Date: Saturday 6/8/02
Weather: Sunny, breezy, 80's

This park was recently purchased by Cedar Fair and they have wasted no time putting their touches on it. During our visit we witnessed extensive landscaping operations and saw evidence of new and widened sidewalks (possibly to accommodate crowds when expansion begins?).

For a gorgeous June day, this park was empty. EVERY ride was walk on, including Shivering Timbers. I would venture to say that the water park was more crowded than the amusement park.

The park itself was relatively small but spread out in a manner that screams FUTURE EXPANSION. It is arranged around a body of water that, although attractive, couldn't be called a "lake". There were a number of these bodies of water on the property. We guessed they were some sort of drain basins.

Anyway, the entrance is relatively non-descript. The park seems to be going through some sprucing up. We were surprised by the lack of mature trees, but heartened to see that the park planted trees, that when mature, will be major shade trees (i.e., maples, hemlocks).

The staff was enthusiastic and rides announcements were live as opposed to the horrible loop tapes we are treated to at Six Flags parks. Each ride was well staffed with EXPERIENCED operators and trains moved in and out of stations nicely.

This is not a large park, but it easy to visualize a massive expansion as we took in all the undeveloped land within the park fences. The existing park seems to be but a fraction of the developable land.

We visited the water park and found it to be (1) well staffed (2) VERY well maintained (3) full of variety in flumes, waves pools (4) designed to accomodate expected crowds (i.e., lounge chair to guest ratio).

We got to the park at opening and had ridden ALL the coasters many many times by 1:00PM. We THOROUGHLY enjoyed the water park before heading back to the rides.

Just a note: there are very limited food options - one rare criticism we could make - and prices were very much in line with what you would expect from a Six Flags park.

The coasters (rated 1 - 10 10=Best):

Shivering Timbers (10)
Not as terrifying as we had imagined, but every bit as exciting. This is a monument to coaster enthusiasts and should be on the "must see" route of any coaster fan. We were surprised to find that the back seat was not only a bit rough, but didn't offer a fraction of the airtime the front seat delivers. In the front, each and EVERY hill delivers major air as you cascade up and down this magnificent structure. It is hard to fathom that it was a family owned, second-tier park that had the vision and commitment to build this ride. A not-to-be-missed classic.

Wolverine Wildcat (4)
I admit upfront that I am NO FAN of Dinn & Summers and find their coasters to be the roughest, most punishing rides ever built. This one is no different. It seems to have been reprofiled to alleviate what must have been an all out assault on wheels, but I'm afraid, like most of their other works, this one is destined to be "pretty to look at and deadly to ride". It is a series of punches to the gut and smashes to the sides that is anything but enjoyable. I liken it to Predator at Six Flags Darien Lake - a gorgeous - vile coaster.

Zach's Zoomer (6)
A junior woodie that delivers plenty of airtime. The trains are wonderful in simplicity - no seatbelt - only a lap bar which hardly constitutes a "lap bar". One of the best junior woodies around. Designed by CCI, it represents everything good in a coaster.

Mad Mouse (7)
A fan of wild mouse rides, this was my first Arrow mouse. It is a handsome structure with roomy seats and a good rollicking track. It doesn't quite match my favorite (at Hersheypark), but this is a great ride!

Corkscrew (4)
Arrow corkscrew. Pretty new paint job. Beautifully maintained train. Lovely landscaping. Same old ride you've had a hundred times before.

Big Dipper (2)
Track Record whores we are. We road this little oval and added another notch to our belts. Nothing to write home about.

Overall, we surmise that this is DEFINITELY a park to watch. Plenty of room to expand. It is sure to become a destination park in the next decade.