Flashbacks while at Cedar Point

I have been curious if others here find their trips to Cedar Point being extremely nostalgic. It seems with every passing year, the park just opens up more pieces and memories of the yearly visits from my whole life.

I think this is because so much of the park has remained unchanged for decades, and you can ride roller coasters and rides that easily take you back, following the same exact path as they did 20 years ago.

For example, now 27, every time I climb Gemini's lift hill in the blue train, I look down at the Gemini midway, and I flash back to when I was about 7 years old, looking at the same spot, riding with my Dad, and telling him how the people looked like ants.

Or in Disaster Transport...before the lift hill, when the overheating robot comes on, I can hear the whole speech in my head...and I never enter those final tunnels without hearing "I'm losing control!" even though it no longer plays.

When passing the picnic pavilions at the front of the park, I always see my whole family eating a packed lunch from our cooler, watching Blue Streak...even though we haven't done that in 20 years.

Every time I pass the Pirate Ride building, I see the Pirate Ride boat cars busting through the final door with the cheesy, repetitive scream.

I could go on with hundreds of examples, but I'll spare you. It's funny though...I can't think of another place I visit in my life that brings back so many memories. So, perhaps this is one of the reasons that I and many of us here continue to visit this park, when we have already experienced it 100's of times before.

It makes sense when some people get so passionately upset about historical attractions disappearing (like White Water Landing or possibly Paddle Wheel Excursions). It's not so much about the ride itself but that a portal to an earlier, simpler time in their life is lost.

So, do any of you experience regular flashbacks at Cedar Point? Do you find yourself following some crazy tradition or sitting at the same table / riding in the same seat of a ride in order to relive your past?

Nicely written post, ffej. I was drifting off in nostalgia as I read it.

When my wife and I visit, we drift off to the time when we met that summer while working there and have been together ever since.

I drifted as well!

Riding the Mill Race late at night while throwing water at people (we knew of course!) with those souvenir mugs that had "Cedar Point" all the way down.

Soak City was a little water park with just the one area with slides.

The "Coming Next Year, the Tallest, Fastest and Steepest Roller Coaster in the World" sign for the Magnum. I wish I'd taken a picture of that sign!

Eating that fantastic french bread pizza from the place near White Water Landing and Antique Cars.

Beach ball in line for the Magnum!! Security popping the beachballs and ride-goers yelling "bull......crap!" 'Nuff said.

Standing by the ride entrances minutes before closing and waiting for "the call" from upstairs telling the employee to close the entrance and then getting in at the last second.

Riding the Frontier Lift to get back to the Mine Ride and watching the employees push the trains out of the station. I was 6-7 and barely remember that...

Planet Snoopy doesn't really exist for me. Somewhere, in some other dimension of time and space and memory, I am still rocking the wooden boat at Peanuts playground with my four-year-old daughter. Still waving as she proudly cruises on her first solo trip around the circuit of the miniature railroad. Still swinging her on that tire swing. Still waiting for her to pop gleefully out of the bottom of the tree slide.

And always will be.

Nice post, Ffej.

Yes!!! That is the main reason I like to go back!

I am a sucker for nostalgia!

Everytime I go into the Magnum station, I get flashbacks to the first year it was opened and standing there with my dad terrified out of my mind!

so many good memories!

A great post, and certainly one of the reasons CP is a special place to my own childhood, and now my daughters'. Like you, every time I go back, new memories surface.

This is a great topic. And I completely agree that visits bring back memories. Even though I don't visit the park more than 2-5 times a year, every time I go, I create new memories and flash back to old ones. Like sprinting from the MF exit back to the entrance because there was no line on a cold October Friday night. Or eating pizza beneath Raptor with my family. Or watching my Grandma ride TTD. This is a truly special place.

^She still rides TTD with us. :)

Or jammin to Nicki Minaj in the parking lot :)

Absolutely. Ive been visiting the park with family and friends every season I've been alive. One of the early memories for me was the Sky Slide with the putt putt golf next to it. If I remember correctly, some holes had miniature rides as obstacles. Also, who could forget Jungle Larry's Safari. And possibly one of my favorites and earliest memories in life, let alone of the park, Fascination...my dad and I playing for what felt like hours. Everytime I walk by Johnny Rockets I think about that.

I'm too young to really flash back to anything. I'm sure I will start too once I go to college. For now I'm busy creating the memories I'll flashback to when I'm 30.

...or after you start dropping acid. ;)

Haha...

Well, I'm glad I'm not alone with all these flashbacks; my sanity is okay. ;)

vwhoward, I have the same memory with Sky Slide and mini golf; I remember my dad sorting through the brown sacks to find me the best one, and then we raced down. I do sort of understand what many of you are saying...many attractions like this, that were fun for families to do together...they're gone.

And it's funny you mention Fascination. Ever since it closed, I've never even entered Johnny Rockets to check it out, so it's still Fascination inside for all I know. I always assumed I didn't care to see what was inside because the prices would likely be insulting. But maybe the reality is that it would disrupt my vivid memory of Fascination inside, which I loved to play with my family.

Ffej said:
Haha...

Well, I'm glad I'm not alone with all these flashbacks; my sanity is okay. ;)

vwhoward, I have the same memory with Sky Slide and mini golf; I remember my dad sorting through the brown sacks to find me the best one, and then we raced down. I do sort of understand what many of you are saying...many attractions like this, that were fun for families to do together...they're gone.

And it's funny you mention Fascination. Ever since it closed, I've never even entered Johnny Rockets to check it out, so it's still Fascination inside for all I know. I always assumed I didn't care to see what was inside because the prices would likely be insulting. But maybe the reality is that it would disrupt my vivid memory of Fascination inside, which I loved to play with my family.

The Skyslide was great! My sanity, in question! Haha!