Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio, along the shores of Lake Erie, has been called the ‘Roller Coaster Capital of the World’.
With such a lofty title, they better be able to back up that claim, right?
Well, we’re here to tell you that Cedar Point goes above and beyond, proving that it is indeed the roller coaster epicenter of not only the world, but perhaps the entire known universe! If any extraterrestrials would like to debate that, we’re more than happy to check out any intergalactic amusement parks that they might know about.
Cedar Point is considered to be the second oldest amusement park in the United States. In 2020, the park celebrated it’s 150th birthday – and while it’s gone through many transformations over the last century and a half, it’s always been dedicated to showing it’s guests a thrilling and family-friendly time that they won’t soon forget.
Several of the coasters that we’re about to cover in this video have held world records at some point. The park has consistently been on the forefront of innovation and shows no signs of slowing down with it’s ever-ambitious projects.
From Millennium Force to Top Thrill Dragster, join us as we take you on a tour of the best roller coasters at Cedar Point.
Magnum XL-200
When this 205 foot tall steel coaster opened in 1989, it was the fastest and steepest complete circuit coaster in the world. When it was first built, it was so extreme, that a new term had to be coined just to describe it.
Hypercoaster’s are defined as coasters that are at least 200 feet tall. As you’ll soon see, this wouldn’t be the first time that one of Cedar Point’s creations resulted in a new addition to the amusement park lexicon.
While Magnum Xl-200 is no longer the top dog that it once was – and has admittedly gotten a bit rough and jostling in recent years – it still delivers a ton of thrills while providing breathtaking views of Lake Erie.
Gatekeeper
With a top speed of 67 mph and a height of 170 feet, Gatekeeper was Cedar Point’s first ‘wing coaster’ when it made it’s debut for the 2013 season.
The coaster has a split structure that suspends it’s riders from either side of the track in a winglike fashion.
The ride is named for it’s position adjacent to the park’s gate. When it opened in 2013, it set seven world records.
After diving down the first drop, where riders are subjected to 4 Gs, they get launched through two loops and another big hill. What makes Gatekeeper so unique, is the fact that the loops feel significantly longer than on other riders. This allows riders to really get the chance to fully anticipate and appreciate the inversions.
Valravn
Valravn is a classic dive coaster with a unique feature. It’s trains are floorless and consist of three long rows of eight seats.
After climbing to 223 feet, the train creeps to the edge of a 90-degree vertical drop, where it sits there for a couple of nerve-wracking seconds to build anticipation before diving straight down.
Several inversions and a second smaller dive then ensue.
For the best viewing experience, we definitely recommend trying to get a front-row seat on the outermost ends of the train.
Steel Vengence
Formerly known as the Mean Streak, some coaster enthusiasts insist that this steel-wood hybrid is in fact the best roller coaster in the world. While we don’t fully agree with that rather emphatic statement, we still think that Steel Vengence is among the finest coasters we’ve ever had the pleasure of riding.
When it first opened in 1991, it was the tallest wooden coaster in the world, featuring the longest drop height. After more than two decades of operation, Cedar Point closed Mean streak leading many to wonder what the future of the ride’s future entailed.
Instead of being scrapped for parts and another coaster being built in it’s place, the ride was given a total overhaul by Rocky Mountain Construction and opened to the public under it’s new name on May 5, 2018.
Upon completion of it’s redesign, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records. Even several years later, the ride is still the tallest, fastest, and steepest steel-wood hybrid hypercoaster on the planet.
From it’s initial 200+ foot 90-degree drop to it’s myriad of unpredictable twists and turns, spins, dips, flips, and airtime hills, there is never a dull moment as you careen around the coaster’s monstrous wooden frame.
Once again, we want to reiterate that this will be one of the finest coasters you’ll ever get the chance to ride – whether or not it’s in fact the best is all entirely up to your tastes, but we’d love to hear your opinion on it in the comments.
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Top Thrill Dragster
Ever wonder what it would be like to be in the passenger seat of a high-octane drag racing supercar? Well, this 400+ feet tall 120 mph launch coaster will give you a little taste of what that might feel like.
While the ride only lasts about 17 seconds to complete, those 17 seconds just might be the most intense of your life.
Once you’re strapped in, you’re carted over to the ‘starting line’ where you’ll watch as a a set of lights turn from yellow to green before launching you at breakneck speeds – going from zero to 120 mph in 3.8 seconds – straight up a 420 foot loop where you’re flung around and hurdled straight back down to the ground below at the same blistering speed before ending back in the loading area.
We definitely recommend putting your personal items and phones in a locker before hopping aboard this adrenaline-inducing behemoth of a coaster.
Millennium Force
This is purely a matter of personal opinion, but Millennium Force is our favorite coaster at Cedar Point. I’m sure all of you coaster buffs will debate which one of Cedar Point’s pantheon of coasters reigns supreme in the comments section down below, but what makes this one so special in our eyes is the incredible views you get from atop it’s 300+ hill.
After being lifted to the top and enjoying the gentle breeze coming off of the lake, you’re guided to your first 310-foot drop where you’ll reach a top speed of 93 mph. You’re then catapulted up to the top of your next big hill. The combination of that initial drop and the immediate climb afterward is enough to make novice coaster riders black out!
After that, you’ll be treated to buttery-smooth banking turns and numerous airtime hills. In fact, most of the ride you’ll spend your time out of your seat pinned against your lap bar. While Millennium Force certainly looks intimidating, it’s one of the smoothest coasters we’ve ever been on. That being said, the ride is now almost 20 years old and has shown some signs of wear and tear, but one thing that Cedar Point excels at is maintaining their rides and regularly giving them overhauls when needed.
Rougarou
While this coaster isn’t nearly as tall or visually impressive as some of it’s high-profile parkmates, it’s still worth a ride. It originally opened in 1996 as Mantis. Back then, it was one of the first floorless roller coasters in the world and drew in large crowds that were willing to wait hours in the queue to get a chance to experience it’s 137 foot drop, 60 mph top speed, and 119 foot inversion loop.
Rougarou also features a vertical loop and 103 foot dive loop, making it a no-brainer for coaster lovers that love to be whipped upside down. Best of all is the fact that the line is typically pretty short. All of the bigger names might get all of the attention, but you’ll still really enjoy this one.
Raptor
Being an inverted coaster, Raptor’s train are suspended right below the tracks, and it’s cars are exposed. It’s pretty amazing to see 32 passengers dangling their legs freely while getting tossed around like ragdolls.
Raptor’s claim to fame is it’s 100 foot teardrop loop, but that’s just one of it’s six inversions.
Once again, Raptor is no longer the new kid in town, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long to ride it, but if you enjoy coasters that take you upside down, you’ll be sure to have a great time.
We’re just about out of time, but we want to acknowledge that we only touched on about half of the coasters that Cedar Point has to offer. If you’ve been to the park before, you might have your personal favorite – and it just might be one that we didn’t get to.
I know personally many people who thoroughly enjoy coasters like Maverick, Wicked Twister, and Blue Streak, but seeing as how this Ohio-based amusement park has so many coasters to choose from, it would be difficult to cover all of them in the degree of detail that they all deserve.
Let us know in the comments which one of Cedar Points roller coasters you’re most excited to ride. And if you’ve already been to the park before, let us know what your personal favorite is.
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As always, thanks for watching, and Happy Travels.