Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky,Ohio,United States,owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounce. Prior to the merger with Six Flags in 2024,Cedar Point served as the "flagship park" of the Cedar Fair amusement park chain and hosted the corporate headquarters. Known as "America's Roller Coast",the park features 17 roller coasters,which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind sister parks Canada's Wonderland (18) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (20).
A corkscrew is a tool for drawing stopping corks from bottles.
Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora,Ohio. It was established in 1887,in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name. The first amusement ride was added in 1889,and the park's first roller coaster –the Big Dipper –was built in 1925. The park was sold to Funtime,Inc.,in 1969 and was expanded over the years with additional rides and amenities. Funtime was acquired by Premier Parks in 1995,and for the 2000 season,they re-branded Geauga Lake as Six Flags Ohio,adding four new roller coasters. The following year,Six Flags bought the adjacent SeaWorld Ohio and combined the two parks under the name Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world. Based in Hatfield,Pennsylvania,it was established in 1904 by Henry B. Auchy and Chester Albright under the name Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The company manufactured carousels,wooden roller coasters,toboggans and later,roller coaster trains.
Valleyfair is a 125-acre (51 ha) amusement park in Shakopee,Minnesota,United States. Owned by Six Flags,the park opened in 1976 and now features over 75 rides and attractions including eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City which is included with the price of admission. Cedar Point and Valleyfair were the first two parks in the Cedar Fair chain and a combination of the park names –"cedar" and "fair" –were used to name the original company.
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH,a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs around the world.
A wild mouse is a type of roller coaster consisting of single or spinning cars traversing a tight-winding track with an emphasis on sharp,unbanked turns. The upper portion of the track usually features multiple 180-degree turns,known as flat turns,that produce high lateral G-forces even at modest speeds. Cars are often designed to be wider than the track to enhance the illusion of hanging over the edge. Lower portions of the track typically feature small hills and bunny hops. Wild mouse coasters first appeared in the 1950s,and following a period of decline in the 1980s,new innovations and layout designs in the late 1990s led to a resurgence in demand.
Michigan's Adventure is a 250-acre (1.0 km2) amusement park in Muskegon County,Michigan,about halfway between Muskegon and Whitehall. It is the largest amusement park in the state and has been owned and operated by Six Flags since 2024. The park was previously owned by Cedar Fair from 2001-2024. As of 2024,Michigan's Adventure has over 60 rides,slides and attractions,more than any other park in the state.
Bell's Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Tulsa's Expo Square,part of the Tulsa State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma. It operated for 55 years before closing in 2006. The park was previously owned and operated by Keli and Jason Fritz. It was especially known for its large wooden roller coaster,called Zingo,designed by John C. Allen and built in 1966–68.
Excelsior Amusement Park was an amusement park on Lake Minnetonka in the town of Excelsior,Minnesota,United States. The park,which operated from 1925 to 1973,was a popular destination for company picnics and day trips from the Twin Cities.
WildCat was a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky,Ohio. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf,the ride opened to the public in 1979. Cedar Point decided in 2012 to remove WildCat to allow for expansion of the Celebration Plaza,also citing that the coaster had reached the end of its service life. It was dismantled and scrapped.
Mild Thing was a junior roller coaster at the Valleyfair amusement park in Shakopee,Minnesota.
Roller coaster amusement rides have origins back to ice slides constructed in 18th-century Russia. Early technology featured sleds or wheeled carts that were sent down hills of snow reinforced by wooden supports. The technology evolved in the 19th century to feature railroad track using wheeled cars that were securely locked to the track. Newer innovations emerged in the early 20th century with side friction and underfriction technologies to allow for greater speeds and sharper turns. By the mid-to-late 20th century,these elements intensified with the introduction of steel roller coaster designs and the ability to invert riders.
Williams Grove Amusement Park is an abandoned amusement park in Williams Grove,Pennsylvania. The park operated from 1850 until 2005.
This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2013. These various lists are not exhaustive.
National Amusement Devices in Dayton,Ohio was an American construction company founded in 1919 as the Dayton Fun House by Aurel Vaszin. Based on research,they built a 2-foot gauge miniature train that could be either gasoline or electric powered. This resembled a typical standard-gauge center cab electric train as early as 1922. Vaszin was an early environmental idealist and really pushed the idea of electric powered trains,as safer and less polluting.
Jolly Roger Amusement Park is an amusement park located in Ocean City,Maryland. The park features two locations in Ocean City:one at the pier on the Ocean City boardwalk and one further uptown at 30th Street. Both locations feature numerous thrill rides,including a looping roller coaster at the pier,bumper cars,a ferris wheel,a carousel,and kiddie rides,among others. The parks also contain typical carnival-like games and eateries. The 30th Street location additionally features two eighteen-hole mini-golf courses,Splash Mountain,a full-service waterpark with many slides and activity pools,and 10 go-kart tracks.
Mad Mouse is a steel wild mouse roller coaster located at Valleyfair in Shakopee,Minnesota,U.S. It was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics and opened on May 8,1999 as a replacement for the similar coaster Rails,which was eventually moved to Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Maryland in 1998. The ride's track and supports were designed by Ride Centerline.
Silver Bullet is a steel Looping Star roller coaster currently operating at Frontier City in Oklahoma City,Oklahoma. Manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf as the first transportable looping roller coaster,the ride was named Looping Star and first owned by German showmen Oscar Bruch and Fritz Kinzler. After its debut at the Cranger Kirmes in 1978,it operated on several fairs in Germany until it was sold to the State Fair of Texas in 1980. After the 1983 season it was relocated to Jolly Roger Amusement Park where it operated for the 1984 and 1985 seasons before being relocated again in 1986. At Frontier City the ride was renamed Silver Bullet and is currently the tallest roller coaster at the park and the one that has been operating there for the longest time.
