Cedar Point
Cedar Point is one of the best parks for roller coaster lovers in the US. Located in Sandusky, Ohio, it’s about a one hour drive from the Greater Toledo area. The park has 109 rides and experiences! Yes, you read that correctly, 109! Thrill levels range from mild, such as riding the Lake Erie Railroad, contrasted with aggressive, which includes the Corkscrew and Gatekeeper. A full list of rides and experiences, along with height requirements, can be found here.
Boasting 17 bona fide roller coasters, Cedar Park also has areas perfect for families with young kids. Planet Snoopy and Camp Snoopy, as well as the Kiddie Kingdom, offer a variety of rides suitable for younger kids.
Best Day to Visit Cedar Point
The absolute best day to visit the park is on a weekday. Weekdays are always MUCH less crowded at than the weekends. Crowds = long lines. So if you’re really hoping to experience a lot of rides, you’ll need to plan to visit on a less crowded day.
Various websites, isitpacked.com for example, provide calculated crowd predictions based on previous years attendance data. Most crowd prediction sites on the whole agree that a weekday in early June or late August is the best to avoid long lines. If a weekend is your only option, plan on going on a Sunday. Sundays in May, late August, or September are your best bets for lower crowds.
Best Time to Visit Cedar Point
Now that you know visiting on a weekday will give way to the shortest lines, lets talk about the best time of day to visit Cedar Point. Summer days can be hot, and while Cedar Point has some water rides in their park, not everyone want to get drenched on Thunder Canyon just to stay cool. That’s the number one reason I recommend waiting until later in the afternoon to enter the park.
The second reason the afternoon is the best time to visit is because it is less crowded. A lot of visitors who arrived when the park opened are getting tired by late afternoon and begin to exit, leaving you with shorter lines and less crowds to navigate. Plan to arrive later and stay until the park closes. Once the sun begins to go down the lights on all the rides come on, creating a nostalgic carnival atmosphere. Picture a breeze coming off the lake while you take in the lights from the Ferris Wheel. Bumper cars on repeat are always a good way to end your visit before the park closes. Fun fact- the line shuts down at close but the rides do not. Meaning if you’re in line before the park closes you will still get to ride. View park hours here.
Cedar Point Season Passes
If you have never bought a season pass before, late summer/early fall is the BEST time. Why? Cedar Point usually offers GOLD Season passes for next year that are good throughout the remainder of the current season. For example, if you buy a pass in August, 2022 for the 2023 season, you’ll be able to use that pass to visit Cedar Point thru the end of 2022 as well as throughout all of 2023.
The GOLD pass is on sale now thru Labor Day for $99. It literally pays for itself on your second visit as park tickets usually cost around $49.99 and parking is $25. In addition to unlimited park visits, the GOLD pass also gets you free parking with each visit, 10% off all food and merch within the park. You also receive other perks like bring a friend discounts. Moreover, you get pass perks emailed to you, so the more times you visit per season, the more surprise perks you get.
Favorite Foods
Cedar Point has a wide array for dining options ranging from Chick-fil-A, to the Wild Turnip. Let’s be honest, most of us like to indulge in some less healthy eats at theme parks. Elephant Ears the size of large pizzas are a favorite sharing snack for many park goers. The Mac Shack will make you an on the spot custom macaroni bowl that pours hot noodles over a giant block of cheddar to create mac and cheese perfection. A favorite in my family is a plain cup of Happy Friar Fries with a generous amount of malt vinegar.
Other Fun at Cedar Point
If rides are not your favorite activity, there is still plenty of fun to be had at Cedar Point. Frontier Town has a wonderful animal area called The Barnyard. Animals include sheep, cows, horses, lamas, alpacas, chickens, pigs, and even camels. There is also a little goat area where you can enjoy being surrounded by little goat kids. In addition to The Barnyard, Frontier Town also has areas to view glass blowing demonstrations, listen to country and folk music, and pan for rocks and gold. Cedar Point also has an interactive western show via the Snake River Expedition, where you ride on a pontoon down the river and view or participate with outlaws and bandits.
Live Entertainment occurs throughout the day at various stages throughout the park. Cedar Point says, “Rides aren’t the only fun family activities at the park – music brings you together in an entirely different way. Our award-winning live entertainment has always been a mainstay at America’s Roller Coast. When you’re looking for a break from the rides and excitement on the midway, a Cedar Point live show is the perfect option. Our talented performers deliver musical stylings for every taste, including rock, country, current pop and more. There’s amazing live singers, breathtaking dancers, mesmerizing instrumentalists and themed shows that take you from the Old West to Broadway. Grab a seat, beat the summer heat and clap to the beat of Cedar Point’s fantastic live shows.”
HalloWeekends
HalloWeekends take place on “select days and nights September 15 through October 30, 2022. The spooky sights and blood-curdling delights of fall are back with the 25th HalloWeekends at Cedar Point! The outdoor fall event is home to daytime fun, Halloween activities and shows for the family. And as darkness falls, fright zones, haunted houses and scary scenes all come alive for all who dare to brave the fog-covered paths and terrifying trails.
Celebrating 25 years of fears, HalloWeekends welcomes all souls back once again on Thursday evenings, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, September 15 – October 30. More bone-chilling details on everything new at this year’s fall festival are coming this summer. Until then, book your HalloWeekends getaway now with special packages for ghouls and goblins of all kinds!”
Cedar Point Shores
Cedar Point is actually two parks in one. First, a ride park and second, a water park. Cedar Point Shores, formerly known as Soak City, is the huge outdoor water park located at the North end of the point near the campgrounds. Cedar Point Shores has 19 water filled attractions spanning 18 acres. Attractions include several water slides, two lazy rivers, and the Watering Hole areas for little water lovers. For adults only there is even a swim up bar at Mufflehead Beach located inside Cedar Point Shores!
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