What started as a quiet beach side community has evolved over 150 years to be the world’s leading amusement park and entertainment company. Back in 1870, Cedar Point opened as a public bathing beach with the first passengers arriving on the Steamer, “Young Reindeer.” Today, Cedar Point brings in millions of guests for the roller coasters collection, as well as rides, entertainment, relaxation and the beach. We really are lucky to have such an extraordinary park that we get to enjoy six months of the year. For a seasonal amusement park, there is so much to offer. As the park prepares for opening day, May 9, 2020, they will be offering a whole new lineup of items in celebration of 150 years of FUN on the shores of Lake Erie.
The big theme for the 150th anniversary of Cedar Point is something old will be new again.
As guests first pull onto the causeway and approach the park, they will notice all new signage and new toll booths. The sign at the corner of Cleveland Rd and Cedar Point Dr is being replaced. In addition the Cedar Point sign with electronic billboard at the entrance to the causeway will be replaced for the 2020 season.
The toll booths are supposed to have scanners similar to those at Kings Island, though there is a good chance they will not be ready for park opening.
Guests will also see changes to access from the chaussee as well, as the road will soon we widened and resurfaced.
Do you remember the Peanuts character topiary that were located adjacent to the old toll booths? That whole landscaping mound has been removed, but the good news is the topiary will be relocated to the entrance of the park.
New Food & Throwback Menu Items
Several months ago, Cedar Point asked guests which historic menu items they would like to see return for the 150th anniversary celebration. Hip-Hip-Hooray!
Drink sippers will be returning for 2020 at The C.P. Juice Co., featuring a variety of flavors including orange, lemon, apple and grape! The stand adjacent to Scrambler will be used to offer the sippers. Initial word on the street is the “juice” is actually a slushie. Fruit smoothies will also be sold at the stand.
The Mac Shack restaurant will go into the former Pink’s Hot Dogs stand and feature a create-your-own mac and cheese bar.
The Roost will replace Mr. Potato and feature fried chicken, tater tots and cole slaw.
Three new signature milkshakes are coming to Toft’s.
Taste of the Point will feature an option to try 15 locations menu items, and when you complete the challenge, guests get a free shirt.
The Sweets ‘n Treats Candy Shoppe and adjacent Bayou Refreshment stand near the front entrance to the park have been removed and will be replaced with a new building.
For the 2020 season, the area will have French Quarter Confections: New Orleans theme, elephant ears, funnel cakes, waffles.
A little further down the midway, the Buckaroo’s Burritos/Corral building adjacent to Derby Downs has also been removed. This will be the site of The Corral, featuring new hand-breaded chicken tenders, gourmet pizza with a focaccia crust, cheddar cheese, jalapeno or classic hot-dog-on-a-stick and the famous mozzarella cheese-on-a-stick will be the featured items at The Corral.
For those sad to see the Walking Taco removed from The Corral, guests will now be able to get them from the former Frozen Custard stand adjacent to the new brick Legacy Walk.
Just below the Sky Ride station near the Scrambler, the new Custard Creamery will serve up fresh frozen vanilla and chocolate custard, chocolate chip polar bear sandwiches, chocolate éclair bars and other ice cream novelties.
In the back of the park at the end of the Frontier Trail will be the new Wild Turnip, which will take over the former Gristmill Wild Eats/Frontier Foldovers. The Wild Turnip will be the ideal location for vegetarians and vegans.
Menu items include a power salad bowl with broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and kale with a blood orange shallot vinaigrette, a plant-based bratwurst with sauerkraut and gluten-free personal pan cheese pizzas made with a cauliflower crust.
New Midway Improvements
Just inside the main gate, guests will have the opportunity to capture the perfect photo in front of a commemorative anniversary sign, shining bright in front of the oldest operating ride at the park, the Midway Carousel. The sign is almost 9 feet tall!
Speaking of the Midway Carousel, a traditional band organ will be operating for the 2020 season!
Inside the main gate, a new redemption center will provide a one-stop shop for guests to process vouchers for pre-purchased items like Fast Lane, drink and dining plans and FunPix photo plans. The redemption center is available to guests who have already purchased these products, but guests who wish to purchase on site can still do so at any ticket window. The redemption center will be located near the new French Quarter Confections.
Snake River Expeditions
Guests loved the Paddlewheel Excursion (once Western Cruise) ride around Millennium Island from May 1964 – September 2011. When Forbidden Frontier opened, it gave guests the opportunity to see the island in a new way. Back in June, after walking around the island, we discovered the elk appearing to be in the process of maintenance. Imagine our surprise when in August, the elk was seen in full motion with sound, setting off a fury of discussion on the possibly return of the Paddlewheel Excursion attraction for the modern age.
The elk moves and makes sound! The elk moves and makes sound! When we saw him earlier in the season he wasn’t working yet. #CedarPoint #ForbiddenFrontier pic.twitter.com/vL4MZDcdWb
— CP Food Blog (@CPFoodBlog) August 11, 2019
Cedar Point has announced that the Snake River Expeditions will be back for 2020 and feature new animatronics as well as live actors. Garner Holt is supposed to be creating some of the new animatronics for the attraction.
Town Hall Museum
The building we all currently know as the Town Hall Museum was not always the way we see it today. Long before there was a Frontier Trail and only a remote Frontier Town at the back of the park, the Town Hall Museum acted as a general facilities building offering various services. Once the Frontier Trail opened, the building began to house various items the park had collected over the years.
In preparation of the 150th season, Cedar Point auctioned off many of the items that had little to no historical relevance to the park.
For the Sesquicentennial, Cedar Point is reimagining the entire Town Hall Museum to celebrate the park’s past, but with less of a museum feel. First, the new name is just Town Hall. Second, guests will see all new displays.
Celebrate 150 Spectacular
The main midway of Cedar Point will be hosting a new night time celebration this summer, Celebrate 150 Spectacular. Featuring a new parade and interactive live entertainment, that will roll into an evening celebration.
The Celebrate 150 Spectacular runs June 12 – August 16.
The parade will feature 4 stops along the route. The parade will end at Celebration Plaza (near Iron Dragon entrance).
Throwback Merchandise
Pagoda to be Celebration Central and feature signature items. New for this year, guests will have the opportunity to purchase limited edition items.
Also, Cedar Point will offer free buttons and button trading. Each guest will be able to get a free “I’ve been visiting Cedar Point since ____” button to wear around the park. In addition, the park will offer special pins and pin trading with associates. Pins will be $1.50 each. In addition, each Tuesday, associates will have a limited edition button that will only be available by trading.
At the Celebration Central store, guests will also be able to send free postcards to their family and friends back home!
Photo viewfinders will be back from the archives for 2020, allowing guests to have any photo installed into the plastic keychains.
We are also excited to hear the park will be offering a very limited edition of only 500 coins for purchase, similar to those from tweet-ups.
Entertainment & More
Courtesy Corp were stations around the park that allowed guests to get help when needed. Cedar Point will be bringing back a modified version for the 2020 season!
If you enjoyed Forbidden Frontier, the island will now feature 30 characters in 2020 as opposed to the 22 from 2019.
Legacy Walk will allow guests to purchase and have customized a special brick to be installed in the park. Bricks will be installed along the main midway and are available for purchase at cedarpoint.com as follows:
Brick – Text Only
Size: 4” x 8” x 2.25”
Text: Up to 3 lines of text, 20 characters per line
Cost: $75
Brick – Text + Choice of 1 Image
Size: 4” x 8” x 2.25”
Text: Up to 3 lines of text, 20 characters per line
Cost: $100
Brick – Mini Replica
Size: 2” x 4”
Purchase of brick paver required
Mini replica of brick paver purchased for home or office use. Makes a great paperweight!
Cost: $30
New app based history tours will be coming.
Bands in Residence: Looking for local talent to perform at the park.
Lusty Lil tribute show and other live entertainment coming to the park.
As if that was not enough, Cedar Point will be offering once in a lifetime experiences for 2020 that can not be bought. One of those will be a Ticket of a Lifetime, offering a chance each day for a guest plus 3 family members/friends to win a lifetime pass to Cedar Point, Cedar Point Shores, and parking! Only 150 will be available! Registration went live at TicketofaLifetime.com starting February 24.
And that is only the beginning! Cedar Point always has lots more little unannounced details rolled out throughout the season! We are really excited for #CP150, and hope you will be along for the journey!
New Accommodations
Updates and changes to several Cedar Point hotel properties are underway, including the renovation of Sawmill Creek by Cedar Point Resorts. Located just 10 miles from Cedar Point, Sawmill Creek will feature completely renovated guest rooms and public areas. The lodge is home to 239 guest rooms, 35,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, a sandy beach, nature preserve and an 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course. Sawmill Creek will reopen this summer with the golf course scheduled to open on April 1, 2020. The Shops at Sawmill Creek remain open.
There is also a potential for future ferry service between Sawmill Creek and Cedar Point.
At Cedar Point’s Castaway Bay Indoor Waterpark Resort, renovations to the guest rooms, public areas and exterior are now underway and will be complete in the summer of 2021. In addition to the updates, new guest activities and entertainment will join the family-friendly indoor waterpark as the perfect benefits to an overnight stay. Castaway Bay will remain open this summer while renovations continue.
Lighthouse Point, located at the tip of the Cedar Point Peninsula, will introduce 25 additional “Ultimate RV Patio Sites.” Each site includes amenities like an expanded private patio seating area with dining table, built-in charcoal grill and wood-burning fire pit. The family cabins at Lighthouse Point will also receive updated furnishings and interiors.
Guests staying at Sawmill Creek, Cedar Point’s Express Hotel, Castaway Bay, Lighthouse Point and Hotel Breakers enjoy exclusive benefits like Early Entry – the chance to ride some of the park’s biggest and best attractions one hour before the general public – along with discounted tickets, special packages and the closest rooms just steps away from the park’s gates.
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Very disappointed to hear about Pink’s. Is there another build your own burrito option elsewhere?
Big mistake to get rid of pinks. Great onion rings
Scrapping Pink’s is a bad idea because it was a West Coast flavor, in the small town of Sandusky, Ohio… As a former employee of Sweets n Treats Candy Shoppe, It was a little sad to hear that it was finished with Bayou but keeping that New Orleans – French theme for the new restaurant might be cool.
Yikes….so sad… first, years ago Momma Berardi’s french fries gone and replaced by Mr Pototoe french fries (close but not the same)…now no French Fry shops at all, again..so sad…