In this entry I will tell you about the section of the amusement park located just after the main entrance. If you walk to the left hand side of the park you will see a couple of roller coasters. One is the Blue Streak, which is a wooden coaster and also is the first coaster built at Cedar Point. The second is Raptor. Raptor is an inverted coaster and is ranked eighth in the world by Amusement Today.

A couple of easygoing rides include the Turnpike Cars and the Cadillac Cars. On these rides you drive a gas-powered automobile on a set track design. Then relax on the Sky Ride for a scenic view of the park or hop on the Midway Carousel.

Now that I have covered most of the left side of Cedar Point after the main gate lets head over to the right side of the park.

Get yourself ready for some thrills by going on the Demon Drop. This ride takes you up one hundred feet then drops you in a free fall back down to earth.

An easygoing roller coaster is Disaster Transport. It is located indoors and they use black lights here as an illusion. This is basically a bobsled coaster in the dark. The extreme coaster here is the Wicked Twister. Wicked Twister blasts you from 0-72 mph in 2.5 seconds into a 215-foot-high twist and down backwards into another 215 foot high twist. Awesome!

For the kids, head over to the Peanut Playground where they have classic boardwalk rides and games just for the tots.

Some easy going rides on the right hand side of the main entrance that also give you a great view of the park are, the Giant Wheel and the Space Spiral. The Giant Wheel is a 150 foot high Ferris wheel that is located next to the beachfront at Cedar Point. The Space Spiral is a two-tiered enclosed observation deck that takes you a towering 330 feet into the air. The views of the peninsula from here are magnificent.

Wicked Twister and Raptor attract the biggest crowds here and the waits can be over an hour long. Lockers are also available in the front of the park along with a picnic area.

This just about sums up the first section of Cedar Point, but we are just getting started. The best thrill rides are yet to come.

The Raptor is an inverted coaster; in other words, the track is above the cars and your feet dangle below you. What this means is that during loops, you will be on the outside of the track and thus you will be looking at the sky when you're at the top of the loop.

The first drop is a respectable 119 feet, but you are 137 feet off the ground at the peak of the hill. You'll drop at a 45-degree angle and then move immediately into a loop. After that you'll encounter several hills and another five upside-down turns, including two in a corkscrew.

The ride was a bit bumpier than I remember in past years, so consider this before taking the ride. As for height restrictions, you must be at least 54 inches to ride.

The Wicked Twister isn't what I would consider a roller coaster, although Cedar Point does. Essentially, you sit a train with 31 other passengers, but unlike most coasters, the cars dangle from the track. In other words, the track is above you, not below you.

As for the track's layout, consider a horizontal and straight piece of steel. Then about a third of each end of the track is bent upwards so that the ends are vertical to the ground. Then both ends are twisted so that the train will spiral as it is launched up the track. Since there are no hills are banking turns, this is not your typical coaster.

The ride will propel you forward, then backward, forward, backward and once more forward. During these launches up the vertical track, you can supposedly reach heights up to 215 feet.

Although I don't usually mind if I'm in the front or back of a ride, this one is different. If you want to reach peak heights, you'll have to be at either end of the train. The trade-off is that you'll also be at the lowest end of the opposite peak.

I liked the ride, but it's not one I would wait a couple of hours to ride.

The height requirement for this ride is 52 inches.

This coaster is spectacular! I have to say this is probably the smoothest roller coaster I have ever been on. You'll travel 1.25 reaching speeds at over 90 miles an hour! And all in less than two and a half minutes.

The first hill, of course, is the greatest. The incline takes you up rather quickly, and then you are tossed over the peak to plummet 300 feet at an 80-degree angle. When you come over that hill, you can't even see the track below you. And after that, it's more harrowing turns, a few more hills and some tunnels. Overall, a great ride.

Of course, a ride of this magnitude requires a height requirement. In this case, it is 48 inches.

Cedar Point is the king of amusement parks, boasting 16 coasters in 2003, including one that's a record 420 feet tall.

The park's location is great as well. It's situated on a peninsula in Lake Erie. While you're climbing to the top of the coasters, you can often get a great view of the lake before plummeting to the ground.

The best time to go is in the middle of the week (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) during the summer. As for weekends, some of my friends have said that Father's Day is a great weekend to see the park. Also, early spring or late summer (September and October) are slower times during the operating season. Remember, though, that even during the summer, evenings can get rather chilly due to the location on the lake. I recommend taking at least a lightweight jacket along no matter when you're planning a visit.

If you're a member of AAA, check about purchasing your tickets through the club. You may get a discount on the purchase price. A second option is to contact Cedar Point (419/627-2350) and ask to be on the mailing list. Sometimes you can get a decent discount that way as well. A third option is to buy a two-day admission, which will get you into both Cedar Point and the water park Soak City, which is right next door.