Valley Fair
looking for information and tips about Valley Fair park
Hey all!
My mom, dad, neice and I are travelling to Valley Fair amusement park in early July on our way back from South Dakota. What are the "must" rides for the park, and any other tips you may have? We have Cedar Fair Season passes, so we know how to work a park! :)
Thanks!
From James Rao
Posted March 30, 2009 at 6:41 PM
Audra, being stuck in the middle of the country, and with a subpar Cedar Fair park (Worlds of Fun) as my home base, I can tell you this: the mothership does not care much about anything west of Ohio. Case in point, Valleyfair and WOF are for sale right now, despite both parks being fairly profitable. CF just does not want to lay out the cash it is going to take to make these parks the kind of coaster parks fans have come to expect from Cedar Fair.
But I digress...
I have not been to Valleyfair, though it is just 25 miles away from the Mall of Americas and its Nickleodean indoor theme park - a treasured destination just 8 hours from my house. I have explored the possibility of visiting and even drawn up some basic touring plans, but never booked a trip. From my recollection, the park has about 8 coasters followed by the standard collection of midway crap. As you are used to Cedar Point and Kings Island, you probably won't find much of interest at Valleyfair. However, if you do go, please post your trip report here, with details and let me know if the effort was worth it.
I would recommend, however, a trip to the Mall of America, if you pass by. The Nick park is pretty cool, and the aquarium expensive but fun. More importantly, you can stop by PB Loco and get some of the best peanut butter sandwiches you've ever had.
Other than that advice, and if no one else comes forward with info, check out the reviews for Valleyfair on www.tripadvisor.com. There are about eight reviews, and it looks like they are mostly favorable.
Sorry I can't be more help....ask me about Worlds of Fun, Sux Flags...errr..Six Flags Saint Louis, Adventureland, Silver Dollar City, BGE, or any of the Disney/Universal parks, and I can probably help!
Hi Audra and welcome. Valleyfair! is my home park so I'm sure I can be of some assistance. VF is a fun little park although it is no Cedar Point or Kings Island. The crowds are not nearly as bad also. July will be busy at the park - try to avoid Saturdays. I have always found Sunday mornings to be a great time to go there. You can hit the major rides early before the crowds arrive. Get there when the park opens at 10am and head to the back of the park straight to Renegade. Get in as many Renegade rides as you want at the start of the day. I personally can't decide if front row or back row is better. Different experiences. You might as well hit Excalibur while you're at the back of the park. A very weak coaster but is always a walk on. Decide if you want to do the waterpark. With a cedar fair platinum pass, you may be able to enter before it opens to the public. The water park is very small and there are not alot of lounge chairs - so claim one early. With the new wave pool opening this year, if it is a hot day, many people will head to the waterpark, and the lines outside will suddenly become shorter. Hopefully this year they will add more lounge chairs to go with the wavepool. You can hit the Looping Starship and mad mouse working your way from the back of the park to the front. Both should be walk-ons. High Roller was the original coaster in the park. It is so heavily braked now that you can fall asleep on it. Corkscrew is your typical corkscrew but is not nearly as rough as most of them. It is smoother than the corkscrew at CP. Extreme Swing is the second best ride at the park next to Renegade. If both arms are going, it will move the line quickly. If only one arm is going, expect a wait. It is the most intense of the power swings I have ever been on - much more than the one at CP. Power Tower is not as intense as it used to be, however it is still better than most similar rides at other parks. Wild Thing is a fun ride but it is no Millenium Force. Steel Venom is similar to Wicked Twister with a back brake. They haven't posted what is showing at the IMAX theater this season. That usually is enjoyable and a nice way to cool off during the heat of the day when crowds get heavy. Any other questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks for the input Scott! Unfortunately, it sounds as if our vacation schedule has us getting there on either Friday or Saturday, can't remember which (my mom is planning... yes, I'm 28 and going on vacation with my mom! LOL) but it will still be fun and probably less than the waits we're used to at CP! :) But your input is appreciated and will be taken into account!
Do they have a good kiddie section? We will have my 6 year old niece with us as well.
I would call the kiddie section as fair. My kids are teenagers so we don't go to that section of the park. High roller, excalibur and the mad mouse are all very tame. Your niece may actually enjoy those rides more than you, if she meets the height requirement.
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