In the 70s, our friends and neighbors never went on elaborate summer vacations. We just didn’t. Maybe you would visit your grandparents, but for the most part, our vacation was spent having a care-free summer hanging out and being with our friends. But…
There was one summer when some of the Moms and Dads in our neighborhood got together and planned the coolest road trip ever…an overnight outing to Cedar Point, one of the best amusement parks in Ohio!
This was huge news! Spending time with your neighborhood friends and their parents is different from spending a whole day and night at a hotel and an amusement park!
If I recall, part of our family went (my older siblings were too cool to go), the Dunns, the Fitzgeralds, the Morganos, and maybe the Kleinheinzs and Murphys? Dartmouth Crew, do you remember what families participated? It was either the summer of 1976 or 1977. I recall bits and pieces of this trip. I wish I remembered more.
One of the first rides on the midway was The Cedar Downs Racing Derby. I remember riding with many of our neighbors together. It’s a souped-up carousel that goes 15 mph, and the race horses move up, down, back, and forth. Cedar Point was the first big park I visited, and as the first ride, Cedar Downs was intimidating as a little girl, but my Dad rode a horse right beside me.
The summer we went was the year of the Corkscrew rollercoaster. Everyone was talking about the craziest coaster that Cedar Point built. It was the first one in the world to go upside down 3 times! The Corkscrew was the 5th major coaster built in the park. I remember my Dad and me standing underneath one of the blue tracks watching the red, white, and blue colored car zoom by and shake the ground. It freaked me out, and I was too scared to ride it. Today, there are 19 insane roller coasters at Cedar Point, which makes The Corkscrew feel like a kiddie land ride. If you want to relive it again, click here!
I remember riding the Calypso. It is a ride built for two people in a cart that spins and whips on a tilted platform. The year our neighborhood was there, this ride also had a canopy attached to the top of each vehicle. At one point during the day, some of the parents let us kids walk around for a bit, and some of us decided to ride the Calypso. A minute after the ride started, the heavens opened, and it poured rain! I’m talking buckets! The only thing protecting us was the little metal canopy..lol. We were soaked, but didn’t care that we were sloshing around in wet shoes, socks, and clothes the rest of the day. We were kids.
Another ride that is stuck in my memory on this trip was the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. It’s a wooden coaster with no significant hills, but it jostles you back and forth on its rickety track and over water. I sat beside my friend, Suzy. It was the kind of coaster that scared you a bit, but also gave you the giggles. It was at the back of the park, so we rode it at dusk, which made it extra fun. If you want to ride it, click here!
I was either 8 or 9 years old when this fantastic excursion took place. Obviously, it’s still ingrained in my mind. Today, young families are jetting to Europe and resorts. Crazy. This one-day amusement park trip and an overnight stay in a hotel WITH a pool gave me memories of a lifetime. Sometimes simplicity is the best choice.
