The 2019 season begins with new food and fun
Now that the wait is over, it’s time to give some love to the most popular roller coaster destination in the world— Cedar Point. If you are new to the area— or have an unfounded case of coasterphobia— you should really make the trip to Sandusky to see what the park has to offer.
Steel Vengeance
There are coasters for people of all ages and levels of bravery to enjoy, but Cedar Point’s newest pride-and-joy is definitely Steel Vengeance, the coaster formerly known as Mean Streak, that debuted last summer. At over one-mile-long and close to three-minutes-long, “you really get your money’s worth with Steel Vengeance,” Cedar Point Vice President and General Manager Jason McClure said.
McClure, who himself has ridden Steel Vengeance more than 100 times, said that the thrill ride is the “tallest hybrid roller coaster in the world, the fastest with the longest drop at 205 feet, and has a 90-degree vertical drop. It has more inversions than any other hybrid coaster [four].”
Last year, Steel Vengeance won a Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today for the best new attraction, and you’ll find it on the top roller coaster lists from multiple sources.
“It’s an intense ride experience,” said McClure, adding that the intensity is comparable to that of Top Thrill Dragster (a ride that escalates from 0 to 120 miles per hour in a few seconds). “There are moments like that in Steel Vengeance, but it’s longer, making it more relentless.”
Roller coaster enthusiasts we spoke to immediately after their thrilling ride on Steel Vengeance agreed. “It reminded me of Gemini because it felt like I was going to hit my head or arms like you are coming really close to it, but you’re really not. Those were some of the scariest moments,” said Rebecca Verdugo, morning show host of Proclaim FM in Toledo. “I loved it. I was impressed that there were so many flips, and it was very smooth. I think it’s the best ride I’ve ridden in Cedar Point.”
What’s new in the kitchen
Cedar Point is offering two new restaurants this year with BackBeatQue, a barbecue establishment with classic Southern comfort food, and Hugo’s Italian Kitchen, your destination for pasta, pizza, and cannolis to satisfy your sweet tooth.
After having sampled every single menu option, we determined that the must-try fare at BackBeatQue was primarily the sides. Their creamy, house-made mac and cheese, fried okra, and sweet corn muffins are amazing, but you’ll also want to leave room for their fried shrimp (fried in funnel cake batter!) and end with a banana pudding. Yes, please!
Incredibly, our crew was able to sample a ton of food at Hugo’s after our barbecue meal. We chowed down on pepperoni stromboli, cheese calzones, pizza, garlic knots, and ended our delicious carbfest with a cannoli and one of the best servings of tiramisu I’ve ever had.
As McClure points out, even those who aren’t hardcore thrill seekers can find something to enjoy at Cedar Point. The food, games, waterpark, and two other new features: Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island (opening May 25) and the limited time experience Monster Jam Thunder Alley.
