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SUMMER THRILLS
AMUSEMENT PARK AND WATER PARK PREVIEW
SUMMER THRILLS
Amusement park and water park preview
By John Benson
Spring is here and summer is around the corner.
This is the time of year we all live for, where momentarily we forget about this past winter’s arctic blast — that was seemingly never ending — and instead bask in the warm weather that allows for family fun. With budgets in mind, now is the time to plan day-trips and overnight excursions.
Here’s a look at what regional amusement parks have in store for the summer of 2015.
Cedar Point
One Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky.
Call 419-627-2350, or visit www.cedarpoint.com.
Online admission is $49.99 (age 3 to 61, 48 inches and taller), and $39.99 for juniors (age 3 to 61, under 48 inches tall) and seniors (age 62 and older). Note: Tickets are more expensive at the gate. Children age 2 and younger are admitted free of charge.
Cedar Point is taking the notion of repurposing to new heights (literally) with its recently unveiled roller coaster Rougarou, which uses the structure and track of the former Mantis.
“Rougarou is going to be a completely unique ride experience unlike anything we’ve ever done here at Cedar Point before,” said Cedar Point Public Relations Manager Bryan Edwards. “The layout of the track is so incredible.
“There are so many twists and turns, and it has four inversions. It really is an awesome layout, and we feel with these new floorless trains, this will easily be one of our guests’ top roller coasters when they come to Cedar Point.”
Reaching a height of 145 feet in the air, Rougarou boasts the aforementioned floorless trains, which Edwards said gives the rider a unique, if not harrowing, experience.
Cedar Point’s other big news in 2015 also involves repurposing. The recently renovated Hotel Breakers has a new exterior, classic interior finishes and newly furnished and remodeled rooms with updated furniture, bedding and decor.
“It’s our beachfront resort, Edwards said. “On one side you have a beautiful, mile-long beach on Lake Erie, and on the other there’s the roller-coaster capital of the world. It’s the perfect location to spend a day or vacation with us.”
The popular tourist destination is located on 364 acres with 71 rides, including 17 roller coasters. Even though the park’s streak ended at 16 years for being named by industry publication Amusement Today as the Best Amusement Park in the World, Edwards said Cedar Point’s Millennium Force was still rated the best steel coaster in the world.
“We’re still the only park in the world that has four record-breaking roller coasters – Gemini (1978), Magnum (1989), Millennium Force (2000) and Top Thrill Dragster (2003) – for height and speed when they opened,” Edwards said. “All four of those rides opened as the tallest and fastest in the world.
“No other park can claim that. We like to say we’re the roller-coaster capital of the world. When you think of tall, fast, thrilling, exciting roller coasters, Cedar Point has to be your destination.”
Kennywood Park
4800 Kennywood Blvd., West Mifflin, Pa.
Call 412-461-0500, or visit www.kennywood.com.
The regular FunDay price is $41.99, Senior FunDay (55+) $21.99, Junior FunDay (children 46 inches and under) $28.99. Tickets at gate are an additional $1.
Going into its 118th season, Kennywood decided to mix things up. While known for its family fun and thriller rides, the park focused on wowing guests into using all of their senses.
“Crews are hard at work building a 4-D Theater set to open later this summer,” said Kennywood Public Relations and Social Media Director Nick Paradise. “It replaces the Playdium Arcade Building.
“People will wear 3-D glasses, and for the fourth D it will be a lot of interaction to sights and sounds, whether it’s different smells that tie into the movie or the seats vibrating or blasts of air. It’ll really engage in all five senses, and people can expect to get a little bit wet during the film.”
The 88-seat venue will invariably be a destination for those folks looking to cool off on a hot summer day.
Another change in the works involves the refurbished Noah’s Ark, a winner of Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket award for Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction five years running.
“This is a multiyear effort to make changes to Noah’s Ark,” Paradise said. “This year it’ll be a few new scenes, moving some things around and adding new scenes. It doesn’t mean the famous whale’s mouth will be back just yet. We’re aiming for more of a retro vibe than the current ark had.”
The 80-acre Pittsburgh-area park, which first opened in 1898 as a trolley park at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway, features more than 30 big rides and more than a dozen Kiddieland attractions.
“We’re a source of timeless and traditional family fun, some of the stuff you can’t get anywhere else,” Paradise said. “I look at it like a step back in time in a sense to maybe a simpler time. We really do think Kennywood is the Lambeau Field or Fenway Park of amusement parks.
“It’s not the glitziest or flashiest, but there’s just something about it, and a lot of that is in the history and timelessness that it provides.”
Kings Island
Kings Island Drive, Mason.
Call 513-754-5700, or visit visitkingsisland.com.
Online admission: $44.99 adult (age 3 to 61 and over 48 inches), $37.99 junior/senior (age 3 and up and under 48 inches, and age 62 and up). Note: Tickets are more expensive at the gate.
After last year’s unveiling of its brand-new $24 million thrill ride Banshee, the world’s longest inverted steel roller coaster, Kings Island decided to turn its attention to thrills of a different sort for the 2015 season.
“We have two new family rides going into Planet Snoopy,” said Kings Island Public Relations Area Manager Don Helbig. “The first is Woodstock Gliders, a classic flying scooters ride. Each plane has a stationary rear wing and a movable front wing, which allows the guest to control the flight and alter their ride experience from mild to wild.”
Kings Island aficionados may recognize the Woodstock Gliders ride is similar to the Flying Eagles, which was a kids’ mainstay at the park from 1972 to 2004.
“When we announced in the fall we were having a flying scooters ride coming back here, there was a lot of excitement,” Helbig said. “In fact, it was one of the first rides a lot of our longtime guests went to when the gates opened on opening day.”
The other new attraction is Snoopy’s Space Buggies from Zamperla, which is designed for children of all ages to enjoy with their parents (or grandparents). Its vehicles will bounce up and down while rotating in a circle.
Helbig said the dining experience also has been upgraded at the park. Kings Island is located 30 minutes north of Cincinnati. The 364-acre Kings Island features 79 world-class rides, 15 of which are roller coasters. There’s also the adjacent Soak City Water Park, which is free with park admission.
Invariably, after last year’s hoopla surrounding Banshee, Helbig said the notion for this season was to provide a comprehensive experience for the family.
“You need to have something for everyone,” Helbig said. “It’s great to have thrill rides – they create all the noise and excitement – but you need to be well rounded. That’s what we’ve done here.”
Sandcastle Waterpark
1000 Sandcastle Drive, Pittsburgh.
Call 412-462-6666, or visit www.sandcastlewaterpark.com.
Online admission is $28.99, $20.99 for seniors and children under 46 inches, with children age 3 and under free (slides not included). Note: Tickets are more expensive at the gate.
Located along the scenic Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Sandcastle Waterpark is billed as an economical way for families to experience a vacation in a day. Along with its sister park, Kennywood, the two venues are often linked together as perfect weekend destinations.
“If you’re not able to get out to that big summer beach vacation, we’re a great substitute for that,” said Sandcastle Marketing and Sales Manager Melissa Kelly. “We’re excited to have a warm sunny summer and offer some fun things to eat, rides and family fun.”
Food-wise, something new this year are Oreo-filled churros and fish tacos – both of which will invariably find kids pressing parents to violate the old adage of waiting an hour or so after eating to swim.
Sandcastle Waterpark offers a grassy beach, volleyball area and old-fashioned boardwalk. There are also the 15 water slides, a wave pool and lazy river. For the young kids – remember, children age 3 and younger are free – there are two children’s areas, Wet Willie’s and Tad Pool.
“I think what makes Sandcastle unique is that we have a beautiful setting, along the river with a gorgeous backdrop,” Kelly said. “We’re set up like an old-fashioned boardwalk, so when people come into the park, they’re like, ‘Wow, this is gorgeous. We’re very quaint, and we’re not really big where you get tired having to walk long distances.”
Still, Sandcastle Waterpark’s main attraction is the Dragon’s Den, which opened in 2012 and is billed as a hybrid amusement park-water ride. Riders shoot down into a bowl followed by two to four revolutions around a dragon that is squirting water before plummeting into a landing pool.
“The Dragon’s Den is still kind of newer in the sense that a lot of people haven’t necessarily gotten here to ride it yet,” Kelly said. “Also, it doesn’t matter what we do, the No. 1 attraction is still that Lazy River. I think people love to get on knowing that they’re able to lounge there for a quarter of a mile. Whether they’re here just for relaxation or they’re spending a crazy day with their family, that’s the only half hour they’ll get to relax.”
Talk about a lazy river. Does Kelly ever see folks sleeping?
“I can’t say for sure, but there are a lot of closed eyes,” Kelly said, laughing.
Waldameer Park & Water World
220 Peninsula Dr., Erie, Pa.
Call 814-838-3591, or visit www.waldameer.com.
Ride wristbands for Waldameer Park are $26.99 (over 48 inches)/ $17.99 (under 48 inches). Entrance to Water World is $23.99 (over 48 inches)/$17.99 (under 48 inches). Ride wristbands for both parks are $34.99 (over 48 inches)/$24.99 (under 48 inches).
Even though Waldameer Park & Water World is tucked away in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania, the popular amusement park continues to surprise thrill-seekers and families looking for a memorable day of fun.
This year the park, which is located at the neck of Presque Isle State Park peninsula, is beginning a multi-phase expansion to its Water World water park beginning with a $10 million wave pool. The wave pool joins other Water World attractions such as slides and a lazy river.
“Our attendance has grown such that the water park was too crowded on warm days when we’re busy, so we knew we had to expand our water park,” said Waldameer Park and Water World President Steve Gorman. “We’re saying it’s the largest in the tri-state area. It about half the size of a football field and has almost 500,000 gallons of water. It can accommodate 1,000 people.”
As for Waldameer Park, the venue boasts its popular Ravine Flyer II roller coaster, the spinning Steel Dragon roller coaster, the classic wood-built The Comet roller coaster, the Flying Swings, the rotating Wendy’s Tea Party and the kid-friendly Ravine Flyer III.
“We’ve also expanded our parking lot, which used to have just grass,” Gorman said. “We blacktopped the parking lot so it’ll be a lot more convenient, but it’s still free.”
Speaking of money, Waldameer Park remains an anomaly in the amusement-park world allowing free admission for those parents (and grandparents) who want to save a buck while the kids partake in the rides.
“You choose to ride single rides or get an all-day ride pass,” Gorman said. “On top of that, you can just buy the water park. So you have a variety of options for every budget. We feel we offer the clientele from Cleveland and Youngstown an affordable, safe, family-friendly environment for a really fun day.”
Wildwater Kingdom
1100 Squires Road, Aurora.
Call 330-562-8303, or visit www.wildwaterfun.com.
Online adult admission is $25.99 ($17.99 after 4 p.m.). Note: Tickets are more expensive at the gate.
It was decades ago when Geauga Lake and Sea World ruled the amusement-park destinations in Northeast Ohio. Today, the two parks are gone, but the latter has been transformed into Wildwater Kingdom, which provides a refreshing and wet respite during the dog days of summer.
Though the popular water park, located on the shores of Geauga Lake, doesn’t boast any new slides or pools, Wildwater Kingdom Regional Sales Manager Lori L. Davis said the venue has a few added attractions.
“This year we’re adding the Lost Treasure Cove, which is our gem mining attraction,” Davis said. “Kids can buy their bag of loot. They get a pan that they can sift through all the contents. It consists of fossils or sharks teeth or gems. That’s in addition to the admission, and there are several different sizes between $8 and $10.”
Another addition this year is the Dasani Deluxe Cabana, which puts folks – perhaps viewing their visit as a staycation this summer – into the lap of luxury. At an additional cost of $199, the cabana holds up to 16 people and includes comfortable furniture, a TV and fan.
“It’s going to be pretty decked out,” Davis said.
Whereas other parks spend money on infrastructure upgrades with new rides and attractions, Wildwater Kingdom is a different type of venue where its users often view the amenities in the same way they would a country club or neighborhood pool.
That is, a neighborhood pool with attractions ranging from family-based to thrill-seeking slides. There’s Thunder Falls and the relaxing float down Riptide Run, as well as the kids-centric areas featuring splashing, climbing and soaking on Splash Landing, Coral Cove and Little Tikes Town.
“We’re a fabulous standalone water park in Northeast Ohio,” Davis said.