As the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio prepares to open for the 2015 season on May 9, now seems like a good time to check in at the park to see what's new this year and take a quick look back at the history of this family-friendly Midwest attraction.
Big changes this year at the park, known as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World, include the introduction of the new Rougarou roller coaster, a new covered pavilion for group events and renovations at the historic Hotel Breakers.
The Rougarou, billed as the first floorless coaster at Cedar Point, promises thrill seekers a ride that rises to speeds of 60 mph and plunges 137 feet as riders experience inversions, twists and dips that leave them skimming within inches of the ride's bright orange track. Check out the Cedar Point site for a sneak peek of the ride with a virtual ride-through of the Rougarou.
Guests at the park's historic Hotel Breakers will find a newly renovated and refreshed hotel with many new amenities. Guests staying at Cedar Point hotel on the shore of Lake Erie will enjoy new LCD televisions, dorm-sized refrigerators, new decor, new furniture, complimentary Wi-Fi and new food and beverage places within the hotel lobby, historic rotunda and pool area.
As exciting as the new features at Cedar Point sound, I really enjoyed learning about the amusement park's storied history and historic sites within the park.
I loved seeing the historic rotunda at Hotel Breakers, and I hope the hotel manages to honor its history as it debuts the new amenities and features at the facility. I do have to admit that the idea of being able to get enjoy a cold ice tea in the hotel's common areas is pretty appealing to me, though.
The Cedar Point lighthouse is also among my favorite "secret" sites at the amusement park.
A lighthouse sat on the Cedar Point peninsula at the east side of Sandusky Bay by 1839. A newer structure replaced the original lighthouse in 1862, still making it the oldest structure in the amusement park today.
Guests staying at the park's Lighthouse Point cottage and RV park development have a great view of the building, but day trip visitors can find it by driving back to Lighthouse Point before or after parking at Cedar Point for the day.
Some of my other favorite historic sites at the park include the Coliseum, with its massive and little-known Art Deco-style second-floor ballroom that drew crowds of dancers and Big Band fans during the World War II era and later and the beach by Hotel Breakers where early aviator Glenn Curtiss set a world record over water in 1910 and where then-summer lifeguards Knute Rockne and Charley "Gus" Dorais perfected the forward pass in 1913.
Learn more about my favorite historic Cedar Point sites by reading, History among the thrills at Cedar Point, my story at the Ohio Tourism Division's Discovering Ohio blog about some of the historic highlights I enjoyed seeing at the park last season.
Want to learn more? Check out Cedar Point (Images of America) by David W. Francis and Diane Demalie Francis or see my story First Cedar Point Road, a history of the Cedar Point Chaussee here at Midwest Guest.
Thanks to the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Visitors Bureau for sponsoring my visit to Cedar Point last season, providing lodging, meals and admission to the park for my review, with no further compensation. I was free to express my own opinions about the stay and experiences, and the opinions expressed here are mine.
© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved
Looks like Cedar Point is way more than just an amusement park. I think that we are going to have to put it on our to visit list.
Posted by: Lisa Trudell | May 13, 2015 at 07:19 PM
CP is certainly well known for its roller coasters, but I'm not much of a coaster fan, so I was pleased to find so many interesting things there and learn a bit about the park's history. If you grew up in southern Michigan or northern Ohio, it was one of those places you always went at least once every summer :)
Posted by: Dominique King | May 14, 2015 at 04:58 AM