Last weekend my girlfriend Justiss and I took a quick trip to visit Waldameer for the first time. The park is located in Erie, PA, which is only about an hour from Fredonia, so it felt like something worth doing before the end of the semester. The park might not be as exciting as one of the major parks, but we definitely found some charm exploring the small park on Lake Erie.
The night before our trip Justiss and I drove down from my house in East Aurora to my apartment in Fredonia, where we spent the night. The next morning I got up early to do my workout at the track, and the weather seemed nice, around 70 and sunny. After my workout we packed up everything in my apartment, as I wanted to move out that day. We spent a good hour gathering everything and stuffing it in my car, and upon completion I handed over my keys and we were on our way.
Before we got on the I-90, we grabbed some brunch from the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru, and for once I didn't find myself disappointed with their food. While the weather was nice when we left Fredonia, as we got closer to the park more clouds started coming our way, and it was raining pretty hard by the time we arrived. We opted to stay in our car until the rain subsided a bit, and when it did I grabbed my umbrella and we headed in.
Unlike typical park, Waldameer has a pay-per-ride system. They do offer all day wristbands, but I figured since weren't going to be there for long, we would be better off getting some points just to pay for the rides we wanted. I got one card for the 2 of us and we put on 32 points for $30 (1 point = $1 plus we got 2 bonus points). It was still lightly raining but we still headed over to the park's marquee attraction, Ravine Flyer 2. The wooden coaster is Waldameer's signature ride and the main draw for coaster enthusiasts visiting the park. The ride is the most expensive of the park's attractions, costing 5.5 points to ride (11 for both of us), but for good reason. Even though it was raining on our ride, we still had a blast riding the well paced wooden coaster. With great views of the lake and great pacing, the ride ended up being a great experience. After getting off I figured we should try an indoor experience to avoid the rain and went to ride "Pirates Cove". This ride cost 3.5 points (7 for both) and ended up being a walk through rather than a dark ride. The ride ended up being pretty cheesy, and a tad bit off-putting with the uncanny valley figures. From there we attempted the "Wacky Shack" which ended up actually being a traditional dark ride. This ride also employed some uncanny-valley figures, but I found this experience to be an improvement over Pirates Cove. The only other attraction we were able to get on with our remaining points was the family coaster Comet. This family wooden coaster proved to be a semi decent ride, especially for a family ride.
By the time we got off Comet, the sun had come out and the rain had stopped. We decided to get 11 more points and go ride Ravine Flyer 2 again. The park did have a spinning ride as well, but we figured Ravine Flyer would be the more worthwhile attraction. Our second ride on Ravine Flyer proved to be even better than the first, and I got off shocked with how exhilarating and well-paced the coaster was. Now all out of points we decided to explore, get our merch, and then head out. I got my usual mug as well as a fresh lemonade. On our way out we got some pictures, and our trip was complete.
After hopping back in the car we drove straight back to East Aurora for dinner. Even though it had already passed over in Erie, we ended up catching up with the rain and it followed us home. Overall I really enjoyed our short time at Waldameer. Sure we didn't go on too many rides, but I felt that we were able to get a good feeling for the park and their rides. Like similar small parka, Waldameer has great old-fashioned charm, and even if isn't the most beautiful park, I did enjoy the atmosphere. I also really like the whole pay-per-ride aspect as it gives you more options for how you want to spend your money. Even though the dark rides we checked out weren't elite by any stretch, they did have some classic charm, and the marquee coaster Ravine Flyer 2 is a standout for sure. I'd say the park is worth visiting for anybody, from coaster enthusiasts to anybody just looking for a relatively cheap, entertaining day. Sure the park could have more to it, but for what it is worth Waldameer is definitely a fun park worth revisiting.
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