With May right around the corner, that means the beginning of my favorite season, and no, I don’t mean summer. I’m talking about CEDAR POINT SEASON! It might be a little sad that I know how to get the Cedar Point without directions, or that I know the entire amusement park like the back of my hand, but my a handful of my favorite summer memories are from spontaneous Cedar Point trips with my best friends on a random summer day.

Courtesy of the amazing Cedar Point Season Passes, trips to America’s Roller Coast became almost a hangout for my friends and me at least once a month every summer (which is a decent amount for living two hours away in a different state). The countless trips helped learn park layout inside and out, determine the best days to visit the park, the best order to ride the rides (of course this varies based on personal preference), the best way to go about your day, and most importantly: the best rides!

1. Millennium Force

The Millennium Force has been voted the world’s “Best Steel Rollercoaster” multiple times, and there is no question why; it is unbelievably smooth the entire time and has multiple large hills. There is always an amazing atmosphere not only when riding, but while waiting in line, making it no doubt my favorite roller coaster at Cedar Point.

2. Maverick

While the Maverick is not a tall roller coaster, it has many unique features that make one of my favorite roller coasters. The first drop is at 95-degrees, making an inverted drop. The ride is extremely fast-paced and aggressive, but that’s why I love it. An amazing ride to get all experiences of a roller coaster without the height.

3. Gatekeeper

Personally, I feel that this ride is extremely underrated. It is one of the newer roller coasters at the park, and it takes you through two keyholes right above the park entrance, which is one of my favorite parts, along with the roller coaster flipping you upside down right before going down the first drop. If you’re looking for a good seat, my absolute favorite is on the left side of the train in the very back: you not only get the most speed, but you get a larger flip on the first hill.

4. Raptor

While I absolutely love the Raptor due to the roller coaster’s course, I feel that over the past few years the ride has been becoming a little less smooth and a lot jerkier. Regardless, it is still a super fun roller coaster that I strongly suggest as one of the first roller coasters for beginners!

5. Top Thrill Dragster

The Top Thrill Dragster is definitely a hit-or-miss for most roller coaster fans. Yes, the ride is extremely short, and yes, the hype for it is a little much, but I can never say I’ve never gone on the Dragster and had a bad experience. It is definitely an adrenaline rush and I have more fun every time I ride it, but I definitely wouldn’t wait any longer than 30 minutes to ride it if it isn’t your first time.

6. Rougarou

The Rougarou is very interesting to me because while it’s a new roller coaster, it has the same exact layout as the Mantis did (the roller coaster that was there before it), so going on it was an interesting experience. That being said, it is extremely smooth and a quality roller coaster.

7. Gemini

While the Gemini may be much lower on other peoples’ lists, I absolutely love it! If you go on it with the right group of people and make the most out of the competition between the blue and red trains, it can be a really good time. Another perk is the fact that the line is rarely longer than a 15-minute wait. Although it is a wooden roller coaster, it is the smoothest by far out of all the wooden roller coasters Cedar Point has to offer. Definitely a great ride for beginners.

8. Magnum XL-200

The Magnum is a good roller coaster in the sense that the first hill is very tall, but other than that, I’m really not much of a fan. It not only takes an extremely long time to make it to the top of the first hill, but it is very jerky and never fails to kill my quads. However, I do love the tunnels and on the way back and it will always hold a special place, being that it was the first roller coaster I ever rode.

9. Iron Dragon

While one of the smaller roller coasters, the Iron Dragon will always be fun to me! I love how the trains you sit in swing side-to-side instead of being held still. However, it shuts down frequently and is very slow moving up the hills. I view the Iron Dragon as one of the few that I feel anyone would enjoy, even if they don’t typically like roller coasters.

10. Corkscrew

While extremely jerky, short in of time, and not very tall, I must admit that I will always love the Corkscrew for the simple fact that the multiple corkscrews go directly over a major pathway.

11. Wicked Twister

The Wicked Twister is unique because to me, I view it more as a ride than I do a roller coaster. However, it is a good thrill and has a cool location, as it is right next to Cedar Point’s beach property on Lake Erie.

12. Blue Streak

Yes, it is wooden, jerky, and not very exciting, but you can never not enjoy a ride on the Blue Streak, which is Cedar Point’s very first rollercoaster! As long as you go in with a good attitude and understand you won’t be receiving a 5-star roller coaster experience, you can turn your ride experience into a fun time!

13. Mean Streak

The Mean Streak is the jerkiest roller coaster at Cedar Point, and takes a lifetime to climb up the first hill, which doesn’t even give you a very rewarding drop. However, if you’re looking for a ride to kill time with, being that the Mean Streak seems to be never-ending, this is definitely your roller coaster.

14. Cedar Creek Mine Ride

Again, one of the park’s jerkier roller coasters. It is a good roller coaster for young children, but it constantly breaks down. Another huge downfall is that there isn’t really a hill on this roller coaster that I would consider their “main” hill, since it isn’t’ emphasized and is extremely small.

15. Pipe Scream

Similar to the Wicked Twister, I view the Pipe Scream as more of a ride than a roller coaster; however, it’s awesome how when the ride moves back-and-forth on the track, the train itself is also spinning around. So if spin-rides make you nauseous, I highly suggest not going on this roller coaster.

Obviously, everyone has their own opinions on what makes a great roller coaster, but those are my opinions on the top roller coasters at Cedar Point and my reasoning why. Breaking multiple records, Cedar Point’s newest roller coaster, Valravn, is being released this season, and I’m super excited to ride and see how it compares to the other roller coasters!