Indiana Beach on the way?

Well I'm taking my first trip to CP this summer (I don't know when for sure yet, it will probably be early June) and I am from Milwaukee Wisconsin and I was wondering if anybody from Wisconsin or northern Illinois has taken a trip to CP and stopped at IB on the way there or back. Is it out of the way or is it perfect for some appetizers and desserts?
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Milwaukee Wisconsin, we bring you beer, brats and cheese. But don't be fooled, "Milwaukee truly is a special secret getaway that I will be sure to tell my friends about!" Erin Brockevich, not to mention that we are an hour from SFGAm........

It's at least a good 2 hours south of the main road you'd be driving on (IN Toll Road) so whether or not it's worth the time investment is largely a judgement call.

Personally, I think the extra time is well worth it. The park is small but very fun and they have a nice collection of both CCI woodies and dark rides which are both favourites of mine.
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* The Legend @ HW
* Superman: Ride of Steel @ SFNE
* Mondial Top Scan

I once did central IL to CP via IB. (enough abbreviations!?!) It's WELL worth the stop! (Even if you have to go out of your way.)

IB fills the wooden void of CP quite nicely.

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- Peabody

2 hours! I thought it would be on Lake Michigan with the name like Indiana BEACH. Oh well, I don't think it will be a possibility. But how long of a drive is it to CP from Wisconsin or Northern Illinois without the IB stop?
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Milwaukee Wisconsin, we bring you beer, brats and cheese. But don't be fooled, "Milwaukee truly is a special secret getaway that I will be sure to tell my friends about!" Erin Brockevich, not to mention that we are an hour from SFGAm........

www.mapquest.com... or www.yahoo.com and click maps

Much quicker than asking here and you can see what a quick jaunt to SFMM would do to driving time if you like

I've gone to mapquest and it tells me 9 hours. I think that is way high though and I asked somebody that's drove there when Magnum was new and they said that they remembered it being 5 hours but were not sure. I just wanted some kind of clarification.
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Milwaukee Wisconsin, we bring you beer, brats and cheese. But don't be fooled, "Milwaukee truly is a special secret getaway that I will be sure to tell my friends about!" Erin Brockevich, not to mention that we are an hour from SFGAm........

It depends a lot on Chicago traffic. Sometimes I've gotten through Chicago in a half hour and other times it's taken me two hours. But if you make it through the city at a decent speed it's about 7 hours to CP from Milwaukee. I've driven it from Madison several times in the past two years.

-Nate

2 hours seems like a lot, you can get there from 80/90 in an hour 24 isn't that far south of the turnpike.
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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

I live in Northern IL ( Rockford area) and it only took me 6 hours to get to Cedar Point. Make sure you get through Chicago before morning rush hour. I would add 2 more hours if you are coming from Milwaukee.
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Cedar Point fans and Magic Mountain fans unite. Let's sign a rollercoaster treaty.

Mapquest never seems to report times correctly. Microsoft Streets and Trips reports IB as 60.9 miles south of I-80. That's one hour at 60 mph. I'd say go for it!

Another small park you'll be going right past is Fun Spot in Angola, IN. It's nothing spectacular at all, but I really like the little Arrow shuttle they have there, "Afterburner". And it's only about a mile off the highway.

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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

I live out here in the far west burbs of chicago and it took about 4.5-5.5 hours last year. Though i did leave the cruise control on 80+ mph after the hellish IL/IN border congestion. I recomend to get through that area as early as you can unles you take the Chicago Skyway which is a great alternitive for comming from WI. The IL/IN border is the only big traffic problem you should encounter. Also be on the watchout for IN state troopers as soon as u get into Indiana, they love pulling people over left and right. Same goes with Ohio from what i have heard but i never encountered any because they were allready busy dealing with other speeders. If you don't have a radar detector and have been thinking about getting one i HIGHLY recomend you get one before you make the trip and yees they are illegal in Ohio so put it away whenever you park somewhere like your hotel or at CP. Other than that they will just warn you to shut it off.
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If you were to go, you should go after Cedar Point so you'll have more time to enjoy yourself and such. It's a great park...and I'm curious to see how CCI is going to make Superstition Mountain perfect (like they make all of their rides) :)

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-Eric
Creator of Indiana Beach Online - http://indianabeach.8k.com/index.html

To answer the question how far it is to CP; from Gary, IN to CP is 266 miles. That's about 4.5 hours at 75 mph (that's without the IB stop).
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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...

If you have an extra day, do it! You won't regret it. Especially this year! And like Chaindog said, Fun Spot is very close to I-80.
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Don't.....look.....back! The Headless Horseman awaits you in 2002!
Model coasters and rides

I live very very close to Angola and Fun Spot and to tell ya the truth Fun Spot is definitely not worth it unless you just want to add to your coaster count.

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

I am from the Milwaukee area and last summer we got to Sandusky in 8 hours with two food/potty stops. Then again, I am always a little heavy on the gas pedal :)
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Bob Hansen

"Excuse me while I kick the sky!"
kickthesky@hotmail.com

MagnumForce said:
"tell ya the truth Fun Spot is definitely not worth it unless you just want to add to your coaster count."

I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. While Fun Spot wouldn't be considered a destination park, it is just what it claims to be, a "Fun Spot."

The park is clean, the employees are friendly and they have a good selection of rides. We visited there several times a year and even held a regional ACE event there last year. 45 people attended, some from as far away as Canada & PA. Everyone had a great time!

Ah, Fun Spot. The spot where you can experience a Zyklon with headbanging and an Arrow shuttle without.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Who thought that in addition to being painful, the Zyklon was scary!

Indiana Beach would be worth a stop if it were 4 hours below I-80 instead of just one. Don't miss it! It is an especially great park at night with all of the neon aglow. And of course the coaster alway's run a little faster at night, don't they? LOL

I went for the first time last summer to IB and it would now be considered a primary destination park for our family and not just a stop on the way home from another park kind of place,

DAC

Carol, becoming a regular 'buzzer....HI! Yes, you definitely convinced us, and now IB is part of the "Midwestern trip" this year.

Fun Spot may or may not be do-able, but you've never steered us wrong...you guys in the Midwest just have TOO many options, come coastering "season"...LOL.

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Florida needs an Intamin and/or CCI soon...PLEASE!
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!