Spinrock at Liseberg Amusement Park

Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden, is the biggest amusement park in Scandinavia. Since they year I was 2 I have probably been there about 14 times, or even more. We always begin at the Liseberg Tower offering an amazing view over Gothenburg and end with the House of Mirrors, a maze full of different mirrors which make you taller, shorter, thinner, fatter… I can guarantee you will laugh!

One of my favorite rides is Balder; they call it the biggest wooden coaster in the world, not for people afraid of heights because the first drop is 70 degrees. Another funny ride is Spinrock, the carousel opposite Balder, where you almost ride upside down. Don’t miss the roller coaster Lisebergbanan or the water rides Flumeride and Kållerado. My favourite carousel has always been The Jukebox where you ride in gaudy coloured cars moving and down and round whilst listening to music from the 50s. The new attraction for 2007 is Uppswinget (The Screamin’ Swing). I haven’t tried it yet, but apparently it is the scariest ride in the park.

To make the most out of Liseberg, stay until they close - often at 11pm. Evenings are better because most people have gone home and the queues are shorter. We always buy the 1-day ride pass for 280 SEK or a 1-day ride pass for 315 SEK including a ticket to the Gasten Ghost Hotel. You can also buy a large ticket book for 225 SEK including 18 ride coupons and 3 wheel-of-fortune tickets, but you will probably gain on buying a 1-day pass with unlimited rides.

Mean Streak, Cedar Point

The best amusement park outside Europe is, in my opinion, Cedar Point in Ohio. Cedar Point is located on a peninsula in Lake Erie, between Cleveland and Toledo, in Sandusky. We travelled by car from Michigan, arrived around 11am and went to the roller coaster Raptor, near the entrance, at once. After 45-minutes waiting we sat in a ski-lift style seat with lap belts and shoulder harnesses, our legs dangled free during the ride and we went upside down six times.

The best ride at Cedar Point, apart from Mean Streak, is Millennium Force - one of the fastest and tallest roller coasters in the world, with an 80 degrees descent. We saved this ride till the end because of the extremely long queue during the day. If they weren’t about to close the park we would definitely have gone a second time.

Don’t forget to see the beach before you leave Cedar Point. The two beach entrances are located by Hotel Breakers south of Soak City (the water park).

We paid $41.95 per person for a Cedar Point Funday. Children aged two and under can enter Cedar Point and Soak City free.