Jaunted

Theme Parks / Roller Coasters / Ohio Travel / Amusement Parks / Cedar Point / Videos / → All Tags

2013's Hottest New Roller Coasters: Cedar Point's GateKeeper

According to Mother Nature it’s not technically summer for at least another month, but we go by the calendar and the season starts with Memorial Day weekend. Thankfully theme parks also seem to follow the calendar, so the last few weeks of May are always a good time to enjoy that new roller coaster smell. That’s especially the case over in Sandusky, Ohio, as once again Cedar Point is welcoming the amusement park season with a brand new ride.

This year it’s GateKeeper that’s taking up a permanent residence inside the park, as the new roller coaster breaks all kinds of records. With a 164-foot drop and over 4,000-feet of track it’s the best in its class, and that’s even before your get buckled in for a ride.

more ›

Halloween Travel / Theme Parks / Fall Travel / Amusement Parks / Cedar Point / Disney / Six Flags / Busch Gardens / Universal Studios / Lists / Thanatourism / → All Tags

Hitting Halloween at the USA's Top Five Theme Parks: Dates, Prices and More

If you haven’t started to feel the chill in the air you will sooner than later, and that means that theme parks around the country will start loading in their pumpkins, scarecrows, and other spooky seasonal decorations. Halloween is still over a month away, but that doesn’t mean that the scary stuff won’t begin a little bit sooner.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the country’s best parks and when they begin to do their Halloween thing:

Cedar Point – HalloWeekends

Over at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio the werewolves and vampires come out to play beginning on September 14—that’s this Friday. The frightening fun runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through October 28, but you might want to just double-check the official calendar before filling up the tank and starting your drive. Admission to this year’s events should set you back around $45, but that’s only if you order in advance online.

Busch Gardens – Howl-O-Scream

There’s a couple flavors of this year’s seasonal celebrations from which to choose, as Busch Gardens is getting the ghosts and goblins ready in both Tampa and Williamsburg, Virginia. Expect haunted houses, live entertainment, and plenty of pumpkins. In Virginia the run runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays beginning this week, ending October 30. Down in Florida things don’t begin until next week, and it’s going to be a Thursday, Friday, Saturday thing with the scary stuff running as late as 2am. Advance admission will set you back $55 for Florida and $70 if you’re looking to be scared silly in Virginia.

more ›

And Now You Know / Travel News / Historical Travel / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Cedar Point / 747 / → All Tags

Did You Know? Cedar Point Once Had a Boeing 747-Theme Roller Coaster

Fun fact: fun facts are awesome. Whether you're trying to chat up a flight attendant or simply love learning something cool, we've got some tidbits to share. So all this week, we'll be squeezing our mindgrapes to bring you some awesome, random travel factoids.

Fact: Cedar Point Amusement Park used to have a Boeing 747-themed roller coaster named "Jumbo Jet."

It's the late 1970s at a theme park in Ohio, but this isn't just any theme park; it's Cedar Point. This park, on a peninsula sticking out into Lake Erie, celebrates over 100 years of fun, with five roller coasters at the time: Blue Streak, Wildcat, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Corkscrew and Jumbo Jet. Three of those five still exist and the losers are—you guessed it—Wildcat and the very similar Jumbo Jet.

more ›

Roller Coasters / Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Ohio Travel / Cedar Point / → All Tags

Cedar Point's Already Psyching Up to Break Roller Coaster Records in 2013

The summer season is quickly coming to a close and that means only a few more chances to ride your favorite roller coaster this season. Even though time’s running out for some theme parks in 2012, we like to stay optimistic and look forward to 2013. Already we hear that Cedar Point is cooking up something spectacular for next season, and now the details have been revealed.

It’s name will be Gatekeeper, and it’ll be all about breaking records as it scares riders silly. As a "winger coaster," it will kind of hang riders off the sides as the main part of the car maintains a connection with the track. There’s still plenty of pieces to put together—we imagine it’s much like assembling a piece of IKEA furniture; however, when the final screws are set into place the thing will be over 4,000-feet long with a drop of around 164 feet.

more ›

Roller Coasters / Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Cedar Point / → All Tags

A Leaked Memo Reveals Cedar Point's Mega Coaster Plans for 2013

The 2012 roller coaster and theme park season is just getting underway, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t too early to start thinking about what’s arriving in 2013. Over at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, park officials are trying to ensure that the park maintains its reputation as the top coaster park in the world, so that’s why they’ve already allocated around $25 million towards a brand new roller coaster.

An official announcement hasn’t been made yet, but it sounds like the project has been code named “CP Alt.Winged.” The new roller coaster will be touch all the superlatives necessary to make it big news: fastest, longest, with one of the highest drops. This is all being reported thanks to a leaked corporate memo from the park’s CEO. All the funds aren’t just going towards the new ride, as it appears that the park will be reworking their entrance as well as moving and removing some existing stuff to make room for the arrival of a fresh ride.

more ›

Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Roller Coasters / Disney World / Disneyland / Cedar Point / Six Flags / Summer Travel / Lists / → All Tags

The Top Three Theme Park Season Passes for Summer 2011

With the clocks moving ahead this weekend it’s only a matter of time before theme parks across the country throw open their gates for the summer season—check right here for the most anticipated theme park opening dates. However, if you’ve got more than one roller coaster in your sights, there are a few passes that will get you access to all the season’s screams and thrills. Here are our picks for the Three Best Park Passes for 2011:

· Cedar Fair Platinum Pass
There’s only 66 days until Cedar Point opens for the 2011 season, but that doesn’t mean that you need to wait to order your ticket. The ultimate season pass grants you access to every coaster, attraction, and ride in the Cedar Fair empire. So not only can you visit roller coaster mecca in Ohio for free, but any and all Cedar Fair parks are free too—think King’s Dominion and King’s Island. Free parking and exclusive ride nights are yours with the pass, but the best perk is getting into the park an hour before everyone else. All this can be yours for $165 per person, or $155 per person if you order in packs of four.

more ›

Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Roller Coasters / Disney World / Disneyland / Cedar Point / Six Flags / Summer Travel / Lists / → All Tags

The Three Ultimate Theme Park Season Passes for 2010

The smell of overpriced fried foods is in the air, as theme parks across the country continue to open their gates for the 2010 season. Admission can be a little pricey, but if you plan your ticket purchases in advance you might be able to come out ahead. The best bet is to hit up as many parks as possible in order to take advantage of some of the new premium annual passes to hit the marketplace. That way the per park cost goes down, and we know everyone is all about some theme park economics. And so, without further ago:

The Top Three Ultimate Theme Park Passes for Summer 2010:

· Cedar Fair Platinum Pass
Cedar Fair owns a bunch of parks across the country, but their best known property has to be Cedar Point in Ohio. That park has the country’s largest collection of coasters, and none of them are to be missed. However, they do realize that variety is the spice of life, so that’s why there’s the 2010 Cedar Fair Platinum Pass. It gets you access to 14 parks across the US and Canada for only $160 per person. Best of all, the pass throws in free parking, so there’s no surprise when you drive up to the next place on your list. Both of the new Dale Earnhardt-themed coasters are included in the pass, but if you’re not into NASCAR, the full list of participating parks is right here.

more ›