Here's a map of Cedar Point from the 1966 brochure. (Click on it for a larger image.) It's interesting to see the layout of the park back then, before things got so crowded and the older rides were dismantled.
Cedar Point used to be a high point of the year for my siblings and me, as big as Christmas or Halloween.
I remember back in the 1960s, my siblings and I used to annoy my parents by wanting to ride the Mill Race first, as it was near the entrance to the park. Of course, we would then spend the next few hours looking like drowned rats.
I was never a big lover of roller coasters; I like more peaceful rides like the Sky Ride. I think it's fun to do some people watching and peer down at the other park patrons while passing overhead.
Remember how another Sky Ride used to take you to Frontiertown? A pretty good Wiki page for Cedar Point explains which rides were retired, such as the Frontier Lift as it was called.
Looking at this map brings back lots of memories. This map shows the first version of Jungle Larry's animal exhibit on Safari Island, which according to his website debuted in 1965. We loved going to see Jungle Larry, since he appeared regularly on Captain Penny's TV show. We were pretty disappointed when he wasn't there that day (out on safari, I suppose.)
1960s family dinner at Cedar Point was always at the Silver Dollar, with its sawdust-covered floor. (Don't look for it at the park now – the Silver Dollar Cafe became the Game Day Grille in 2004.)
The last ride was usually a night view from the Space Spiral. Then we hung around the Fascination area a bit (nursing our sunburns) and had a last treat, such as cotton candy or taffy. Then that was it for summer fun, until the next year.
Speaking of summer fun, I'll be on vacation beginning now and during all next week – so I'll see you in a week or so! Please feel free to post your favorite Cedar Point memories in the Comments area below!
Very kewl!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is hard to imagine that Cedar Point started as a quite camping and beach resort that launched into a big Coney Island style amusement park, almost closed during the Great Depression and WWII. Then, the resort bounced back to become a secluded pleasure resort with a "mini Disney" or "Amusement Circle Two."
Today, the place is a mess, like a suburb or an office park, with nicely designed pieces that just can not be assembled coherently. One can only hope that that is the next step, to bring everything together in a pleasant resort.
Though they can start by getting rid of all the concrete car parks.