Conneaut Lake Park Trip Report 2016

Today we take a look at our visit this past weekend to historic Conneaut Lake Park. It was a warm day and we decided to take a swim in Pennsylvania's largest natural lake and sunbathe on the beach before going and doing some riding.

The beach is a delightful place to spend an afternoon.

Before hitting up the rides, we opted to play some games.

There is nothing quite like a ride on the park's carousel. This Harton carousel is roughly a century old and it is the last of its kind. 

We always enjoy taking a ride on it.

Along with the Devil's Den, one of only two remaining rides of its kind. It was great helping restore this ride a few years ago.

The ride operators were having a ton of fun operating this. It is always a treat when you see ride operators excited about their jobs.

Now on to the Blue Streak! Gotta wait for the next train!

The coaster was absolutely flying, moving faster than I've ever seen it run.

You can see how all of the track on the first drop is brand new. They replaced the track all the way from the lift hill to the second hill. Thanks to this work, the coaster flies faster than I've ever seen it go. There was airtime on every hill on the return run. I had never seen it run that well through the second half. Hats off to Lenny Adams and the maintenance team for keeping up this terrific coaster.

All new wood through the entire first drop.

Additionally, they have the train running again! It took quite an effort to get this ride rehabilitated. This is the first time that we've been able to take in a ride on the train. The course circles the layout of Blue Streak and runs deep into the woods surrounding the ride. I love seeing all of these different angles of the coaster. Additionally, most of these trees, if not all of the trees surrounding the coaster are old growth. The coaster is 78 feet tall, and the trees have at least 30 feet on the height of the coaster. These are some seriously huge trees.

Pooh was watching our train ride.

The track heading out of the turnaround

I love this turnaround. Low banked turns are awesome.

Every hill on the return run was packing airtime.

The flyers!

Now for some paratrooping! There is nothing quite like taking some time and riding the different flat rides at the park. 

Especially the Traver Tumblebug. One of only two of these rides that remain, this is the most powerful of the two. It zips through the circle, proving some decent airtime and lateral forces when it traverses its hills.

This was a crowd favorite throughout the day. It is one of those awesome kinds of rides that the whole family can enjoy. 

It was also great seeing the waterpark spring back into life. The lazy river is operational, and they are in the midst of getting the waterslides running again. 

The Hotel Conneuat, one of only a precious few remaining turn-of-the-century summer resorts in existence. This park is such a special place. We highly recommend spending a day at this park, swimming at the beach, riding the rides, and just relaxing. This park has steadily sprung back to life over the last six years. Every time we visit, and we usually visit multiple times a year, this place steadily improves. You cannot beat being able to have a day at the beach and be able to pay ten dollars to ride as many rides as you want. This place is both affordable, and a ton of fun. If you plan on spending the night, the Hotel Conneaut has rates starting at just 45 dollars a night, and the park's Camperland is affordable as well. There are also a number of fun attractions surrounding the park, including Pymatuning State Park and more.