One of the oldest amusement areas in Cedar Point is now the newest themed section of America’s “Roller Coast.” The short secondary midway that ran parallel to the Main Midway never really had a decent name, nickname or theme. It ran alongside the Cedar Point beach, but was separated from it by various unrelated rides and fortress-like buildings, and at one time by a nasty barbed wire fence.
The barbed wire is gone, replaced by a still-formidable but much more attractive steel decorative fence, and the new attractions and structures now found along this newly-imagined stretch of Cedar Point welcomes the beauty of Lake Erie and the beach into the historic heart of Cedar Point.
This is The Boardwalk, where Cedar Point celebrates the history of beachside amusement parks of yesteryear with traditional rides such as the Ferris Wheel, Dodgem cars, roller coasters, and classic spinner rides. Some of these attractions were originally in this area (Windseeker, Dodgem, Giant Wheel, Troika, and the renamed Tiki Twirl (formerly Calypso). Others were moved here from elsewhere in the park (Matterhorn and the refurbished and renamed Atomic Scrambler). A fresh paint scheme, new signs and period-appropriate music, and a reinvigorated feeling brings The Boardwalk to showcase the best of waterfront entertainment establishments of the 1950s and ‘60s!
Two major additions to The Boardwalk reinvigorate this reimagined midway. First is Wild Mouse, the newest coaster at Cedar Point. It’s not the tallest coaster in the park (52 feet high), nor the longest (1,312 feet long), and not even the fastest (35 mph), but it’s unlike anything else at Cedar Point. It takes its inspiration from the original Wild Mouse layout, which carried riders up a lift hill taking individual cars to the top, then released them to navigate a series of hairpin back-and-forth turns before finishing the ride through several hills.
Wild Mouse at Cedar Point starts that way, with a lift hill and several hairpin back-and-forth turns, but that is just the beginning. Each ride vehicle, carrying four riders side-by-side, spins as it dips, turns, dives, and banks through a wild layout of interwoven track. No two rides will ever be the same. From the ground, the ride looks relatively tame as six mice-themed cars (named, for the record, Zaggy, Ziggy, Dizzy, Mazey, Chase, and Larry, and each a different color) chase a cheese-themed car through the ride. It looked tame, but the constant unexpected spins made this Wild Mouse one of the more thrilling coaster experiences at Cedar Point.
Wild Mouse is a Zamperla Coaster, with a 48” height requirement to ride alone or a 42” requirement if accompanied by a 48” companion. The over-the-thigh restraints would be tight for someone of a larger build (I know from experience- please don’t hate. I’m working on it).
Two things we noticed. First, we were surprised that the painting of the ride’s loading station was obviously not finished, and what was painted looked a bit sloppy. It was still tacky to the touch, as the gentleman in front of us in line noticed when he pushed his thumb against it and left his fingerprint in the paint! To give Cedar Point a pass, we had five days of nearly unending rain before the Media Event, which might have delayed their last-minute plans to complete the paint job.
The second thing was that all of the safety sensors were working. We discovered that as we were nearing the end of our ride. We reached the next-to-last brake run, and the entire ride stopped. I’ve only experienced that once before, at Canada’s Wonderland’s Wonder Mountain Guardian. We sat in our “mouse,” Chase, the red mouse, for about ten minutes before a maintenance gentleman joined us, soon joined by about five others from ride ops and even from Zamperla (who I discovered only spoke Italian when I asked him for a quote!). That was the first time I’ve ever been evacuated from a ride. It was kind of fun, especially when we left the ride and were interviewed by a reporter from the Toledo Blade newspaper.
[Here is Jim's ride, followed by a complete on-ride video from earlier this week, with Cedar Point's Tony Clark.]
Once they get all the kinks out of it (which we really didn’t find unexpected) Wild Mouse at Cedar Point is going to be a fun ride for families and a unique addition to the Point’s family of coasters.
The second major addition to The Boardwalk is the Grand Pavilion, a huge two-story restaurant and bar overlooking the Cedar Point Beach and even extending over the Boardwalk that runs from the main parking lot to the Breakers Hotel. The Grand Pavilion’s architectural design was influenced by the original Grand Pavilion, once Cedar Point’s largest structure. It still exists, but has been swallowed up by the resort’s Convention Center.
The food was excellent, with such selections as herb-rubbed pork loin, roasted turkey, funnel-cake-breaded shrimp, breaded cod, and chicken strips. Red-skinned potatoes, tropical fried rice, steak fries, grilled pineapple, and key lime pie are some of the other selections available, served through a serving line by very-friendly servers. The salads I tried (ramen noodle, shaved Brussels slaw, and marinated cucumbers and onions were good enough for me to make it a complete meal!
Along with soft drinks and water, adult and non-adult beverages such as frozen sangria, margaritas, pina coladas, and frozen lemonades are available in the large bar on the second floor.
Both floors have large seating areas both indoors and outside on large dining porches overlooking The Boardwalk and the beach. Dining al fresco on these outdoor patios is one of if not the most beautiful locations to relax in Cedar Point.
I admit, in the past, I had looked at this section of Cedar Point as the attic of the park, where they moved rides that they needed to move for space but didn’t know what else to do with them. I have changed my opinion completely. The Boardwalk is now a well-themed fun and exciting section of Cedar Point - one that welcomes the Cedar Point beach and Lake Erie into the heart of the park with open arms.
The Boardwalk at Cedar Point- just one more reason to get to the Point!
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Russell, I don't know about the counterweights to slow the spin, but considering this is intended as an intermediate-level coaster for families, I felt the spin was perfect. It rides much more thrilling than it looks, and is unlike anything else at CP. Remember that (I suspect) most CP visitors aren't the serious coaster riders that we are, and have never ridden a coaster that spins like this.
The service in Grand Pavilion uses a serving line with choice of entree and sides with a flat price (don't ask me what it is- they fed us for free at Media Day). I know you can also get extras added. I know it's new and that will attract a lot of people, but I firmly believe that it will draw the crowds based on quality of the food, location with beautiful views of both the park and the lake and beach, and a large bar (never underestimate what alcohol can do!). You call this a low-traffic area, but Boardwalk has been majorly improved, both visually (all new signage and brightly-painted attractions) and several major rides (Windseeker and Wild Mouse anchors it on one end, Giant Wheel and Grand Pavilion in the middle and Gatekeeeper on the other end, with five flat rides in between. It won't be a low-traffic area any longer.
No, you have to have admission to the park to enter Grand Pavilion.
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I'm definitely curious about this coaster. I thought the Arrow Wild Mouse at Valleyfair! (Mad Mouse) was an interesting departure from the classic Wild Mouse style coaster, and this Zamperla model looks interesting. It does look like there's some pretty heavy counterweights in the trains to reduce spinning (all of the POVs I've seen show pretty limited spinning despite clearly unbalanced loads - usually just one or 2 people in the car). Most of the Mack and Riverchon models have a bit of counterweight to them , but they can still get pretty crazy with an uncentered load. Maybe it's a banked track that reduces the spinning more than counterweights, but it doesn't seem like the cars spin as much as they should.
How does service work at The Grand Pavilion. Is it all-you-can-eat, cafeteria-style by weight, or choice of entrée and sides with price determined by what main course you choose? It does look like a beautiful space to sit and take a break from the bustle of the park, and the options seem quite diverse and a clear departure from the traditional options offered elsewhere in the park. However, I wonder if Cedar Point will be able to attract guess to this restaurant that's in a decidedly low-traffic area of the park. Will this restaurant be open for resort guests and beach goers without a Cedar Point admission?