Do you love Ohio theme parks but hate the high prices and long line-ups? Do you plan a family vacation every year to Six Flags, but are tired of fighting the crowds and constantly opening your wallet? If so, keep reading for a basic guide that will help you suRVive the ups and downs of Ohio’s roller coaster parks.

Can Your Kids Handle It?

There’s no age rule for determining whether your child is ready for a theme park vacation. Remember though, the younger the kids, the slower the pace and more flexible you’ll have to be.

On the plus side, if your little one spends most of the day in a stroller, there’s less chance that he’ll get lost or overtired. Bigger kids, on the other hand, will allow you to move through the park faster, and they may get more enjoyment out of the whole theme park experience.

Have a Realistic Budget

A frugal five-night vacation for a family of four near Ohio theme parks will run about $2,000 – plus transportation. Roughly one-third will be for tickets, a third for food, and the rest for lodging and incidentals. But there are ways to cut back.

Start saving by avoiding the pricey junk food stands and by toting plenty of healthy snacks, such as juice boxes, dry cereal and fruit, string cheese, and granola bars. Next, don’t buy items like sunscreen and film at park kiosks – the prices are generally higher than they’d be elsewhere.

Avoid the Crowds

You can avoid the crowds by going early on a weekday. Another great tip is that when the park opens and people enter the gates, most veer to the right once they enter and work their way around and toward the back of the park. If you walk in the opposite direction, you’ll avoid some of the early morning crowds.

An alternative crowd-avoidance tactic is to make a beeline straight to the back and spend your day working your way toward the front while the masses make their way to the back.

Avoid Lines

Most parks in Ohio allow you to purchase your tickets online in advance, meaning you can avoid the massive ticket lines at the start of the day.

Good Theme Parks

Probably the most popular out of all the Ohio theme parks is Cedar Point. It’s the biggest amusement park in the world and home to some of the highest and longest roller coasters too. Other parks in the area include Six Flags, SeaWorld, King’s Island and numerous others.

It’s just off the coast of Ohio in Lake Erie. The amusement park has been around ever since the early nineteen hundreds and is constantly making updates to its equipment and bringing in new rides for the visitors. While here you can ride the roller coasters, tan yourself on the beach and even do a little river rafting on artificial rapids.

The park has lodging available for visitors who plan on staying more than one day in the form of the Great Bear Lodge, which has special amusements and privileges for guests. If however you don’t wish to spend that much you can always find a place to stay in the outlying area. Much of Northern Ohio on the lake is tourist area and you’ll find plenty of hotels in Sandusky, Ohio. You can find a relatively cheap rate in the smaller towns up to twenty or so miles from the lake, such as the small town of Clyde, Ohio.

Clyde, Ohio is just far enough from the lake that it closely resembles a farm community, but still has a few hotels and fast food restaurants. This can also seRVe as an opportunity to take the family on a drive through farm country. Once you leave the area immediately surrounding the lake much of Ohio returns to farms and fields. You might even be able to find a farmer’s market and buy yourself some fresh fruits and veggies to snack on while at the amusement park.

In a smaller community such as Clyde you’d be able to enjoy visiting Cedar Point on a daily basis, while also having the chance to get away from some of the hectic sounds and traffic of the city area.

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