Favorite Ohio Amusement Park

[Darren Mullins]

I am posting this for fun-not to cause a debate. Ohio is lucky to have so many wonderful parks to choose from. I know everyone here is a PKI fan, but what is your favorite park in Ohio? Once again, this is meant for fun, so do not take this the wrong way.

[fryler87]

I won't lie - Cedar Point is my favourite. 16 coasters can't be wrong. And coasters are the ONLY reason for this vote (along with those yummy garlic potato fries and such a clean and beautifully-landscaped park).

[RyanA]

I can't lie, it's gotta be Wonderpark. Not. Definetly PKI! But CP comes in second for the reasons stated above. Both are truly excellent parks, but I love the theming and variety PKI has to offer over CP's awesome collection of coasters.

[Beast_Queen]

Definetly PKI! But of course Cedar Point is a close second for the same reasons as above.

Isn't Lesourdsville closed? Is it gonna open back up next year? Anyone know? Hate having such a good coaster SBNO.

[TheKlockster]

Does anybody here remember Americana? That was my first park. I went when I was four or five, and dont remember anything except riding a coaster that is probably similar to Top Cat's Taxi Jam. It had me paranoid of coasters till a month ago! Now I love em. But Americana is closed. Im not sure if its gone or if the park is just SBNO though.

[fryler87]

Americana = LeSourdsville. And the whole park is SBNO because of previous management and financial issues. The park's future is still in question.

[TheKlockster]

Its a shame to see an entire park SBNO. I was looking at the unofficial website for the park, and it says that there are even some rides that were under construction when the park closed permanetly. You said it closed because of management and financial issues? PKI probably had a lot to do with that didn't it? Although Americana was a lot older than PKI.

[CoastersNSich]

I chose Cedar Point as my favorite: they just have one of the best steel coaster collections anywhere, and definitely the best in Ohio!

PKI is a close second because of its wood and flats (and staff), and being my home park.

Geauga Lake is a close third with a good combination of wood and steel.

As to LeSourdsville/Americana - I highly doubt it was PKI that did them in. Several different smaller attractions (like Coney Island, Beach Waterpark, Stricker's, etc.) continue to do good business despite PKI, because they are great, lower-cost, more relaxed, and smaller alternatives.

IMO, Lesourdsville became its own enemy. A lack of good new attractions, as well as poor management, martketing all combined to keep people away. I think that if they adopted PKI's strategy (albeit on a smaller scale), they may have succeeded.

Not to mention an owner who doesn't really know what he's doing...

[DegenRider]

I have to go with Lesordsville Lake. Lots of good childhood memories there and the eagle is the best wood in ohio.

[M & M Productions]

Mine would have to be the Po!nt, with PKI as a close 2nd.

[StXBomber]

I already know PKI is gonna win this poll... so I voted for Wonderpark. Oh yeah Boa Squeeze!!!

[DegenRider]

Yar matey Boa be a fine winter ride to keep the Scurvy dogs bordem away yarr!

[TheSnapper]

Cedar Point is the best and it is besides just coasters..

There park is a lot cleaner and there midways are big so they can handle big crowds. The landscaping there is beautiful and Pki has some beautiful landscape stuff also but not enough. CP has a better variety of rides and coasters and the coasters are better on capacity. There coasters are a lot smoothere also.

Pki is a great park dont get me wrong I love it to death but CP beats it in a lot of little ways. But our EMPLOYEES ARE BETTER

[PKI Homey]

I'll go along with what the Snapper said. CP's coasters are a lot smoother than PKI's. They also have a better selection except for the woodies. CP needs a really good wood coaster. To me, that and some better flats would put them over the top.

[TheSnapper]

Geauga Lake is a great park also! Great rides and a hell of an awesome water park!!! They have a great variety of coasters and a good variety of flats. Everyone should go to this park because its on its way to becoming a great park!

[teenageninja]

Here's my take. I've been to PKI and Cedar Point. Cedar Point has a lot of flats, a lot of good small flats. I think PKI would benefit in some of the flat CP has. Such as the Witches Wheel(I'm aware we had one) or a Chaos or something of the sort. However, we have winners on our hands with our kids areas and Delirium. Our steel does not even compare to theirs, but our wood beats theirs ass. It just all depends on what you want. Both are awesome parks though. Our employees are defintiely better, I saw a lot of safety hazards while I was there.

[HabloRM]

We had some problems at Cedar Point with the employees. They were really rude to us, especially at Raptor. The guy was literly pushing people including two people from our group. Dragster and Milliennum crews were nice, and was actually guest relating like no other.

It's PKI all the way!

[derbeast]

Coney Island

[DegenRider]

I enjoyed GL as SFWOA last year but a big part of that was some of the awsome animal shows. The villlian is one of the best coasters in ohio IMO

[PKI Homey]

"We had some problems at Cedar Point with the employees."

I've heard this on more than one ocassion this year. It seems that their egos are getting too big. Apparently, the employees are starting to believe the hype that they are some of the best and it has gone straight to their heads.

And, I agree with teenageninja that PKI needs some cool smaller flats like Chaos at CP. This is one of the better flats out there IMO. I love getting the tubs to flip, it's so easy to do.

[TheSnapper]

Yeah they might have the best collection of coasters but we have better employees than they do.

[PKI Homey]

Personally, I have never had a problem with either employees, but my experience has been that the Cedar Point Employess are friendlier. But, after this year, I'm seeing much improvement at PKI and like I said in my last post, I have heard lots of negativity about CP employees.

[TheSnapper]

Geauga Lake employees are awesome. I really like ther uniforms there cool looking. 100th post yeah!

[BoddaH1994]

Does anybody here remember Americana? That was my first park. I went when I was four or five, and dont remember anything except riding a coaster that is probably similar to Top Cat's Taxi Jam. It had me paranoid of coasters till a month ago! Now I love em. But Americana is closed. Im not sure if its gone or if the park is just SBNO though.

An enthusiast group had a meeting about how they could help Americana reopen earlier in the summer. I e-mailed them and said that they were more than welcome to utilize PKIC to get to a lot of you people (as Pat said, childhood memories etc). Anyway, they wrote me back and said that they didn't intend to have a second meeting because it was likely that the park would be purchased by a businessman who had an interest in the traditional family amusement park, and they fully intended to reopen as soon as they could.

Never heard from them again, and the park remains SBNO... I guess he didn't buy.

[FoF Rider]

My favorite park in Ohio has got to be Paramounts Kings Island. It has themeing it has good coasters and it also has one of the best kiddie areas out there.