"Get To The Point"-North to South, It's All A Great Time For Everyone

When someone we are engaged with in conversation rambles on about where they are going on a particular subject matter, we often say, "Get to the point." If you are from Ohio, like myself, getting to the point could mean something entirely different. "Get to the Point" was also an advertising slogan for Cedar Point, a world class amusement park located at the tip of a peninsula on Lake Erie in Sandusky. When I lived in Ohio, going to Cedar Point was a tradition I eagerly looked forward to every year.

We lived about two hours driving time from the park, so it was a always a full day excursion. We would get up at the crack of dawn to leave with enough time to make it for the opening and would stay until near closing. A complete day of flips, dips, over the top high-speed gut-wrenching plunges, and tennis shoe water-soaking rides accompanied by an entertaining dose of shows, games, and attractions.

Cedar Point has been around long time. It opened in 1870. It is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the United States. It features a world-record 72 rides, including 15 roller coasters making it the park with the third-most roller coasters in the world. It is the only amusement park in the world with four roller coasters taller than 200 ft - Magnum XL-200 at 205 ft, Millennium Force at 310 ft, Wicked Twister at 215 ft, and Top Thrill Dragster at 420 ft. It received the Golden Ticket Award for "Best Amusement Park in the World" from Amusement Today for the past 15 years. It is the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World". This year it will open with a 16th roller coaster called the GateKeeper at 174 ft. If you are a roller coaster enthusiast, Cedar Point is a must do.

I no longer live in Ohio. It has been some time since I have been to beautiful Sandusky and Cedar Point. I now live in South Carolina and beautiful Charleston, but getting to the point is still a priority, that is to say Patriots Point. There are no world class roller coasters on this point. Patriots Point is home to Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum and a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, including the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. The old carrier has become one the state's major tourist attractions with more than 270,000 visitors each year.

Patriots Point also has a golf course, a hotel, and a collegiate athletic complex. The hotel is the Charleston Harbor Resort. It is host to the main reason I get to the Point, the Party at the Point.

The first installment of the weekly event for 2013 begins April 26th. The beach party offers you an opportunity to stick your feet into the cool sands of the resorts waterfront beach, revitalize yourself with a cool drink after a long day of whatever, and enjoy some music with Charleston Harbor as the backdrop. A long pier stretching out into the bay is perfect for taking a relaxing stroll to soak in the gentle, salty ocean breezes and viewing the shipping activities of one of the largest and busiest ports in the United States. Maybe, you will catch a glimpse of one of the many huge container ships passing close by.

  
The featured band on April 26th will be Blue Monday. The band is a 5 piece female fronted band performing music from the cool and fun music of the 80's. Music from bands like Journey, U2, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and others. The band relocated from New York City after a successful 10 year run. The bands hard hitting classics will take you back into a 30 year old time machine. It is billed as a tribute to the MTV revolution of music. On May 3rd Daggermuffin, a Folly Beach based trio, will be the featured band along with Old You. May 10th will be the CofC Graduation Party with Long Miles. For the complete schedule go to Party on the Point.

This is a family friendly event. The gates open at 5:30 pm, and the bands start at around 6:30. Bring cash for admission and for the bar, and bring your friends too. See you on the beach.

A Brief Walk In History- Willoughby, OH Revisited

"Willoughby, next stop, Willoughby". This famous quote from a Twilight Zone episode makes reference to an actual place in Ohio, although not one in the same. Many, many, many years ago, when I was a very young mischievous boy, Willoughby was a favorite stomping ground of mine. My aunt and uncle, who I visited often, lived there on a typical suburban street called Chestnut Hill Drive near Willo Plaza. Anyone familiar with Willoughby, then and now, knows of Willo Plaza. Chestnut Hill was a fitting name for their street because, and this shouldn't surprise you, it was built on a hill. The house they lived in was at the bottom of it. Ideal setup for a kid looking for exitement.

We spent many a summer day traversing that hill with our simply built go-karts dreaming of speed records and seeing whose would travel the farthest. Mishaps and crashes were common. We would recount in full detail our experience and near brushes with death. Their backyard was our Cleveland Stadium. We would compete in homerun derby with a wiffle ball or pick up teams to play a quick nine. If you hit it over the roof of the house it was an automatic homerun. When not outside, my cousin Gary and I spent numerous hours crashing model trains into structures we would build across the tracks and fighting battles with tiny plastic soldiers and rubber bands. Sometimes my uncle would put me to work cutting their grass. I almost got my feet cut off one time when the bolt holding the blade on sheared. The huge gash in the grass was the only evidence at which I could point to confirm my harrowing encounter.

Back when, Willoughby was also home to a well known celebrity who every Friday night put on a fake beard and mustache, horn-rimmed sunglasses with a missing lens, blew up things with firecrackers, told everyone to turn blue, and asked the question, "Whose that knocking on my phone." His name was Ghoulardi and he hosted a show that played reruns of scary movies. The house he lived in was old, secluded, and overgrown with bushes and trees. The perfect edifice for a haunting. The house is no longer there, but the story still lingers for those who remember.

"How sweet it is." My Uncle Glen's favorite saying. He was fun loving and still is. Always a ham for the cameras and a prankster. My Aunt Marge was a quiet, hard working mother of two who put up with having a nephew around making a mess and eating their food. My cousin Sandy to this day tells of an outragous story, a pure fabrication that I have no recollection of, where she accuses me of throwing her Raggedy Ann Doll into a lake we vacationed at for many years in Canada. All a part of the memories, real or imagined.

My aunt and uncle no longer live in Willoughby and the city has morphed with time. Some years later, my son lived there for a period of time. We would walk to the main street of old Willoughby to look in the shop windows and visit a place where you could have a glass of wine and a snack. The aged cannon was still there in front of the old school and the sled riding hills were still in use. Willo Plaza expanded and the old, ever popular putt-putt course we played at has long disappeared. Next time you visit the Cleveland area remember the name Willoughby and this story. It's to the east, next to Mentor. If not, enjoy your visit to "The North Coast", home of "The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame" only twenty-five minutes from Willoughby. Here are some links on Willoughby and Cleveland attractions.

 

Accommodations-The Homestead House Bed and Breakfast

Accommodations-Cleveland

Historic Willoughby

Things to do in Willoughby

James A Garfield National Historic Site

Rock "n" Roll Hall of Fame

Great Lakes Science Center

Playhouse Square Cleveland

Internationally Renowned Cleveland Museum of Art

Summer fun-Famous Cedar Point Amusement Park-Roller Coaster Capital of the World

Cedar Point-The Amazement Park Located On Lake Erie

Speaking as an original resident of Northeastern Ohio, when spring and summer finally arrived after the long and cold winter, plans were made for the yearly visit to America's premier roller coaster park, Cedar Point in Sandusky. It was about a two hour drive from where I lived. Year after year I watched Cedar Point's collection of roller coasters grow into what is advertised today as "America's Roller Coast", and that is no exaggeration. Each new addition got higher and faster with more flips and spins, stretching the limits of what our senses can handle.

I remember when the Gemini was the new coaster on the block and the first time I took my son on it. He was terrified, hanging over the side like he was going to be sick as we made the slow journey up the hill to the summit, but when it was all over the first words he said to me were, "Let's go again." It was a full day of fun for everyone in the family. Packing the cooler with drinks and food, sitting at the picnic tables on the edge of the park, and then going for another round of being flipped, spun, stretched and compressed by g-forces, and in a matter of seconds going from zero to 120 mph rocketing upward reaching heights of 420 ft, the Top Thrill Dragster. I can't leave out mentioning the Dodgem and Cedar Creek Mine Ride, two of my kids all-time favorites.

Cedar Point is more than just the capital of roller coasters, it is an amazement park. It is home of the Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Raptor, Mantis, Iron Dragon, Gemini, Mean Streak, Wicked Twister, and already mentioned, Top Thrill Dragster. The Blue Streak is the oldest coaster at 45 yrs. There are water rides to soak you. The latest addition, Shoot The Rapids, opens this year. There is a train ride, boat rides, and attractions galore. When you get hot cool off at Soak City, a collection of water slides and lazy rivers. The landscaping is beautiful, the scenery surrounding the park is striking. All located right on the shores of Lake Erie.

An abundance of places to stay and plenty of recreational activity to choose from all packed into the Sandusky area. So, if you are a roller coaster enthusiast, you haven't done it until you have experienced Cedar Point. If you are looking for family fun, then make plans to visit this playground capital by Lake Erie. You will not be dissappointed. Park opens May 15. For more history and a small video sampling of roller coasters go to Vacation Rick Travel Cedar Point.