Waldameer Park

By the start of the 21st century, most of the family-owned traditional parks that had survived turmoil the previous four decades had learned how to compete, grow, and thrive in the era of the corporate amusement park. Waldameer Park was no different.

As it began its second century, Waldameer Park was in the midst of major transformation. The water park had been completed and was a major draw, and the ride lineup had been updated and expanded. But Paul Nelson, now joined by his daughter Nancy and son-in-law Steve Gorman, was just getting started. It was time to take the park to the next level.

The expansion continued to focus on the traditional amusement park with new rides. In many ways, it can be called the roller coaster decade. Since 1951, the Comet held forth as the only roller coaster in the park. By 2008, it was only one of four, and the new king of the park was the Ravine Flyer II. When it opened in 2008, it represented a culmination of a 15-year quest to bring a signature attraction to the park, and it immediately expanded Waldameer’s trade area, drawing people from increasing distances.

Ravine Flyer II opened in the face of another challenging period for the industry. Sky rocketing real estate values combined with excessive debt and ill-advised investments generated a whole new wave of park closings. Included in this round were some of the largest amusement parks ever liquidated, among them, longtime competitor Geauga Lake, outside Cleveland. That further enhanced Waldameer’s competitive position and reinforced its long-term future.

In 2012, Paul Nelson announced a new 10-year plan since, as he said, he was “only 79.” Additional land has been acquired. Plans call for expanding the water park and again developing the beach area that remains; the park still owns a five-acre parcel. Nelson feels that new land is sufficient to contain his dreams for a few years, but he is always looking ahead. After all, that has defined his relationship with Waldameer Park ever since he arrived in 1945.

Although it has served the same purpose for over 115 years, the main midway at Waldameer Park is a much different place today. As the park has grown, additional amenities have been added, including more games and newly planted trees. (JF.)

The first ride added in the new millennium was a roller coaster. With Ravine Flyer II still making its way through the approval process, the park decided to build a roller coaster its youngest visitors could enjoy. (JF.)

Dubbed the Ravine Flyer III, this ride took the place of the bumper boats in 2000 at the foot of the Giant Wheel. Manufactured by Miler Industries of Portland, Oregon, it is a custom-built family roller coaster constructed over the old bumper boat pond, which added an extra thrill element to the ride. (Both, JF.)

The coaster count continued to grow in 2004 when the Steel Dragon opened at the western end of the park, behind Thunder River and near Rainbow Gardens. The ride represented a new generation of roller coasters that utilizes spinning cars. (Both, WP.)

Built by German ride manufacturer Maurer Sohne, Steel Dragon cost $4 million, stands 50 feet tall, and features nearly 1,400 feet of track. The design of the ride focuses on tight turns and spirals to maximize the spinning of the cars. (Both, DH.)

After spending the first half of the decade tripling the roller coaster lineup, Waldameer Park decided a drop tower should be its next major addition. A relatively new concept in the industry, drop towers haul riders to the top and drop them in a brief free fall before being slowed by magnetic brakes. To gauge guest interest, the park worked with manufacturer A.R.M. of Wintersville, Ohio, to bring in a portable version of the drop tower as a test. From July 5 to July 16, 2006, a 90-foot-tall version of the ride was set up in the northeastern corner of the park, and it was an immediate hit. (Both, WP.)

Based on the results of the test, Waldameer was quick to place an order for one of A.R.M.’s 140-foot-tall models. Soon, a sign was erected next to the Tilt-A-Whirl announcing the addition. (JF.)

Because the park placed the order so early in the season, it was actually ready for operation in November 2006. As a result, Waldameer opened the ride for two days as a charity fundraiser. A naming contest came up with the name X-Scream. By 2007, it was a feature on the park’s skyline. (JF.)

While X-Scream was thrilling riders, Waldameer was able to line up the final series of approvals and construction was ready to begin on Ravine Flyer II. A sign was erected next to the Wipeout in the summer of 2007 announcing its pending arrival. (DH.)

By late-summer 2007, construction was well under way and portions of the structure were already visible to passersby on Peninsula Drive. (WP.)

During the approval process, Custom Coasters had gone out of business, and the park turned to Gravity Group of Cincinnati, Ohio, to design and build the new ride. Construction proceeded rapidly, and by early 2008, the ride’s lift hill was signaling passersby that something big was coming to Waldameer Park. (JF.)

In addition to the large drop, the new Ravine Flyer II featured several turns, with some banked up to 90 degrees. (JF.)

One of the most distinctive features of Ravine Flyer II was the fact that it traveled over Peninsula Drive in front of the park. This was a legacy of the original Ravine Flyer, which also crossed the road at almost the same location. After the original Ravine Flyer’s demolition, Waldameer Park retained the easement over the road with a mind to the future. (WP.)

The bridge over Peninsula Drive was a construction project in and of itself that connected the two halves of the ride. (WP.)

Once the distinctive arched bridge was completed, it provided a powerful way to promote the park and its new ride to the hundreds of thousands of cars that passed underneath it each summer on the way to Presque Isle State Park. Waldameer Park was required to build a mesh screen around the tracks to keep foreign objects from striking the train or hitting the cars below. They also had to provide extra clearance on the east side of Peninsula Drive in case the state ever needed to widen the road. (Both, WP.)

This aerial view taken in 2011 shows how much the park has grown since the 1980s. The Ravine Flyer II dominates the view starting in the park and crossing Peninsula Drive. Above Ravine Flyer II are several new attractions from the 1980s and 1990s, including the Sea Dragon, Giant Wheel, and Water World. (WP.)

Once Ravine Flyer II opened on May 17, 2008, the $7.5-million ride had an immediate impact. Dominating the northern end of the midway, its towering lift hill beckoned thrill-seekers. (JF.)

The ride’s 80-foot-tall lift hill leads to a 118-foot drop and a turn to the right leading to the bridge over Peninsula Drive at a top speed of 57 miles per hour. (WP.)

Flying through the mesh tunnel, a train travels into the turnaround across the four-lane state highway where it climbs into a second large hill before plunging into the mesh tunnel once again to return to the park. (Above, JF; below, DH.)

After the turnaround and return across Peninsula Drive, the trains fly through a tunnel back into the park where they negotiate a series of steeply banked turns at a high speed. (Both, JF.)

Among the turns the trains pass through on Ravine Flyer II is one banked at 90 degrees. In all, Ravine Flyer II traverses 2,900 feet of track in just a minute and a half. Its construction brought new attention to the park, and new customers who never thought of visiting Waldameer Park flocked to the facility, leading to a record season. The Ravine Flyer II has been ranked the sixth best wood roller coaster by trade publication Amusement Today. (Both, JF.)

In 2009, Waldameer Park again expanded the midway to the south. Unlike the failed experiment with the carousel in the 1920s, this time it was a success. An area next to the Merry-Go-Round Grove picnic pavilion was developed into a new $2-million ride area, featuring the Mega Vortex. Manufactured by Zamperla of Italy, the ride has a large spinning disk that seats riders and travels back and forth along a U-shaped track. (Above, JF; left, WP.)

The next expansion occurred in 2011 when an empty area behind the Sea Dragon was developed. While part of the area in the above picture was used for the Ravine Flyer II, there was enough left over to develop the North End. Waldameer purchased three new rides from Zamperla to anchor the area. (Above, DH; below, JF.)

Among the three rides in the North End were the Flying Swings, a 41-foot-tall swing ride; SS Wally, a rocking, spinning tugboat ride; and Wendy’s Tea Party, a spinning teacup ride. The L. Ruth Express circled the entire area. (WP.)

While Waldameer Park focused its capital improvements in 2012 on expanding capacity on some of its most popular rides, including the L. Ruth Express, Comet, and Whacky Shack, it also added a new kiddie ride, the Happy Swing. Manufactured by Zamperla, it resembled a large porch swing. Here, crew are putting the finishing touch on the ride prior to its opening. (WP.)

The 2013 season focused on renovating the area between the L. Ruth Express train station and Dodgems. The main attraction was a new Music Express ride, manufactured by Bertazzon of Italy. With 10,000 LED lights, the flashy ride features a high-speed trip around an undulating track. In addition, the Scrambler was moved and renovated with a new color scheme and lighting package. (WP.)

A view from the Sky Ride in 2011 shows a very different Waldameer Park than what existed just two decades earlier. From left to right, the Ravine Flyer II, Sea Dragon, Flying Swings, and Giant Wheel all have been added since the early 1990s. (WP.)

This view from the Giant Wheel shows off Waldameer Park’s kiddie land with longtime staples such as the pony carts (top center), boats, and Sky Fighter (center) being joined by the Frog Hopper (left). (JF.)

Looking to the west, a number of new rides dominate the skyline. To the left is Thunder River, the log flume added to celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary. Toward the right can be seen the lift hill of Steel Dragon tucked in behind the X-Scream tower. (JF.)