10 of 11 History, Cedar Point-on-Lake Erie

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n five-acres of land, north of the old Hotel Breakers, Cedar Point added Soak City water park for the 1988 season. The 3.5 million-dollar investment featured ten serpentine inter tube water slides when it opened and the park charged extra admission for it. Also that year, Richard L. Kinzel replaced Robert Munger as president of Cedar Fair, L. P, due to Munger's death.

Changing the skyline of Cedar Point was the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster, which opened for the 1989 season. This record-breaking roller coaster was the first to break the 200-foot height barrier and have the fastest speed on a roller coaster of seventy-two miles per hour. The out and back style ride is supported by more than 350 concrete footers and was designed by famous roller coaster designer Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics. This new roller coaster put Cedar Point on the map as a world class amusement park with it's collection of nine roller coasters at the time.

The Avalanche Run roller coaster was renovated for the 1990 season at a cost of four million dollars and renamed Disaster Transport. The existing roller coaster was enclosed in a building and themed to look like a battered space transport. Inside the ride they added many special effects including robots and projection equipment. The newly themed ride let riders take part in a transport to Alaska but encounter trouble along the way. A new hotel was also added that year at the very tip of the peninsula. The Sandcastle Suites Hotel was built far from all the noise and action of the amusement park and featured it's own pool at private beach. The all suite hotel was added due to the overwhelming popularity of Hotel Breakers in peak season.

One of the tallest and fastest wooden roller coasters was built for the 1991 season. The 163-foot high Mean Streak opened in the back of Frontiertown and reaches speeds of sixty-five miles per hour.

The 1.7 million board feet of lumber used to build this roller coaster is made from Southern yellow pine and is lit at night with spotlights. Also that year a pool was added to the Hotel Breakers and the Breakwater Café was added to the secluded Sandcastle Suites Hotel.

In 1992, Cedar Point celebrated its roller coaster centennial due to the Switchback Railway being built in 1892. Also that year, Cedar Fair, L. P. purchased Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This beautiful amusement park opened in 1884 and now contains popular roller coasters such as the Steel Force. In addition that year, Cedar Point added Challenge Park between Soak City and the Hotel Breakers. When the area opened, Challenge Park contained a go-kart raceway and a 36-hole golf course. Also that year, Berenstain Bear Country was expanded outside with the removal of the Sky Slide. Around this new themed area, a miniature train was added for children to ride. The last major addition in 1992 was the expansion of the Sandcastle Suites Hotel with two new wings.

Near the Cedar Creek Mine Ride, the park added Snake River Falls. Opening in 1993, this water flume ride debuted as the tallest and fastest in the world. Riders ascend a hill and into a tunnel, which stands eight stories high, and plunge down the hill into the lagoons creating a mammoth wave.
Raptor roller coaster

One of the first inverted roller coasters ever, Raptor opened in 1994 on the former site of the recently razed Mill Race water ride near the front of the resort. The structure reaches a height of 137 feet and the trains accelerate to speeds of fifty-seven miles per hour. The entire ride is held up by 300 steel columns, which are painted green. The twelve million-dollar roller coaster also forced the Turnpike Cars track to be reduced in size and the Calypso and Midway Carousel to be moved to other locations in the park. Also moved that year was the Frontiertown Carousel, which was sent to the recently purchased Dorney Park.

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