Mother's Day at Cedar Point

The best day to go to an amusement park is probably Mother's Day because there are no lines.

I learned this back in college when I volunteered to help with Senior Week, the week between the end of final exams and graduation. The best part of volunteering for Senior Week was tagging along for the trip to Cedar Point, a 364-acre amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Our job was to ensure everyone who came on the buses with us, left with us. Once we got to the park, we were free to roam until it was time to leave.

One year, the trip to Cedar Point happened to be on Mother's Day. When we got there, the park was practically empty.

I busted out a map and started to make a list. GateKeeper, Raptor, Blue Streak, Valravn, Iron Dragon, Rougarou, Millennium Force, Maverick, Steel Vengeance, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Gemini, Magnum, Corkscrew, and finally, Dragster! My goal was to ride all of the big roller coaster rides that day.

With the list in hand, a few friends and I headed towards the first roller coaster, GateKeeper. We ran through the turnstiles and were at the front of the line in no time at all.

GateKeeper. Check!

We ran out of GateKeeper and made our way towards Raptor. A few minutes later, we crossed Raptor off of the list. It was thrilling not only riding the rides but not having to wait in any lines!

It had been less than an hour and we had already checked off four roller coasters. The thrill had worn off for me. I felt nauseous instead. It turns out the long lines were a gift. They give you the time to regain your bearings. That day, however, there were no lines and I was able to go from one ride to the next with little downtime in between.

I spent the rest of the day lying down in one of the buses until it was time to go back to campus.

Whenever I find myself rushing to finish things, I remember Mother's Day at Cedar Point.