Status Closed Opening date 1963 (1963) Replaced by Raptor Opened 1963 | Cost $300,000 Closing date 1993 (1993) Type Log flume | |
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Similar White Water Landing, Raptor, Jumbo Jet, WildCat, Space Spiral | ||
Mill Race was a log flume ride that operated between 1963 and 1993 at the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. When it opened in 1963, Mill Race was only the second such log flume ride to ever operate in the world (the first being El Aserradero [The Sawmill] at Six Flags Over Texas, which had opened earlier that same year). Mill Race was ultimately removed from the park in 1993 to prepare for the opening of Raptor in 1994.
Contents
History
Costing approximately $300,000, Mill Race opened during a period of transition at Cedar Point. In 1963, when Mill Race opened, Cedar Point had no operating roller coasters besides smaller wild mouse style roller coasters. Mill Race opened near the entrance of the park on the main midway and it proved to be one of the most popular rides in the entire park. The number of Cedar Point visitors rose following the installation of Mill Race.
Although Mill Race was popular, the log flume was ultimately removed in 1993 to prepare for the addition of the inverted steel roller coaster Raptor. A second log flume ride, White Water Landing, had also been built at Cedar Point in 1982. At 50 feet (15 m) in height, White Water Landing dwarfed the 28 feet (8.5 m) tall Mill Race. Snake River Falls, a third flume, opened in Mill Race's last year of operation. In the year following Mill Race's removal and Raptor's installation, Cedar Point admissions went from hundreds of thousands of visitor admissions to over two million visitor admissions in a single season.
Layout and ride experience
Mill Race had a simple layout, only having a single lift hill of 28 feet (8.5 m) in height. Mill Race had been selected as a top Cedar Point attraction in multiple years of the 1960s.