Thursday, May 27, 2010
By JOHN BENSON
With school almost out and Mother Nature teasing us with warm weather, summer fun is right around the corner. So the only question that remains is, what does your entertainment or vacation budget look like in 2010? Here’s a list of amusement parks in our area that range from penny-pinching day trips to those looking to make a special weekend out of it.
Cedar Point
One Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky; 419-627-2350 or www.cedarpoint.com
Admission is $45.99 (48 inches and taller), and $19.99 for juniors (48 inches and shorter) and seniors (age 62 and older); $29.99 for starlight admission (valid after 5 p.m. when Cedar Point closes after 10 p.m. and valid after 4 p.m. when Cedar Point closes earlier than 10 p.m.).
Billed as “The Roller Coaster Capitol of the World,” Cedar Point, located on the scenic shores of Lake Erie in Sandusky, boasts 364 acres with 75 rides, including 17 roller coasters. This year’s new addition is family water ride Shoot the Rapids.
“This is a big one,” said Robin Innes, Cedar Point’s director of public relations. “It’s our third water ride in the park, joining Snake River Falls and Thunder Canyon. It’s more of a traditional water flume ride. You’re in a 10-passenger boat and go through a course with one of the most unique features being it has two hills. So that’s added excitement there, plus the boat will have traveled through some high, rocky canyons that will be shooting water. And then the second hill will be the big grand finale splash landing with more water shooting at you.”
Among the other changes for Cedar Point in 2010, Demon Drop has been removed (you can still ride it at Dorney Park in Allentown, Pa.), and the Red Garter Saloon is going Caribbean style ( la Jimmy Buffet) with a Tiki bar. There’s also been a complete revamping of the park’s live concert offerings.
“We thought we’d kind of change it up a bit and try something new and see how it goes over,” Innes said. “We’ll have a new country show in the Palace Theater and something new called ‘Rock Band’ Live. Our guests will be able to — you might say — compete against each other playing ‘Rock Band,’ and then the winners will get to perform with the band later in the day at the last show for an ‘American Idol’ feel.”
He added, “So we try to certainly maintain and retain things that are popular, but also you always want to look for something new and exciting. It’s very important for us to make sure that we give our guests something new so they want to come back to the park each summer.”
Conneaut Lake Park
12382 Center St., Conneaut Lake, Pa.; 814-382-5115 or www.conneautlakepark.com
Admission is free with all-day ride passes for $19.95 ($15.50 for children). Individual rides are $1.
When discussing Conneaut Lake Park in 2010, the conversation invariably turns to its legendary roller coaster, Blue Streak, which was built in 1937.
“We’re one of the few remaining historical parks,” said Jack Moyers, Conneaut Lake Park trustees chairman. “And with the Blue Streak being listed on the American Coaster Enthusiasts roll of historic coasters, we want to preserve that asset and preserve that landmark. People really enjoy that. A wooden roller coaster rides differently from a steel coaster, especially the vintage coasters. The proof is people like to ride the wooden coasters.”
He added, “It’s a landmark for Conneaut Lake Park, and also it’s a very historical amusement ride being I think one of only two of them left in the country.”
Though the Blue Streak hasn’t run since 2006, with Conneaut Lake Park closed for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the amusement park’s board of trustees has focused its recent efforts on raising the estimated $125,000 needed to restore the roller coaster. Moyers is optimistic that the Blue Streak will be up and running some time this season. In the meantime, visitors can enjoy The Tilt-A-Whirl, Trabant and more.
The parks’ season runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The same goes for its water park, Splash City, and bar/restaurant, The Beach Club, which boasts a nonstop line-up of live entertainment.
“We’re a very unique park in the fact we do have the natural lake here, we offer free access to the beach, and we have the Hotel Conneaut on the premises,” Moyers said. “The nice thing is we’re small, very intimate and very friendly.”
Kennywood Park
4800 Kennywood Blvd., West Mifflin, Pa.; 412-461-0500 or www.kennywood.com
Admission: $35.99 ($22.99, under 46 inches; $17.49, seniors). For entrance after 5 p.m., $20.99 ($9.99 seniors). Free for children age 2 and under.
Up, up, around and around is the idea behind Kennywood Park’s newest ride, Sky Rocket, a six-figure attraction that is due to open in mid-June.
“It adds a new dimension of excitement and thrill to the Kennywood ride lineup,” said Jeff Filicko, Kennywood’s public-relations manager. “When you roll out of the station, you immediately launch from 0 to 50 miles per hour in three seconds up a hill. So while other coasters have that slow, click-click-click rise, this launches you up and over. And from that point, there’s a lot of exciting elements in this coaster. There are no long straight-aways. You have corkscrews, barrel rolls and lots of airtime and hills.”
First opened in 1898 as a trolley park at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway, Kennywood Park — which is now open daily and offers season passes for the first time — boasts an 80-acre property with more than 30 big rides and more than a dozen Kiddieland attractions. Something new that park officials are hoping the entire family will enjoy is the nightly Kennywood Laser Spectacular over its lagoon. With a soundtrack of familiar pop songs, the show boasts, naturally, lasers, as well as flames shooting 30 feet into the air over the water.
“The entertainment value is amazing,” Filicko said. “Recently, we had an amazing experience during the Kennywood Laser Spectacular where an entire Jack Rabbit [roller coaster] train rolled out of the station doing the ‘YMCA.’”
Sandcastle Waterpark
1000 Sandcastle Drive, Pittsburgh; 412-462-6666 or www.sandcastlewaterpark.com
Admission is $29.99, $19.99 for seniors and children under 46 inches, and free for children age 3 and under.
Located just down the street from Kennywood Park is its sister property, Sandcastle Waterpark. Jeff Filicko, Kennywood’s public-relations manager, said many families make it a two-day affair and attend both parks. Sandcastle will be open Saturday through Monday and June 5-6, with daily operation June 12 through Aug 22.
“Sandcastle Waterpark has the water slides, the lazy river, the grass beach,” said Filicko. “Its boardwalk setting is right along the Monongahela River. It literally looks like you’re miles away from any city when you’re at Sandcastle.”
Waldameer Park & Water World
220 Peninsula Drive, Erie, Pa.; 814-838-3591 or www.waldameer.com
Ride wristbands for Waldameer Park are $20.95 ($13.45, under 48 inches). Entrance to Water World is $15.75 ($11.25, under 48 inches). Ride wristbands for both parks are $23.45 ($16.95, under 48 inches). The park boasts an after-6 p.m. special of $16 ($11, under 48 inches).
Two years removed from the opening of its new and acclaimed roller coaster, Ravine Flyer II, Waldameer Park and Water World — which offers free admission and parking — is implementing a state-of-the-art $500,000 system to give its customers a smooth and easy amusement-park experience.
“We’re doing some things that Disney and other parks do,” said Waldameer Park and Water World Owner Paul Nelson. “This is the first year of a two-year process where we’re no longer going to issue tickets for our rides. Instead, we’ll now have wristbands with barcodes. Also, we’re going cashless. We’re going to offer Wally Cards, which people buy and put any amount of money on. That way, they can easily use this for the purchase of refreshments, games and food throughout the whole park. We’re not forcing you this year to use a Wally Card, but next year Waldameer Park will officially be cashless.”
As for the ride offerings, there’s the spinning Steel Dragon roller coaster, the classic wood-built Comet roller coaster and the kid-friendly Ravine Flyer III. However, it’s Ravine Flyer II’s overwhelming positive reception that has officials still excited.
“Last year, Ravine Flyer II moved up to the sixth-best operating wood coaster in the world,” Nelson said. “Two years ago when we built it, it was the best new ride, and that’s very high. Usually, a coaster takes four or five years to get ranked in top 10 because people who vote go all over the world. Also, this year we have four groups from Europe coming in to test our coaster this summer.”
Waldameer Park opens daily beginning Saturday. The park is closed on Mondays (except Memorial Day and Labor Day). Nelson believes all of the enhancements and added amenities will help Waldameer Park, which is located at the neck of Presque Isle State Park peninsula, remain one the area’s more popular destinations.
“Really, we’re a family park, and there are very few of them left,” Nelson said. “When you come into our park, there’s no parking fee. The family can come in and walk around the park, and only those who want to ride have to pay. And they can even pay individual rides. There are very few parks like that left in the country. And with our new garden areas, it’s the best the park has ever looked in its history.”
Idlewild & SoakZone
Ligonier, Pa.; 724-238-3666 or www.idlewild.com
Admission to both Idlewild and SoakZone is $29.99 for age 3 to 54 ($21.99, over 55). Free for children 2 and under.
Idlewild & SoakZone is the oldest amusement park in Pennsylvania, the third-longest operating park in America and is rated the second-best kid’s park in the world by Amusement Today magazine. This year’s main attraction is the visiting Royal Hanneford Circus.
Idlewild features seven theme areas such as SoakZone Waterpark, Story Book Forest and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood of Make-Believe. There are 19 major rides, 14 kiddie rides, water slides, a pool and a kiddie pool.
Geauga Lake’s Wildwater Kingdom
1100 Squires Road, Aurora; 330-562-8303 or www.wildwaterfun.com
Admission is $26.99 ($12.99 for under 48 inches/seniors; $16.99 after 4 p.m.; $5 parking).
Will be open Saturday through Monday, and daily beginning June 5. New this season is the Beach Family Fun Area, which includes a giant Checker and Chess board with movable playing pieces, an arcade and special games for kids as well as a sandy beach area overlooking Geauga Lake. Other attractions include water slides and a wave pool.