Rendering of the new Wild Mouse roller coaster, coming to Cedar Point in 2023.Courtesy Cedar Point

SANDUSKY, Ohio – Cedar Point will debut a new roller coaster, Wild Mouse, at the park in 2023, part of a major retheming of the midway area near the beach that will be called The Boardwalk.

The Boardwalk will also include the Grand Pavilion, a beachfront, two-story complex that will house a new restaurant, bar, plus indoor and outdoor seating with views of the park and Lake Erie.

“The Boardwalk is our vision of what the classic Cedar Point Boardwalk would have felt like long ago: the sights, the sounds, the electricity of the experience – this new area captures it all,” said Carrie Boldman, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point.

The park’s much anticipated Thursday announcement, however, included no mention of Top Thrill Dragster, the 420-foot-tall roller coaster that was shut down last August after a major accident. Earlier this year, the park announced that the ride would remain closed in 2022 while officials determined its fate.

In recent days, coaster fans have been clamoring for information about the future of the ride, which was among the park’s most popular. It severely injured a Michigan woman after a part from a speeding coaster train flew off and hit her in the head.

Park spokesman Tony Clark said he had no new information to share about Top Thrill Dragster.

Roller coaster fans, however, were given something to get excited about: a reimagined Wild Mouse, with a nod to the original, which operated at the park in the late 1950s and early 1960s. “The modern version will provide a ride experience the original couldn’t – its cars will spin 360 degrees as they navigate the ride’s 1,312 feet of bright orange track,” according to a press release.

The 52-foot-tall ride, manufactured by Italy-based Zamperla, will feature six mouse-themed cars and one cheese-themed car in an “unpredictable game of cat and mouse,” with spins, dips, drops and hairpin turns. The height requirement to ride will be 48 inches, or 42 inches with a supervising companion.

Rendering of the new beachfront Grand Pavilion at Cedar Point.Courtesy Cedar Point

Aerial view of The Boardwalk area at Cedar Point, new in 2023.Courtesy Cedar Point

In addition to the new coaster, The Boardwalk area will feature numerous other rides, including two relocated from other parts of the park: Matterhorn and the Scrambler, which will be renamed Atomic Scrambler. Other rides in the area include the Giant Wheel, Troika, Dodgem, GateKeeper, WindSeeker and Tiki Twirl, which will revert back to its previous name, Calypso.

The Grand Pavilion, too, offers a nod to the park’s past; Cedar Point previously had a beachfront Grand Pavilion, which debuted in 1888.

The development of the lakefront property has been a poorly kept secret in recent months, as construction inside the fenced-in site was clearly visible from riders on the Ferris wheel. The land was formerly occupied by Wicked Twister, a roller coaster that fallen out of favor in recent years and was taken down by Cedar Point last year.

With the subtraction of Wicked Twister and addition of Wild Mouse, Cedar Point will have 18 coasters, according to the park’s most recent count – a number that includes Top Thrill Dragster.

Cedar Point also announced the return of its popular $99 Gold Pass, which provides unlimited visits to the park. In 2023, however, the Gold Pass will not include early entry into the park, a popular perk for many visitors.

The new attractions are expected to be ready when the park opens for the season in May 2023. An exact opening day has not been set, according to Clark.

Cedar Point’s announcement was part of a broader release of capital projects planned at Cedar Fair properties throughout the United States and Canada. Among the other new attractions: Zambezi Zinger, a new roller coaster, at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City; two new rides at Canada’s Wonderland outside Toronto, including Tundra Twister and Snoopy’s Racing Railway; and a new aviation-themed area, Aeronautica Landing, at Carowinds in North Carolina. Cedar Fair CEO Richard Zimmerman said the company’s capital investments for 2023 will total approximately $200 million, the largest ever.

Top Thrill Dragster’s future is up in the air as Cedar Point prepares to open without iconic ride

What’s Cedar Point building on the former Wicked Twister site? Signs point to new food venue

Cedar Fair reports record revenue for second quarter, despite lagging attendance

Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022).

© 2022 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.