SANDUSKY, Ohio — Editor's note: Video in the player at the top of this story features a front-seat ride of the former Wicked Twister roller coaster.
The secrets could soon be revealed…
What is replacing the land once held by the Wicked Twister roller coaster at Cedar Point? While fans have been speculating for months that it’s a new restaurant, park officials could confirm their changes for 2023 next week.
“Next Thursday we will be unveiling our 2023 capital investment program, sharing with our guests, communities and associates a first look at what exciting new rides, attractions and immersive entertainment are coming to our parks and resort properties – some of which are already under construction,” Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman said in an earnings call earlier this week.
Although he didn’t mention any park specifically in his brief comment about 2023 plans, an announcement from Cedar Point could certainly be among those coming from Cedar Fair’s various parks on Aug. 11.
Construction began months ago at the former site of the Wicked Twister roller coaster within a fenced-off area along the lake.
So is it a restaurant? Is it a ride? Could it be both? Could an announcement also be coming about the future of the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster, which has been closed for the entire 2022 season?
We'll have to wait and see...
Until then, CP Rundown has been following the construction progress at the former home of Wicked Twister, sharing dozens of pictures on their Facebook page throughout the previous weeks:
The Wicked Twister’s ride structure was completely removed in early February and 1,000 pieces of the track were put up for sale -- quickly selling out for $215 per piece. Wicked Twister gave its final rides on Labor Day 2021.
Feeling nostalgic? Here’s a look back at the press release from Cedar Point when the park first announced the Wicked Twister roller coaster in November of 2001:
Named Wicked Twister, the 215-foot-tall, 72-mph steel roller coaster will launch riders into a new dimension of thrills and will be Cedar Point’s 15th roller coaster, enabling the park to break its own world record for having more coasters than anywhere on Earth.
A “double-twisting” impulse roller coaster, Wicked Twister will use the advanced technology of linear induction motors (LIM) to rocket riders out of the coaster’s station – at a maximum speed of 72 mph in 2.5 seconds! – propelling forward and backward and up and down a U-shaped track with spiraling 450-degree corkscrews atop each vertical 215-foot-tall tower. With “twists” on both towers – instead of just one – Wicked Twister will be the first and only coaster of its kind anywhere in the world.
With its train suspended from below its track, Wicked Twister will challenge passengers immediately by launching halfway up the first 90-degree 215-foot-tall tower before briefly pausing, reversing direction and accelerating into the station where it will be thrust nearly all the way up the second 90-degree 215-foot-tall tower. The coaster will be launched out of the station five times – three forward and two backward – while reaching the apex of each tower on the U-shaped track as it picks up speed through the LIM propulsion system. Riders will face the sky while rotating up the twisting towers and will face the ground while rotating backward in the opposite direction, creating a unique visual illusion of the ground rotating below.
With the addition of Wicked Twister, Cedar Point will be the only amusement park in the world to stake claim to having three roller coasters above 200 feet tall: the 205-foot-tall Magnum XL-200 (1989); the 310-foot-tall Millennium Force (2000) and now the 215-foot-tall Wicked Twister. This twisted scream machine will also be the eighth world-record-breaking ride Cedar Point has introduced since debuting the world-renowned Magnum XL-200 roller coaster in 1989. Plus, Wicked Twister will be the eighth roller coaster the park has added during this same time period.
Located on the east side of the Cedar Point Peninsula, along the park’s historic beach and stretching on both sides of the Giant Wheel, Wicked Twister will have a two-tone structure, blending a sunburst yellow track with bright teal columns. Wicked Twister’s train will be a mixture of blue, magenta, teal and yellow. The ride will use a 32-person train consisting of eight four-passenger cars and will have a ride capacity of approximately 1,000 riders per hour. Each seat will have an individual shoulder restraint and restraining belt.
The roller coaster engineering and manufacturing firm, Intamin, headquartered in Wollerau, Switzerland, is the creator of the “double-twisting” impulse coaster concept. Guests will be able to take their first Wicked Twister ride when Cedar Point opens for the 2002 season in May.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above features a front-seat ride on the Maverick roller coaster at Cedar Point.