Bachelor parties are one of those things that are supposed to be very special but often times, don’t end up that way.  A bunch of guys go out for a big night on the town, drink themselves into oblivion, then don’t remember most of what happened.  Recent movies have done a lot to cement this stereotype and for that reason, leaving town for a weekend away has become almost the norm it seems.  Imagine my surprise when my most recent buddy to get engaged suggested something completely out of left field, going to an amusement park none of us had ever visited: Cedar Point.

The park itself is known for one thing, roller coasters.  Big ones, small ones, and everything in between.  Here is a listing of some of our favorites for the day.

• Millenium Force.  We did this one first and planned to do it for our last coaster for the day as well.  One of the biggest and fastest in the entire world clocking at over 90mph we didn’t even notice that it didn’t go upside down.  The power of this thing was just massive and really incredible.

• Top Thrill Dragster.  From zero to 120 m.p.h. in about 4 seconds it didn’t matter that the entire ride was only 17 seconds long.  You could watch the video but it really doesn’t do the ride justice.  The most incredible part, as the day wears on and the equipment heats up, the coaster doesn’t always clear the top and sometimes falls back down from where it came from.

• Mean Streak.  This was a very massive wooden roller coaster and because it was wooden we chose to do this as an ‘easy’ ride after lunch….bad mistake.  This coaster did not disappoint and also claims to be amongst the world’s largest wooden coasters.  It is due to be overtaken soon by the new coaster going into Six Flags Great America.

• Mantis.  This ride will likely hold a special place in our hearts when we think of Cedar Point.  After ‘finishing’ our day at Millenium Force we walked past this entrance and saw no line.  Not only were we in the front row on the next run of coaster but then we ran to the back row for the run after that.  NOT A GOOD IDEA.  It was midnight and by that point we were toasted.

There were other rides of the day but overall these were our favorites.  Rapter and Maverick were both pretty solid coasters as well but I think we were all a touch disappointed in Gatekeeper which was the new coaster for 2013.  It was big but didn’t really differentiate itself from the others we did.  Gemini, another wooden coaster, was a bit of a bust for us as well but Blue Streak, originally built in 1964 was surprisingly fun and kid friendly at the same time!

IF YOU GO:  Stay at one of the many lodging options on the grounds as you get into the park an hour earlier.  We waited for our first 4 roller coasters for less time than any other single line the rest of the day.  We enjoyed a nice cabin in lighthouse point which fit all 7 of us but it was UN-surprisingly snug.  Best part, flying in and out of Detroit saw us for a detour to a Tigers game (they won) and saved us loads of money on airfare.