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Cedar Point — Celebrating 140 years
Cedar Point amusement park/resort in Sandusky, is one of the premier family vacation destinations in the world. Located on a peninsula along scenic Lake Erie in Sandusky, Cedar Point is a 364-acre amusement park that is home to the most exhilarating collection of thrill rides and roller coasters on Earth. With 75 rides, including 17 roller coasters — more rides and more roller coasters than any park in the world — a huge outdoor waterpark (Soak City); four resort hotels including a year-round indoor waterpark resort (Castaway Bay); a luxury RV campground with cottages and cabins; two large marinas; outdoor activity complex featuring a skycoaster, go-karts, miniature golf and more (Challenge Park); award-winning live shows; gift shops; delicious eateries; four giant kids' areas and lots more, it's easy to understand why Cedar Point has been voted the “Best Amusement Park in the World” for an unprecedented 11 years in a row. Celebrating its 140th season, Cedar Point first opened in 1870.New this summer will be the Starlight Experience, a themed lighted walkway along the Frontier Trail. Accompanied by music, a diverse mixture of colored lights and displays will transform the Frontier Trail into a canopy of lights and colors that will be themed to the changing of the seasons. (The Starlight Experience will be presented every night the park closes at 10 p.m. or later, Saturday, May 23-Sunday, Sept. 6.)This year, the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster, the world's first 20-story-tall roller coaster, will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The Raptor inverted roller coaster (1994) will also observe its 15th anniversary in 2009.Roller CoastersIs there anything better than screaming down a 420-foot-tall hill at more than 120 mph? You can do that and more at Cedar Point. Featuring a world-record-breaking collection of 17 roller coasters, Cedar Point offers white-knuckle fun for everyone. From the towering 42-story Top Thrill Dragster and the terrain-hugging Maverick roller coaster, all the way to the kid-friendly Jr. Gemini and Woodstock Express, Cedar Point is a paradise of adventure. In 2007, Maverick was voted the “Best New Ride of the Year” by Amusement Today's panel of experts in the newspaper's annual Golden Ticket Awards. In 2009, Jr. Gemini and Woodstock Express will celebrate their 30th and 10th anniversaries, respectively. The Cedar Creek Mine Road (1969) and the park's oldest existing roller coaster, the wooden Blue Streak (1964), will also celebrate noteworthy anniversaries this year, 40th and 45th.RidesWhile Cedar Point is known around the globe for its world-record-breaking roller coasters, the Sandusky amusement park/resort's impressive collection of rides is popular with guests of all ages. From being launched to the top of the 240-foot-tall Power Tower or kicking the sky on the swinging maXair and anything in between, Cedar Point features a wide variety of rides that are sure to thrill. Cedar Point also offers an assortment of thrills a little closer to the ground. The park has three antique carrousels, a steam locomotive train ride, bumper cars, spinning rides and more.Fun For KidsCedar Point has four areas that kids can call their own — Kiddy Kingdom, Camp Snoopy, Gemini Children's Area and Planet Snoopy that was introduced last year. Located along the Main Midway, Kiddy Kingdom has more than a dozen exciting rides, including an antique carrousel, 4 x 4's, helicopters and bumper cars. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Camp Snoopy is home to the Woodstock Express roller coaster, Camp Bus, Lolli Swings and much more. The Gemini Children's Area includes a mini-version of the Power Tower and the Gemini roller coaster — just for kids. Planet Snoopy is located just off the Main Midway and features seven rides and attractions that will delight the little ones. And you never know when you might get a hug from Charlie Brown or everyone's favorite beagle — Snoopy.That's EntertainmentCedar Point's award-winning live entertainment presents an assortment of shows that will please the whole family. This summer Snoopy's Big Bow-Wow, a smile-making ice-skating show with intricate skating routines, lively music and Snoopy, returns to the Good Time Theatre. In the Extreme Sports Stadium, All Wheels Extreme awes everyone in the audience with bikers, skateboarders, rollerbladers, gymnasts and dancers performing flips, tricks and unbelievable stunts in this high-energy “big air” show. Signed, Sealed, Delivered showcases the music of the 50s and 60s in the Centennial Theatre, while Got Country features your favorite country tunes in the Red Garter Saloon on the Frontier Trail. In Frontiertown, Live Music at the Palace in The Palace Theatre offers up its own brand of entertainment. At the end of the day, the Hot Summer Lights nighttime spectacular fills the sky with flames of fire while the new Starlight Experience illuminates the Frontier Trail with colored lights and themed displays.HalloWeekendsEach fall, menacing monsters, creepy clowns and other creatures inhabit the normally docile midways of Cedar Point for the park's annual HalloWeekends event. Spooktacular live entertainment, special areas and shows for kids, haunted houses, eerie walk-through attractions and more tombstones, spiderwebs and Halloween decorations than anywhere else all help make HalloWeekends at Cedar Point the best Halloween event around. In fact, Cedar Point's HalloWeekends has been voted the “Best Seasonal Event” by the readers of Theme Parks Magazine for three consecutive years. HalloWeekends 13 will be held on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 18-20, 25-27, Oct. 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 30-31 and Nov. 1.Soak City WaterparkIf you like water, you'll love Soak City. Spanning an impressive 18 acres, this huge waterpark features two relaxing inner tube river rides; more than a dozen thrilling water slides; a gigantic 500,000-gallon wave pool; Splash Zone, a multi-story interactive play area with more than 100 different wet and wild water gadgets that spray, squirt and drench guests; two kids' areas; and much more. In addition to all of the fun it has to offer, Soak City also features shaded and sunny lounge areas, an adults-only swim-up refreshment center, changing facilities, food and drink locations and a merchandise shop for those forgotten items. Private cabanas with dining table, chaise lounges and chairs are also available for rental. Admission to Cedar Point is not required.Challenge ParkLocated between the towering rides and roller coasters of Cedar Point and the cool refreshing waters of Soak City is Challenge Park — an activity complex that features the RipCord Skycoaster, two high-speed go-kart tracks, two challenging 18-hole miniature golf courses and Skyscraper, a thrilling ride that spins riders in a circular motion 16 stories above the ground at speeds of 55 mph. Guests can take a break in the arcade with state-of-the-art games and refuel at a food stand with hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks. Challenge Park is open to the public and admission to Cedar Point or Soak City is not required. Each attraction has a separate fee.Resort AccommodationsNothing beats a day of fun at Cedar Point amusement park/resort. But where can the family take an overnight break after all that excitement? A reservation at one of Cedar Point's resorts is always a popular choice. Whether it's a quiet night in a cozy cottage or a weekend adventure in a historic hotel, guests will find a variety of overnight accommodations that fit their needs. Cedar Point has a wide array of options for guests, including Hotel Breakers (650 rooms and suites); the newly renovated Sandcastle Suites (187 suites); Breakers Express (350 rooms); Castaway Bay year-round indoor waterpark resort (237 rooms); the Cedar Point Marina (742 slips); the Castaway Bay Marina (160 slips); Camper Village RV campground (112 lots); and Lighthouse Point featuring cottages (64), cabins (40) and luxury RV campsites (97). Built in 1959, the Cedar Point Marina, one of the largest on the Great Lakes, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer.Castaway BayFamilies looking for a fun-filled getaway will want to check out Cedar Point's Castaway Bay year-round indoor waterpark resort. This Caribbean-themed resort features 237 rooms and suites — including family-oriented units and a 38,000-square-foot indoor waterpark loaded with water activities for all ages, including a water roller coaster, slides, kids' areas, a wave pool, whirlpool spas and more. Additional amenities include a day spa, fitness center, state-of-the-art arcade, restaurants, retail shops, adjacent marina and space for birthday parties, meetings and group events.The History of Cedar PointSummer fun at Cedar Point began in the summer of 1870 when a small beer garden, bathhouse and dance floor opened on the peninsula. Celebrating its 140th season, Cedar Point is the second oldest amusement park in North America. The history of thrill rides at Cedar Point began in 1892 with the introduction of the peninsula's first roller coaster, the Switchback Railway. The addition of the 25-foot-tall, 10-mph scream machine was a precursor of things to come. Cedar Point's unmatched mix of entertainment that includes rides, roller coasters, live shows, games, special attractions and family fun has made it a summertime tradition for nearly 14 decades. More than three million guests visit the park each and every summer.
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