Tips and Tricks from a Guest Writer
Tony Clark
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Our friend Amber Battishill from MommyGoneHealthy.com recently spent some time at the park for our 150th Anniversary Celebration and shares her experiences, along with some tips for your visit!
Take a read:
Cedar Point holds so many fun memories for me. From the age 12, I’d head to Cedar Point with friends at least once a year. We’d always have a sleepover the night before and stay up way too late anxiously awaiting our visit to our favorite amusement park. I have so many memories from riding my first roller coaster there, class trips, riding the newest rides and eating our favorite foods until our stomachs felt like they were going to burst.
It has been several years since I’ve visited (hello to babies and toddler life). Now that our kids are older, I couldn’t wait to take them to experience the magic, fun and exhilaration of Cedar Point.
Since we knew that we were planning on visiting more than once this year, we opted for Gold Passes for the family! Gold Passes allow you to visit as often as you want (for both Cedar Point and Cedar Point Shores Waterpark), free parking, discounts on food, merchandise and lodging and lots of other great benefits.
I’ve rounded up some of my favorite things, tips and hacks for visiting Cedar Point with young and/or elementary school aged kids.
Rides for All Ages, Heights and Thrill Levels
For many of the larger roller coasters, 48 inches is the magic height, but they also have several great roller coasters for little ones too (our youngest was able to ride 3 of them including Iron Dragon). A few times, we would split up with the kids and take our oldest to ride some of the larger roller coasters and take our youngest to the other kid-centric rides.
For younger kiddos, there are 3 separate areas that are catered to little thrill-seekers: Kiddy Kingdom, Camp Snoopy and Planet Snoopy. Each area has a ton of wonderful rides that kiddos can ride. All the lines moved very quickly too which we loved.
Parent Swap
Parent Swap is a great way for us adults to ride some of the bigger rides and attractions, even if your kids can’t ride yet. Here’s how it works: one parent waits in line to a coaster or almost any other ride. After riding, they give their Parent Swap pass to the ride operator, and the other parent/guardian, who’s been taking care of the little ones, can walk up the exit to get right on the ride. You can get an authorized slip at Guest Services (at the main gate), Town Hall (near Skyhawk) or the Magnum XL-200 Gate (near Magnum).
Parade & Events
Our trip fell during Cedar Point’s 150th Anniversary Celebration in which they had an amazing nighttime parade (we got chosen to be the Grand Marshal of the parade which was an awesome experience) and opportunities to enter to win the Ticket of a Lifetime and VIP experience passes!
Food & Drink
One of my favorite things is trying all of the different foods! Cedar Point has a little of everything and so many fun treats to try! I highly recommend taking advantage of the dining and drink plans when it comes to purchasing food and drinks in the park! It’s one of the easiest ways to save money and stay fueled for your adventure-filled visit.
A few of my highly recommend favorites:
The Mac Shack for gourmet mac & cheese. Build your own bowls with lots of topping choices. The kids LOVED this!
Toft’s Ice Cream Parlor: Get the cherry milkshake! These massive shakes are oh-so-good!
Hugo’s Italian Kitchen: The kids loved their pizza and my husband and I loved the caprese sandwich (focaccia bread, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze – delicious!). Super family-friendly and great air-conditioned escape.
French Quarter Confections: End your day with a funnel cake loaded with all the toppings – this was a special item as part of the Taste of The Point food tour for the Anniversary!
We definitely will be heading back soon and have our eye on visiting again during Cedar Point Nights and then again in the fall during HalloWeekends.