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Stephen Gerstner

Professor Madden

English 1101

27 September 2019

Roller Coaster Haven

Whoosh! A gust of wind rushes past you. There goes another train of cars going on one

of the tallest and fastest roller coasters ever created, Top Thrill Dragster. Then you hear a roar of

screams off in the distance as passengers take a 312-foot plunge towards the ground on

Millennium Force. These sights, feelings, and sounds can cause a sensory overload when you are

in an amusement park owned by Cedar Fair such as Cedar Point. Despite the park being almost

150 years old, there are plenty of new and exciting rides, events, and activities to take part in

each time you go.

I have been to Cedar Point several times. The first time I went, I was too young to

remember much. However, I have been to the park the last two years and I have been able to ride

a lot of fun rides. The park contains most of the roller coasters in the list of my top 5 favorite

coasters. The park is famously known as “The Roller Coaster Capital of the World” and I can

understand why. The park holds several, impressive record-breaking coasters. The Corkscrew

was the first coaster with 3 inversions (an inversion is when the rider is upside down). Gate

Keeper is the tallest and longest Wing-Style Coaster and it has the highest inversion of any roller

coaster in the world. Magnum XL-200 was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world when

it opened. Millennium Force also broke several records when it opened including the tallest,

fastest, and steepest roller coaster in the world. The Raptor was the tallest, fastest, and longest
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inverted roller coaster when it opened. There are several other coasters in the park with such

records, but if I were to list them all this paragraph would be too long. The park also keeps

breaking records with new coasters like Steel Vengeance which is the tallest, longest, and fastest

steel hybrid coaster in the world. Now that I have experienced most of these coasters, I can

understand why they are breaking records.

The roller coasters might be the park’s main attraction, but there are several other things

that bring guests to Sandusky, Ohio. To put it simply, the park’s location is stunning. The park is

located on a peninsula that sticks out into Lake Erie, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the

world. The view is indescribable when you are at the top of the Millennium Force’s hill. You can

see for miles across the lake. On clear days, you might be able catch a glance of Canada off in

the distance. There are five resorts owned and operated by Cedar Point either on the park

grounds or within a mile away. This allows guests to travel from far away and stay a couple of

nights to truly experience what the park has to offer. There is also a beautiful beach on the north

side of the park where guests can walk along Lake Erie’s shore. The only problem with the

location, is Ohio’s unpredictable weather. Since Cedar Point is located right next to a large lake,

this unpredictability increases. Also due to its location, there can be large gusts of wind causing

some of the taller rides to shut down, such as Top Thrill Dragster and Millennium Force.

Sometimes, these rides can be shut down for several days in a row.

Another amusement park that is owned by Cedar Fair, is Kings Island. Luckily for me,

this park is only a short drive from my house. I can even hear the firework show that they put on

every night. Although these parks are owned by the same company there are some major

differences and pros and cons to each park. One major pro of Cedar Point is the sheer number of

record-breaking roller coasters. Kings Island has almost nothing compared to the height, speed,
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and length of the coasters at Cedar Point, but with the addition of Orion (a 300+ feet tall coaster)

to Kings Island in 2020 this gap between the two is closing. One con to Cedar Point versus Kings

Island is the room to expand. Cedar Point almost has no room left to build new attractions since

it is on a peninsula. The only way for them to expand is to take down older coasters. On the other

hand, Kings Island has plenty of untouched land around it for them to expand on without tearing

down old rides. Another disadvantage to being on a peninsula is how a large number of cars and

busses can get to and from the park. Kings Island has a much better system of getting in and out

of the park and is located right next to a major highway, making travel easy. Although Kings

Island does not have on site resorts, The Great Wolf Lodge is a stones-throw away from the park

and it offers plenty of room for families to stay and have fun at the park. Both parks contain

water parks however, Kings Island’s Soak City had much more space and more rides to offer

than Cedar Point’s water park. Kings Island is far superior to Cedar Point when it comes to good

rides for children. Planet Snoopy is significantly larger and contains more rides than the

children’s area in Cedar Point. For what I enjoy, Cedar Point is the better park for me based on

its sheer number of large roller coasters. However, families would likely enjoy Kings Island

better due to its larger water park and children’s section.

Overall, despite Cedar Point’s age and lack of room the park is still incredibly fun to

visit. The number of crazy rides and roller coasters are sure to bring in thrill seekers from across

the country. The location is simply beautiful, but there are also challenges with the weather and

space due to the location. The many resorts can provide guests with a comfortable stay during

the night so they can have more fun at the park during the day. If you are having trouble finding

a spot for your next vacation, Cedar Point is not a bad start.