thanks, everyone, for all your input. I'm looking at going to Cedar Point on the weekend of October 7th. I know the weather might not be ideal, but I can always hope for it. I've been wanting to make this trip for a long time, and finally convinced a couple friends they needed to come with me. So when they agreed, we started looking at the calendar and this was the best weekend we could come up with. Got a reservation at the Breakers Express Hotel (Cedar Point Property) for $59 a night. Add about $100 for summer rates, I think. I enjoy Halloween festivities also.

Does Cedar Point have any of those virtual reality-type rides? You know, the ones where you are seated on a platform that moves to make you feel like you are in the movie in front of you.

Thanks again!

Sandi

Lori

Sandi, you'll have such a blast at Cedar Point- just try not to do it all in a day! I'm still considering sneaking down there this summer, but I do remember how long the rides can be for the coasters. The great thing is that there's something for everyone. There are stage shows that are great for escaping the heat and relaxing for a while (and the performers are talented, too!), special areas for the kids, with costumed characters (used to be the Berenstain Bears, not sure if it still is), a pioneer trail with craftspeople blowing glass, forging iron (if that's what it's called!) and so on, a water park (additional admission), and lots of fairly mild rides, too. My favorite non-coaster ride is the carousel called Cedar Downs...those horses really go fast!

Owen O'Neill

Cedar Point is THE mecca for coasters but it's no bargain. Apparently they don't limit the number of entries to the park and the waiting times you saw mentioned are typical. Other than an IMAX theatre (inclueded in the entry fee)and a few assorted non-coaster rides it has little to recommend it other than a nice location on the lakeshore. We went 5 or 6 years ago, paid about $30 each for entry and then they stung us $5 to park the car even though there's nothing else but homes & cottages in the area and no one but there patrons would have reason to park there. It was that extra little dig for the parking and the long waits that turned me off. I think it would be a great place to go on a weekday in the fall after school starts - most likely shorter lines then and you could get your $$ worth.

Lori

Do coaster enthusiasts make an issue of admission prices? Nosiree!

And Cedar Point has been named the best amusement park on the planet for the past 2 years. That alone says it has something going for it!

Sallie

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.........Cedar Point is already too busy...........

Joy in Virginia

I live between Paramount's Kings Dominion in Doswell VA & Busch Gardens Williamsburg - HEAVEN!! PKD has 3 fabulous wooden coasters: Rebel Yell, Grizzly, and (my favorite) the HURLER. Also the Anaconda is wild, Outer Limits: Flight of Fear is indoor coaster with cool decor like you are entering a military base with hidden UFO. And Volcano: The Blast Coaster shoots you straight up via a linear induction motor, it's a thrill esp at night when flames shoot out of the top of the volcano. BG has Loch Ness Monster, 25 years old but still a thrill, Alpengeist, Big Bad Wolf, Apollo's chariot is a very comfortable ride - and no fear of wayward geese, BG actually has an employee in a rowboat in the river at the base of the ride to shoo away those pesky geese, ducks, & swans. it is really true, I have ridden it & seen the guy myself. (For those who don't know, when the ride opened last year Fabio was hired to do publicity photos & rode it - and promptly was smacked in the face by a goose flying by. Fabio just got a scratch & a bloody nose, the poor goose was found the next day at the scene of the fly-by. his goose was cooked!)

Dan

Sandi--

I grew up an hour from Cedar Point in Cleveland, so I've grown up at Cedar Point as well. The place is definitely well worth the $38 admission, but you can easily get discounts (stop at Meijer on U.S. 250 on the way into town). Allow me to clear some things up.

Lines can be long, but well worth it. The above posters exaggerate. I went on Memorial Day, and the longest wait was for 310' Millenium Force at 1 hr 15 minutes (twice). Wait until lunchtime or dinner time to get in line for the "big" coasters. After 6 PM, the park clears out a bit. The best bargain is to go on a Saturday on one of the HallowWeekends (I've done it twice, and I'll do it again this year). Discount admission, and all the rides are open.

If you go on the HallowWeekends, you should only wait about 20 minutes (tops) for crowd pleasers such as Magnum, Raptor, and Mantis. Most others are 5-10 minutes, and you can usually walk right onto the Gemini. Millenium Force will be longer, I'm sure, but it will be WELL worth it. Wait for the Power Tower too!

Any other info you need, e-mail me. I know the place inside-out.

Dan

Lara

For quality coasters, Kennywood is my pick. The John Miller-designed coasters are things of beauty, but Thunderbolt is my favorite.

If you are planning a trip to Kennywood, now is the time--before the Steel Phantom is torn down at the end of the season (top 5 coaster).

brownI's

My experience is limited, but favorites are: most fun - Montu at Busch/Tampa; scariest - Wild Thing at Valley Fair/Shakopee, Minn.