The Best Time To Visit Cedar Point If You're Hoping To Dodge Crowds As Much As Possible

Ohio's Cedar Point is one of the most-visited amusement parks in America, which is even more impressive when you consider that it only operates seasonally. The park isn't doing Disney or Universal numbers, but with over 3 million visitors a year, it's right up there with other well-known theme parks like SeaWorld San Diego. Chalk it up to its reputation as the "roller coaster capital of the world," a catchphrase the park has trademarked.

With 18 coasters and counting, Cedar Point is a staple Midwest amusement park for thrills and family fun. Its location in Sandusky leaves it primed to catch all the thrill-seekers who can't make it out to California's Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is owned by the same company and remains the only U.S. park with more coasters. Cedar Point also holds historical appeal as America's second-oldest amusement park, with the first coaster opening in 1892. That's not even counting its original 1870 debut as a bathing beach on the shore of Lake Erie.

Whatever the reason for its enduring popularity, Cedar Point is only open from May to August and on select days, nights, and "HalloWeekends" in September and October. This means the park's crowds tend to be highly concentrated as everyone descends on it during the booming summer months. If you plan your trip right, however, you can still find a window of time when Cedar Point is less crowded, with fewer long lines for rides. Just shoot for these off-peak times.

To dodge crowds, the best months to visit Cedar Point are generally May (before the summer rush starts) and September (when kids are back to school). However, there are always exceptions throughout the park's operating season. Weekdays — especially mid-week — are better than weekends, though Sunday isn't always as bad as Saturday since it's a school night. If possible, avoid holidays when people are off work, as well as special occasions like opening day. Any time other than Thursday nights in October can be crowded as visitors turn out for the annual Halloween events.

For a more granular look at the day-to-day crowd situation, consult a free crowd calendar like the ones offered by Is It Packed? or Thrill Data. While no forecast is foolproof (that goes for the weather in Ohio, too), the projected attendance level can help you skirt the busiest days when planning a trip to Cedar Point. Is It Packed? uses a color-coded system, with the crowd forecast ranging from "Ghost Town" and "Hey, It's Alright" to "Yup, It's Packed" and "Forget About It."

Shoot for days marked green or blue, not yellow or red. You'll see more of the latter in June, July, and August. Keep an eye on the crowd calendar, though, and you might spot some less busy "shoulder season" days in early June, before summer is in full swing, and late August, when summer is at its tail end.

Another potential way to beat the crowds at Cedar Point is by arriving early so you can enter the park right when it opens. As with most theme parks, many other visitors may have the same idea, but you can at least get a head start on the later droves of people arriving throughout the day. Since Cedar Point has family-friendly thrills for every age group, you can also head for rides with shorter waits, like the Midway Carousel or Kiddy Kingdom Carousel, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cedar Point's Fast Lane pass is an optional add-on that allows you to skip the regular line for over 20 different attractions, boarding each ride sooner. It's not cheap; in fact, you could spend almost twice as much on this upcharge as you would just for an admission ticket to the park. The pass also doesn't include four of Cedar Point's most popular coasters: Maverick, Millennium Force, Steel Vengeance, and Valravn.

If you don't mind paying extra, however, those four coasters are covered by the all-inclusive Fast Lane Plus pass, which gives you a blank check for line-skipping on any Fast Lane attraction. That will cut down on your waiting time, give you a break from the crowds, and maybe help take some of the stress out of your visit. Just be aware that Cedar Point is one of many popular theme parks where your cash will be useless.