Valravn

Amusement parks change over time, and Cedar Point's history is no exception.  Cedar Point is the second-oldest operating park in the United States having opened in 1870.  And while a lot has come and gone from the park in the last 150 years, this portion of the peninsula has changed quite dramatically in just the past few years.  The Wildcat coaster used to operate on the left side of the concrete pedestrian walkway shown in the distance, but it was demolished in 2011, and now Valravn's Dive Loop sits on that location.  Much of the land on the left side of this picture previously housed a massive theater.  The Cedar Point Cinema was built in 1975 and featured nearly 1,000 seats and a 67 by 90-foot screen in an IMAX theater.  There was also a second large room where guests would watch a show before being admitted into the IMAX film.  The movies were removed, the building was renamed Good Time Theater, and ice skating shows were performed from 2002 to 2014.  The air-conditioned theater provided a welcome break from the afternoon heat and sun and was very popular on hot days, but the theater's large building was demolished in 2014 to make room for Valravn.  From 1970 to 2014, the Dodgem bumper cars sat on the spot of land seen in the foreground on the left of this picture, but that ride was relocated to the east and now sits across from Wicked Twister and the 136-foot-tall Giant Wheel.   The Calypso spinning ride operated near here since 1970, but was relocated to make room for the Valravn station.  It too was moved to the east in 2015, is now called Tiki Twirl, and sits on the Wicked Twister Midway section of the park.  Its new name honors the original Tiki Twirl spinning ride that operated at the park from 1970 to 1984.

©2017 by Joel A. Rogers.