Cedar Fair's Bad Joke, or Underrated Gem? Valleyfair! (Shakopee, Minnesota)

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

To Valleyfair’s credit, it has the second best Cedar Fair coaster that starts with “Steel Ven”

[@ClonkyClonky]

you mean Steel Ven

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

@@ClonkyClonky thank you. I fixed it.

[@AirtimeThrills]

Ha...never thought of that

[@stuffedanimalvideo5444]

It’s my second favorite SteVe

[@scaryhobbit211]

Steel Venom outlasted Wicked Twister, which I am shocked that CF is just gonna scrap instead of moving it somewhere else.

[@susskinsgamer]

The first two years of Wild Thing, it was an airtime monster. The second hill was pure air all the way over, and there was no mid-course trim applied, so the run home was fantastic. But the maintenance on it was probably pretty dramatic, as it was one of the first Morgan hypers. (I can't remember if it was the first or not.) When RCCGB had ERT on it a few years later, the third or fourth train came in chanting "Turn off the brake! Turn off the brake!". After a moment, a deep voice came over the intercom. "Only. For. You." The train erupted in cheers, and the rest of the ERT was trimless. When the trains would come flying into the final brake run, there were MASSIVE showers of sparks. It was impressive. It was so much fun, and I'm glad I was a member of the group, so that I got to experience that crazy air a few final times. Sounds like the maintenance has not been the best on it if you didn't get any air on that second hill. That, or they're trimming the first drop to hell and back. Excalibur suffered that fate. You can see the trims in your video, going down the first drop. Excalibur is on the other side of the flood berm, which is why it's so detached from the park. It was specifically designed to withstand prolonged flooding. There have been years where it didn't run at all, as it was standing in a pond the whole short season. Same with the rapids ride, which wraps around one edge of Excalibur. If there's flooding that year, neither ride will open until the floods recede and everything gets cleaned up.

[@__mintymelon576]

My home park is valleyfair, and before I watch this video, I’m just gonna say that I think valleyfair is an excellent entry park for new enthusiasts. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. It’s one of my favorite parks for its weird lineup and charm

[@parkerlabonne8266]

it is my home park to

[@billchief397]

Spot on. Great viewpoint.... I still miss the enterprise....damn shame

[@__mintymelon576]

@@parkerlabonne8266 gang gang!

[@__mintymelon576]

@@billchief397 yea me too, but at least it’s where a lot of people are instead of Excalibur’s line 🙃

[@wolfychan7892]

I believe it's a great park despite any bad things, I have worked their for awhile too, and it's just a great place to be

[@machonaacho1659]

The reason they wont expand toward the back is because the Minnesota river floods A LOT and one time the road was covered with water and the park was closed for a month.

[@billchief397]

Great spot for water rides....lol

[@hikinghaani4213]

Yes! All of the rides are actually built within a dike except for Excalibur and Thunder Canyon which were built to withstand the expected annual flooding.

[@AverageWaterDrinker]

Funnily enough, it’s flooded right now

[@torezcoasters6043]

As an MN coaster enthusiast I have been waiting for this since I subscribed 2 years ago. I know we may not have the greatest coasters ever, but I find I can appreciate each one. I think Wild Thing gets a bad rap but I agree the airtime is a bit weak. A new coasters (ideally with inversions) is definitely needed.

[@jdonovan74]

'Just like other Morgan Hypers, it is basically a super sized mine train" *cries in Phantoms Revenge.

[@Raptor3698]

Sad Steel Dragon noises

@@Raptor3698 Steel Dragon is a MEGA SIZED MINE TRAIN

[@zanewebb2665]

@ it’s more Morgan than arrow now Morgan refurbished it about the only arrow thing left is the supports and station track

[@scaryhobbit211]

Screw it, I'll still defend Wild Thing and those old-school Arrow/Morgan hypers.

and Superman was completed by Chance, and is also kind of a big fat mine train

[@ColeYote]

For being half of Cedar Fair's namesake, the park doesn't seem to get much love from the parent company.

[@jamesrich8463]

it gets no love. Festival carnivale and tricks or treats....boring...great if your a little kid...they do it because its cheap... They cheaped out on valleyfair. Valley scare was great they to cheap to hire the actors and set up everything anymore is pathetic.

[@RedHitMarker1]

Every time that I’ve ridden High Roller, I get crazy ejector airtime on the return trip bunny hills.

[@scaryhobbit211]

As much as we've been neglected on the coaster front, Valleyfair is known for having some great flat rides (Same with MOA). And we've really done a ton of work within the past decade reorganizing them around the park.

[@WalkerFilmsOfficial]

My home park! Loved hearing both you and Coaster Studios break it down this year. It needs more love, but I have loved it my whole life. As a kid, it was the highlight of my summer every time I got to go. After re-riding everything this year for the first time in nearly a decade, Wild Thing dropped to number 3 for me after being the top spot growing up. High Roller is my no.2 and GCI definitely owns the top spot with renegade. Side note: my whole life I've hated riding Excalibur. Still do lol

[@laurenm7929]

Valleyfair is my home park! Sure the coasters aren’t nationally ranked or anything, but the park as a whole is so nostalgic and fun for the whole family. I totally agree, some of the rides are so rough and could really use some revamping. We haven’t had a new coaster since Renegade and we are long overdue for one! Staffing, especially in 2021, has not been great and we’re severely overworked. (I’m seasonally employed here and in leadership). Nonetheless, I love working here and the overall ranking of coasters is certainly valid, as well as reflected in annual ridership. Thanks for stopping by 😊

[@northstarcoasters]

glad to hear you enjoyed Renegade! As for Wild Thing, I rode it the same week you came and as a local who's been on it countless times, I think the ride is just inconsistent. There were rides where I didn't get any airtime, then the next visit, the hill after the drop gives good floater for some reason, then in October the mid-course trims don't hit so hard so the bunny hills after give great floater. still though, 80% of the time Wild Thing is just Mild Thing. I wish the park would just loosen up on the trims all year round because it has potential to be a respectable hyper. I have Valleyfair ranked above Worlds of Fun, but it's still a mid - lower tier Cedar Fair park. I still love it because it's my home park lol, and the vibe of this park being one of the two original Cedar Fair parks feels awesome. Some parts give me a little bit of a Cedar Point vibe. And I gotta ask, do you prefer Excalibur or Gemini?

[@kevinjoy7728]

I live in Detroit and have been to Cedar Point many times. I visited Valleyfair for the first time on opening weekend in 2018. It did give me some strong Cedar Point vibes but Cedar Point in the 80s and early 90s before it was so built up. From a nostalgia perspective that was great since that’s back when I was a kid/adolescent and for a smaller park I greatly enjoyed it but without a new coaster I don’t think I’d be terribly excited to return. I wish Cedar Fair would show VF more love

[@rollerCoast11]

I worked at the park summer of 2019 and it will always have a place in my heart. Honestly I thought you would speak more negatively of High Roller, so I'm glad you were able to enjoy it. I personally place Excalibur as number 2 in the park because I absolutely love those bone crushing transitions and violent hills. Is it janky? Of couse, but that's what makes it great. I also place Renegade above Mystic Timbers as my number one GCI, and I'm glad you liked it too!

[@Donald38]

I mean without it, CF wouldn’t be the same. They would have had to name their company something else

[@evansmith9251]

This park has one of my favorite Halloween events too! I got a 12 ride marathon on Renegade at night, and once it warms up and runs a full train, it's much smoother. My top GCI and it's not close - the layout has a little bit of everything, and every seat has a different experience.

[@RedHitMarker1]

Man, I told you that Excalibur was a front row ride, next time you go, ride it in the front, it’s insanely fun and has great ejector.

[@tyler1783]

I get great ejector in the back on the drop and after the helix

[@creepybantha1665]

Yes, Corkscrew is the only coaster with inversions. But you forgot that the only flat ride with inversions is the freaking Larson Loop. They've removed Enterprise, Riptide, and the Loopy Starfish (Looping Starship) very recently.

[@nick_h143]

i never got to ride riptide, I forgot it existed until this comment :(

[@jimboramba]

Why they get rid of riptide? It was awesome

[@lexih6483]

@@jimboramba not enough people would go on it sadly

[@hockeychickkayla33]

Riptide was my favorite 😩 I remember when it came out

[@tennyoAMV]

The removal of Enterprise broke my heart. It was always tradition for me to make that my first ride whenever I would visit. And the Looping Starship, dang that hurt...

[@jimgoebel5348]

SFGAm is my home park, and yet, I love Valleyfair because it's very laid back, and the coasters are really good. I was surprised at how smooth their corkscrew was

[@stuffedanimalvideo5444]

Their corkscrew was by far my favorite

[@katelyngleason6623]

Vf is my home park and when I went on it when I was younger I remember it being a real head banger and I was very surprised this last year when it was a lot smoother

[@traingirl3234]

Valleyfair is my home park, and the really wild thing about having a home park like this is that I get bored by smooth coasters now. Even ones that have a lot of good forces according to, like, everyone else. Growing up riding Wild Thing every year, when I finally made it down to SFGAM, I thought Raging Bull was SO uninteresting. This was a few years ago, so I would go back and try it again, but I honestly do prefer the forceless speed and rattle of something like Wild Thing over a coaster that's "intense" but smooth. Those G's don't do a lot for me unless they're REALLY high.

[@traingirl3234]

There's a reason my favorite coaster at Great America was Viper...

[@BP-88]

Valleyfair is underrated. This park has a rather unique lineup of attractions.

[@jamesrich8463]

Its not that great of a park..as far as coasters go it has two good ones...and the steel venom thats it.... corckscrew not very good and high roller was basically put in for kids. the big swing and huge water slides best editions but it to little...they need more new stuff couple more really good coasters at least 3 three would be great get rid of the old stuff like the excaliber its not needed anymore.

[@Faded_Chew]

Was just at Valleyfair a few weeks ago during their Halloween Haunt. I can’t really put a ranking on it as Knott’s and Valleyfair are the only 2 Cedar Fair parks I’ve been to. I can say that I was impressed with what they had and I will probably make a return during the regular season to catch the coasters that I missed. Renegade and Wild Thing were the only coasters I managed to get on due to the Haunt crowds. For a small park, they have a pretty good selection of rides. Overall, the experience was pretty good!

[@billchief397]

Hey! I was there too...haven't been there in a decade....the haunt was amazing...I loved all the mazes and renegade is even more amazing now its a bit rougher.. it so adds and riding at night was everything... But not like steel vengeance at night but still fun.

[@Gleek-vm9if]

Grew up at valleyfair, I go so many times in the summer I start to recognize the staff and who works what ride, it's my home park and it brought me into the coaster world to the point of being a non vlogging or constant traveling enthusiast. Honestly the cosmic coaster is way better than mad mouse. It's actually really fun and there is no shame in being in riding it when you're not in the age range

[@MrNavajoRug]

“Some people may come to valleyfair for the ambiance, snoopy theming, idk” had me laughing hard. I want to meet someone that goes for the ambiance so badly. They must be fascinating.

[@TerrenceMarie]

Maybe not Valley fair specificly (I've never had the chance) I do love amusement park ambiance. The sounds are so calming to me. I can just sit there and enjoy myself. Especially at Cedar Point bc of that lake wind :)

[@MrNavajoRug]

@@TerrenceMarie This is amazing to me. And I promise I’m not trying to be a jerk at all. Maybe I’m just too type B to fathom going to a crowded place just for the sake of enjoying the ambiance. I love a theme park, don’t get me wrong. But I want nothing more than for all the guests to disappear, the cheesy music to stop, the constant droning of all the chatter to end, and to have it all to my family and I. The only other people I want are the staff 😂 The last thing on my list when I think about going to a theme park is the ambiance. Unless it’s Disney or something. The atmosphere plays a big part there probably. But that’s incredible. If I wanted to just experience nothing but the ambiance of valleyfair, or worlds of fun (one of my home parks) I would save the 65 bucks and just head straight for the 7th circle of Dante’s hell. It makes me happy knowing people enjoy that kind of thing though. And I mean that sincerely.

[@TerrenceMarie]

@@MrNavajoRug I'm not quite sure how to explain it but once there's like so many people around they just become background noise. Like almost in a video game. It helps some that my home park is Mi Adventure so it's rarely crowded there so it's mostly the sounds of the rides there. And when I do venture out to the other parks (typically Cedar Point and Kings Island) I like to go on weekdays. I once went to Kings Island on a stormy day and there was basically no one there. It was so peaceful (I also love the rain).

[@Thegonagle]

The Opus company is best known in the Twin Cities area as a general contracting company for large scale commercial projects like highrises, high-dollar condominium buildings, and more sprawling large developments such Opus Park in Minnetonka. In addition to their one roller coaster, they were also the general contractor for the tallest building in Minnesota, Capella Tower (AKA 225 South Sixth Street) in downtown Minneapolis.

[@tekikatt]

Yes….Cedar Fair needs to give some love to Valleyfair for sure. It’s wonderful we have a theme park in this state, but yeah, we need a new coaster…..BADLY!

[@BigJerm47]

Get rid of Excalibur and put in a gerstlauer. Also need a SLC

[@tekikatt]

@@BigJerm47 they should have left in the original second hill on Excalibur. It’s not a bad ride. We need new stuff before they take out the old stuff!

[@AirtimeThrills]

Why do u need a new coaster? Its only been 84 years

[@tekikatt]

@@AirtimeThrills 🤣🤣🤣. Yeah, you’re right, guess we’ll keep giving them to Cedar Point!! 😜

[@BigJerm47]

@jess Burrell there's no room for new coasters without removing some. Excalibur has virtually no ridership anymore and it's not because it's in the back.

[@AmusementArchitect]

Valleyfair is SO slept on! Renegade looks sick!!!

[@billchief397]

I rode in 2007 when opened and last month....its better now with age....but not slower....damn it screams. And that s drop...amazingly unique

[@m.r.6264]

I also rode back in 2007 when it opened and in 2019 (last time I was at the par) and love it. The speed and the bumpiness of the ride is what I love about it

[@consair]

As a Valleyfair season passholder, I gotta say I love the park and also all of your content! Too bad you only got 1 ride on Renegade, it is much better when it's all warmed up. Night rides on Renegade are blissful

[@AirtimeThrills]

I need to come back again and ride some of the stuff in different rows...and it sucks the park was only open til 7 that night so no possibility of a night ride.

[@consair]

@@AirtimeThrills ahh right, it was only during ValleyScare that night rides became a thing this year. Hopefully sometime in the future you can get some night rides!

[@grant259]

@@consair sadly no more ValleyScare

[@beau_thielen]

This has been my home park since forever, I love the place and it’s a great starter park for kids along with MOA. Now if we could only get some investments…

[@davyo]

Your review was excellent! Valleyfair has been neglected by Cedar Fair for a long time especially in the post Dick Kinzel years which is sad. Wild Thing was good when it first opened but they have ratcheted up the trims considerably over time, I have ridden it without any brakes and it leaves you breathless but I think the ride in its original form was a little too "wild" for the overall theme of the park which is watered down thrills so they (Cedarfair) felt the need to tame it. Excalibur is too short and never busy because of its position in the park and was more exciting before they removed the camel hump 20 years ago but I believe that was a whiplash concern and it is Valleyfair after all so...watered down thrills. The emphasis was always "family entertainment" for this park more so than some of the bigger company parks with a smattering of thrills so that there was something for everyone but at some point they became overly obsessed with EVERYTHING needing to be family oriented which meant taming the thrills part to an almost embarrassing degree. I think only a change in Cedarfair top officials will give this park hope, they were allowed to fall into a rut where they just eek by and bring in enough people to make the books work but without big investments they will never grow their attendance significantly like they did in the Wild Thing years when the peak attendance was between 20 and 30,000 on a weekend day at the height of summer. The reason for the strange layout is that the park is surrounded by a dike because it sits in a flood plane and in order to expand and use more of the land that the park owns they needed approval from the army core of engineers. They seemingly had the plans and approval several years ago and were ready to move to fill more land in for expansion but I think with changing priorities at Cedarfair it was decided not to make the investment. They have basically just survived by removing attractions to make way for new ones and expanding into the parking lot. As it stands Excalibur and Thunder Canyon flood in the spring because they are outside the dike. Overall I think Valleyfair has become the "bad joke" of the Cedar Fair chain.

[@stuffedanimalvideo5444]

I’ve been to Valleyfair and my home park is CGA. Valleyfair is on the top of the lower tier but with one good investment could be on the bottom of the middle tier

[@AirtimeThrills]

Well said

[@nratkin]

While it's my home park, I got myself a platinum season pass so I could visit the other parks like Kings Island and Cedar Point. Sadly, I don't see any new rides on the horizon. I wish they hadn't removed the Huss Enterprise. They really can't expand unless they take out more of their parking lot, or get creative with their existing space, in my opinion. The City of Shakopee recently rejected Valleyfair's plans to expand in the area of Excalibur (and thus replace it) due to the annual spring flooding, and Valleyfair is forced to have a height limit on their rides due to the Flying Cloud Airport being located so close--approximately 4 miles north of Valleyfair, at the top of the Minnesota River bluff. Fun fact, though: you could park in Bloomington, and bike across the Minnesota River to Valleyfair if you're feeling ambitious, as there is a bike trail that crosses the MN river and goes all the way to Valleyfair, and on to Shakopee.

[@Eliharbert1]

I love these reviews of the lower cedar fair parks, you should do Dorney next

[@AirtimeThrills]

I havent been there in so long but i do have a dorney video

[@ValleyThrills]

Glad to see you give love to my home park! Really wish we could get a new coaster & a water park expansion! Our dry park is good but our water park sucks! Hard to believe next year will mark 4 years without ANY new ride!

[@LordMangudai]

I keep hearing rumors that the park wants to tear down Excalibur to expand the water park...personally hope they don't do that as Excalibur is really unique, but I can see why they want to as it also isn't exactly the most popular ride in the park and takes up a decent amount of land.

[@katelyngleason6623]

There has been talk about removing excalibur since like 2005

[@flicc9913]

This was a super cool video to see as valleyfair was the first amusement park I'd ever been to. I don't really have a home park where I live, this one is about 3 hours away, but I like to consider this my home park. High roller was the first mid thrill coaster I'd ever been on and so, it definitely has a special place in my heart. Wild thing, too. Wild thing was the first high thrill coaster I'd ever been on. As an 8 year old back then, it was pretty intense lol. Valleyfair in general holds a special place in my heart, and I hope it gets some more attention soon!

[@Sparticus142]

Also from friends who work there a major issue with the land around it is it’s so swampy and often floods. Excalibur is sometimes under water in the low parts after the snow melts at the start of the year

[@CryptidsChronicles]

High Roller used to be in another town before coming to Valley Fair, first proper rollercoaster I rode on as a kid and forever in my heart.

[@LordMangudai]

I'm very surprised to hear you didn't get any airtime on Wild Thing's second hill, as it usually gives nice sustained floater for several seconds (in fact when the coaster was first built I believe it had the longest sustained airtime in the world) and is generally the saving grace of an otherwise average ride. But Wild Thing can definitely be inconsistent, so maybe you caught it on a bad day.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

At least Valleyfair has had some investments to give it an identity, that's leagues above the kind of investment Cedar Fair has given Michigan's Adventure. I think both parks suffer from a lack of competition within their states, the closet Valleyfair has Mall of America and it'd be foolish to try to compete with that.

[@scaryhobbit211]

With Iowa stepping up it's coaster game big time, hopefully that will awaken CF enough to take action.

[@scottyjbd]

Just dawned on that I’ve now ridden all the coasters in your opening! Err, the pictures you have behind your channel name! X-Flight was the last I needed! Feel so cool right now

[@davidschindler2133]

You cant experience Excalibur without marathoning it with friends at 9 at night

[@BarryGGould]

mack rides makes some really good coasters with inversions too. like a copperhead strike kinda thing would go nicely there

[@EzraThycc]

So, Valleyfair is my current home park. I will admit, though, when I initially moved to the area, I was a bit disappointed with it, but that’s also because I lived just outside of Sandusky previously. That said, the park has grown on me a lot over the years, and I wish that Cedar Fair would just invest something into the park. Like you said, it was one of the first two in the chain, and deserves more respect from both the chain and enthusiasts than it gets

[@king_kaibutsu6839]

Always happy to see videos about my home park!!

[@jimboramba]

I always wished Power Tower had a 4th tower that would send everybody up slowly like the red tower, but once up top each seat would drop individually, heightening the suspense

[@lexih6483]

They should do that with the second red tower they have that’s literally never running

[@michaeltaylor1603]

Not only do I love the paint schemes they choose for the coasters, the signage was great as well. Didn't look like anything faded either. Yep! A couple more coasters will put the !!! Into Valley Fair! "!!"

[@abigail.isnothere0]

I have a lot of family in Minnesota, and since I live in Alaska, I visit often. Valleyfair is always a MUST when I visit. I'm not a ride or amusement park expert, but this place is awesome.

[@fleedermouse]

Your shame stepped in 😂I love it! I’m way late to the party. I’m doing this whole coaster credit thing and I’m taking the approach of no kiddie coasters. I’m gonna call the family coasters, good of course, and like legitimate kitty coasters like ghoster coaster at Canada Wonderland but no wacky, worms, or dragonswagons. that’s my plan anyway we’ll see what happens. I’m approaching 100 and it looks like I’ll be at Six Flags Mexico for that so I might end up breaking my rule early to make medusa or Superman the century mark.

[@goodusernamesareoverrated]

Last time I was this early Skyrush had decent restraints

[@TripleTSingt]

so, never actually?

[@goodusernamesareoverrated]

@@TripleTSingt yes lmao

[@Ozzywozzy]

I remember that Wild Thing was blamed by bad drivers for making people crash... Just by being visible from 20 Miles away

[@slicer1181]

For wild thing I highly suggest middle seats, contrary to a typical coaster, on this ride the middle seems to receive the most air time. On my time riding in the middle. The first hill after the initial drop had almost 2-3 full seconds of air time

[@yaboijake7867]

Hi nice vid and I have a question. Will you release your new top 50 soon for 2021?

[@AirtimeThrills]

at the end of the year yep

[@Berng_]

Steel venom is so fun and valley fair is really fun

[@johnvircks314]

Not to be a Homer, but Renegade would be my favorite GCI even if it was at another park. And Wild delivers ar least 4 seconds of air on the second hill, 7 on a good day. I do agree the mid-course breaks are set high. To me it's like that for most CF coasters anyway. Everyone I know in MN is salivating for something new. The last thing we need is a Free Spin or Gerstlaure since we have those within a day trip. It has to be something significant to make up for 14 years of waiting. Fingers crossed on not getting a clone of anything as another stop gap. Hopefully we'll see something for 2023 where the dinosaurs used to be up front.

[@traingirl3234]

Yeah they would be stupid to add a eurofighter or infinity coaster with the one at Adventureland AND Rock Bottom Plunge ten miles away at the mall

[@1BillionMarbles]

No airtime on the first hill of wild thing? Wow. I get it if you rode it in the morning but that first hill should give sustained floater every time. Also steel venom w the hold brake is great, its such a bizarre feeling slamming forward while facing straight down. And speaking of SteVen (yes i call it that), it was running surprisingly consistently this summer. It wasn't down for the day one time this summer when I visited, and I went at least a dozen times. Of course it had its 20 minute breakdowns every now and then, but for the most part was reliable, even w/ the hold brake. Also I agree with your rankings for the most part, but that arrow mouse has such terrible operations that it makes the whole experience awful. And yes I agree valleyfair needs something new. I might be a bit biased as its my home park but the park itself has a great vibe each time I go, but it just feels stale. The park feels the same every year I visit.

[@therealmacman4504]

Valleyfair is my home park and I’m so excited that finally the coast enthusiast I watch are making it to this park. I agree with you. The park is not really that bad. I have been at six flags magic mountain which has away superior coaster collection but the coaster collection here is fine. I don’t necessarily agree with all the enthusiast who say that wild thing doesn’t have air time. I agree with the fact that the first job does have a good air time but I am a skinny guy so I have the ability to lift up just a little bit out of my seat. I enjoyed the sustainability of the air time over the power. Renegade is a fantastic ride as well.

[@ashleytyson9225]

❤❤I love Valleyfair❤❤

[@mmocken]

Renegade much better 3rd row...better airtime/smoother ride. 3rd row pops leading-up-turns which makes this an air machine. Also, one train runs faster than the other. I was fortunate to get 40+ rides and 3rd row won! I agree Mystic T is better GCI Everything else you said is spot on. Great review. RMC single rail would be nice for this park's size, No Timbili clone as Dragonslayer is at Adventureland and so is Monster... Hangtime would be nice here too. Ride Excalibur while you can...it was slated to be removed for flood control and parking

[@Thegonagle]

Excalibur is indeed endangered. To their credit, ValleyFair has stated that they'll continue to operate the coaster and won't dismantle it until they're ready to begin construction on the next big thing. Therefore it could last several more seasons, or '23 could be its last. We don't know the exact number, and CedarFair might not yet either, but Excalibur's days are numbered nonetheless. Let's just hope the next big thing they use the area for is _not_ a parking lot.

[@Eliharbert1]

On steel force, the midcourse was off on my ride, it basically magnum but smoother and buzzbar like restraints

[@lukeknutson3191]

for people complaining about the breaks on wild thing. I totally agree however after a certain time they turn those breaks off before the tunnel and it makes it much better. Excalibur is my favorite ride there. I love how disjointed and crazy it is and you can ride it multiple times in a row without even getting off it because hardly anyone goes on it lol.

[@GaleRazorwind]

I live across the river from VF and look out at it every day on my way to work. For Wild Thing, ride in the last car. As soon as you feel the positive Gs decline on the start of the second hill, press up and you will float for about 5-6 seconds. The airtime is comparable to one of the air hills on Millennium Force. I agree that everything else is pretty boring on it, but it is nice and fast. Renegade has gotten rougher over the years, especially in the back. The front row is best and worth the wait IMO. I love going on 4th of July because the back of the park empties out and you can get continuous rerides on it and watch all the fireworks all at once.

[@Delta_310]

I live around 40 minutes away from valley fair and we go every summer, for a local theme park, I love it! I have never had a bad experience.

[@joshuaprice8295]

I’ve only Ben to 2 cedar fair parks and those are Valleyfair ( my home park ) and cedar point

[@tardis9436]

Should have never removed the flume ride to expand the water park. Spending money on something which can only be utilized 3 months a year was a bad idea.

[@temporaldissonance8644]

Renegade used to run much smoother. Rode it the first year it opened and just two years later it was suffering. Still an awesome and intense ride. Wild Thing when I get a good ride gives crazy good airtime over the first hill. Before they turned up the mid-course brakes would have you out of your seat on all of the airtime hills.

[@nathanmcmenamin3748]

A little bit of love from Cedar Fair... I mean cedar point/valleyfair are the two original... and this place gets neglected BAD. I agree... 1 more good coaster and this place goes to mid tier. Its a gorgeous park but i feel by noon ive done everything. The long rumored b&m invert would of been a good fit here where dinos alive was. Renegade is my #1 GCI ive rode it around 30 times... NIGHT ride is what throws it to the top of my list. It gets better as the day goes on so you missed out on a good one.

[@tatubby4513]

My home park ! I previously worked as a ride operator on wild thing, renegade and extreme swing ! ValleyFair always has a place in my heart

[@falloutfan6649]

I think a B&M Invert is the biggest need for this park. Unless Cedar Fair wants to work with Vekoma. In that case a STC would be perfect

[@Coasters3356]

They should give rougarou to valley fair.

[@stuffedanimalvideo5444]

They should give Scream! To Valleyfair

[@Coasters3356]

@@stuffedanimalvideo5444 Either one would fit well.

[@tgustafson85]

My home park. Renegade has gotten really rough over the years. Wild Thing is my favorite, by far

[@Brandon-qd2lb]

It’s an interesting park but needs more help. Lot of free space still

[@kellyoman2196]

This is my home park. I think it needs 2 new coasters to really make it relevant, and that's without taking out any current ones. 8 coasters total is not very many. I think a B&M invert or dive coaster would be an awesome addition. I would love a giga ,but there is a height restriction with an airport nearby. An Intamin blitz coaster or rmc would be an amazing addition as well! Oh, and retrack renegade. That ride was way smoother when it first opened!

[@DevouiDevoui]

I like how steel venom is basically wicked twister

[@CoasterMan13Official]

It's got all I want in an amusement park. An awesome hyper, a classic arrow corkscrew, and a kickass woodie!

[@noncreativearts5360]

Valleyfair is my home park and i am very prideful of it. it may not have the biggest or best rides but its a beautiful park that i have so many great memories with and hopefully i can work þere one day. also i got a back row ride in the rain on Renegade and that was hands down the most insane ride i have ever gotten on a rollercoaster

[@mattgaming6127]

Bruh what you get airtime on the Wild Thing

[@peterfconley]

Am I the only one who sees Excalibur's track, the speed of the trains, and thinks, "That track ain't thick enough?"

[@AirtimeThrills]

It's been thick enough for this long

[@magiccoasters7674]

I’ve always been obsessed with this park for some reason. Are they gonna get a b&m any time soon?

[@AirtimeThrills]

I wouldn't hold your breath, but they need one

[@Sherlocklord]

It's kinda sad that one half of there name (cedar-fair) gets neglected. You would think a park that was in your company's name would get a little more love

[@chrisgroth9028]

Hey Chris. Would love to hear your perfect park. You have unlimited budget to fit 10 coasters in any configuration you want (basically, let's play Rollercoaster Tycoon). You also have to pick the best location for maximum attendance considering weather, population, competition, etc.

[@Sparticus142]

YAY my home park. Back seat of renegade is incredible or front seat at night. High roller makes my sister throw up 😂. Wild Thing used to be so good but it’s rough now.

[@chongarcia977]

I work for the company so I try and visit the other parks in the chain..I actually came to work here during the off season at Schlitterbahn since they let us do that..I was trained on Excalibur and really enjoyed it..But I must say that I really did enjoy worlds of fun I had so much fun there..I loved mamba,and zambezi zinger,as well as patriot..I made lots of friends in Kansas City and enjoyed there hospitality over valleyfair .I guess I'm expressing my opinion as an employee..Still though I'm so glad I got to visit both..I'd take either one over Knotts..Now that park operations need some improvement

[@WhatAG23]

I can’t get past the fact that they only have one coaster with inversions

[@manny2248]

I went there last week for a work thing and I was given a scholarship, for me valley fair isn't about the rides it's about the memories I make, every time I go it's some of my favourite days. That being said a new coaster wouldn't hurt

[@torezcoasters6043]

Steel Venom wasn’t using the break earlier in the season, but they have been the last few times I’ve been there.

[@minnybiker4505]

This was my favorite place as a kid. As I got older and saw other parks seemingly always getting new big rides and coasters, always felt like Valleyfair was just unlucky with it's location by the flooding river... No where to build new stuff. I sure wish they could figure something out, because the Twin Cities Is a great place to live and there are a lot of people in the region that would go there if there was something special to attract the more casual amusement park fan.

[@kjyost]

As a Manitoban, Valleyfair is my "home park" (8 hour+ drive) and I always enjoyed it. Never been top any of the big parks though, but itching to try once everything is normalish again...

[@SomeYTuser]

How is it possible that you get no airtime on the first drop? It's just not possible for me.

[@Paolo8772]

I think the best coaster in the park is Renegade. I've not been there, but you asked so I answered.

[@eggheadtwoSCM]

Renegade was dun but my neck was burning after the ride idk and when i got off it stopped then when i got on excalibur i felt it a little bit, but if i didnt feel the neck burn on renegade it would have been amazing

[@milfuto420]

Ah valleyfair. I remember the time as a kid riding Excalibur 4 times in a row bc nobody was in line. They just let us go as much as we wanted. I hate this coaster now bc of the headache it brings on but I'm really glad to see people still give valleyfair respect. Personally I feel it's gone down in quality since the mid 2000's but they really just need a new coaster. But with the airport and the flooding and lack of care from cedar fair... I don't see that happening for some time still.

[@echotier8690]

Love these theme park reviews

[@ferretmom76]

I watched this video at some point in the past, but came back for a rewatch because I took my first trip to Valleyfair a couple of weeks ago. We got lucky and only had 5 minute wait times all day. Still no holding break on Steel Venom. Middle tier or lower tier? I say solidly a middle tier park, and for a middle tier park it's pretty stacked. My sister had the same assessment.

[@addiesarr2500]

Love that place going there today!

[@muthergoose4084]

well it ain't Michigan Adventure so there is that.

[@davidchapa4611]

The second hill of Wild Thing has tons of airtime if you sit near the front. That should be obvious to an enthusiast. I got a fast trim free ride on it years ago and it was incredible. But it hits the final brakes too hard and causes the computer to reset. You'll sit there 10 minutes waiting on that. Personally I've found the airtime on Renegade disappointing. I'm not sure if you just got it on a good day or if you have to weigh less for that experience. Sometimes I think body weight affects airtime more than other times. I still live in MN but I haven't been there in years. I need something better and that requires travel.

[@MikeNerdlaw]

Excalibur still my number one there, unless it's an employee night when they turn the back brakes off on Wild Thing, then it's on top.

[@charlietarantola3570]

It’s my home park, so that kind of leaves me a little jaded to it. Without Valley Fair I wouldn’t have ever gotten the courage to ride something like Steel Vengeance 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TheworldofChase]

God you make it sound like a funeral of a park! For the Midwest it’s a nice park!

[@ellitrapp]

As someone who grew up at valley fair it’s one of my fav places I preform my marching band there which is a very fun opportunity and wild thing is the ride I always look forward to wild thing is my absolute favorite part of the park my least fav coaster would have to be mouse whatever cause it’s not to exciting and I love the fact that they have a waterpark for there guest it’s a nice and refreshing way to cool down in the hot MN heat overall I LOVE valley fair 🩷🩷

[@muhsoop]

coming here and not going on power tower should be a crime