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Just got back from Erie this evening. Sara's campground was a nice experience, as always. The weather was good for most of the four days I was there. Due to some other things going on, we didn't get to go to Waldameer until yesterday (Saturday). You can really see how business has picked up since the RFII has started up. But, by and large, the crowds aren't terrible (even for a weekend) and the lines seemed to move relatively quickly. Waldameer is actually two parks in one for those who are curious. Waldameer itself, and Water World. Water World, which is, of course, a water park, actually opens two hours before Waldameer, at 11am. Something to keep in mind. Admission to Wadameer itself is free most of the time, but you need to either buy tickets or an all day pass if you want to ride the rides. All day pass to Waldameer is $19.95. All day pass for Water World is $14.95. Best deal if you like water parks is to get the combo pass for $21.95. You an find discount coupons for $3 off on weekdays and $1.50 off on weekends at local McDonalds. We spent the first several hours at Water World. It's not too bad. The Lazy River was overly crowded, but otherwise decent. The rest is essentially what you'd expect of a water park. A combination of body slides and tube slides. No real swimming pool at Water World. A heated relaxing pool that is time limited when the park is crowded is as close as it gets. A kiddie pool area with mini slide for the little ones as well. Waldameer itself probably isn't the type of park that would normally bring people from great distances. It's not very big, and chances are there are bigger parks closer to home. It does have your basic assortment of rides, however. Complaints about the food are, for the most part, accurate. It's not bad, mind, you, but it IS over priced for the quality of food you get. McDonalds, which is about two blocks away, is probably a better option. I will say this, though. They have a funnel cake that's topped with ice cream and fruit that's just plain awesome if you have a sweet tooth. Waldameer has two "dark rides." Pirate's Cove and Wacky Shack. Pirate's Cove isn't actually a ride, but rather a walk through fun house. It's the type of thing that's moderately entertaining the first time, but nothing you'd want to make a habit of going through, I wouldn't think. I've always preferred Noah's Ark at Kennywood, but, that's just me. Big Thunder Mountain is their version of a log ride. I've ridden these elsewhere, as have most of us. Basic ride but they do have a tunnel that it goes through that is pretty dark and full of mist. Kind of cool, I guess. This log ride actually has two drops. One smaller one and the big finale at the end, which is kind of nice. The line was extremely short for this later in the day, so I was able to go a few times with virtually no wait. It was pretty busy earlier in the day when it was really hot, though. If you're looking to relax, their train is a nice little ride (which just happens to give you an up close and personal look of the RF2 from underneath). And, their Sky Ride (a park length ski lift) is a decent way to kill some time while relaxing as well. As mentioned elsewhere, Waldameer has four coasters. The Ravine Flyer 3 is strictly a kiddie coaster, and a pretty small one at that. The Comet is an old school all wooden coaster. Nothing really exciting here. About 30 seconds long and not very fast or high. It's ok for the first ride of the day sort of thing, though. A few quick dips may get your blood pumping a little, but it's really just a slight step up from what many would consider a kiddie coaster. The Steel Dragon is a four seat twisting steel coaster. Fun if you like them, nauseating if you don't. Sitting facing forward when the ride starts seems to yield a better experience. But, that's just me. And, of course, the Ravine Flyer II. I wasn't sure what to expect with this ride, so I saved it for last. Waldameer does a great job of hiding it's lines, so you really don't know how long the line is until you're actually in line. Two trains were running, so the line, while long, moved fairly quickly. Less than a half hour, I'd say. Which, is pretty good for a Saturday. A quick word of note about this. From what I can tell, unlike the other rides in the park, every seat MUST have two people on the RF2. This was a slight problem for me, as I was the only one I was there with who likes roller coasters (amazing, but true). They will gladly pair you up with other single riders, though. So, if you don't mind riding with a complete stranger, it's no biggie. The ride itself was amazing. From the moment you come over the first climb it doesn't let up until the ride is over. The videos simply don't do it justice. I've been told it reaches up to 65 mph. Others here have said 57. Dunno. All I know is that it feels like it's going a lot faster than that. 10 total spots of air. None of them huge, but a number of them come in succession, so their effects are amplified a bit. Very fast turns. And, the view from the top of the climb of Lake Erie is amazing (for all the longer that view lasts). I can't say for certain that I'd drive thousands of miles to this park for this one ride. But, I can say that I'd ride the two hours from Pittsburgh to Erie to ride this before I'd drive the 45 minutes to Kennywood for the Phantom's Revenge. Then again, there's more than enough other stuff to do in Erie to make it worth the trip for longer distances. Often times, parks of this size are little more than kiddie parks. I don't think catering strictly to the under 4' set was Waldameer's goal, but the addition of the RF2 puts to rest any thoughts that this is place is for kids only. Incidentally, there are a number of inexpensive motels within walking distance of Waldameer. I've been told that El Patio is decent and relatively inexpensive (they advertise a $39 single). Saras is at the bottom of the hill and the only campground in the area that lets you pitch a tent right on the beach. Nice place. But, it does NOT take reservations, and more and more of the camp sites are being taken up by people who have opted to make Sara's their second home with seasonal lot rentals. So, the number of tent sites has declined a bit over the years (they actually lost some sites due to the building of the RF2... they're that close). So, keep that in mind if you plan to go there. Sites can go quickly, especially on holidays and weekends. Their Drive-in Diner, as mentioned in this thread, has some decent food. Their Italian Steak sandwich is awesome, and not overly expensive.

Heya wildcatroc, Thanks for posting the review. We try to get to Erie a couple of times a year and usually hit Waldameer at least once. We normally stay at that campground (Sara's) when we go, and the coaster wasn't built when we were there last year. You're right, the owners of the campground had issues with the coaster being built. But, from what they told me at the time, it had more to do with the fact that parts of the coaster go OVER their property, and unlike the bridge that goes over the highway, there's nothing really protecting the people underneath from things that may come flying out of those cars when passing overhead. Sara's had to fight off the state a couple of years ago when they were trying to confiscate the land through eminent domain. The land across the road next to the coaster where the Ridge Environmental Center is was claimed that way. It used to be a drive-in movie theater. So, the owners of the campground have become a bit sensitive about things over the last couple of years. But, concerns about safety were probably at least a little valid. I'm not sure if any of that was eventually addressed when they approved the final design and layout of the coaster or not. It looks like an amazing ride, though. And, if people actually travel to Erie for purposes of riding it, it can only help local business. On the other hand, Sara's has never lacked for customers.