Farewell to Top Thrill Dragster - 9/23/2022
Yesterday I drove to Cedar Point to take advantage of their fall Thursday evenings. The online chatter has been very
positive, touting the small crowds. I had to see this for myself. And it's true. All of the coasters, except
Maverick, were walk-ons or one train waits. The weather was mildly chilly and there was a beautiful sunset. I spent
the night Cedar Point's Express Hotel.
Today's visit to the park was also my chance to bid farewell to Top Thrill Dragster.
The coaster opened to the public on May 4, 2003 as the world's tallest and fastest. Dragster has always been on my top
roller coaster list.
On August 15, 2021 a metal object flew off the ride and struck a Michigan woman in the head. She was waiting in the
queue as the coaster neared the end of its run when the accident happened. The ride was then closed. Soon after,
Cedar Point announced that the coaster would be closed for the remainder of the season.
A six-month-long investigation by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, found that the amusement park was not responsible for
the accident that left the woman with brain damage.
Prior to the beginning of the 2022 season, the park announced that Top Thrill Dragster would not open for the upcoming
season.
And then, just a couple weeks ago, on September 6th, Cedar Point announced that Top Thrill Dragster would be retired in
its current form. And the park was working on bringing a 'new and reimagined ride experience'.
So today was an opportunity to get my last pictures of the coaster. And as I did, I could see that the park had
already begun to dismantle some parts of the ride.
Click here to see my photos of Top Thrill Dragster.
As this was my first visit to Cedar Point this year, I also checked out one of the park's new additions for 2022, The
Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill. Their fresh new culinary concept on the site of the former Antique Autos in Frontier
Town. The Martin Family welcomes you to Big Cedar Farm for some delicious eatin' and enjoy the ambiance of Frontier
Town with comfy outdoor dining areas in Cedar Creek Hollow.
Click here to check out all of my pictures of Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill.
The Farmhouse Kitchen & Grill's delights include roasted corn ribs, house-made chili, char-roasted flank steak, roasted
seasonal vegetables, cast iron desserts and a variety of specialty entrees changing throughout the season. I chose the
steak and chili.
The architecture, design and theming of the restaurant works seamlessly with the rest of Frontier Town. And they even
incorporated the old covered bridge from Antique Autos into the overall layout of the eatery.
The park was fully decorated for HalloWeekends, which is great to experience. One of the sights that really grabbed
my attention was the pumpkin designs in Pumpkin Hollow. This area between Corkscrew and Magnum has the ground on both
sides of the pathways covered with countless pumpkins and gourds arranged in the most beautiful and detailed ways to form
intricate seasonal artwork.
I also spotted signs of things to come in 2023. From the Express Hotel parking lot I could see the track for Wild
Mouse. The bright orange track and yellow supports of this Zamperla spinning coaster will be part of the park's new
theme area near the beach, The Boardwalk.
The coaster's name pays homage to the Wild Mouse coaster that was home to Cedar Point from 1959 through 1963. This
prior coaster was also remembered with a tombstone in HalloWeekends' cemetery of former rides. The black cat is a nice
touch.
The day was full of mostly sunny skies and a bright fall sun. After a full dose of sights, sounds, food and several
laps on my favorite coasters, I headed home by the end of the afternoon. As always, a great visit to The Point.
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