Growing up, I had the best summer babysitter. Mom would often drop me off at Astroworld before going to work, and then pick me up in the evening. All day I would ride roller coasters and enjoy the historic theme park that was born a year after me. They closed and torn down Astroworld in 2005. Sadly, Houston is now the largest city in the US without a major theme park.
A few years ago I got a Six Flags season pass and have been enjoying access to the two Texas parks- Six Flags over Texas in the Dallas area and Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Go big or go home as they say, so I got the prestige pass with VIP benefits. They also say living well is the best revenge.
I can’t remember when or how, but many years ago, in the 90s, I saw in the distance, the roller coaster skyline of Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. I HAD to go, but it was so far from Texas. Last month my schedule gave me days off at the end of May. So I booked a hotel, rented a car, got myself a flight to Cleveland, and made the hour drive to Sandusky to spend three glorious days at what is known as the roller coaster capital of the world. Thank goodness Six Flags just merged with Cedar Point, making it possible to enjoy my all-park access.
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| Cedar Point from downtown Sandusky |
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| Steely skyline of Cedar Point, Ohio |
In this blog I describe some of the thrill rides I enjoyed. But I think what really made an impression was the people I met along the way. From kids of all ages, to park employees, and even fellow guests at my local Sandusky hotel. And of course, there are lots of pictures to share.
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| The line at 9AM opening |
I arrived half an hour before they opened but didn’t realize that had I arrived half an hour sooner, I could have gotten in and started riding a full hour before the general public. I knew Prestige members get early entry, but I didn’t realize most of the rides would be open for me to enjoy. They don’t do that in Texas. There was a long line of people waiting for 10AM. I walked right past every one of them and was immediately allowed to enter this coaster wonder land. I was so excited the finally be at this theme park.
First up was the closest coaster, the Gatekeeper. Twice. She’s smooth as Velveeta cheese with a kick of hot peppers. She boasts having the highest inversion of all coasters in the world, soaring over the entry gates of the park and through narrow obelisks as if she owns the place. I think she now owns my heart, this graceful beauty of a ride.
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| Gatekeeper looks like a millipede |
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| Gatekeeper is aptly named, framing the main entrance |
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| Raptor rapting |
On my way to the next thrill, I was stopped by a lady with her teenage son who wanted to admire my hat more closely. Her son was a coaster enthusiast, who like me, has been longing to visit Cedar Point (CP) since first learning of it...three years ago. Kid, you got it made. It took me over twenty to get here. And they were from Georgia, so also not too close. She mentioned that morning that he should start collecting theme park hat pins, and was glad to have an example.
He thought I was super cool, telling me all about the rides at CP as if we were far from being there, boasting of the coasters he’s been on in other parks, and offering fist bumps when he saw my enthusiasm match his. He asked if I would like to join them on the next coaster we came across, Siren’s Curse. We arrived at the entrance and they entered the fast track lane, but that isn’t something included with the prestige pass, but instead costs extra. So we parted ways and alas, I never saw them again.
The line didn’t look too terribly long, but I was now curious about upgrading to a fast track day pass. It was $160. I was on the fence until I saw the fast track line. It was half as long as the regular line. While yes, that is still a shorter wait, I’ve got three days here and could better use $160 on pins and shirts.
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| Siren's Curse corkscrew |
It took me a few misses before I was admitted to the last part of the line for Siren’s Curse. I didn’t realize how serious they were about nothing in the pockets. E’rry thing, even wallets and keys has to go in the lockers. Then I forgot tmy hat covered in pins, which set the metal detector off again. After the intense Israeli airport-style screening, an eerie music soundtrack played as I climbed the stairs to board the train. At the top of the ride was some sort of sound track, but I had no idea what the story was of this Siren and her curse.
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| Tilting for the drop |
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| Flip, hold, drop! |
And then I learned about the belongings policy at CP. I attempted to ride Rougarou when the friendly blonde out front informed me that I couldn’t enter with my drink. I wondered why I didn’t see anyone carrying the all-season drink cup, this year in an exciting silver, but still lacking in the insulation department. I could rent a locker, she suggested. “I’m prestige, I replied, I don’t pay to rent lockers.” But instead of carrying the cup, I could enjoy the drink package and just get paper cups instead. Yay me, but eff you, carbon footprint, with more disposable trash. This would never fly in California.
After a trip to the car to drop off my cup, realizing that really, I only wanted to drink water and could easily use the water fountains in the park, I returned to Rougarou. But then noticed a beautiful lady I once courted heavily in Houston. At Astroworld, she was known as XLR8, the first successful suspended roller coaster, which to me was akin to flying in a helicopter (briefly detailed in the blog posted just prior to this). Then Cedar Point got her sister.
Here you fly over a lagoon wondering if you’re going to dive in or swing out over the water and through the forest instead. She was once my favorite ride at Astroworld, and I didn’t realize there were others like her. It brought back such fond memories of my youth and I wore a smile you’d have to chisel off.
Finally I returned to Rougarou, but the nice young lady was not there. I found this ride to be a twin of Superman at Fiesta Texas, but not as large or fast as her Texas counterpart. Apparently, CP is the coaster capital of many firsts, but they then get perfected and improved upon at other parks.
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One of the trains got stuck about 50 feet from the top of the first hill as I neared the end of the line. My feet and legs were tired and I couldn’t help think, those lucky bastards, sitting up there with a grand view. It lasted about 20 minutes, which helped out as numerous people in front of me gave up and left. Those who remained bonded over humorous comments about the frozen train. I said, imagine the guy whose friends talked him into riding, and is now stuck up there. Soon to be ex friends, I’m guessing.
Next up was Maverick, who was not counting money at the poker table, but knew how to play a serious hand. I went into this ride at the park’s farthest edge totally blind. I hadn’t seen nor heard anything about it, and it’s largely hidden from view unless you’re in a boat on Lake Erie, so there’s no watching it in anticipation of what’s in store. This one is fast and furious and perhaps one of my new favorites of all time. Please Fiesta Texas, I want one of these. This is among my top favorite rides, even though I waited 65, but worth it, minutes.
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| A portion of Maverick |
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| Corkscrew |
MagnumXL200 liked to rattle my teeth out. Once on that was enough, even if she was the first hyper-coaster to top out at 200 feet way back in 1989. This is the ride that kicked off the coaster wars, so they say.
Wait-times were very deceptive; it’s early in the season at CP. You walk into a line and half of the maze is not being used. Yet the portion of line that exists can be over an hour. And on Friday, my third day, it was easy to see there were twice as many people as Wednesday or Thursday. They used most of the line back-and-forths on Friday; and the park pathways and promenades were packed full of people. Ride lines that had been 45 minutes were now 70-100 minutes. I did however, get 2 rides on Millennium and one more on Siren’s Curse in my morning prestige hour. I felt bad for those who only had one day and wouldn’t be able to enjoy all the rides.
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| Gatekeeper flying over the main entrance |
Thus ended my first day at the park. I stopped to talk to an employee on my way out. Theiden is a security officer, so I had to share that I used to work security at Astroworld for the concert venue, Southern Star. He complained about the crowds in the peak of summer, and having to be up early that day for work. I encouraged him to take advantage of these glory days, because as we get older, the memories are fonder...especially if your park closes, like Astroworld.
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| Evening view from the Cedar Point beach |
I dragged myself back to my hotel room in Sandusky like a toddlers blanket through an airport, and decided to take advantage of the pool being open until 11pm (why can’t more hotels keep their pool open later?). As I walked into the pool area with a cup of wine, there were three college boys holding a contest of swimming the pool’s length fastest in one breath. They eagerly asked if I was joining them, as if not doing so might let the water out, leaving them to flounder on the basin.
“Is it cold?” I asked. “Yup,” said one. “Then I’m probably just going to soak my feet.” They were satisfied with my paltry participation and returned to frolicking as college boys do. The cold water felt wonderful.
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| Jeremy hands Brennan a shot |
Jackson was the fourth yoot, as I call youths, a la the film, “Uncle Vinnie.” He was the more mature one of the group, as proven by his common sense, similar to mine in keeping warm and dry, but up by the fire as opposed to sitting on the edge soaking tired feet. Also around the fire was ‘Scruffy’, a rough-looking guy with a coarse voice and enough tattoos for an entire army, and a few of his pals. His name wasn’t Scruffy, but I have a friend who would have been leery sitting anywhere near he and his equally rough looking friends. Jackson, in contrast, was the odd man in the group.
Scruffy was holding court, easy to do with a loud, gruff voice and a large bottle of booze. He asked if anyone would like a shot, which got the boys out of the pool. I didn’t want a shot, but I followed, mostly out of curiosity and for the entertainment value of watching the clash of handsome young college boys and a guy and his friends from the other side of the tracks.
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| Blake (Scruffy) and the boys |
As the boys threw back a few shots, he asked, “So who’s been to prison?” This was not the type of query in search for knowledge. No. This was letting the skeletons all out the closet so as to stink the place up. But ‘Scruffy’ was a good guy, even if rough around the edges and tats for days. Drugs are bad, mmmkay? And the reason for his lock-up.
The boys asked for his real name, which was Blake. I chuckled and he turned to me. “Buh-lahk-ay,” I said, garnishing laughs all around and making him smile. “Did I say that out loud?” I asked to more laughs. Blake lectured the yoots how he turned his life around and now buys and flips houses, and makes good money at that.
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| Brennan, Jackson, Andrew, & Jeremy |
The boys imbibed in a large bottle of what might have been moonshine that Blake was eager to share. I’ll stick to my wine, thank you. And now that I’m in my 50s, I don’t give a rat’s ass what guys like Bad Ass Blake think about it. No one judged. I didn’t get close enough to the bottle to see what it was, but the boys liked it enough to make it a dead soldier by the time the hotel lady appeared to apologize for turning the fire out.
It was 11 o’clock, and I wanted my full hour early on Thursday, so I made that my excuse to retire. I had my fill of polite but intoxicated college boys and the ex-con with his scruffy but lovable cronies. But only because I’m old and deeply in need of a good rest before hitting the park for day two. I was sad to learn none of them would be back the next night.
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| TT2 |
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| Shooting skyward |
Opening in 2024, this triple-launch coaster with 2 towers, one 420-feet- forward and up, backward and up, then forward again like a pissed-off toddler slinging a wooden block across the sand pit after missing fish sticks and a nap. The train is slung into the stratosphere. I think I saw my life flash as I neared the top and my butt left the seat while my heart skipped a beat. But I’d have ridden it straight away for another turn had there not been an hour, ten wait. There was always the next day.
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| Standing in front Wild Mouse |
Steel Vengeance is a bold wooden coaster wood/steel hybrid with a record of longest hybrid in the world at 5,740 feet and most airtime of almost 30 seconds. She's got a 200-foot drop at 90 degrees, twists, turns and 2 1/2 minutes of thrills. I marveled at how a large portion of wooden superstructure rocked as a train roared overhead. I was hoping to hear others freak about it. Either they didn't notice or knew it was normal.
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| Steel Vengeance |
I wore a new cat shirt this day. If I had 2 I had 30 people compliment it. I felt like a rock star. And even without this shirt, there were seniors on school trips who both high-fived and fist bumped me as I passed them by. No comment. No warning. Just a hand in the air or a knuckle outreach that each time was met with mine. People were so easy to talk to, both locals and those who came from other time zones. The best was the woman wearing a shirt proclaiming, “Sarcasm is how I hug,” telling me how much she liked my style, and my replying in kind, causing her to look at the shirt she’d forgotten she put on that day.
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| Evening skyline |
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| Cat shirt! |
While riding Gemini, I met a sweet 8 year old girl. She saw that I was alone and enthusiastically asked if I would ride with her. “Is the blue coaster going to win?” I asked as I tried to choose between that and the red coaster to my left. “I sure hope so,” she said. “Well, with you as my co-pilot, I know blue will win, so I moved right to stand beside her. She was so excited, telling me about her growth spurt in the past year that now allowed her access to more rides. She’s always wanted to ride Gemini. She said I was her 20th friend she met that day, then corrected herself. “No. 30, not 20.” “That’s a lot of new friends,” I replied. “I’m Penguin, I said. “Hi. I’m T.” “T? Like the letter?” “Yup,” she gushed.
As the twin coasters were climbing the main hill, she asked if this went upside down. Normally I enjoy scaring strangers I ride with. Even had I tried, I don’t think T would have shrunk from her mission, but she seemed relieved.
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| Raptor |
T made me happy blue did win, where otherwise I wouldn’t have cared in the least. She bounded off after a polite parting, quickly meeting a group of girls slightly older than her who were riding again. She looked back at me and said, “Now I’m up to 34.”
On my way to the next ride I saw her telling her mother she was going again with her newest friends. As I walked by, I told her she had a very polite daughter, and we started talking for 10 minutes. I complimented her on such a vibrant young lady with a zest for coasters. She glowed with pride.
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| Corkscrew , Power Tower and TT2 center |
That evening, I ran into her mother again as I was leaving the park. T was still riding, but her mother was so excited to tell me T had even ridden Millennium. I don’t think I would have ridden Millennium when I was 8, I said. But we didn’t have coasters that big, and I was riding the biggest we had in Houston at the time, so maybe I would have.
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| Fans in the parking lot |
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| The moon, Old Glory, and CP sign lined up |
Several of the rides in the park had not yet opened for the season. A few have twins I have ridden in other parks, so I was fine not riding them. Since these were older, they were not as intense as what we have in Texas. But I do love me some swing ride action. When I saw one that had not been in operation send up a test without anyone riding, I quickly left the VIP lounge and bolted for it.
There was already a line forming, and the operators spent half an hour sending up more tests. By the time they announced they were open, the crowd cheering was half as long from the impatients who left. I was the last person to be let into the gates for the very first ride on Windseeker for the 2026 season. That was a bit of an honor if I must admit. This is a ride that lifts swings at a 45-degree angle, 300 feet over the lake.
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| Skeletons putting out fire |
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| Jealous and shooting a jilted lover |
And when the coaster lines started getting rough for a guy in his 50s, I rode lesser rides, like the train with it’s numerous old western town motifs of skeletons in various roles, such as putting out fires, or running away from raging spouses when finding their mates in precarious predicaments; one shot at trying to climb a fence.
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| Power Tower |
Power Tower is a massive air-powered drop and launch ride. It’s a tower 300-feet high. You can choose to either be shot up, with a slow ride down on one leg, or get a casual ride up to be dropped on another. In Texas, this ride is my favorite, but it does both- shoot you into the air, bounce, lift all the way up, then drop and bounce again before being lowered. So again, it’s like they are born in Ohio, but other parks in the country get the upgraded version. In Texas, this ride has a long wait. In Ohio, it was short.
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| Cedar Downs Racing Derby |
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| Sky Ride |
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| Matterhorn |
I enjoyed the Ferris wheel, as well as one of only 2 racing carousels in the USA. Spinning around in the Atomic Scrambler was a reminder of a similar ride at Astroworld housed in a domed building that created the thrill of thinking you might run into the wall. The views from the cable cars were also nice.
One thing I’ve yet to mention is the food. As a Prestige member with a meal plan, I enjoyed two meals a day (with the hotel providing a free hot breakfast, I was covered). CP had the best damned burgers I’ve had at a theme park. The Panda Bear Express, as I call it, was a nice treat, considering I rarely eat Chinese since having been there and finding it difficult to find anything comparable in the US. And the baked tater-cum-taco was delightful. The deep dish pizza was enjoyable, and the highlight was dining on fish in the Grand Pavilion with superb views of the park from second floor balconies.
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| Taco baked potato |
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| Dining on the Grand Pavilion balcony |
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| Tasty hot dog |
The crowds that Friday was a clear sign that summer had arrived, as well as half of everyone. Everyone was there. And their dogs. Not literally, but damn. Good thing there were lesser rides I was content with, shopping, and a nice shady spot in the Frontier area near the train tracks with comfy chairs in which I took a well-deserved nap.
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| Beautiful park |
I knew it would be packed on a Friday, but the main reason I stayed was to see the park at night. Since they closed at 8 during the week, and 10 on weekends, I got to do something I rarely get to enjoy now that theme parks close earlier than when I was a kid...ride at night. Coasters are different beasts in the dark. The turns are unsuspected, and the wind in the black of night in stark contrast to the blinky lights add terror to the screams of puny mortals terrified of the twisted tracks taking hold of runaway rides. A park at night is a whole other experience.
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| The park at night |
My final ride was on Maverick. The line was diminished, now about 20 minutes long. I might have the chance to ride twice before they closed. Ahead of my, just in from the Flash Pass line, I had a Bill Murray sighting. He was alone and no one bothered him.
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| Bill Murray sighting |
Just behind me was another solo rider- a young handsome man from Canada, maybe half my age. We enjoyed talking about the park. He’d been several times. He was as enthusiastic as me, and also hoped to ride a second time. The only way to do so was to run around to the end of the line, since you unload in a different place from loading. After we screamed, arms in the air like wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men, with bugs flying in our faces, having been warned not to open our mouths to scream, lest we ingest them like some sort of sour nocturnal snack. Bugs hurt at 70 MPH.
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| Final ride with a cool dude from Canada |
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| Full moon over Millenium Force |
At ride’s end, all smiles, he embraced me and was off in hopes to make it back for one final ride. He gave me a gift in the fun pose he made at the camera. I'm too cheap to throw money at the photos, but I do enjoy seeing them, often taking a photo with the security marks. Thanx for the awesome pic, cool dude.
My hip still hurting from a 2024 car wreck, I was fatigued and quite honestly, being old and delighted with my 3 days at the park, I was content to walk the 83 miles back to the front of the parking lot (Maverick is about as far as you can get from the entrance, which at that time of night seemed about 83 miles away). I could see that my brief Canadian bromance had failed to run back in time, but I chose the longer route back to enjoy the night scenes of the Coaster Capital that much longer. I searched for my security friend who may one day own his own park but didn’t see him. My car was close, one of the first to have arrived that day and parked in the VIP lot.
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| The VIP area had cool drinks, snacks and comfy chairs |
What a ride. Outside of a few coasters that we don’t have in Texas, I can enjoy all these thrills closer to home. Soon, Six Flags over Texas will have a new coaster called Tormenta Rampaging Run that will feature the tallest dive at 309 feet, the longest track at over 4,000 feet, with a first drop at a 95-degree beyond-vertical angle, the highest Immelmann inversion with the tallest loop in the world. For now.
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| Six Flags Over Texas Tormenta, opening soon |
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| Tormenta at night |
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| Spending time at Six Flags Over Texas weeks later wearing my Cedar Point hat |
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, was a blast and a bucket-list item that was well worth all that it took to experience. But I doubt I’ll be back anytime soon. There will always be another ride that opens to break new records. Being the preeminent coaster park in the world, it’s not full of THE best coasters. There are newer versions of the same rides that I can enjoy without the long waits, so long as visiting during the middle of the week. So stay away from my Texas parks and go check this one out.
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| Leaving the park was sad |
Cedar Point is definitely worth a visit. Good food and lots of friendly folk, although a few weeks later, at Six Flags Over Texas, I wore that shirt again. I still got a lot of compliments, but maybe half what I got in Sandusky. But the long waits and extravagant rules about what can be left in your pockets is Cedar Point’s downfall for me. When you have throngs of people always, you have to have stringent rules to keep lines flowing as fast as possible. Crossing over a train to leave cups and oversized stuffed animal trophies on the other side takes precious time. I understand the rule. We just don’t have them at other parks.
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| Happy good times |
Along with all the great thrill rides plunging from new heights with screaming sycophants scaling steely slopes only to fall to earth with the thrill of a thousand enthusiasts, it’s also a satisfying sojourn of bliss. Finally got to ride coasters at Cedar Point. It’s a satisfying notch on the post of my accomplishments in life. I’m living large, indeed.
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