Geauga Lake: Faded Glory or Rising Success?

Geauga Lake has had quite a roller coaster ride of history.  What is to become of this local amusement park? 

To say Geauga Lake has had a rough time is an understatement.   

Having a history of natural disasters mounting in $550,000 worth of damage, countless changes in management, all on top of the removal of star attractions, Geauga Lake hasn’t had the same enjoyable ride as its sister park Cedar Point, located 45 miles northwest. 

Though the park started out as every other Midwestern amusement park through the opening of a hotel (Alexander G. Kent’s “Kent House” in 1887) and grew from there, the park was met with hardship in 1941 when a cyclone tore through the park, creating $50,000 worth of damage, tearing down trees and destroying a part of the Big Dipper.

Geauga Lake’s luck did not improve, as the park went up in flames in 1952, destroying many of the park’s prized attractions. 

This local park would sit vacant for 17 long years until Funtime, Inc. would venture to restore the park. 

With the park’s purchase by Funtime, things started to look up.  Prospering, attractions such as Double Loop, Corkscrew, the Skyscraper, and other kid play areas where constructed. 

It seemed that Geauga Lake has finally received the attention and care it had deserved. 

It was for this reason that Premiere Park, Inc.’s purchase of Geauga Lake in 1995 was met with enthusiasm, hoping for the continuation of a tradition of a well rounded family park. 

It seemed that Premiere Park has bigger thoughts in mind.

Receiving a new attraction every year starting in 1996 with the construction of Mind Eraser, the park’s Vekoma Boomerang Coaster, and Grizzly Run, a river rapids ride, the park truly began to see rapid expansion, growth which is rarely seen in any type of amusement park.

 1997 – Mr. Hyde’s Nasty Fall, Intamin 1^st Gen Drop Tower; Hook’s Lagoon Waterpark 

1998 – Serial Thriller, Vekoma SLC 

1999 – 100 ft. tall Giant Wheel, Time Warp, Sky Coaster

All of these park additions began to make people wonder exactly what Premiere Park’s plans where for the park.  Though Premiere Park had purchased the Six Flags franchise in 1998, many believed that Premiere Park would not attempt to adjust Geauga Lake to be a Six Flags Park. Still, Premiere Park had seemed to convert this previously homely, family-oriented park into one of the premiere amusement parks in Ohio. Then in 2000, Geauga Lake was announced as Six Flags Ohio. 

It was with Geauga Lake’s new title that the expansion became even greater, with the construction of four new roller coasters: Superman Ultimate Escape, Batman Knight Flight, The Villain, Roadrunner Express.  This combined with yet another water park and children’s play area made Geauga Lake a seemingly unstoppable force.

This drive only increased the next year with Six Flags’ purchase of Seaworld Cleveland, located right across the lake from the park. This gave way to the newly created Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, featuring the new additions of X-Flight, a new Batman Water Stunt Show, and a completely separate Wildlife park. 

Six Flags had created a true mega park, with not only the sole purpose to become the leading park in the Midwest, but possibly the nation, offering three parks for the same admission price. 

With word that Six Flags would dub SFWoA their new flagship park, enthusiasts looked forward to promised rides and expansions for the years to come, such as a submarine ride and life sized volcanoe for the wildlife park. 

Sadly these promises would never be fulfilled. 

Try as Six Flags might, Cedar Point still had a few tricks up their sleeves to ensure their domination in the Midwest market. 

Though SFWoA was created in 2000, all eyes where glued on Cedar Point, with its brand-spankin new 300 ft. roller coaster, Millennium Force. 

In a change up of plans, SFWoA scrapped some of the previous promises of submarine rides and volcanoes to give way to more feasible expansions in order to help divert crowds from Cedar Point. 

It was in 2002 and 2003 that we saw even more expansion of the water parks, as well as the arrival of Shouka, the park’s Killer whale.   

Six Flags would have to win out in this skirmish of sorts against Cedar Point, not only featuring a fully established ride park, but now Ohio’s largest water park. 

Still, America’s Roller Coast kept building onward with the addition of Wicked Twister in 2002 and Top Thrill Dragster in 2003.  Cedar Point had not only completely taken over the media’s eye, but the public as well. 

Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, the boom baby of Six Flags in an attempt to attack Cedar Fair’s flagship park, had been a failure.   

With the realization that Six Flags Worlds of Adventure could not compete against Cedar Point and already facing the difficulty of a non profitable amusement park, having built too many coasters in too short a time, Six Flags sold out to Cedar Fair in 2004. 

Though fans of Geauga Lake’s previous identity created a bit of an uproar with Geauga Lake’s removal of the Wildlife Park, they where somewhat sedated with the announcement of expansion for the park’s new water park, Wildwater Kingdom, having the water park cover the entire length of Seaworld Cleveland’s previous location. 

Still, some remained skeptical as to what would lie in Geauga Lake’s future. 

Now, their fears have become reality with the removal of not one, but two of the park’s star coasters, Steel Venom and X-Flight. 

Though both coasters where popular, they had their fair share of mechanical problems and operational expenses. 

All in an effort to help return Geauga Lake back to its previous family-oriented state and allow for a proper growth, X-Flight has been relocated to Kings Island as Firehawk, while Steel Venom goes to wait in storage. 

So the park has come full circle, beginning as a down to earth family park, rising to compete with amusement industry giants such as Cedar Point, and then reduced to its previous state continuing “its tradition of great family fun, rides and attractions!” 

The only pressing question is what is next for Geauga Lake? 

Though Jack Falfas, General Manager of Midwest Operations, feels that the park needs to return to basics and be allowed to make a profit before once more being expanded, the park could have the potential to rise as “Cedar Point East.” 

No matter the plans, it will take a good amount of time before we see Geauga Lake as one of the rising giants among amusement parks. 

For now, we can enjoy Geauga Lake for what it truly is, a fun, family filled amusement park, allowing us to get back to the traditional style of amusement parks in a land among theme park giants.