Conneaut Lake Park

Where to begin? It’s a sad story. I Gre up near this amusement park and I fell in love with it– so it was cool that I ended up being a ride operator there for 3 summers, at the time I thought it was a magical position making dreams come true … Once I worked there I realized it was life’s losers and goddamned carnies. I was lied too about pay– promised a bonus I was NEVER paid even though I did my part. I was just got paid occasionally — just because with a «ah go complain about it» attitude. Plus townie renta cops got high n mighty and this one carny chick married like 4 different guys that worked there– was so weird. *** that’s the negatives. The positives were, I got to run The Blue Streak pretty regularly which was cool and I fell in love for the first time/​summer romance there. Lost my virginity to her. All in all– it’s a shame due to poor mismanagement it went down the crapper, place is a shell of its former self. *sigh RIP CL PARK. RIP.

They used to have tigers, now they’re gone like Eazy E.
They used to have a really shady water park where u could die, that’s gone.
The hotel is worth checking out, as is pumpkin fest in the fall where they have been known to drop 2k lb. pumpkins on old jalopies

We stopped here on our way to Ohio from Florida. We had a magical evening, it was like we traveled back in time. Our four year old loved Kiddie land, it was perfect for his age– nothing too scary or fast. The employees were so kind, I can tell they have pride in this aging attraction, and that kind of pride — these days-​is about as rare as some of those vintage rides. We just may have to take the long way home and revisit Kiddie Land at Conneaut Lake! Let the pragmatic naysayers enjoy their world weary boredom. Its authentic amusement history, I hope that it survives another hundred years.

Remember that abandoned carnival in Nightmare on Elm St. 6? That’s kind of what Conneaut is like.
Brian H’s review below pretty spot on. I would love to see this park remodeled and returned to glory, but to think that such a change is possible seems pretty unrealistic to me.
There’s simply not much to do there. A handful of admittedly classic rides, a portion of which were actually operating when I visited. The classic Blue Streak coaster is a great ride, though the give of the track makes me nervous. The Tumble Bug is a classic flat ride, one of only two remaining. The Devil’s Den is a great dark ride, one of only two of its kind remaining.
There’s also a Music Express (not operating when I visited), a Tilt-​a-​Whirl (not operating when I visited), and a new dark attraction (not operating when I visited).
But that’s really it. Actually, a decent sized kiddie land if you’ve got wee ones.
Didn’t brave any of the food, though I did reluctantly get a fountain drink. The gift shop is a hoot — it feels like a garage sale. Totally random assortment of Dollar Tree-​esque merchandise, and very little in the way of actual souvenirs to be found.
Many of the midway stands (games/​food) were closed. The midway itself is treacherous and in dire need of repaving.
An interesting stop if you’re passing through, but not worth making a trip for.
I hope the park can turn itself around, but it’s been trying to do that for over a decade with little success. With $ 800,000 owed in back taxes and dubious claims that ride safety reports were mismailed, very little about the park seems to be heading in the right direction.

First, I applaud the idealism and spirit of anyone who thinks this place is worth reviving. I so hope I’m wrong. People like me (the pragmatic naysayers) ruin the fun.
That said, this place is a dump! No… really. I cut behind some buildings and it looked like an IED went off. And apparently the leaf blower is broken because no one could clean off a significant pile of wet leaves from the fall. Weird.
Here’s the problem: teens are bored by these rides. Adults will spend the time and money to go elsewhere. There’s a reason the dozens of little parks dotted across the area have dried up, burned down, and blown away.
The only real attraction is for parents of small kids. Because little kids don’t care if the ride is boring — they’re just thrilled with life. So Kiddie Land is worth the $ 15 wrist band just to allow your ADD psycho 3 year old to run around.
Also… there’s no fun lighting at night. Fairs and amusement parks are most charming at night. Here it’s just a few bare fluorescent bulbs, maybe a flood light. a If the location were exceptional I could see saving this place. But it’s not ON a lake, just near it.
So definitely go if you have very little kids (2 – 5) but otherwise I honestly can’t say there’s enough charm or historical interest to make this worth your time or trouble. I would seriously just go to your local county fair — same if not better rides.
And I truly hope I eat every one of these words in 5 years!

What a nice clean park!

I remember the Forth of July fireworks here… and the Midway,
I LOVE this place. The Blue Streak is a legend, and fortunately, one of the rides kept open.
Miss the Wild Mouse and Devil’s Den, but lots of fun. A true Gem in NW-​PA.

We took our kids here with my wife’s niece as she treated for their upcoming birthdays. This is actually a «vintage» amusement park as it has been closed for some time and just reopened this year. The last time I was there is when I was about eight years old. It is a small park and was not crowded which was a plus. The downside is that they only have 90 percent of the rides in operation due to continued improvements. The only roller coaster is the Mean Streak of which is closed as well. The other rides are great for kids up to about 12 years old would be my guess. Any older, they may find the rides boring at least until all rides are in operation.
The typical food is found here such as fair fries, funnel cakes and the like. The prices were a little below what you pay at a large amusement park.
Now, we went on «tin can» Thursday. This is where each attendee brings two canned good items of which cuts the price for a ride wristband from $ 10 to $ 5. You ride everything, all day. There is also a small water park with separate fees of which we did not take advantage of this time. The water park hours are from 1PM to 7Pm with the rides going from 4PM to 9PM. Strange hours if you ask me. Great thing is that admission into the park itself is free!
Truly a three star place but the enjoyment my kids got out of it and the old fashioned atmosphere bumped it up a star.